The end of the year means a lot of things to a lot of people but for those on social media it mainly means seeing a lot of people posting their Spotify Wrapped: a colourful record of the songs and bands a person listened to the most over the past 12 months.
I’ll admit, I’m not immune. I posted mine on BlueSky, if only because I had to laugh that my second-most listened-to song of the year was “Wow Wow,” a mashup produced by Neil Cicierega consisting primarily of “Wild Wild West” by Will Smith, the very silly single Smith made for the film of the same name that he starred in after turning down the lead in The Matrix.
Look, I can’t help that it’s a banger.
The Vancouver Canucks joined in on the annual trend by posting the songs their players listened to the most this past year — at least, the top songs from 17 of their players.
The Canucks even had the courtesy of creating a playlist of all 17 songs. Which means it’s time to do what every music fan does: judge someone else’s music taste.
But seriously, the music that someone listens to can be a fun insight into who they are a person, which is a rarity when it comes to the modern, media-coached hockey player. This could be a song that is in their earbuds on the plane in road trips, a go-to pump-up song when working out, or a song that got them through the summer months when there’s no hockey at all.
Let’s have a listen.
Brock Boeser - “Like a Brother” by Hey, Nothing
We’re starting off strong with a wonderfully unexpected top song from Brock Boeser or perhaps not all that unexpected for fans who follow his public Spotify profile, who have known for a while that he’s got pretty cool taste in music. You might expect a lot of jock jams from a hockey player but instead, we get the up-and-coming indie-folk duo Hey, Nothing with their emotive “Like a Brother.”
This is a beautiful song, sung with rip-your-heart-out intentions by Harlow Phillips. It starts out with simple guitar strums and singing but has a subtle build to it, leading to an atmospheric finish.
I love this song and I love that it leads off this playlist.
Carson Soucy - “Oak Island” by Zach Bryan
There was bound to be a little bit of country on this playlist but “Oak Island” is a pretty solid song as modern country goes, telling a narrative of a man trying to save his brother from a bad crowd only to find that his brother is too far gone to be saved.
It’s a simple enough song but it’s elevated by some tasteful trumpet that has a hint of mariachi to it, along with a chaotic outro that feels like a bar fight gone wrong. It’s not a song I’d go out of my way to listen to but it’s not bad.
It’s just a shame that Zach Bryan appears to be a nightmare of a human being.
Conor Garland - “Time of the Season” by The Zombies
“What’s your name? Who’s your daddy? Is he rich like me?”
This is an all-time classic song and one of the best songs of the sixties, though I admit I prefer “She’s Not There” when it comes to The Zombies.
The Zombies actually broke up before this song and its album were released and it was a flop in the UK before taking off in the US. Because The Zombies were no longer together and touring, a few fake Zombies bands sprung up around the US to play their songs. One of those bands featured Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, who would later form a band of their own with Billy Gibbons: ZZ Top.
What a killer song. I love the vocal interplay in the second verse and the organ solos absolutely rip. This is psychedelic rock at its finest and I love that this is what Conor Garland was listening to this year.
Danton Heinen - “We Ride” by Bryan Martin
It’s perhaps unsurprising that Danton Heinen is a country music fan. There’s a lot of country music in the Fraser Valley. “We Ride” is definitely the style of country that isn’t to my taste but it has a certain gritty appeal.
Lyrically, there are a few good lines, but at times it almost sounds like a parody of modern country, like when he rhymes “Friday night” with “cold Bud Light.” I mean, come on.
But if you like this sort of thing, I should think that this is the sort of thing you would like.
Nils Höglander - “Viva La Vida” by Soppgirobygget
I don’t know what I expected but it certainly wasn’t this.
I guess I expected this to be a cover of “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay. Instead, it’s a dance track that interpolates “Misirlou” by Dick Dale, then throws in a bridge that’s basically just the chorus of “Whoomp! (There It Is)” by Tag Team.
This is a straight-up party song and it’s a lot of fun, even if the lyrics are hilariously crass. While mostly in Norwegian, there are a few English phrases thrown in, like “Bitch, make it clap.”
Here are a couple choice phrases from the song translated into English via Google Translate: “Big babes, big drinks, big asses make me happy,” “Shake the bum and I’ll post it on Snap,” and “I have a skull fracture and proven gonorrhea.”
Wild.
Pius Suter - “Franco Nero” by Phenomden
The Swiss army knife of the Canucks unsurprisingly listens to Swiss music. Phenomden is a Swiss reggae artist and “Franco Nero” is a straight-up reggae song but it has a fascinating mashup of Swiss German, English, and Jamaican patois, as he’s lived in Jamaica for years.
I can’t help but think of Canada’s own white dancehall artist, Snow, known for “Informer.”
This song is a vibe, for sure. Lyrically, it’s mostly braggadocio on the part of Phenomden but there’s a fun theme running through it referencing Spaghetti Westerns, including the eponymous Franco Nero, the Italian actor who first made a name for himself in the Spaghetti Western Django.
Erik Brännström - “Heaven Takes You Home” by Swedish House Mafia
House music isn’t my thing but this song has a great groove and some lovely vocals from Connie Constance.
This seems like a song that could grow on you over time. At first, it might just be a song that slips into a workout mix with its driving beat, but then a line or two from the lyrics might catch you off-guard in an emotional moment — “I don’t wanna see the end of the world without you” — and hook into your heart.
There’s something beautiful about this song. I dig it.
Kevin Lankinen - “adore u” by Fred Again
We’re still in the electronica sphere with some electro-pop from Fred Again, featuring vocals by Obongjayar.
The slightly off-kilter falsetto vocals take centre stage on this song but it also has a grooving instrumental, with a really clever use of loops and samples, using samples from, of all things, “Stick Em” by Fat Boys primarily as a rhythmic element until it comes to the forefront for a bridge of sorts.
It’s such an unexpected sample in this type of song and, to me, it elevates the song from something that might have been a bit more pedestrian.
Thatcher Demko - “Moon (P’s Song)” by Sam Hughes
This is a very cool track by an artist I’ve never heard of. Sam Hughes released his debut album Big Air in November and “Moon (P’s Song)” is the last song on the album. Demko must have been listening to this song constantly over the past couple of weeks for it to be his most listened-to song.
Or, more likely, these songs were picked by the players and Demko is shouting out an artist he loves or possibly even personally knows.
I’ve only listened to a bit of the album, which is primarily hip hop, but it’s legitimately fantastic with some very creative beats. “Moon” is very different from the other songs on the album — more R&B or soul than hip hop — but it’s beautiful with a lovely build to the climax.
Kiefer Sherwood - “Timeless” by The Weeknd and Playboi Carti
“Timeless” was The Weeknd’s biggest hit in 2024, so it's not too surprising to see it show up here.
It’s perhaps a surprise that this song hit as big as it did, as it’s far from the pop of “Save Your Tears” or “Blinding Lights.” Instead, Playboi Carti takes the lead to kick off the song and let you know that this is a straight-up trap song. Carti switches up his delivery over a spare trap beat before The Weeknd takes over the back half of the song.
It’s…fine. I don’t hate it. I don’t love it.
Noah Juulsen - “Rather Be” by Riley Green
We’re back in the country realm with some (probably) tongue-in-cheek misogyny: “When I hear you bitch at me/It makes me think of all the places I’d rather be.”
Sorry Noah, but I hate this song.
Mark Friedman - “Dial Drunk” by Noah Kahan and Post Malone
A bit of a mix between folk-pop and country, “Dial Drunk” is a well-crafted song with some clever turns of phrase that is essentially about being thrown in the drunk tank and calling the woman you love with your one phone call, only to have her hang up on you to leave you in jail.
Noah Kahan released two versions of the song, one by himself and one as a duet with Post Malone. This is the latter, which has a new second verse.
It’s all part of Post Malone’s pivot to country music, as the rapper/singer released a country album this year. He’s always been a bit of a chameleon musically, fitting into any genre and collaborating with any artist, but I feel like I’m always waiting to hear him do something new or mix those genres in an interesting way.
In any case, this is a fine song to have as your top song of 2024, Friedman.
Tyler Myers - “Thank You (Not So Bad)” by Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike and Dido and Tiesto and W&W
“Thank You” was a big hit for Dido, not just because it is a solid song in its own right but because of the use of the opening verse as the hook for Eminem’s massive hit “Stan.”
Now it’s been interpolated into an EDM song. Sure, why not?
I’m assuming Myers, family man that he is, is grooving to this song in his workout mix rather than hitting up a rave. But who knows, maybe he's big into EDM festivals.
This is very much not my thing but the melody of the original song is so good that it even manages to work in this context.
Max Sasson - “Circadian Rhythm” by Drake
Apparently, Max Sasson didn’t get the memo that Kendrick Lamar murdered Drake this past year. Drake released “Circadian Rhythm” after Kendrick’s knockout blow but before Drake filed a lawsuit against Spotify and Universal Music Group about said knockout blow.
Anyway, “Circadian Rhythm” is fine. I don't love it but it's fine.
It seems like a song designed to be clipped for TikTok, with some key catchphrases like “How the **** I’m still up?” and “****** don’t speak my language,” instead of a complete song in its own right.
Or maybe it’s just that Drake is very much not for me.
Vincent Desharnais - “Dreams and Nightmares” by Meek Mill
The first song off Meek Mill’s debut album, Dreams and Nightmares, introduces the rapper with the typical braggadocio of the genre but there’s no denying that he owns the track, rapping over a beatless instrumental over the first half, then suddenly switching things up halfway through with a more aggressive flow as the beat drops.
This goes hard.
There’s even a hockey reference in Meek Mill’s bars: “Icy as a hockey rink, Philly *****, I'm flyer.”
The Philadelphia native has even released a mixtape called “Philadelphia Flyer” with his face photoshopped onto what appears to be Claude Giroux’s body.
Jake DeBrusk - “All Star” by Smash Mouth
Dudes rock.
Look, DeBrusk was five years old when Shrek debuted in theatres. Assuming his family bought the DVD, that movie was probably playing non-stop in his house for his entire childhood. Is it any wonder that “All Star,” a song featured prominently in the film, is a nostalgic favourite?
As much as “All Star” has become a meme over the last couple of decades, I unironically love it. I honestly think Astro Lounge is a pretty solid album, even if I prefer “Walkin’ On The Sun” from Fush Yu Mang when it comes to Smash Mouth singles.
Does loving “All Star” do irrevocable damage to my punk rock credibility? Yes, absolutely. But this song is catchy as hell and you know it.
And Jake DeBrusk knows it too.
Dakota Joshua - “Monster” by Key Glock
“Just look what God created: a monster.”
As far as trap goes, I’m not the biggest fan of Key Glock’s flow but he’s got impeccable taste in beats, even if this a pretty chill beat for a song where the hook is Key Glock declaring that he’s a “mother******* monster.”
But if this song inspires Joshua to be even more of a monster on the ice, then maybe the beat is perfect.
