Top 100 Songs of 2018 - #30 to #21

Courtney Barnett, Kimbra, Liza Anne + JOY.!

#100 - #91

#90 - #81

#80 - #71

#70 - #61

#60 - #51

#50 - #41

#40 - #31

#30. LOVELY

by Billie Eilish and Khalid

Tear me to pieces, skin to bone

Hello, welcome home.

Isn't it lovely? Well... yeah. It's so lovely that Billie Eilish and Khalid's 'Lovely' is the pop collaboration of the year. From the simple piano and strings introduction, the song welcomes first Eilish and then Khalid. From the first chorus, we find their voices circling and complimenting each other, with Eilish's ethereal and haunting tones sitting perfectly alongside those of Khalid. Both the song and the video tackle the inability to get out from under, so to speak, for those battling depression. You don't even need the video for that to be made clear, but the beautifully shot clip captures the idea of being trapped in your own head in an exceptional way. If you're lucky enough to be heading to Florence + The Machine's Australian tour next month, you'll get to see Billie Eilish performing as support. Since that's going to be oh so lovely, you'd better make sure you're getting there early to enjoy all that she has to offer. (Matt Bond)

#29. HUNGER

by Florence + The Machine

Tell me what you need, oh, you look so free

The way you use your body, baby, come on and work it for me.

I read something Florence Welch said, where she said something like; “Sometimes when you can’t say it, you can sing it”. Which is interesting, because here is this song, making all the sounds, saying all the words about filling one’s life with things in the search for the ultimate things, Florence doing that in her own way, but something which we all do in our own ways, consciously or not, every minute of every day, in an attempt to make sense of it all. Which brings me to here, writing all the words about all the songs, for reasons only Florence is strong enough to sing about. (Jo Michelmore)

#28. NAMELESS, FACELESS

by Courtney Barnett

I'm real sorry

'Bout whatever happened to you.

I think we've covered a couple of times on here that we can't wrap our heads around what is it about Courtney Barnett that ignites such a rage in a particular group of listeners over at triple J. So we're not going to look at that. I'm also not going to preach to you about things like statistics, online trolls and violence against women. These are all things that Courtney Barnett addresses in a superb way throughout 'Nameless Faceless.' Instead, I'd like you to listen to the song and read some articles: Eurydice Dixon and the myth of women "being careful"
'Disturbing Details About The Incel Community And Their Warped View Of The World'
We really need to do something about making the world a better place for everyone. Because when a show like The Handmaid's Tale seems more like reality than fantasy, there's something very, very wrong. (Matt Bond)

#27. I'M TIRED, YOU'RE LONELY

by Liza Anne

And if I was a softer person, I could give you the kindness you are deserving

But I'm not and maybe that's just it.

Has a song ever made you feel a bit sick? Not in a 'Blurred Lines' or Charlie Puth/Meghan Trainor 'Marvin Gaye' kind of way. More in a 'this is all just a little too real right now' kind of way. As in, the song is playing and Liza Anne is singing about looking at who's calling on her phone and she just lets it ring out and you're looking at your phone at that exact same moment as it's ringing and you know you're not going to answer it because of who's calling. It's not Liza Anne calling, but if it was I would be answering and be all like, "same, Liza Anne. Same. Big mood. Yeah I don't really know what that means either." And we'd laugh and laugh and be best friends forever. Liza Anne, call me. (Matt Bond)   

#26. LABRADOR

by WAAX

You must be high if you think that you're gettin' ahead

No, it never begins, no, it never begins.

I’m fairly certain I’ve driven through Labrador once or twice, but I couldn’t tell you much about it. WAAX’s Marie DeVita spent a bit of time there and her ode to the old Labrador days speaks volumes to what I’ve been told about the Gold Coast destination. I believe the words shit and hole might have been used in describing it, but my memory isn’t what it used to be for I am old now. I wouldn’t use the words shit or hole to describe WAAX’s ‘Labrador’.  For the former I’d use whatever the exact opposite word is and for the latter I’d add a ‘w’ at the start and say it’s a whole lot of fucking awesome, subdued disdain and rage from WAAX on a song that’s going to get stuck in your head whether you like it or not. And why wouldn’t you want it to? Are you from Labrador or something? (Matt Bond)  


I’m just so all about WAAX. They never fail to deliver all things I love. Loud, dirty classic guitar riffs, drums pleading to be smashed and bounced around to, basslines that make you wanna mix with all the treble and bass in your speakers, vocals that demand listening to and a lyric straight outta my own head, or someone else’s, or my own again, in this case. One note and suddenly I’m twenty one again and not happy with the world, or myself, or the world, and it’s taken a few years but WAAX make me feel happy about feeling unhappy then and happy now. Whoever ‘they’ were, they were right all along then, WAAX, but then you wrote the song and proved them wrong. It’s not just in your head, now you are more. (Jo Michelmore)

#25. CHANGE

by JOY.

I keep running back to you, I don't know what for

I just cannot seem to find my peace.

There’s some power in acknowledgment of the fact that sometimes one isn’t going to feel great about someone or something else, and there’s real power in admitting one’s need to feel despair. I’m sure there’s a million self help books about that exact topic, but my self help routine always involves music, which brings me to JOY and that lyric; “these books I read don’t have the answers I need”. They rarely do, but music so often does, like this one; a stunning song, a stunning clip, and such a beautiful low tempo ode to melancholy. (Jo Michelmore)

 

#24. MOLOTOV

by Kira Puru

 Rolling through the front door six drinks in

Point me at the dancefloor, throw me in.

I (almost) didn’t want to write words about this song, because I knew once I hit play it was going to be another couple of days of “m m m m m molotov” and while I really don’t mind singing about Soviet statesmen and nasty (amazing) cocktails, I’m not sure my housemates and work colleagues are as appreciative. It’s one of those songs though, once it’s heard it ain’t leaving and by the time it leaves you’re pretty much ready to hear it again, and so on and so forth and the vicious cycle begins and ends. Also, one of my favourite lyrics of the year/ever; “I can’t find a fuck to give...” because so often. Yes, so, so often. Kira Puru, so strong, secure, bold, beautiful, brave; she’s had my heart for such a long time now, I couldn’t be happier that this song and this year finally had her placed into so many more hearts as well. (Jo Michelmore)

#23. SANCTIFY

by Years and Years

So don't break

Sanctify my body with pain.

If you google the word sanctify alone, you run the risk of coming up with all sorts of religious links and pages, which is fine if that’s your thing, and have a nice day, but if you’re looking for the song, maybe follow that Sanctify with Years & Years, or you’ll be spending that much time trying to get out of an internet black hole of judgement. If you google Sanctify plus Years & Years, you end up with some sweet beats, a whole lot of manically choreographed incredible movement, a feeling of old school pop with a hint of rnb updated and some powerful lyrics with a killer vocal track, and that’s much more my kind of religion. (Jo Michelmore)

#22. LIGHTYEARS

by Kimbra

As long as we're together

We could go wherever you like.

How do you digest an album when you first get it? Hopefully you don’t actually eat it, if you’re still on the physical form of albums and continue to resist the digital age. Me, I do a quick listen to the start of songs that haven’t already been released as promo or singles. It’s like slightly spoiling yourself on what’s to come. Anyway, when I downloaded (I did join the digital age FYI) our lady love Kimbra’s third album Primal Heart I was scanning through those unheard songs and I got to the third one (the album’s seventh track) and it was so good I forgot about that whole quick scan thing and listened to it in full and then I listened to it again. And again. And again and again and again. If you haven’t figured out how this whole countdown thing works yet, the song I’m talking about it ‘Lightyears.’ I’m here for the imagery created by the opening lines, for the explosion of energy and joy that comes with the chorus and I’m always going to be here for the musical wonder that is Kimbra Johnson. (Matt Bond)

#21. MIRACLE

by Chvrches

Ask me no questions, I will tell you no lies

I'm not asking for a miracle.

Chavurches, how I love you so. And if you’ve read through a couple of these posts you’d know I also love a good build throughout a song. You know, it starts off a bit slow... the focus on the singer and the words. Then more and more elements slowly get added until the music unleashes about halfway through and then it’s on, oh is it on, and you know you’re going to have to go back and pick up on all those little pieces of the puzzle that you missed. That’s when you know you’ve got a good build. Chvrches mastered the build a long time ago, but on ‘Miracle’ they owned it. (Matt Bond)


I hear all the things I love about the group that are probably my favourite electronic outfit; I hear the familiar delirious keys of Martin Doherty and I hear that strong stamp of Iain Cooks in production, I hear all the customary boldness in Lauren Mayberry’s vocal; but it wasn’t until I realised where the influence came from that I knew why I loved it so much; it’s the harshness of a 90s kind of influence, a feeling of full with an overpowering wall of sound that’s makes it so satisfying, bursting with confidence and demanding to be heard. I’m taking back my first sentence. Not probably my favourite electronic outfit – ARE my favourite electronic outfit. (Jo Michelmore)