Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, gather ’round. It’s time to count down the 20 best songs of 2017.
How’d we come up with the list? Well, we put the Edge staff in a room, fueled them with alcohol and passion, and came out the other side with the 20 best songs of the year. And you know what? I think we’re all better friends for it.
#20 AWOLNATION – “PASSION”
I mentioned we were fueled by passion; it’s what should burn brightest in all of us at all times and AWOLNATION knows a lot about that.
#19 BILLY TALENT – “LOUDER THAN THE DJ”
#18 INCUBUS – “NIMBLE BASTARD”
#17 ARCADE FIRE – “CREATURE COMFORT”
#16 ALICE MERTON – “NO ROOTS”
We move to #16 on the Top 20 Songs of 2017, and for it we turn to Germany, whose music scene has changed a lot over the years. Gone are the days or Kraftwerk and Scorpions and a new era ushered in by bands like Milky Chance and Alice Merton who we see at #16. Rammstein‘s always gonna rule though, right? Of course.
#15 USS – “CALIFORNIA MEDICATION”
I gotta say, maybe the highlight of my 2017 – it HAS to be the highlight of my 2017 – I got married back in September which was awesome. Great day all around. Exclamation point on the day was USS playing my first dance song “Porno Star Trek.” They’re absolute beauties. We can’t wait to see what they’ve got in store for us in 2018.
#14 THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS – “WALK ON WATER”
The only artist on this countdown who not only has a Grammy, but an Academy Award as well. It’s Thirty Seconds to Mars‘ Jared Leto.
#13 BECK – “UP ALL NIGHT”
#12 THE LUMINEERS – “ANGELA”
In at #12, we get to The Lumineers‘ obsession with naming songs after women. By my count, through two records, they got five tunes: “Elouise,” “Darlene,” “Ophelia,” “Cleopatra” and “Angela.” The last three, all from the new record, all end with an ‘a.’ It’s a weird connection. “Cleopatra,” apparently, is about an encounter with a taxi driver, and “Angela” is about an ex-girlfriend. The best ones usually are.
#11 RISE AGAINST – “THE VIOLENCE”
#10 VANCE JOY – “LAY IT ON ME”
It’s time to crack the top 10 of the Top 20 Songs of 2017 and for it, we turn to Australia and a guy who’s so good at stuff – it’s borderline annoying. Sure, he was an all star in the second tier of Aussie Rules Football, he has Bachelor degrees in both arts and law. He’s won a bunch of awards for being crazy good at writing music… and damn it if he isn’t just the nicest person on the planet. His name is Vance Joy and his new record Nation of Two will be in stores in February.
#9 FOO FIGHTERS – “THE SKY IS A NEIGHBORHOOD”
#8 IMAGINE DRAGONS – “THUNDER”
In 2017, Las Vegas Nevada’s Imagine Dragons brought the “Thunder.”
That was horrible, I’m sorry. But really, what else is there to say?
They cemented themselves in the top tier of the biggest bands in the world, selling out arenas all over the place and making more and more fans. They are printing money. I went to their pop-up shop. I watched it happen. People love this band.
#7 – THE BEACHES – “MONEY”
#6 – THE KILLERS – “THE MAN”
Man, this song just makes you wanna strut, doesn’t it? On January 5th they’re playing the Air Canada Centre in what could be the first great show of 2018.
#5 DEATH FROM ABOVE – “FREEZE ME”
It’s time! What time?! It’s time for the Top 5 and for number 5, we look no further than our own backyard. Death From Above dropped the “1979” and released Outrage is Now. A record that has wall-to-wall bangers, including this one:
#4 QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – “THE WAY YOU USED TO DO”
#3 THE GLORIOUS SONS – “EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT”
We turn now to the top 3, and Kingston Ontario’s own The Glorious Sons. A band that I fell in love with in 2017 and kinda hate myself for not doing it earlier. The new record is fantastic, the band rips live… even if you line them up, you would never guess they were in a band together. They’re just a mishmash of dudes making awesome tunes. Everything is alright in the world of The Glorious Sons.
#2 PORTUGAL. THE MAN – “FEEL IT STILL”
#1 ARKELLS – “KNOCKING AT THE DOOR”
Out of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, it’s the touring band known as the Arkells. Morning Report was a monster… and this song is an anthem. #1 on 102.1 the Edge’s Top 20 Songs of 2017.
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