Mikey Likey

var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-38313655-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

[mikeylikey]

Instead of ranking 2000+ songs at the end of the year, I’ve decided to start ranking from the beginning. Here is the first Top 50 chart of 2016! There shall be changes...

If you’re on Spotify, subscribe to the playlist here.

1. It Means I Love You | Jessy Lanza 2. Real Friends (ft. Ty Dolla $ign) | Kanye West 3. Moth to the Flame | Chairlift 4. Work (ft. Drake) | Rihanna 5. It's Strange (ft. K.Flay) | Louis The Child 6. Show U Off | Chairlift 7. Please Don't Stop | Cris Celiz 8. Untitled 2 (Live on the Tonight Show) | Kendrick Lamar 9. Trill Friends | Erykah Badu 10. Bake Sale (ft. Travis Scott) | Wiz Khalifa 11. Fair | Betsy 12. Evil Twin (Ben Baptie Remix) | krrum 13. Turnin' Me Up | BJ The Chicago Kid 14. Diamond Girls | Guerilla Toss 15. Polymorphing | Chairlift 16. Heading Home (ft. Josef Salvat) | Gryffin 17. Baté | Buyepongo 18. Somewhere on a Beach | Dierks Bentley 19. Hot Boys | Freddie Gibbs 20. Praise You (Sondrio Remix) | Fatboy Slim 21. Feel | Leisure Suite 22. No More Parties in LA (ft. Kendrick Lamar) | Kanye West 23. Good To Be Loved (Chris Lake Remix) | M-22 24. Lately | Rain Collectors 25. Learning | Anderson East 26. Celebrate | Anderson .Paak 27. Body | Wet 28. Intimate (ft. E. Doza) | Jr Jarris 29. Chasing Shadows | Santigold 30. Blue Soda (Pt. 1) | Pomo 31. Ride-On Mower | Soft Opening 32. Get High | Kill Them With Colour 33. Yamborghini High (ft. Juicy J) | A$AP Mob 34. We Can Talk (ft. Emma Brammer) | Satin Jackets 35. Assossamagh | Imarhan 36. Laugh About It | Tedeschi Trucks Band 37. The Weeknd - Tell Your Friends | Just Kiddin 38. I Love You All the Time (Play It Forward Campaign) | Chelsea Wolfe 39. Never Moved | Tom Misch 40. Desire | Steve B's Dreamy Eyes 41. Earthmind | North 42. Easy Love (ft. Carmody) | Tom Misch 43. Put Me Thru | Anderson .Paak 44. I Don't Care About You | Lake Street Dive 45. Your Lips ft. DiRTY RADIO (TonyTritone Remix) | Pat Lok 46. Room in Here (ft. The Game & Sonyae Elise) | Anderson .Paak 47. Evil | Savages 48. Day Ones (ft. Novelist & Leikeli47) | Baauer 49. Ridin Round | Kali Uchis 50. No Dvddy | DJ Problem

[michaelmcgee]

Getting back into playlist-making early in the year! Tomorrow I’ll be unveiling my Top 50 Songs of 2016.

Also, GIF album covers! Fun!

[mikeylikey]

I'm excited to be back!

[hitsvilleuk]

Listen: Jamie xx - Gosh: “Gosh” serves as the opener to Jamie xx’s debut album In Colour, and it’s a bit of a monster. Just wait for that synth solo to lift you to a higher plane of existence.

[mikeylikey]

WAIT FOR THAT SHIT

[acehotel]

Antonio Sánchez is a master. He single-handedly improvised the score to Birdman with just drums, a cymbal and his own outrageous talent. Antonio stopped by The Theatre last week to live-drum the film’s score in its entirety, and he took some time to chat about it.  

[airgordon]

Natalie Prass: Natalie Prass

Nashville-based singer Natalie Prass has created an album of relationships troubled by misunderstandings, of earnest lovers caught in the claws of the unmerciful. Matthew E. White’s Spacebomb band lends her songs a string-and-horn-heavy instrumentation, giving her smoldering perspective on passionate romance some pomp and circumstance.

Reviewed the Natalie Prass record—my first Best New Music album review for Pitchfork.

[hypem]

New artists to look out for this year. Listen here. 

[ultimatekimkardashian]

Kanye West’s handwritten Only One lyrics

[mikeylikey]

Mikey Likey's Top 104 Songs of 2014

I've done a Top 100 list for the past 5 years, and this might honestly be the toughest one yet! There are 15 songs that make a great case for #1, and the songs ranked between #20-100 could be shuffled and I wouldn't be mad. Actually it was too hard so I threw four more songs into the list. Here it goes!

Song of the Year: "Untitled (The Colbert Report Live)" - Kendrick Lamar

2. Hyperparadise (GANZ Flip) - Hermitude x Flume 3. Say My Name (feat. Zyra) - ODESZA 4. Cruel - The Preatures 5. Can't Do Without You - Caribou 6. Words I Don't Remember - How to Dress Well 7. Girls - Slow Magic 8. That Look - Flume 9. Seasons (Waiting On You) - Future Islands 10. Tuesday Feat. Drake - iLoveMakonnen 11. All We Need (feat. Shy Girls) - ODESZA 12. Huey Newton - St. Vincent 13. H.S.K.T. - Sylvan Esso 14. Careful You - TV On The Radio 15. Brooklyn Baby - Lana Del Rey 16. 0 to 100 / The Catch Up - Drake 17. The Bend - Real Estate 18. Good Mistake - Mr Little Jeans 19. Attak (feat. Danny Brown) - Rustie 20. Control (Pat Lok Remix) - Olympic Ayres 21. Love Songs - DJ Dodger Stadium 22. Hey Mami - Sylvan Esso 23. Murmurs - Hundred Waters 24. No Rest For the Wicked - Lykke Li 25. Your Love is Killing Me - Sharon Van Etten 26. I'm Callin' - Tennis 27. Classic (featuring Powers) - The Knocks 28. Light Years Away - Oliver 29. Fall Back 2U - Chromeo 30. Shades of Cool - Lana Del Rey 31. Soda - Azealia Banks 32. If It Wasn't True - Shamir 33. Shake It Off (Sutrose Remix) - Taylor Swift 34. R.I.P. Kevin Miller - Isaiah Rashad 35. Win Back Your Love - Ang Low 36. Stars - Angel Olsen 37. Shut Up - Posse 38. The Body Electric - Hurray for the Riff Raff 39. Tied Up in Nottz - Sleaford Mods 40. Come Alive (Le Youth Remix) - Chromeo  41. The Mechanism - Disclosure x Friend Within 42. Boys Latin - Panda Bear 43. Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck) Feat. Zach De La Rocha - Run The Jewels 44. TURN DOWN FOR WHAT - DJ Snake x Lil Jon 45. Danny Glover - Young Thug 46. Brand New (feat. Justin Timberlake) - Pharrell Williams 47. I'm Not The Only One (Armand Van Helden Remix) - Sam Smith 48. Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson 49. U Guessed It - OG Maco 50. When Will I See You Again (Amtrac Remix) - Shakka 51. Just Like Me - Betty Who 52. Alexandra - Hamilton Leithauser 53. Hey Life - tUnE-yArDs 54. 7/11 - Beyoncé 55. Down On My Luck - Vic Mensa 56. Fiesta - Sicko Mobb 57. Outer Space (feat Genevieve) - G 58. Belly of the Beast - Gazelle Twin 59. On The Regular - Shamir 60. Wait for a Minute - tUnE-yArDs 61. Keep On Lying - Jessie Ware 62. Weight Of Love - The Black Keys 63. Go ft. Blood Diamonds - Grimes 64. Bring Me Your Loves - St. Vincent 65. Famous - Charli XCX 66. Grid - Perfume Genius 67. Valentine - Mr. Little Jeans 68. Lips Are Movin - Meghan Trainor 69. Gold Coins - Charli XCX 70. Heavenly Father - Bon Iver 71. Cha Cha - D.R.A.M. 72. Pendulum - FKA Twigs 73. Buried Alive - Logic 74. Bored In The USA - Father John Misty 75. Dive - Caribou 76. Better At Making Time - De Lux 77. Bother - Les Sins 78. Dance Slow Decades - Angel Olsen 79. Stand For - Ty Dolla $ign // Long Way Home - Ed Droste, Diplo, Rostam 80. Super Rat - Honeyblood 81. Coco - OT Genasis 82. Weak Knees - Alex Napping 83. Crime - Real Estate 84. Our Love - Caribou 85. Whatever You Need - Moon Boots 86. Collard Greens (Feat. Kendrick Lamar) - Schoolboy Q 87. I Want You - Luke James 88. Silver - Caribou 89. West Savannah (feat. SZA) - Isaiah Rashad 90. Real Thing - tUnE-yArDs 91. Jealous (I Ain't With It) - Chromeo 92. Blue Suede - Vince Staples 93. Sun Models (feat. Madelyn Grant) - ODESZA 94. Bye Bye Big Ocean (The End) - A Sunny Day In Glasgow 95. Lay Me Down - Sam Smith 96. Holding On for Life - Broken Bells 97. Had to Hear - Real Estate 98. Digital Witness - St. Vincent 99. Alone Again - Betty Who 100. Busy Earnin' - Jungle 101. Gooey - Glass Animals 102. In my dreams we're almost touching - Ricky Eat Acid 103. Man of the Year - Schoolboy Q 104. Don't Tell Nobody ft Jeremih - Tink

[britticisms]

"There’s No Love" by Moon Boots

Pretty sure that everything Moon Boots releases is a jam. His production might sound almost too sleek, but sometimes you need that for a good jam full of boogey and beauty. Easily a contender for one of my favorite dance floor tracks of the year. 

(Cloud)

[mikeylikey]

Reblogging off reputation.

[mikeylikey]

Top Songs of 2014: "All The Time" | Bahamas

I listen to a lot of music. So much so that I forget about jams I've heard earlier in the year. 

This is one of them.

GODDAMN THIS IS GOOD! Wow soul. Much happy. So Dirty Projectors guitar breakdowns. I'm gonna call it – it's impossible not to be happy while hearing this song.

Oh and bonus! I get to hear this song live tonight at Schubas here in Chicago. Go on and hate.

[thecool]

[mikeylikey]

Top Songs of 2014: "Grid" | Perfume Genius

I've definitely hitched on to the Perfume Genius bandwagon this year. Too Bright just came out yesterday and EVERYONE loves it. This is the second single from the album and it's amazing. My favorite part comes at 0:40 when the track just go sideways and I'm like "shhiiiiiittttt"

[mikeylikey]

For music, I like to say there are two different time periods: Before Disclosure (BD) and After Disclosure (AD). 

2013 was Disclosure's year. Yeah Kanye had Vampire Weekend came out with amazing tracks/albums, but Disclosure brought a retro, yet fresh sound that EDM needed. Who's Daft Punk?

Anyways as I was going through new music this year I found this track and immediately fell in love. It's sounds like "When A Fire Starts to Burn" does live, only in your headphones. Hip Hop preacher Eric Church makes another appearance and gets me all motivated in shit.  I was going to be sad that I couldn't include a Disclosure track in my top 100 list this year, but no more. THEY REALLY CARE Y'ALL!

[mikeylikey]

Track of the Day: "I'm Callin" | Tennis

I've loved Tennis since Cape Dory but I really love the new direction they've taken on their latest album, Ritual in Repeat. This song reminds me of Hot Chip's "Flutes" in that over time it slowly grows on you until you are like "WHY IS THIS SONG SO FUCKIN PERFECT?!?" 

If you want a subtle, clean-ass jam, you got it right here.

[littlejandthecity]

Tuesday night jams.

[itsnotthatserious]

THIS IS CRAZY! 

[mikeylikey]

New Track of the Day: "I" | Kendrick Lamar OMGGGGGG NEW KENDRICKKKKKKK!!!! Ok, not really but it's been awhile since K. Dot graced us with a new song. And boy has he gone for it with the "Who's That Lady" sample!

Did he execute?

Mostly. The beat works well for his flow, and I love the uplifting message in the song, but he could have done more with this song. My feeling on samples is that if you take a song as iconic as Who's That Lady, you gotta go for a grand slam. A double won't do. I mean this one of the best songs of all-time, you at least gotta do what Kanye did with "Touch The Sky."

The sample is also too much like the original, so it might as well been a freestyle. Will this song be in my Top 2014 Songs of 2014 list? Yes. Will it be close to the Top 100? Probably not. But if this is the worst song on his new album then he will be #1.

[tuneage]

alt-J — Every Other Freckle

Tonight, alt-J’s highly anticipated sophomore album, This Is All Yours, was released. With fourteen tracks, the English band carefully navigates a dirty tongue, beautiful indie and ethereal electronica.

A slow, folksy beginning tumbles into a drumming baseline but it’s Joe Newman’s lead vocals that orchestrate this song: a testament to her form, her taste, her rawness. His voice travels up and down her body, it’s in her hair in crooning promises, on the inside of her thighs in echoing harmonies and the twinges of electronica gives her goosebumps. It makes the song imperfectly sexy, as it follows her curves from indie anthem to marching band rock to pop-electronica.

It takes guts, talent and raw sex appeal to pull off a hot serenade like this one, such a combination might only come around once a year. 2013 was Beyoncé’s “I want you to turn that cherry out” and 2014 will be alt-J’s “turn you inside out and lick you like a crisp packet.”