(Not the cover of a NIN album...yet)
1. Gorillaz feat. Benjamin Clementine - "Hallelujah Money" 2017 I've been Gorillaz fan since they dropped "Clint Eastwood" back in 2001 and will remain to be as long as I shall live. Benjamin Clementine's voice has haunted me (in the best way) since "Condolence;" love that Damon Albarn caught onto his magic.
2. Fink - "Looking Too Closely" 2014 Fink is one of the many bands I was blessed to discover while working at The Crocodile; they remain to be one of the nicest bands I've ever met. I had just watched the episode of Walking Dead in which their song "Warm Shadow" appears in the weeks before the show and had yet to figure out who the artist was; the timing was wicked.
4. The Good Sin x 10.4 Rog - "All For You" 2011 SEATTLE MUSIC Look closely at the photos they show us in the video, so many wonderful people included. 10.4 Rog has been killin it since...
5. Her - "Quite Like" 2015 NSFW Skinemax 2015 style...with a better soundtrack. Still not into band names that are hard to google but this song is pretty good so I'll give em a pass.
6. Pharrell Williams - "Freedom" 2015 Check out the Business Ventures section of Pharrell's Wikipedia page to see how hard this man grinds to remain at the top. Good things happen to good people with a strong work ethic, thank you for the inspiration Pharrell!
7. Shabazz Palaces - "Dawn In Luxor" 2016 Stephan Gray nailed this video; no surprise there. Naturally, members of Black Constellation would have killer outer space videos. Shabazz Palaces opening for Radiohead remains to be one of the best things to happen in 2016.
8. DoNormaal feat. Raven Matthews - "50 Jasper Horses" (prod. IGNORVNCE) 2016 SEATTLE MUSIC I love that the horse got the shine it deserves, for real, look how shiny the horse's hair is at 0:19. Can't say enough good things about DoNormaal and Raven Matthews; they're ahead of the game in owning their uniqueness and speaking their minds. Their musical journey is the stuff of legends. #69/50
9. Phantogram - "You Don't Get Me High Anymore" 2016 Big ideas and big budgets for the win. There's only one Phantogram song that has earned Liz's Currently Overplaying status; the rest of their catalog doesn't really do it for me personally but I still fux with them.
10. Bloom - "Raindrops" 2016 This song literally slaps you in the face, can't figure out if that's a good thing yet. Pretty sure I'd never consume this song without the visuals but mad props to Bloom for making such a huge statement with her art.
11. Run The Jewels feat. Gangsta Boo - "Love Again" 2016 Run The Jewels are winning at life these days; their merch game is on point. Do as they do but continue to do you...or something. Here's hoping I give the *what's up headnod to these two in 2017. [*The what's up headnod is when you casually acknowledge the presence of someone you truly admire (and they do it back) but you don't actually meet them so no fangirling ensues. My favorite what's up headnods of 2016 were Joey Bada$$, Schoolboy Q, and Eddie Vedder.]
