We're basically going to do a tier list of the Top 10 right now. It's hit me that I don't really spend a whole lot of time reflecting on what the top songs are out there. As a result, there are some music trends and artists and songs that I miss out on, or I don't pay that much attention to, or I don't comment on, maybe when I should, because I'm not really paying attention to what's popping off in all ways on all occasions. Not to say I want to focus less on underground music. Obviously, I don't. It's just a thing that I was hoping to remedy this year by essentially looking at what the Top 10 is shaping up to be right now, occasionally on a stream here and there.

As of right now, this is what the Top 10 is looking like on Billboard, as far as singles and songs. And again, going to tier all these out.

I think we could start with No. 10, Leon Thomas, "Mutt", his single that he dropped back in 2024. It's interesting that it's having this much longevity. Let me give it a quick spin and see if maybe it refreshes my memory, or maybe it hits me for the first time, depending on my prior consumption of it.

People in chat are like, Oh, this song. Yeah, this one. Where are you guys hearing the song, casually? I'm not even sure if we've heard it on stream before, and I don't often review a lot of Leon stuff. This guy has had this track on the chart at 48 weeks in total. It's not bad. A little repetitive, but it just feels like a track– it feels like a single that's doing well because we live in a post-Frank Ocean world. When it comes to RnB and soul, it's got a nice dirty boom-bappy hip hop beat in the background. The vocals are very narrow and thin and quiet and have almost like a bit of a lofi feel to them, which is cool. It's very much an "I miss Frank Ocean" song for sure, just like chat is echoing. It's not bad. Chorus is solid. The verses aren't exactly hitting me with anything super spicy or memorable, but it's decent. I could see why it's doing well. I could see why it's on the chart in general. Is it a Top 10 song in my opinion? Not necessarily.

Here we have the single art over here, much like the experience of listening to the song itself. It is like a little bit of a blur, but it's fine while it's on. I don't know. I could put it in the C tier.

All right, next After this, we have Taylor Swift with "Opalite". That's No. 9 on the list right now. "Opalite" is No. 9. Has anyone in chat had any, I don't know, shifting feelings on The Life of a Showgirl since came out? I mean, obviously, it's been around for a minute. It makes me wonder if there's been any opportunity to really reflect on the record. Has it grown on you, grown off you, done anything at all? I'm going to just get a smidge of Opalite. I remember the track, and it is one of the better songs on the album from my memory, and has almost like a bit of a vintage '60s vocal pop feel to it. I don't know, maybe giving it another spin, I'll feel sick of it. Let's just hit it, just give it a quick hit to see how it feels.

I like the chorus. I like the chorus a lot. I see so much potential in the song off the hook, but it's so derivative of the Fleetwood Mac comeback vibes that we've been seeing in so much pop music these days, and it suffers from boring verse syndrome. In fact, even more so than the Leon Thomas song that we just heard, it really does suffer from boring verse syndrome. It just feels like the verses exist to lull you into a stupor so that when the chorus eventually does hit, that hook feels more interesting than it actually is. It just feels like she could put more effort into the sound of the instrumentation on the front end of the song in the verse in general in terms of– And I'm not talking about the lyrics here. I'm sure there are some Swifties that'll put a gun to the side of my head and be like, This is her best writing of all time.

No, I mean how she sounds basically like asleep at the wheel on the mic for the whole first leg of the song, which I just feel like is not really all that interesting. This is a track that I had very positive feelings on in the context of the album, but just listening to it as a song by itself, I'm just so not as interested in it. I don't know. I'd put it in the D. We're going to put it in the D tier.

Let's see. Next on the chopping block, we have Sombr's, "Back to Friends" at No. 8, a track that, if I if I remember correctly, was one of the highlights from his latest full-length LP. It's an album that I saw a lot of potential in terms of the songwriting. There were a lot of issues that I had with it production-wise, for sure. I was hoping that his pop chops would show themselves to be a bit more bold and interesting on some songs in the future that are less washed out. But let's see how "Back to Friends" feels and shapes up with a little bit of a revisit.

I got to be real. I feel like there's a song in here. There is a song in here. I feel like the verse melodies are sticky. That chorus works. That rhythm guitar, as simple as it is, is really cool. That groove with the drums, it works. It works. The glaring issue with this song is the production sucks fucking ass. The production is shit in a toilet. The production sucks. The vocals do not need to sound this fried. The guitars don't need to sound this needlessly distorted and shrill in order for them to have a little bit of edge. We don't need this much reverb on the whole thing. It sounds like shit. I don't get it.

There's a legitimately amazing sounding pop song in here, and it's a No. 10 song. It's a Top 10 song. So it's doing something. Again, the groove, the performance is there. But this to me just feels like, again, purposefully doing a lofi recording, but you don't have good taste in lofi recordings or a true appreciation of sound or texture. So you can't get that raw feel without making it sound legitimately terrible. I mean, that's the thing. A lot of these purposefully, playfully lofi recordings, like Tyler, the Creator's

Igor, for example, those recordings start off sounding very clean very good, and then from there, they go on to make them sound purposefully dirty, like a really grimy mixtape or something like that. And they do it very carefully in order to maintain the quality of the sound of these records so that it has a pretty nasty vintage feel, but it still works and still sounds good to your ears. It doesn't just sound like ass.

So I'm torn on it. I don't know. I would put it in C. "Take the beanie off, bald man." Okay, if you want. You guys know I'm bald. I can't hide anymore. It's just that it's cold down here in my basement, okay?

Let's see what No. 7 on the list is. Kehlani, "Folded". I'm pretty sure I might have played this on stream before, but let's give it a quick revisit.

Okay, okay, okay. Going back to this, hearing this more, hearing this again, I definitely like it more than I first did. Someone said, all of these R&B artists are children of SZA and Frank Ocean. I think Kehlani has been around the block. I think her influences go back further than SZA. Let's be a little more charitable here. I would put this in at least B or A, production's classic as far as RnB goes. The vocals are quality throughout. You got to love a good classic RnB breakup tune. I wouldn't say, is the word I'm looking for a metaphor? The metaphor, or just the image of the clothes being folded, the relationship being over, that being a sign of things being done because you're leaving, you're gone, you're out of here.

I love that the instrumental changes up nicely and the vocals intensify as we move from the first verse to the chorus, then to the second verse. It's growing, it's changing, it's staying engaging. I respect it. It's good to have a nice quality RnB track like this doing as well as this one is. I would put it in A. We could throw it up in the A.

Where's Will Smith at? Is he in the Top 10? We'll find out. We're going to find out if Will Smith's in the Top 10.

No. 6, we have Djo, "End Of Beginning". Joe Keery, Stranger Things guy, right? I admit, I've not gotten onto the Djo wave. I've never heard a Djo song that I thought was all that impressive. Maybe I'll be getting my mind changed right now. We'll just have to see. "End Of Beginning".

Yeah, the song's back from 2022, and it's doing this well now? People are still going crazy for this track now? I've heard most of this album, but honestly, the Djo Decide record is still a memory for me. Yeah, the power of TikTok, the power of TikTok for sure. Yeah, the Decide record is still a very blurry memory for me. I will spin this song again because I don't recollect it from the top of my head. Maybe there's something to it beyond the power of TikTok and Stranger Things. I don't know. We'll see. I'll give it another shot.

It's not bad. I don't hate it. I don't hate it. People are certainly entitled to like it. I'll say this, as far as the production and the sound of it goes, it's more pleasant to the ear than the Sombr song we just heard a little bit ago. But I think the song is boring. The song, the pacing, it's so monotonous, it's so soul-sucking. It's so mind-numbing, and it just feels like baby's first indie record, baby's first bedroom pop record. I feel like you would do yourself more of a service to listen to Mac DeMarco or MGMT. Just listen to Mac DeMarco or MGMT. This is the worst version of Mac DeMarco and MGMT.

Again, it's not done terribly. It's not outright trash. There's just a lot saturation out there these days, and there's a lot of stuff that I hear that just makes me feel like, why is this here? This doesn't add to the meta in any way whatsoever. It's very derivative. It's very plain. It's not interesting in any way. And if you are going to do something this unoriginal, you could at least perform it in a way that gives it some oomph. You don't got to sound asleep at the wheel. And yet this track does. I don't know. I'm going to put it in D. It's not very good. Far from one of the worst things I've heard, but it's not very good, in my opinion.

Who do we have at No. 5? I don't know if I know this artist. I don't think I played this artist on stream. I don't think I've talked about this artist's music. Twelve weeks on the chart. Peak No, 5. This is the peak of this song, "Choosin' Texas" by Ella Langley. I mean, I'm not surprised to see some country stuff climbing up the charts because country commercially has been doing very well. Again, Ella Langley, "Choosin' Texas." Let's see why Texas is getting chosen.

Okay, I think we''' stop there. I will say, instrumental mentally and esthetically, this does feel like a step up from the years of bro-country that we were suffering through in the industry. This feels less brain dead. It feels less stupid and insipid. Even some of the snapbeat stuff that was very popular and very trendy for years, it's a step up from that. It's better than that. It's more tasteful than that. It's more true to a rootsy, rusty country sound.

But with that being said, even though it does sound better to my ears and the vocals are okay, the songwriting itself is very bare bones, very two plus two equals four. It's the kind of songwriting, it's the kind of song progression that when you hear the first half of the entire tune, you don't need to hear the second half because you know what's going to happen for the rest of the song. It basically forecasts the entirety of its existence by the time you hit the halfway point. A little disheartening because it does sound like there's at least some effort going into trying to make sure the instrumental sounds tasteful, even if it is super glossy. But with that being said, I don't necessarily disagree with some of the sentiments in chat that there's something about the song that just feels so overly simplistic.

There is something that is almost AI-generated about it. While I don't think it is AI, it sounds like something AI would make if you were to demand that AI make you a song about Texas, someone choosin' Texas over you, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, whatever. While there is something pleasant about it, it's just also very boring to experience the process of, the run time of, because it doesn't really offer much in the way of any surprises, any super interesting melodic licks, any super catchy turns of phrase, lyrically. And while the vocals aren't terrible, they're not song with much passion at all, or even much heartache, considering that it is a sadder song. It feels almost like a void of emotion in a way. So again, while there some things about it that are pleasant to the ear. It's just a very drab listen. I would put it in D.

Next on the list, we have Olivia Dean, "Man I Need". I don't think I'm too on the Olivia Dean wave. I know maybe one or two times we've played her on stream for New Music Friday, but I don't think I'm really that deep into Olivia Dean.

I've seen some people saying that a recent viral AI artist sounds like a rip off of her, but I don't know if I've gotten too deep into this new Olivia Dean record. I have seen it pop up on a few year-end lists. So again, while I do admit, I do plead a little bit of Olivia Dean ignorance. I might like this song, and maybe I have heard it before. This could be a refresher. We'll see. Let's hear "Man I Need" and see what it's got. Boom.

That track It pretty much made me feel like this is a record maybe I needed to make time for. Again, I saw The Art of Loving on a handful of year-end lists. I personally did not really dive into it. There were a couple of songs on it that I liked, but it's not something that really stopped me in my tracks. Maybe there were other records that week that were stealing my attention or whatever. There's more music than ever coming out these days, so there is a lot that I miss. I don't catch everything.

But with that being said, while there are some moments where I wish the vocals were a little bit more impassioned, the instrumental was really tasteful. Yeah, sure. It's got a bit of like an '80s yuppie pop soul-vibe to it. It's very lush, it's very clean, it's very laid back in a faux sophisticated way because singing in an over-the-top fashion might be a little bit too much for the big tax bracket happy hour where this is getting jammed. But with that being said, it's still a feel-good, beautiful little tune with some good vocals. Love those harmonies. The beat was great. The pianos and bass again played in very well. I'm sure there are some other songs where Olivia Dean is going a little bit harder vocally.

This one just sounds like it's doing very well as a single because it's just very, very classy, very pleasant to the ear, very sweet. I wouldn't say I was pulled into it by the storytelling in the way that it was like the Kehlani or anything like that. It was still a really good song. Almost in like a... Because Olivia Dean, she's from the UK, right? Almost a 1975-ish cross over there. I feel like I could even hear them recording the song, too, like their own version. But yeah, I'm feeling this. It's pretty good. I'd put in the B. Pretty good.

Getting closer to the top of the list, KPop Demon Hunters, HUNTR/X, "Golden". I haven't really had much of an opportunity to talk about "KPop Demon Hunters" honestly on the channel. Love HUNTR/X, F-tier. To me, what's interesting about this song and interesting about "KPop Demon Hunters" in general, and I know that there are actual K-pop artists and real human pop artists involved in the creation of a lot of these songs in this record. But what I find to be so interesting is that this song is doing as well or better than the actual K-pop artists out there, even if there are figures like BTS, which have been missing for a little bit. But they're making a comeback. They're coming back very soon. Let me try "Golden". I haven't listened to "Golden" in a minute. Not that I want to go into how many times I've heard "Golden", but I have seen the movie, and it's a cute movie. I could see why it's doing well.

"Golden", man. If there's one thing that sticks out to me about this song and is unique about it, and I respect a lot, it is the melody, especially around the chorus and pre-chorus. That's such an unlikely ascending, descending line for a pop song of this hype, this commercial success, this caliber. It's refreshing to have melody writing like that doing this well. It's not like a super stupid melody line. And the verses aren't necessarily underwhelming or boring or uninteresting either. It's not like the melodies are only good during that portion.

But as far as the vocal performance goes – and these melodies aren't exactly easy to sing, I would say, around the chorus – I wouldn't say the singing has a whole lot of character to it, though, in terms of style or personality. I just find the instrumental to be boring, just like the very plain, throbbing bass and synthesizers that are just so overly smooth, just a complete lack of texture in any way that you could possibly imagine. Not a whole lot of space or atmosphere being played with either, especially around that break. The vocals feel so dry around that point, which is odd for a song that feels so heavy and grandiose and pumping. Again, it's just so dry and plain in a lot of ways sonically. And again, manufactured is a word I would probably use.

Again, pretty good melodies, but in every other way, I feel like "Golden" is just very underseasoned, I'll say. I'll put it in the C. Not a bad song structure either. It's just bland in a lot of ways, in my opinion.

All right, guys. Not that I foresee this song warming up to me or anything, but No. 2 on the list, we do have Alex Warren with "Ordinary". Yeah, everyone's saying, You don't have to play this one. Guys, maybe it grew on me a little bit. I mean, it is one of my least favorite songs of last year, but still, you know? Let me get a snippet.

Yeah, it's just stomp clap Imagine Dragons, and I just do not get this vocal style. And look, I know I'm aware there's a possibility Alex Warren may be seeing what I'm about to say here, but I just do not care for it. I do not care for it. Again, just very tacky Imagine Dragons, Christian stomp clap, just like the most watered-down version of Mumford & Sons. Just so many already mid and underwhelming and just overly commercialized versions of much better and much more interesting artists and musical trends that were making waves in the 2000s, and it's just been neutered and devolved to the point where we're getting this.

I mean, respect to the original inspiration of the song and the sentiment of the song, the very personal sentiment of the song for sure. But there's like nothing about this, musically, sonically, that I get anything out of. I really want as little to do with this track as possible. I'm going to put it in the E. It's got to be the worst song in the list so far. I'm sorry.

Which leaves us with the No. 1 song, and that's Taylor Swift's "The Fate of Ophelia", one that I do want to revisit for a second. This might have been the case for The Tortured Poets Department, but you guys really have to appreciate the masterful stroke of the Taylor Swift scam with the song going No. 1. And what I mean by that is you have a big single, which, again, to my recollection, is a pretty catchy and well-written song.

It's the first and No. 1 single from the record, and it's also the first track on the album, which Taylor and everybody in the music industry knows, is going to be one of the most streamed tracks on the record because the first song on the album is always the first song you hear. Even people who decide halfway into the record, Hey, this sucks. This is terrible, they're going to have logged a stream of this. And every single time you even have a big fan who listens to the album all the way through 12, 13, 14 more times, even if they don't make it all the way through the record, they're going to hear this song first. This song for sure is going to get a play, whether you're talking about somebody who hates the record, likes the record, and adding on top of it the emphasis of it being the lead single of the album with the music video and everything like that. It's destined to be a track that is going to compete very well in the Top 10.

So "The Fate of Ophelia," let's give it another spin. Let's maintain its No. 1 spot with yet another play.

All right. I've heard it. I've heard it. I know how it goes. I've heard it multiple times. Yeah, I still like it. I still think it's one of the better songs on the album for sure. I still like the writing on the song, the verses I still find to be engaging. I guess if there's any additional thoughts that I have that could have made the song more interesting or maybe bring it up a little higher for me or that I'm just thinking in the wake of having reviewed the album months ago at this point is, why did she even go to Max Martin to do this? There was so much hype and so much anticipation behind this record because it's like, Oh, wow, she's working with Max Martin again. She could have literally done this with anybody. What was the point of bringing Max Martin back into the fold to make a track where the drums barely even hit?

You have this little tiny guitar going in the background. The synths are almost like the biggest thing in the mix a lot of the time. There's just so much, I don't know, lacking about the instrumental that just makes me feel like, how is this being produced by one of the greatest pop producers known to man? It could have been so much more interesting.

Reflecting on that, that really is one of the biggest disappointments of the record, the fact that bringing Max Martin back into the fold was not more of an x-factor. Having Max Martin back with Taylor should have been 1989 levels of thrills and excitement, and yet it just, I don't know, it fell very far below those expectations. Jack Antonoff wouldn't have made it pop off either. He would have made another sleepy Midnights type of track. But this is not that many shades bolder than what we were hearing on Midnights. So again, what was the point of Max?

Again, with that being said, I still do like the song. I would still put it in the B tier. I like the track quite a bit, but I feel like there's just lost potential in the instrumental being as just okay as it is in many points.

This right here is my tier list of the current Top 10. There we go. Kehlani in the A tier, Alex Warren in the E tier. I'm going to leave it there for now. Thank you guys very much for watching. You're the best.