top 40 of 2017 | 40-31

What a year it's been. It should be no surprise to anyone that so many songs released this year deal with themes of disenfranchisement, economic struggle, depression, and general ennui. Generation Y continues getting louder as time passes, because it's clear that the older folks aren't listening. In 2017, sometimes all we could do was either cry or dance, and this collection of songs is - I think - a pretty solid representation of that reality.

Yes, after expanding to 25 in 2013 and then again to 50 in 2014, I've shrunk this list back to 40 this year. Perhaps if 2018 steps its game up, I'll bump it back up next year. Frankly, I just wasn't very impressed overall with this year's musical selections, which really bums me out. I think pop music (my lifeblood) is in an EDM rut, and I can't listen to any more wailing, mispronounced vowels in oversung hooks over predicable "drops" (cringe). Long story short: Get your shit together, pop producers.

Having said all that, there still were enough great songs this year for me to make a list, so I'm gonna be thankful for that and move on. Also, there are two songs by local Louisville artists on this year's list - a first for me, and a trend that I hope continues!

40. Gorillaz ft. Peven Everett - "Strobelite"

It's really nice to see the Gorillaz back, even if this material is a little "blah" for them. It's still a lovely little disco tune that's a banger if dropped at the party at the right moment. Plus, isn't "Peven Everett" just so fun to say?

39. Bakermat ft. Kiesza - "Don't Want You Back"

Kiesza, Kiesza, Kiesza. Where you been, girl? You were supposed to be the savior of dancepop! This is a pretty low-effort entry from you, but I'll take it cause those Korg M1 pianos slap. Also, that disco ball dress would make Gaga covet.

38. Adia Victoria - "Laissez Tomber Les Filles"

Covers are a rare occurrence on my list, but if it bangs and it came out this year, I consider it. I thought this dark, brooding take on France Gall's jangle-poppy 1964 original was just such a cool idea. It's also super cool to me that Victoria isn't a native French speaker; she's a South Carolina native based in Nashville. (And as a student of French and someone who speaks it more or less fluently, I must say her pronunciation is quite good, which is generally the hardest part of the language for native English speakers.) I hope more English-speaking singers continue this recent trend of recording in other languages.

37. Thundercat ft. Kenny Loggins & Michael McDonald - "Show You The Way"

I mean, how have Loggins and McDonald not done a song together before now? Who better to bring them together, though, than Thundercat: A socks-with-sandals wearing, silky-voiced multi-instrumentalist and singer whose music videos make David Lynch look like Michael Bay and whose album this year was called, of course, Drunk. This song sounds exactly like you think it will, and that's a very, very good thing. Especially cool to see all three of them on the Late-Night stage together.

36. Carly Rae Jepsen - "Cut To The Feeling"

After a totally bizarre, unnecessary misstep at the start of the year that someone apparently came to their senses about such that the official video has since been deleted, Carly came right back with this single from last year's Emotion: Side B. Let's be honest though: She never left the hearts of every gay guy in North America. Really hoping 2018 brings another album of dancepop perfection from her.

35. Little Big Town - "Better Man"

From the perspective of raw vocal talent, Little Big Town are still some of the strongest players in the game. They've been around (with the same lineup!) for 19 years, and in that time they've remained consistent and consistently fascinating. This single's lyrics, though clearly written about frustration after a failed relationship, may also mirror the feelings of many about their favorite celebrities this year. It was written by Taylor Swift, and though I find her output uninteresting, I have always found her to be a compelling songwriter.

34. Arlie - "Big Fat Mouth"

Another Nashville entry on this year's list, but this time from the alt-pop side of things. Serving almost as a perfect yang to Little Big Town's above yin, this one is apologizing for either a misfired joke or spit-too-fast jab that caused the speaker's lover to bolt. We've all been there.

33. Dagny - "Love You Like That"

It's refreshing that the Scandanavian nations still do pop music better than basically anywhere else on Earth. Dagny is Norwegian, but she got her breakthrough last year thanks to American TV when an acoustic version of one of her songs was used on Grey's Anatomy. This single doesn't seem to be part of a planned album at this time, which is a shame, but for now, I'll take it. At first, the lack of melodic variance in her delivery in the chorus bothered me, but every time I listen I'm into it by the end of the song.

32. Halsey & Lauren Jauregui - "Strangers"

I was really not into Halsey when she stepped on the scene a couple years ago, but I'm into this. Making it a duet was an odd choice since their voices are more or less indistinguishable, but I am 100% here for pockets of queerness in the overwhelmingly heteronormative arena of pop music.

31. LOOΠΔ/Kim Lip - "Eclipse"

LOOΠΔ is an extremely ambitious pop music project out of South Korea: Beginning in October 2016, every month for the next 18 months, one new member of the group is revealed and simultaneously releases a single. In 2018, the entire 12-member group and all their backing players will finally be revealed as a group and perform together. This track was the May 2017 entry in the project by member "Kim Lip," a seductive midtempo bop.