SWALLOW THE BILE

Particularly Honourable Mention (i.e. I did all these write-ups out of order and accidentally did some that wouldn’t make the final list, but didn’t want any effort to be wasted, so here are a few words about songs that aren’t really better than anything else on the Honourable Mentions list, and you should probably prepare for this kind of a mess to be the average tone throughout the rest of this Godforsaken countdown):

Gorgon City – Imagination (feat. Katy Menditta)

I was surprised to find this was released as a single, and its Wiki page doesn’t instil much confidence that it actually was (“The song was compared to previous singles ‘Ready for Your Love’, ’Here for You’ and ‘Unmissable’” – so compared to three singles from the same album, right then), but it makes good on the bass line from my ultimate guilty pleasure of the past few years (NSFW!!!), so it gets a pass.

Skrillex & Diplo – Where Are Ü Now (with Justin Bieber)

On its merits as a song, this is very good. On its merits as the starting point of 2015’s greatest redemption narrative, this is absolutely brilliant.

With that disaster out of the way, we move on to our feature presentation:

THE BEST SINGLES OF 2015

You got me feeling for your power…

40. KDA – Turn the Music Louder (Rumble) [feat. Tinie Tempah & Katy B)

I’ll come right out and say it: This song only made the list because my thirst for new Katy B material hasn’t been satiated in far too long, and it was a bit of a thrill to see her topping charts overseas once again. I could probably spin this out into a handful of paragraphs about what a gift to music she is and how Honey will be coming for every throne imaginable in 2016, but we’re still on the somewhat-shady 40th position and have 39 tracks to go, so I’ll spare you.

Soak it up, soak it up and save it,

‘Cause enough is enough, you’re…

39. Disclosure – Jaded

A funny sort of thing happened between Settle, Disclosure’s 2013 début, and this year’s Caracal: they stopped being a singles act, and put out an album where nearly all of the best tracks wouldn’t be suitable candidates for the single treatment. Most of the early singles released off Caracal (most notably ‘Latch’ sound-alike ‘Omen’) saw the brothers returning to previously-covered ground with predictably diminishing returns. While a different single (to be covered later… spoilers, I guess?) achieved success by bucking that trend, ‘Jaded’ stands out not for its departure from old sounds, but rather for its signs of growth. While the production remains immaculate as ever, their song-writing has improved dramatically over the past two years, particularly when considered alongside Settle’s catchy-but-repetitive ‘F For You’. Another point of comparison can be made between these two tracks: both feature Howard’s vocals instead of a guest’s – ‘Jaded’ being one of several such instances from Caracal. Here, too, has the interim between the two albums proven worthwhile, as Howard’s voice is strong enough to be considered another important instrument in the brothers’ arsenal (particularly his upper register, which is properly showcased for the first time in the chorus). Altogether, ‘Jaded’ serves both as a strong reminder of Disclosure’s importance to the world of pop-house and as a signifier of growth – hopefully a trajectory the brothers can follow through on.

Kiss the old me goodbye; she’s dead and gone.

38. Tinashe – All Hands on Deck

I try to steer clear of last year’s leftovers when there’s any doubt about how deserving they are of a spot on my list. Needless to say, this final single from Tinashe’s 2014 début has done well for itself to have stuck around in my consciousness a full year later. Add to that one of the best videos of a year by our newest bona fide superstar, and a brilliant bit of flute to boot, and I have every reason to predict a nation full of people doing penance for not taking note sooner.

It’s been a long time since we’ve been around

So come on, let’s keep…

37. Charli XCX – Doing It (feat. Rita Ora)

Now here’s an interesting juxtaposition: On one hand, we’ve got Charli XCX, who has received nothing but goodwill from me since her 2013 début True Romance, but who’s failed to impress at nearly every juncture since. Then, there’s Rita Ora, who seems to drive absolutely everyone nuts for no discernible reason (apart from her fame, admittedly, coming ahead of any notable artistic output), but who’s been a part of several of my absolute favourite tracks from the past few years. Basically, this whole thing has every right to be a disaster; but, as it turns out, it’s the best thing either lady has put her name to in recent memory. Also, I’ll note that the duet version is essential: I always love Rita’s tone, which is lovely as ever on her verse. Plus, the whole thing feels a little bit lonelier when it’s just Charli crowing on about all the fun she’s having.

And now I know my heart is a…

36. Adam Lambert – Ghost Town

No part of me expected Lambo to show up in 2015, all guns blazing, ready to take on the pop world with his singular voice and guyliner intact. Which was a good thing, because he really didn’t do any of the above, instead releasing an album that largely came and went, leaving behind little more than this excellent little bop as its first single. At the end of the day, expectations were exceeded; a job well done.

Sh-sh-shake it up and make it fizz!

35. SOPHIE – Vyzee

I maaaay need to ask you to disregard everything I’m eventually going to say about ‘Just Like We Never Said Goodbye’ because it might end up undermining how incredible this track is in a very classic-SOPHIE sense.

(Full disclosure: I’ve already done the write-up for ‘Just Like We Never Said Goodbye’, so I already know the above to be true. Further, it’s probably for the best that I’m doing these out of order, because I wouldn’t want it to be obvious how burnt out I got on the whole process partway through, which would be betrayed by gradually shrinking paragraphs until my #1 song of 2015 ended up with a crown and a thumbs-up emoji.)

But I love it.

34. The Weeknd – Can’t Feel My Face

This is pretty undeniable, isn’t it? One of those rare instances where something gets massive and fully deserves to. (You may note that ‘Uptown Funk’ is nowhere to be found on this list, as it is one of those common instances where something gets massive without being adequately deserving. As such, if I ever hear it again, it will be too soon.)

Diamonds on Anna Wintour, these glaciers glamour and glisten.

33. Azealia Banks – Ice Princess

I don’t know, I think the video’s perfect for the occasion. I just need Azealia to give me more in 2016. (No, not more tweets. She can keep those to herself.)

I’m ready for this, I need you all in,

I’m ready for this, so darling, won’t you…

32. Jess Glynne – Hold My Hand

This showed up right in the sweet spot between itching for news of her début and tiring of the formula that would comprise basically the entirety of that début. Luckily, she managed to eke out this spectacular take on that formula right before the fatigue set in, ensuring I wouldn’t miss out on some of the catchiest verses of the year.

Love’s gonna lift me up!

31. Madonna – Living for Love

I know I made a comment about Justin having the best redemption narrative of the year, but re-watching Madonna’s BRIT Awards performance makes me think I spoke too soon. After a decade that’s been… well, pretty much the equivalent of being yanked down the stairs by your cape, it was only right that M should spend 2015 reaffirming her reign and cementing her legacy – for the fourth decade in a row, no less.

Go out, stay late, make no mistake:

We know how to…

30. Little Boots – Get Things Done

Easily the most infectious chorus Boots has done since ‘Remedy’, helped along by a spectacular, rubbery bass line. Also a brilliant anthem for personal/professional life inspiration – should have gotten DJ Khaled on the remix, teebs.

My heart don’t understand why I got you…

29. Ellie Goulding – On My Mind

For as much as I like her, there are surprisingly few Ellie songs I properly use; the whole folk-pop pixie thing she’s had going on hasn’t done much for me on the whole, and many of her forays into other genres have lacked the kinds of clever ideas needed to stand out from the pack (‘Lights’ notwithstanding, of course, since it’s perfect). I feel much the same way about the majority of Delirium, but was very pleasantly surprised when I first heard this; it’s fresh and energetic in a way that “Ellie-goes-electropop” often fails to manage, and piles on effective hooks for its entire duration, culminating in the brilliant “You think you know somebody” bits.

Ask for help, but she’s indisposed,

Pull the silk and she’ll be exposed;

Now it seems that the emperor has no clothes.

28. MNDR – Kimono

I can’t help but be reminded of a few years back when seemingly every new singer-songwriter was doing this sort of minimalist electropop groove thing and it was all pretty good, but also difficult to find anything that really stood out, and I have to wonder if this would have gotten overlooked in that kind of climate. I’m tempted to think that no, it wouldn’t, however, as it’s spectacular.

Anything is possible:

You just need a miracle.

27. Little Boots – No Pressure

Little Boots has often bored me more than I think she’s meant to; I’ve rarely been particularly impressed with her music from either a song-writing or production perspective. Luckily, her Working Girl album showed evidence of improvement in both areas, and this track became a fast favourite. It’s delightfully slinky in a way that serves her light vocals perfectly, but the best part of all is the thunderous bass that rolls through in the intro and the middle-8, giving the song a thrilling bit of edge. Of course, by the time the whole thing goes off in the chorus, I’m losing my mind every single time. More of this, Victoria.  

I don’t think you un-der-stand!

26. The Weeknd – In the Night

(The video’s a bit… well, exactly what you might expect from him, so maybe don’t concern yourself with it overly.)

There’s no denying that it’s been an absurdly huge year for the Weeknd, but it took hearing this track just last month [EDIT: correct at time of writing, if not publication] – and realizing that ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ wasn’t his only time dabbling in proper pop – for my ears to properly perk up and listen. At this point, I’m not entirely sure what I think of the entire shtick, but if he manages to churn out one of these every so often, who am I to complain? Also, bonus points for being reminiscent of Donkeyboy’s ‘Silver Moon’, just one of my many overlooked favourites from recent years. I’m a sucker for a 6/8 time signature.

Better do as I please,

Until I tell you to STOP!

25. LIZ – When I Rule the World

When PC Music enters the fold, there’s no telling what might happen, which is why I’m surprised and slightly disappointed that the release of ‘When I Rule the World’ didn’t coincide with an announcement of #LIZ2016 for the US presidential ballot.

I mean, I could, but why would I want to?

24. Selena Gomez – Hands to Myself

I don’t even have to tell you the best bit, because you already know. And if you don’t, it’s because you haven’t listened to the song yet, so how can you very well expect me to put in the effort of writing it out if you can’t even be bothered to sit through 3:21 of wonderful minimalist pop?

(Yes, it’s the part I highlighted for dramatic effect before this song’s reveal. No, I’m not being belligerent. Shut up.)

I can see it in my wildest dreams;

It’s a fever, it’s an endless deep.

23. Robyn & La Bagatelle Magique – Set Me Free

If ever I have to come to terms with the reality that she might never again release a proper album, and that I’ll just have to be satisfied with collaborative EPs for the balance of her career, at least I can crank this up to numb the pain. It feels a lot more like authentic Robyn than anything from last year’s Do It Again, in that it doesn’t sound like a Body Talk leftover (like the title track), but also doesn’t take off in a shaky new direction (like much of the rest of the two EPs).

No one ever wants to give you some,

But everybody loves a…

22. Tove Styrke – Number One

Kiddo ended up being among my very favourite albums from the past year, thanks in no small part to its sonic diversity; just about every track tried something markedly different, with near universal success. ‘Number One’ is probably the most straightforwardly pop track on the album, but still manages to stand out with its Asian-inspired instrumental and cheeky Britney Spears callout (“She’s fierce… yep.”). Also, the breathless middle-eight is nothing short of heavenly.

Don’t say a word while we dance with the devil;

You brought the fire to a world so cold.

21. Duke Dumont – Ocean Drive

It’s probably time I give up on him ever releasing an album, isn’t it? Honestly, though, I can accept a single 10/10 song per year. In fact, it’s a model I might suggest for a handful of my most wildly inconsistent faves. [EDIT: I had an aside lambasting Rihanna here, but she went and dropped Anti and it’s really quite good, which made this just a bit more work for me. THANKS RIHANNA.]

I will never want much more,

And in my heart, I will always be sure:

I will…

20. Zara Larsson & MNEK – Never Forget You

The way this builds, piling on one hyperactive layer after another, is pretty thrilling. Kudos to Zara for keeping up vocally with MNEK – both deserve to be globe-conquering superstars in the next 18 months or so.

Let’s embrace the point of no return.

19. Disclosure – Magnets (feat. Lorde)

I couldn’t imagine a better marriage of both acts’ respective sounds than this slinky little number: appropriately understated through the verses, only to be brought to its boiling point just in time for the chorus. There’s a tension between the sounds, resulting in remarkable restraint in Disclosure’s production and an uncharacteristically spirited vocal turn by Lorde. A simmering stunner that’ll sound even better in six months’ time, under the setting summer sun.

I’ll take every single piece of the blame if you want me to,

But you know that there is no innocent one in this game for two.

18. Justin Bieber – Sorry

Justin Bieber’s management deserves to be a case study in every PR book published in the next decade; the communications student in me spent the year positively bewitched by the miracles they pulled in getting the public back on his side. Everything was timed perfectly, and this (decidedly non-apologetic) track seems like the only appropriate capstone to Justin’s 2015. It doesn’t hurt that it absolutely knocks, either.

Anytime, day or night…

17. Hailee Steinfeld – Love Myself

Do you know what we all needed in 2015? I’ll tell you: we all needed a simple, straightforward self-empowerment anthem in 2015, served without cynicism or gimmicks. Thanks, Hailee!

I feel it coming out my throat;

Guess I’d better wash my mouth out with…

16. Melanie Martinez – Soap

Look, it’s 2015: it’s going to take a lot more than some clever sound effects to keep me from running the opposite direction at the first sign of yet another non-chorus. Or, at least, that’s what I believed until I heard this song’s utterly absurd instrumental breakdown, which sounds like… soap. I can’t really explain it, but it’s genius, and well worth a listen; particularly the second time around, when it’s interpolated with the chorus itself. This song’s strength is that the novelty of its breakdown isn’t its only selling point: the topline is solid throughout, the “creepy adult-child gleefully recounting sinister happenings” shtick is decidedly less pronounced than on the rest of the album, and the added strings towards the end are a nice touch. But, ultimately, it does boil down to that breakdown, which is among the most brilliantly insane – and insanely brilliant – things I heard this year.

If you’re hurting, if you’re hurting,

You can…

15. Rudimental – Lay it All on Me (feat. Ed Sheeran)

Look, Rudimental’s whole “save-the-world-with-positivity” shtick is exhausting and Ed Sheeran remains obnoxiously overrated for doing relatively little of interest, but against all odds, this track distills each act’s redeeming qualities into something that’s actually quite beautiful. I will use and abuse this track, and then we will never speak of this again.

Voulez-vous danse avec moi?

14. Grace Mitchell – Jitter

One of my favourite qualities in a pop song is when it makes use of various moving parts, switching and layering vocal and instrumental tracks until the inevitable climax. Of course, this can be a risky maneuver: failure to combine all these moving parts gracefully can easily result in a bit of a racket. ‘Jitter’ falls firmly in the former category, introducing new ideas throughout, each cleverer and catchier than the last, making for a brilliantly schizophrenic arrangement of stuttering title drops, playground chant refrains and broken French callouts.

When it all falls, when it all falls down,

We’ll be two souls in a…

13. Madonna – Ghosttown

2015 will forever be remembered as the year I fell in love with Madonna, and there’s a very tangible excitement in knowing that the years ahead will be spent delving deeper and deeper into her history. At the same time, I can’t deny that the past year has felt a bit like the closing of a particular chapter of her career, and with that comes a looming sense of uncertainty as to what’s next. It’s in this context that ‘Ghosttown’ gains much of its poignancy: in the face of a frightful reality where no one’s future is certain, “let’s just hold onto each other.” It’s an arrestingly warm sentiment to cap off a stretch of her career that’s too often felt cold and distant, during which she’s seldom sounded so engaged in her delivery of a lyric. Rebel Heart is her best album in a decade, and ‘Ghosttown’ is its crown jewel.

I won’t let you down and run,

‘Cause I could…

12. Dua Lipa – Be the One

This is very “HAIM on a good day,” isn’t it? Excuse me while I dwell in this gorgeously sumptuous chorus for the next few months or so.

Sure, I get lonely sometimes.

11. Snakehips – All My Friends (feat. Tinashe and Chance the Rapper)

I’m going to cut the crap: I messed up on this project. As I write this, it’s 11:59 PM on February 4th, 2016, and I’m trying to pound out these last few write-ups so I can move on with my life (read: get Tyler off my case about finishing this). There are many obvious problems with trying to do a best-of-the-year song list a month into the subsequent year, one of which is that I’ve spent January falling in love with some songs that came out in 2015, but which I’d missed until seeing them mentioned in other people’s timelier lists. That’s the case with this, and the Dua Lipa one I just typed two sentences about while literally shrugging. Frankly, these two songs could easily be in my top ten for the year, but that would seem like an inauthentic representation of what 2015 really looked like for me. So here they shall sit, just outside the top ten. You’re welcome for this peek into the harrowing world that is a year-end list when proper write-ups are involved. What a mess.

It’s you that I’ve been waiting to find.

10. Years & Years – Shine

I love Years & Years. A lot. So it is with great trepidation that I must concede something: Olly’s voice in this song gives me a bit of a headache. Obviously his voice can verge on shrill at the best of times, but it doesn’t really bother me much in other instances. Here, it sometimes drives me nuts, which I can only assume is a product of poor vocal editing, and possibly some sort of sensitivity on my end (though I believe I’ve seen others mention it too). It’s an absolute shame that this is the case, because otherwise, this song is truly magnificent: the melody and subject matter are both, frankly, beautiful, and I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say I find the entire instrumental verging on angelic. Honestly, had a better job been done of the vocal production, this might have crept a spot or two higher, but sometimes things in life aren’t quite how we wish they were, and we must learn to accept it and move on. (And occasionally knock those things down a few positions on a year-end countdown, but that seems rather specific to this context and I hoped to make this a bit of a general statement on life.)

Since we’re running out of time…

9. Justin Bieber – What Do You Mean?

This is an unequivocal gem, and the best thing Justin put his name to in 2015. I’m going to end this write-up right there, mostly because I passed the point of oversaturation on this (and ‘Sorry’) months ago, and yet it remains inescapable; I need to withdraw completely, lest I find myself unable to ever love it again. I will be back, though.

If you don’t need me,

Just let me go.

8. Grimes – Flesh Without Blood

The Canadians really pulled it out in 2015, eh? Easily the most accessible thing Grimes has put out thus far, and one of the strongest melodies of the year, with immaculate production to match. One can only hope that an important lesson has been learnt regarding the power of audible vocals, since this kind of puts everything before it to shame.

Stacked my deck like I ain’t gon’ lose

Like a victim; forget it.

7. Tinashe – Player

The sophomore album needs no less than three bangers of this calibre. That’s not too much to ask, is it? The delayed first chorus is incredible, as is the associated tango bit in the video. Actually, the entire thing is rather thrilling. Destroy me and everything I’ve ever known and loved, Queen.

(PLEASE NOTE that the above pertains only to the solo version. No offense to Chris Brown, but his inclusion only detracts from the perfection. Also Chris Brown is awful.)

Spinning like a Gravitron when I was just a kid,

I always thought that things would change, but they never did.

6. Brandon Flowers – Lonely Town

Seriously, if you’ve not yet taken the time to delve into The Desired Effect, you’re only cheating yourself. At ten tracks long, it serves as a sharp, concise artistic statement, with several songs sounding like modern-day classics and, perhaps more importantly, no real filler. ‘Lonely Town’ stands as its glistening centrepiece, trading in the same brand of 80s’ nostalgia that artists like Taylor and Carly have been mining these past couple years. With its propulsive instrumental and wistful lyrics, nothing else in 2015 came close in the “summer drive with the windows down” stakes (a musical category of utmost importance, you’ll agree). The climax is obviously a highlight, in all its absurdity (boasting both a gospel singer and a banjo), but the very best bit comes just afterwards, when everything reaches a fevered pitch… and then settles to just Brandon’s voice over some sparse synth chords and a handclap beat. But honestly, no amount of description is going to do it any justice, so go listen for yourselves. Absolutely joyous.

We were young and out of control;

I hadn’t seen you since I was about, mm, sixteen years old.

5. SOPHIE – Just Like We Never Said Goodbye

It’s difficult – impossible, even – to evaluate this song just on its own merits, without digressing to what it represents for SOPHIE as an artist and, moreover, the burgeoning PC Music movement as a whole. After a couple years of being drip fed tracks that have been more sonic experiments than proper songs, it’s disarming to be met with something so sincere and straightforward (yet still idiosyncratic, most notably in its exclusion of percussion). In fact, sincerity might be this track’s single greatest strength: though SOPHIE’s produced a handful of excellent tracks since 2013’s ‘Bipp’, until now, all have been delivered with a wink – a sense that it’s all part of a bigger joke, which may entice listeners with its perceived intellectualism, but simultaneously alienates that same audience by denying it the chance to enjoy the music unironically. Not so with ‘Just Like We Never Said Goodbye’, whose maudlin narrative is delivered with such an arresting earnestness, in both vocal and instrumentation, that the only plausible source could be a producer finally choosing to wear his heart on his sleeve. It’s somewhat unfortunate that the entire PC Music era has lent itself more to think pieces than proper reviews, but I hope to be able to look back in five years and recognize ‘Just Like We Never Said Goodbye’ as the turning point for the movement.

I wanna hold you, but you’re untouchable;

Too cool, caught up in your…

4. Tove Styrke – Ego

In retrospect, this sounds like a lot of other songs from the past year, and while I hope the whole tropical house sound is on its way out, ‘Ego’ suggests that there’s potential yet in the genre. Plus, this was released back in January, so it’s nice to see that Tove remains perched on the cutting edge, where she belongs. Swedish pop’s stock might have been on the decline these past few years (blame Robyn’s absence and Tove Lo’s undeserved ubiquity), but ‘Ego’ serves as a great reminder of what the country can do at its best.

You can run to the hillside

And you can close your eyes, but you…

3. Brandon Flowers – Can’t Deny My Love

I’ve never considered myself a Killers fan outside of a handful of singles, so hearing this glorious piece of unabashed pop from its frontman was an absolute revelation (most likely helped along by it being released on my birthday, i.e. one of the few days in the year I’m pretty reliably in a good mood). I love how it starts off toeing that line between indie and pop sensibilities – in much the same way as, well, every other artist working with Ariel Rechtshaid these days – before promptly obliterating any sense of restraint with that behemoth of a chorus, leaving no question as to which side of the indie/pop dualism had won out. It served as a bold statement of what was to come in 2015 – a promise that The Desired Effect fulfilled with panache.

Oh, my baby!

Every single minute,

I’ll be your hero, I’m willing.

When the lights go out…

2. Carly Rae Jepsen – Run Away With Me

Of all the best bits of instrumentation from the past year, none come anywhere close to rivalling the saxophone intro to this, the first track from the finest pop album of 2015. The word that comes to mind is “evocative”, because it manages to conjure images of an escape into the night, blissfully accompanied by a loved one – all before a single lyric can suggest as much. In fact, for all its highlights (and there are many, from the breathless verses to the gargantuan chorus), none manage to quite match the magic of its opening line until the very end, when Carly begins to ad-lib along with that very same sax solo. There’s probably a clumsy metaphor to be made here about “becoming one with the night” or some such thing, but by the time I’ve reached the outro, I’m far too woozy to do much else than bask in the majesty of the soundscape that’s unfolded over the past four minutes. Without a doubt, Carly’s finest moment yet and, with one notable exception, the pinnacle of pop music in 2015.

Cut cover, take that test,

Hold courage to your chest.

Don’t wanna wait for you;

Don’t wanna have to lose

All that I’ve compromised

To feel another high;

I’ve got to keep it down tonight.

And oh, oh, oh,

I was a king under your control.

1. Years & Years – King

Years & Years made this list pretty easy for me. So easy, in fact, that while I’m not typically one to entertain conspiracy theories, I can’t help but think something was up here: too many boxes were ticked, as though someone behind the scenes were ascertaining that this song would have no trouble finding its way to the top of my list. Was it a record label exec, hell-bent on using my revered platform as amateur Tumblr critic to spread word of their latest investment? Was it the band itself, staking a claim to North American success through indoctrination of personally-selected subjects? Or perhaps something altogether more otherworldly – my very own Angel of Music, to guide me through the treacherous soundscape of Jason Derulo sound-alikes? (Okay, it was definitely the record label exec, but let me dream.)

This narrative stretches back to 2014 when, fully constrained by a reluctance to delve into as-yet unproven acts (particularly, at the time, male-fronted groups, a concept that seems ludicrous in retrospect), I began to notice the name Years & Years tossed around in my usual Internet spots as something worth keeping an eye on. Did I take heed? Of course not, but that didn’t stop this shadowy figure from maintaining its pursuit. It studied me closely, making notes of my movement patterns, ostensibly to create an estimate of when I’d most likely be making my five-minute trip home from a particularly satisfying day on the job. Whoever was pulling the strings knew that, on this particular day, unlike every other day, I’d opt to turn on the radio instead of plugging in my iPod, just to hear the DJ announce a nqew single by Years & Years that was supposedly about to take off. I remember listening to it, thinking, “My, that ‘Ohhhh’ bit is catchy, isn’t it?”.

Honourable Mention (including songs that might be better than those on the list itself, but which came to my attention too late to be sure):

I could make an entire post about how I haven’t really been slacking, and how I’ve actually been hard at work this whole time on my Best of 2015 post, which is coming in February due to circumstances beyond my control, but I won’t, because no one cares and because that’d all be a bunch of flagrant lies. Regardless, as of today, I’m back on the horse.

I'm watching Captain Phillips with my grandparents. This movie can't be good for anyone present's heart, so my bit about "cardiac arrest at 35" from the other day may not have been too far off. (The Christmas dainties that still haven't disappeared probably aren't helping that much, either.)

Today was largely spent with the incomparable McGuigan sisters, playing Heads Up and lamenting how quickly we ended up in our 30s - according to Brain Age, at least.

Cleaned house

Worked on a project I’d totally forgotten about, oops, stay tuned

Went over the Monty Hall problem with my grandfolks for an hour or so - if you’re not familiar, I’d suggest researching; “major key alert,” as it were

Going to see Star Wars with Mhar Wars (I’m going to use that line for as long as I live, please deal)

Nnnn I thought I’d done more today, but it was a #SooperBueno one anyways so not too pressed

We’ll kick things off with an artist that fits cleanly in the “absolutely brilliant around 85% of the time” category. Katy B first entered my consciousness around the time of the Danger EP release, and here I considered getting into a short history of my experience with her music before realising that no one cares. Basically, she’s incredible, her singles run is incredible, one album is incredible (the other one being merely great), and these three songs are the most incredible of the incredible.

I’m going to cut right to the chase on this one:

Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present the inaugural post in what will henceforth be known as William’s Hall of Fame, mostly because I thought about it for a minute or two and couldn’t come up with a better title.

Well, wait. Hang on. I worked on some stuff, which will eventually be considered accomplishments, once they’re finished. Can working on something be considered an accomplishment? Like, “I accomplished part of this task, so now I can reward myself by making a blog post at 11:30 pm and not going to bed feeling guilty about it.” So I guess I did accomplish something today, right?

Look, I get it. This doesn’t bode well. It’s far too early into this pet project of mine to be deliberating on the semantics of what an accomplishment is. But, honest to goodness, there are a bunch of exciting things coming, and even just conceptualizing that feels like a bit of an accomplishment - even if it’s only exciting to me. And really, what’s the point of a New Year’s resolution if I’m only going to feel bad about myself every step of the way? Maybe part of this project should be learning to see the minutiae of life as the accomplishments that they are. Seems like a reasonable goal, no?

I guess on a day like this, the best thing to do is try to go over some of the unusual goings-on, ideally without delving too far into diary territory. Like, for instance, how I chose not to lay on the couch playing Yoshi’s Woolly World all day, instead opting to see my youngest cousin’s basketball game. And they killed it! And then I lost three straight games of Sequence to my grandma, because everyone has a different sort of intelligence and mine just doesn’t happen to be in line with what is required to successfully play Sequence, which is disappointing, but also just life.

I think that, maybe, 2016 might be the year I stop being lazy.

“Lazy” probably isn’t the best word for it, because on any given day there might be a dozen other factors. Sometimes I’m stressed, or tired, or sad, or something else altogether, or several things in some combination, but regardless of the mechanism, the result is the same: I wind up immobilized, accomplishing far less than I’m capable of. Wasting time is far, far too often the most comfortable way of dealing with these distressing feelings, but it’s hard to appreciate the odd day well-spent when it was preceded by weeks of, well, laziness.

I’m going to try to accomplish something every day in 2016, and then write about it in this blog. I am going to try to make it something unusual to my normal, everyday life; though, admittedly, when school picks up, there will likely be the odd “today I got a bunch of work done on a paper” day. And that’s okay, too, because that’s still accomplishing something, which is inherently better than accomplishing nothing.

And writing accomplishments down here will also be accomplishing something. In fact, sometimes a day’s accomplishment might be a blog post itself - perhaps a discussion of something that’s been on my mind, or, more likely, a review-of-sorts of something I’ve consumed recently. There’s another idea behind all this: balancing production and consumption. 2015 found me often frustrated by the feeling that I was consuming so much, but not contributing anything to anyone else - even myself. So this year, I’m going to try to match my consumption with some degree of productiveness, even if it’s just a note of appreciation for a tv show or some such thing. The most common topic will likely be music, as I’ve the most experience writing about it previously, and I interact with it to some degree almost every day of my life. So to anyone following this blog from before it was repurposed, there will still be a fair amount of content in line with what’s come before. In fact, I have a few ideas up my sleeve for the kinds of things I’ll be posting, which probably means very little to you, but I’m pretty excited for it.

I also want to write more, just for the sake of it. I mean, I am a Communications major (surprise! if you didn’t know yet, I guess; Geophysics didn’t really work out), and trying to write can be so frustrating when nothing’s flowing, so I figure I’ll use this to at least get some thoughts out on a regular basis, and who knows? Maybe it’ll get easier with time. Do I anticipate having an audience? No, not really, but the knowledge that I might have one eventually should provide some semblance of accountability to this undertaking.

Basically, this post will hopefully be the most boring thing that shows up here, but every project’s got to start somewhere. (Also, the quality of writing here isn’t really up to my typical standards, and that might vary wildly from day to day, depending on my mood and stuff. I’m hoping to eventually find some sort of “voice”, but I have no clue what that’s going to sound like at this point, so fair warning that this might not go so smoothly for the foreseeable future.)

As for my accomplishments today? Well, I started a blog (and de-Christmas-fied the house, and a handful of other administrative tasks); that’s enough for one day.