1. this bizarre new show, the masked singer/rob sheffield's hilarious take on it
has anyone else been watching this cosplay fever dream? i happened upon it one night when there wasn't much else on, and seriously thought i accidentally dropped acid or something. basically, the gist is that washed up celebrities sing pop songs while dressed in these elaborate animal costumes. it's supposedly based on a korean show, and i can't get enough of its craziness.
just when i thought it couldn't get any better, one of my favorite writers, rob sheffield, wrote an absolutely hilarious article about it. a preview: "how did robin thicke reach the “judging a fox singing contest with jenny mccarthy” point of his fame arc so fast? why is terry bradshaw crooning
a florida georgia line song in a deer costume? who the hell came up
with this idea and why it is so ludicrously perfect?" i'm dead.
2.the new catfish and the bottlemen song, "longshot"
NEW CATFISH! i absolutely love these brits, and both times i've seen them live, they were fantastic. they haven't released anything in a few years, so i was super stoked when they dropped this single a couple weeks ago. my first two listens, i was like "hmm, it's decent, but it's not blowing my hair back." then something just clicked on the third listen and i was aaaaall in. dig it.
3. this instagram account, theboyandhisdickies
funny, skater-inspired poetry. pure art.
4. sam and jake kiszka's sparkly vintage jackets on SNL this weekend
one of each, please. actually, can i just raid all of their closets? because they wear the best vintage shit on the regular. love me some rock stars that dress like fucking rock stars with a weird-ass hippie twist. but jake better STOP because i'm way too old for him.
also, the bassist of twin peaks endorsing them via instagram story made me almost as happy as big boi posting that "black smoke rising" was a timeless classic (it is), and alex lifeson of rush shouting them out unprompted at the rock 'n roll hall of fame the other day. they get it! haters be damned.
the brian jonestown massacre - "who dreams of cats?" ariana grande - "no tears left to cry" deeper - "pink showers" 18. cherry glazerr - "juicy socks"
sorry, the title of this song is kind of weird and gross ... and so isthe video, but i swear it's a really good tune! it's a simple little slice of lush, dreamy garage pop from singer clementine creevy and her ever-rotating cast of bandmates. it's funny, too: a lot of the comments i read about this song from longtime cherry glazerr fans expressed some disappointment in the new direction she was taking the music in, but i felt just the opposite. i was never super into anything i heard from them until this song!
17. khalid f/ normani - "love lies"
the power of a smooth r&b jam cannot be underestimated, and "love lies" puts me in a chill, happy place. khalid and normani (formerly of girl group fifth harmony) have such sexy vocal chemistry, and the bridge is as catchy as the chorus.
16. calpurnia - "greyhound"
no, your eyes are not deceiving you...that is indeed mike from stranger things, aka finn wolfhard. turns out that he has an indie band on the side that's pretty good! calpurnia's scout ep was produced by my boy cadien lake james from one of my favorite bands, twin peaks (and by "my boy," i mean i just have a weird crush on him and gleni and i refer to him as my "white trash boyfriend"). anywho, this sleepy, groovy song appears to be about someone whose partner either broke up with them or committed suicide, leaving them to go to a concert they planned to attend together by themselves. :( either way, a bit dark to be sure, but the instrumentals are lazy and light and i love the harmonies at the end. perfect for a long train or...erm, greyhound ride. 15. bass drum of death - "too high"
he's baaaack!while i was extremely wary of BDOD's new album just business after hearing the decidedly Not Good first single, "heavy," he fortunately returned to form for the rest of the record, adding just a bit more polish and doo-wop flair to his brand of garage rock. this song immediately stood out to me with its singalong quality, and the chorus just makes me want to do the pony (you know, the '60s dance).
14. teddy - "i was in a cult"
whoops!
i definitely just wrote about this song like, two weeks ago and then
realized it was probably going to end up on this list immediately after i posted it. so, i guess i'll just copy and paste what i said about it because i feel the same today:
i can't be the only one to remember the shaggy-haired, blue-eyed heartthrobteddy geiger, can i? his earnest acoustic tune, "for you i will (confidence)" was kind of a sleeper hit back in the mid-2000s, and he starred on the short-lived, ill-conceived, but mostly enjoyable show love monkey with tom cavanagh from ed.
fast
forward 13 years, and he is now a she, who has apparently co-written
mega-hit songs for the likes of shawn mendes, one direction, and 5
seconds of summer. one of her own recent tunes, released under the
moniker teddy (i can't add the heart because blogger thinks it's HTML
code), popped up on spotify and it is a certified BOP.
it has an undeniably catchy melody, there are shades of fuzzy
garage/psych pop, and how about that little piano riff?! just makes me
want to strut down the street.
addendum: seriously,
i feel like i have to physically restrain myself from pretending i'm on
a catwalk when i'm listening to it in public. and i didn't really notice it at first, but the vocal flourish at 2:07 gives me LIFE, honey. 13. tancred - "reviews"
this
is the second time tancred (the solo project of jess abbott, formerly
of now, now) has made my year-end list—"bed case" was on my
2016 list as well. "reviews" has a more subtle, decidedly darker vibe, and a pretty
interesting melody that's somehow still really catchy as it takes all these twists and turns. i had the
pleasure of attending a *~secret show~* by her and her band at the boston
spotify office this past spring (probably because i had been listening
to this song all day, errday), and i felt like i was in one of those
"cool concert" scenes from a movie or tv show and it was extremely sweet. sounded great live, too! 12. 5 seconds of summer - "youngblood"
i swear
to god, the first 20+ times i heard the beginning of this song on the
radio, i was absolutely convinced it was ZAYN (which is another reason i
love it, probably) and then when the beat kicked in, i was like
"goddammit, tricked again!" i finally got it through my thick head a few
months later and fully embraced the song and its true identity. between
the groovy, shoulder-shimmying, finger-snapping "you push and you push
and i'm pullin' awaaay" to the larger-than-life, foot-stomping chant of a
chorus, there's so much to dig about this perfect, not-so-little pop song. btw, that's not the band in the video. they're australian. so...no idea.
11. the voidz - "leave it in my dreams"
like a much dreamier (sorry) early strokes song, "leave it in my dreams" took a while to grow on me. but it wasn't long before its subtle sweetness and casual cool started to endear me to it and i craved it like my morning coffee. so...basically, also how i feel about julian casablancas.
10. eminem - "killshot"
never
thought i'd see the day that i included a rap diss track on this list,
but if everyone hadn't already agreed that em's the greatest rapper of
all time, this confirmed it, despite his last few terrible albums. it does help to watch machine gun kelly's original diss video (which was surprisingly decent)
for context. but when i first heard "killshot" without having listened
to it, i was still blown away. i won't spoil any of the lines because
it's so much more fun to listen to the sweet, slow burn of every jab and
yell "yaaaaas." but i will say that the "man bun" line had me like:
and the "you dress better" one had me like:
9. gender roles - "about her"
i
love me some bratty british indie rock, and gender roles came through
this year with "about her," a crunchy little nugget with a headbanging
earworm of a chorus. after the first time i heard it, i'm pretty sure i
listened to it aboooout 50 times in 3 days, which is one of the most
satisfying musical experiences ever, IMO. love the brit-as-fuck spoken-word breakdown. CRUSH IT UP AND PUT IT IN MY
DRINK!
8. phantastic ferniture - "fuckin 'n' rollin'"
block
your ears, children! if it weren't for the fact that the lyrics to the
chorus are literally "fuckin' 'n' rollin, roll in the night/fuckin 'n'
rollin'/just feels right" this laid-back, folksy song would be the LEAST
likely to have such an explicit title by the mere sound of it. it’s
gorgeous in the simplicity of the melody, the bassline is groovy as
hell, and julia jacklin’s voice adds a layer of richness to the whole
breezy affair. the video is so enjoyable to watch, too.
7. donovan wolfington - "ways"
i wrote at length about these cats earlier in the year, and "ollie north" was on my 2015 list, so i've been loving d-wolf for quite a while. sadly, they broke up in the spring, but their final album waves is such an excellent goodbye note, and certainly one of my most-played this year. "ways" in particular encapsulates their sound perfectly, IMO: joyous, unabashed skate punk with dark undertones and unexpected layers and textures to it. the alternative put it really well, describing the beginning as "a gargantuan riff with the crunch of a dozen Nature Valley bars." totally, bruh.
6. kurt vile - "bassackwards"
"remember that time that neil young had a baby with tom petty and he was
born with long scraggly hair and a sneer and a flannel? hi kurt." - some guy on youtube 😂
would
it even be my favorite songs of the year list without an appearance by
kurt vile?! while "loading zones" and "yeah bones" from his
latest album, bottle it in, were in the running, i kept coming back to this languid, hazy, almost-10-minute trip that's not a second too long. "bassackwards" —and much of kurt's music, really—feels like big, long hugs from your favorite person, aimless solo drives where you pretend you're in a movie, good, cathartic cries, finding shapes in clouds, and the all of the beautiful, weird little moments that make life so lovely. kurt vile is the only person who can have a lyric
like "i appreciate her to the utmost degree" and have it somehow sound
like he's saying "whatever, maaaan."
5. greta van fleet - "brave new world"
IN THIS HOUSE, WE LOVE AND RESPECT GRETA VAN FLEET.
man,
it's a good thing i don't require bands to write a fucking thesis on
their innovative compositions in order for me to like their
music, because if i did, i'd miss out on some excellent tunes like this
one.
are greta van fleet currently derivative as hell? absolutely. do i care?
not one damn bit. my criteria for enjoying music is the following: it
makes me feel good when i listen to it, and...nope, that's it. it makes
me feel good when i listen to it.
if
they aren't your cup of tea, that's fine! but to dismiss them or worse, spew hate because they have the same "sound" as another—incredible!—group (who, may i remind you, isn't making music anymore) when 95% of indie bands sound alike is
pure bullshit. i
laugh so hard when i see critics referring to them as "precious,"
because TRULY, the only element of preciousness here is the fact that
pretentious assholes are taking a super fun young rock band so
seriously. like, it's not greta's problem that you'd prefer to quietly cry yourself to sleep while listening to neutral milk hotel every night than have a couple of beers and play air guitar. please calm down. it's only rock 'n roll, baby!
when
i fell in love with this band just over a year ago ("edge of darkness" was
my favorite song of 2017 and i stand by that assessment more now than ever), all i knew is that they were going to get
really, really big—probably really, really fast. then, i saw them live
in july. i've
been to around 200 shows at this point in my life, and theirs was easily in my top three, ever. it was certainly the most fun i've ever had at a concert. the maturity, musicianship, energy,
and charisma these guys play with at 19(!) and 22 years old is
straight-up insane
and i will not let a mumble-rap-loving journalist tell me otherwise, because i
know what i saw, heard, and felt.
ANYWAY (shh, don't tell the haters!), this song—along with about half the
songs on the new album—sounds absolutely nothing like zep. break out your lava lamp and get ready to stare at your favorite tapestry for five minutes, brothers and sisters. it's grungy, heavy, atmospheric, and rush-meets-neil young and crazy horse-meets-black sabbath-meets-the mars volta. more than anything, though,
it's very greta van fleet. as a youtube commenter said, "the chorus sounds like you're a knight fighting a dragon on a cold night." fuck yes. also, i'm pleased to announce that i'm now pregnant as a result of that fuzz-pedal guitar solo and
drums at the end.
admittedly, i preferred last year's double EP from the fires to anthem of the peaceful army,
but it's a solid, highly enjoyable album with some true flashes of
greatness like
this one. i really look forward to seeing these young bucks continue
to grow as musicians and hone their own sound, because they absolutely
have what it takes to be legendary, and i'm not being hyperbolic. i'll proudly be going to new york to see them live again in may. think the dude from pitchfork will be there? ;)
p.s. if
you're interested in joining the party and opening your ears and heart
to GVF, i recommend you set aside 26 minutes, light somethin' up, and
watch this...one of my favorite activities these days, tbh.
4. post animal - "gelatin mode"
in the second appearance from a band featuring a stranger things
cast member (joe keery aka steve harrington played guitar on this
record), we have post animal's swirly, psychedelic adventure, "gelatin
mode." this track is part soulful '60s garage ditty, part sludgy '70s
acid trip, part '80s video game soundtrack, and most importantly, a really good time. without a doubt, it's also one of the most creative
and unique songs i heard this year. but see? that's the beauty of music,
guys. you can enjoy a great (mostly derivative) song AND a great
(mostly unique) song. both can be excellent! there's more than enough
room for all of it in this big, wonderful world. thanks for coming to my
ted talk.
3. anna burch - "tea-soaked letter"
hiiii, jangly '90s indie rock vibes! indeed, this song wouldn't be out of place at all on the soundtrack to singles, reality bites, or the clueless tv adaptation. anna's voice is like the best parts of juliana hatfield's and liz phair's all mixed together and baked into the perfect pie. also, i credit this video for inspiring the majority of my style this year.
2. flatbush zombies - "headstone"
i still can't believe that i accidentally discovered these guys at the boston calling music festival a couple years ago. this track—the first single from their album vacation in hell—is not only an absolute banger (that beat, tho!), but also a masterclass in old-school hip-hop. every single line of every single verse is a reference to those who came before FBZ, from biggie to slick rick, and it's all woven together flawlessly; i completely lost my shit at the bone thugs' "crossroads" and kanye's "jesus walks" nods. if you're as nerdy as i am, these dudes break down the references pretty thoroughly.
don't even get me started on the flows, y'all. erick, zombie juice,
and meech all spit fire, as the kids say, and have their own distinct
voice and vibe that makes the song so dynamic and interesting the whole
way through. i'll give you a moment to laugh as you picture an extremely white girl rapping "put money over bitches on my headstone" as she drives through suburban boston.
1. soccer mommy - "your dog"
in
1969, iggy and the stooges were like, “i wanna be your dog” and in
2018, soccer mommy (aka sophie allison) is all “i don’t wanna be your
fucking dog!” JK, i'm pretty sure that the former song has absolutely nothing
to do with the latter, but it was my first thought.
clean,
the album on which this track appears, was also my favorite of the
entire year. the whole thing is earnest, angsty, and bare-bones, really
showcasing allison's excellent songcraft and understated-yet-powerful
voice. my favorite time to listen to it has been driving around at
night, because it evokes such a distinct mood. in "your dog," a haunting
guitar riff sets the scene for pleas like "i'm not a prop for you to use/when you're lonely or confused/i want a love that lets me breathe/i've been choking on your leash." the
lyrics are very of-the-moment, but also timeless, because…dudes. in
many ways, it's a perfectly fitting closing track for 2018.
looking at houses i can't afford is my therapy, okay? and this lil' loft--for a cool 2 and a half mil--just soothes the soul. there's also a fireplace in a bedroom. a. fireplace. in. a. bedroom. i can't even wrap my head around it.
2. the haunted lore of the mount washington hotel
last week, i spent a few much-needed days with my family at this bougie resort up in the white mountains that was basically like the setting of a hallmark movie IRL, minus the hot love interest (though my zip lining guide was basically the crunchy bearded hippie of my dreams and i gladly let him handle my hooks, heyooo). there was a big fireplace with a moose head above it in the lobby, an arcade, speakeasy, and coffee shop in the basement, a spa, fire pits, indoor/outdoor pools and hot tubs, like 3 restaurants, and amazing floor-to-ceiling windows with beautiful views of the mountains.
unfortunately, on the second day, it poured, so i made the best of it by reading by the fire and getting my nails done. my manicurist, um, tipped me off to a daily hotel tour that gave an overview of the hotel's history, so i was all about it. long story short, this 20-something woman named carolyn stickney married some rich dude and inherited the hotel and then the dude died, so she became the HBIC. she did all sorts of wacky shit, like watch the female guests arriving to dinner parties from her private balcony and changing her outfit if they were dressed better than her, having an assistant draw the curtains on the pool and kick everyone out if she wanted to go for a swim, etc. etc. you can read more here.
creepy-ass rendering of carolyn
she's rumored to haunt the hotel to this day, and room 314 in particular, where she spent most of her time. during my visit to the speakeasy, the bartender verified that "a lot of weird shit" has happened in the 4 years he's worked there, including a chair inexplicably moving across the room when he was closing up by himself after midnight, and a female guest (staying in 314) freaking out at the front desk one night because the covers were ripped right off the bed while her and her husband were sleeping. do you love it? i love it. also, unrelated, but this clock with the moon phases was just really cool.
3. this stripped-down version of greta van fleet's "black smoke rising"
yes, i'm still riding the GVF train, man. i pray these kiddos never get into hard drugs because they're so wholesome and wonderful and full of raw talent. i've gotten into this song in particular lately, and it sounds even better acoustic, IMO.
4. rediscovering zumiez
sooo i think i'm regressing, but i don't really care. back in my college days, my friends and i were regulars at the zumiez in the poughkeepsie galleria--both for the sk8r clothes and the fact that most of our local musician acquaintances worked there, or worked elsewhere in the mall and just shopped there. either way, it was a scene, as they say. and while looking for some snowboarder-chic clothing for my aforementioned trip, i popped in there last weekend and bought like 12 things (including this "not today" hoodie which i'm wearing right now). somehow, i dig their selection even more than i did when i was 19. it's fine. 5. this adorable "how i met my husband" story
i was tooling around last weekend looking at blogs, and came across this post from last year about how this woman met her husband. i'm always a sucker for a good meet-cute story, so i was immediately drawn in, not even realizing until i got to the end that it was written by eva martino, susan sarandon's daughter. honestly didn't even know she had a blog. but it was really uplifting and adorable and sweet and gosh darn it, we need more of that in our lives!
this list ended up being all over the place, but i guess my taste in music is, too. playlist available here. let's get to it!
honorable mention:
bad nerves - "bad kid"
adult mom - "full screen"
NE-HI - "rattled and strange"
17. logic f/ alessia cara and khalid - "1-800-273-8255"
let's start on a super-depressing note, shall we? this is a total downer of a tune, but one that has a positive message at the end (and is catchy as hell). logic's bummed-out verses and chorus meets alessia cara's gorgeous vocals for a powerful song that sticks with you and provides a welcome reprieve from the vapidness of top 40 radio. the number in the title? that's the national suicide prevention hotline.
16. BLOXX - "coke"
for the past year or so, british indie rockers BLOXX have been quietly churning out singles--all of which i've loved--but this may be my favorite so far. this one is obviously about drugzzz but also maybe about infidelity?! the intrigue and mystery (courtesy of kickass frontwoman ophelia booth) are set to slightly dark, new-wavey instrumentals and i'm here for all of it.
15. harry styles - "meet me in the hallway"
even though one direction has disbanded, you better believe that i'm continuing their legacy on this list through its individual members. the ever-enigmatic harry has always been my favorite; the resemblance to a young mick jagger, the cheeky sense of humor, the inexplicable tattoos and old soul quality. while i enjoyed his bowie-esque, larger-than-life single, "sign of the times," this one (the opening track of his debut album) caught my attention immediately for its haunting, ethereal vibe. this live version actually showcases that really well. come on, what other boy bander would have a song with the lyrics"give me some morphine"?! only mr. styles. 14. portugal. the man - "feel it still"
i've mentioned before that i was late to the game when it came to loving this song, and only really came around when a classic convertible started blasting it on the streets of NYC, inspiring an impromptu pedestrian dance party. as youtube commenters have pointed out, the chorus DOES have a lot of similarities to the marvelettes' 1961 classic "please mr. postman," but hey, 60% of music today is derivative, and i can think of many worse offenses. 13. post malone f/ 21 savage - "rockstar"
i feel like post malone invented his own hip-hop subgenre. like, i'll get into moods where only the smooth, chilled-out r&b stoner swagger of posty will do. i mean, he talks about fuckin' hos and poppin' pillies and then in the next breath references AC/DC's bon scott. the addition of 21 savage on this track injects just a biiiit more rap flavor into the whole debaucherous affair. also, every time i hear the absurd line, "they like, "savage, why you got a 12-car garage and you only got six cars?"" i chuckle and go "saaaaame!" 12. walk the moon - "kamikaze"
the walk the moon that i know and love is back! i was crazy about them when they first hit the big tine (in fact, "anna sun" was #1 on my 2012 list), but they started to lose me when all the basic bitches started singing "shut up and dance." :( fortunately, i'm really digging their new stuff--it's soulful, catchy indie pop that still has their unique flavor. this song stood out to me immediately as the grooviest of the bunch. 11. tristen - "glass jar"
DAT CHORUS, THO. besides being a total earworm, "glass jar" perfectly, subtly, and sweetly gives the middle finger to some terrible dude without sounding bitter at all. "i don't have to say goodbye/you don't get to see me cry/you put me in a glass jar and tap, tap, tap to see how i move." sing it, sister. and yes, that's jenny lewis on backing vocals if you were feeling the rilo kiley vibes.
10. cloud nothings - "up to the surface"
it's been so cool to see cloud nothings mature from lo-fi one-man indie band to a polished four-piece outfit without losing the originality that made it special from the beginning. their most recent album, life without sound, has been vastly underrated IMO, considering i haven't really read or heard much about it on best-of lists. but this song is wonderful and poignant and just really pretty.
9. kesha f/ the dap-kings horns - "woman"
she's back, baby! kesha's transformation from hot mess party girl to wise, um, woman this year made me so happy. she looks and sounds great, and it seems like she's finally making the music she really wants to. and, in 2017 of all years, this song resonates more than ever. the explicit chorus is nothing but empowering, and the dap-kings horns give it a little something extra special. 8. charly bliss - "glitter"
another fabulous female vocalist, eva hendricks fronts charly bliss with sweet, squeaky vocals (she reminds me of a more low-key kim shattuck of the muffs). but lemme tell ya, i saw them live in june, and she was jumping, kicking, and twirling around in a pink sequined prom dress the whole set. punk af. i loved this whole album, but the real talk in this song made it my favorite. who hasn't wanted to ask someone "am i the best? or just the first person to say yes?"
7. the obsessives - "it's ok if"
this lil' nugget, by shaggy-haired slacker indie duo the obsessives, is two minutes of pure fun. from that crunchy riff after the chorus to the playful "la la la la"s. plus, the adorable lyrics about crushin' hard on someone just make me swoon: "i like your lips/they look like somethin' botticelli would have wanted to paint back when the moon first put us to sleep." sigh. 6. ZAYN f/ PARTYNEXTDOOR - "still got time"
sorry, harry, but this one was a total banger and deserved to be much more popular than it was. basically, "still got time" is just super chill and perfect for the activities depicted in the video: smoking joints, wearing cool beanies from urban outfitters, making out with aloof skater dudes at a party. you can definitely hear zayn smirking as he sings, "this could be somethin' if you let it be somethin'" and "you're already used to the games, babe." like, yeah, he's super hot, but you know he absolutely takes 4 days to text you back and then replies, "sorry, just saw this."i digress. great song!
5. courtney barnett & kurt vile - "over everything"
these two officially take the crown for my favorite rock 'n roll friendship, and this video might just be my favorite of the year. a much less toxic kurt and courtney, my man KV's goofball demeanor and freewheeling, meandering style are the perfect complement to barnett's stream-of-consciousness lyrics. they both have a sly, deadpan delivery that just works so well. mellowest musical power couple ever. 4. beck - "up all night"
man, i'm so glad that beck got over whatever he was going through during that whole somber sea change phase, because he's much more fun to be around now. "dreams" was on my 2015 list, and "up all night" has that same carefree, electro-pop feel that brings a smile to your face and just makes you wanna moooooove and flirt and whip your hair. i lost track of how many times i danced my little heart out in my apartment to that "living up in the air" part at the end, but it was A LOT.
3. shawn mendes - "there's nothin' holdin' me back"
to borrow a term from my 23 year-old coworker, this one is a "total bop." i've been a shawn mendes fan since "stitches," and i feel like the fact that he's canadian has a lot to do with that? what i mean is that all of his songs have a distinctly canadian quality in that they're somehow much cooler than a pop song by an american artist in a way i can't put my finger on. a less extreme musical version of trudeau and trump, if you will. this song was also hittin' hard during my june trip to seattle and portland and it made me feel v, v adventurous and free-spirited, so points for that. 2. state champs - "slow burn"
pop-punk lives!! “slow burn” is a prime example of a
perfectly-executed tune within the genre. it’s got fuck-yeah chorus about a girl, obvs (with
references to “everlong” and gettin’ it on, to boot) and lead singer derek discanio's voice has that essential slightly nasally quality. on a completely unrelated note, this video is extremely aesthetically pleasing and i want to hang out with these dudes so bad. listen to this one with the windows down. 1. greta van fleet - "edge of darkness"
some years, my #1 song just comes flying out of nowhere at the 11th hour, and this is one of those years. my friend mike had turned me onto greta van fleet a couple months ago, telling me i was going to love them if i hadn't heard of them already, because they were the second coming of led zeppelin. spoiler alert: he was right.
i liked them well enough at first. yet, it wasn't until this tune from their new EP came on my spotify "release radar" that i stopped in my tracks and did what i do every time i hear THE song: listen to it in my house, in my car, at the office, everywhere, all day long, for like a week. lead singer josh kiszka's voice is rich and classic, like the best parts of robert plant, grace slick, and geddy lee. even better, three of the four dudes are brothers, two are twins, and none are older than the age of 21. CARRY THE TORCH, BOYS! the chorus is grand and magical, and you can also play air guitar, air drums, and belt the fuck outta it (very important #1 song qualities).
as part of my obsessive ritual, i ended up falling into a youtube vortex and watching live GVF performances for way too long. this one is my favorite, not only because of the incredible outfits and mannerisms, but also the damn kid playing the damn guitar solo behind his damn back at 5:38. i don't care if it's the same as playing it normally, it looks so sick and you can't deny it. ok bye!
