3B — Thursday, January 5, 2017
the b-side
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

“Formation” is an unabashed

salute to the power of woman-
hood — more importantly, to
the fortitude of Black, south-
ern
womanhood.
Partnered

with the striking images in the
music video of various Black
women over time, the track
transcends the confines of pop
music and becomes an instance
of protest. Bey is refusing to
be limited by her race, place
of birth or gender, and rallies
against such boundaries with
lyrics flaunting her wealth
alongside her heritage.

“Formation” wraps social

issues — police brutality, the
disenfranchisement of women,
regional and racial stereo-

types — in an alluring pop
packaging. Lines like “I got
hot sauce in my bag, swag”
seem meaningless on the sur-
face, but, when preceded with
“Earned all this money, but
they never take the country
out me,” become seeped in cul-
tural significance. This kind
of nuanced wordplay, along
with its undeniably infectious
musicality, makes “Formation”
one of 2016’s most important
tracks. No wonder Beyoncé is
called the Queen.

— CARLY SNIDER

2. “Formation”

BEYONCÉ

Best Singles of 2016

“Orange is the New Black”

dropped arguably its best season
this year, yet again managing to
transition between gut-busting
comedy and heartbreaking drama
with ease. Subtly challenging the
series’ own empathy-for-everyone
creed, the fourth season gave us an
honest depiction of prison privati-
zation and showed the potentially
fatal consequences that can result
from power structures built on
racism, sexism and brutal dehu-
manization. Sexual assault, unjust
solitary confinement, even murder

— these are the threats the women
of Litchfield Penitentiary face.
While a controversial late-season
death left audiences divided, the
final episode paid tribute to the
beloved character with an elegiac
flashback sequence depicting a
magical trip through Manhat-
tan. The season ended with a PR
nightmare, a prison revolt and the
most joyful, yet simultaneously
most devastating final shot of TV
in 2016.

— BEN ROSENSTOCK

3. “Orange is the New Black”

I’ve never quite seen a show pull

off the feat that “The Americans”
has. The show made the jump from
good to great between its first and
second seasons, became one of the
top shows on television in its third
and somehow got even better in
its fourth. The series follows an
undercover Soviet spy couple living
in America during the ’80s. With
two kids and a travel agency, the
live a seemingly normal life. This
year’s episodes of “The Americans”
pushed Philip and Elizabeth more
than it ever has before. It contin-
ued to show how the rough nature
of their lives affects those around
them, including their daughter,
Paige, who continues to be drawn
into their secrets. Philip has to deal
with Martha, an FBI secretary
whom he “married” (under another
name and hairstyle), as her role as an

asset to the KGB becomes increas-
ingly dangerous. Really, though, the
series is about Philip and Elizabeth.
Matthew Rhys (“Brothers & Sis-
ters”) and Keri Russell (“Felicity”)
continue to do amazing work por-
traying the couple, bringing their
struggles with their roles as par-
ents, their relationship with their
country and the difficulty of their
work to life. Not only are the per-
formances and story strong, but the
series also continues to be a master
of the tension-and-release storytell-
ing method. It’s both deeply emo-
tional and nail-bitingly tense. The
show has two more seasons left on
its run, and if they’re anything like
this year’s episodes, they’ll be must-
see television.

— ALEX INTNER

5. “The Americans”

“Game of Thrones” continu-

ously draws viewers further down
the rabbit hole, and there was no
exception in the explosive sixth
season. The series took this past
season as an opportunity to probe
deeper into the politics of power
and the devastating consequences
of control. From start to finish, the
sixth season pulls from these pil-
lars in a refreshing manner. And
though the majority of the season
focused on the silent power strug-
gle between King Tommen (Dean-
Charles Chapman, “Before I Go to
Sleep”) and Cersei Lannister (Lena
Headey, “The Purge”) in Westeros
and the war between House Stark
and Bolton in the North, “Game
of Thrones” built an intricate web

that hooked viewers with superb
feats in acting and cinematography.

One of the greatest strengths

of “Game of Thrones,” especially
showcased in the sixth season, lays
in its cast. With a compelling cast
taking the reigns, it was nice to see
“Game of Thrones” taking advan-
tage of their broad range of talents.
For confirmation of the show’s
genius in storytelling, one can look
no further than the season finale,
“The Winds of Winter.” nd many
more this past year, that “Game of
Thrones” succeeds in pushing the
boundaries of television. Winter is
finally here, and the cold has never
been so promising.

— MEGAN MITCHELL

6. “Game of Thrones”

Before the pro-Trump rants

and the Kim K drama and the
hospitalization, there was a
beam. It captivated and guid-
ed, but above anything else,
the beam enveloped. On The
Life of Pablo, an album with so
much punch, it says something,
a lot, to kick it all off with this
sensitive admission of wrong-
doing. Well, it’s also somewhat
of a plea for redemption. Or it’s
both, and a lot more. It’s gor-
geous.

The organ! It stays ground-

ed in its sanctity. The choir!

Kanye has forced himself

into a conversation of divinity
in a manner only he could pull
off. He wanted us to buy into
this preaching, that he is a god,
and we kind of did buy it. But

now he’s the one most in need
of a ride on the beam, simul-
taneously enticing others to
revel in its benefits while not
actually rapping.

The real rap belongs to

Chance the Rapper, who deliv-
ers that verse — the one that
miraculously and successfully
conflates humble beginnings,
earnest success, and pomp-
ousness. Bolstered by The-
Dream and prayers from Kelly
Price and Kirk Franklin, the
total product is a message that
reverberates even for the most
unholy. Desperate, devout, and
fulfilling all at once, it’s com-
plete Kan-tharsis at its finest.

— JOEY SCHUMAN

1. “Ultralight Beam”

Kendrick Lamar

No song off Frank Ocean’s

Blonde better epitomized the
album’s surreal mass appeal
than “Nikes.” It’s a slow, medi-
tative track that barely has
a beat and features vocals
pitched
up
beyond
human

range, but it managed to lead
off one of the most talked-
about and beloved albums of
the year.

“Nikes” contains all aspects

of what makes Ocean so com-
pelling.
It’s
got
the
hazy

cross-faded
imagery,
the

detached-at-the-party
vibe

that has been part of Ocean’s
arsenal since his early hit
“Novacane,” but it also takes
the time to pay respect to Pimp
C, A$AP Yams and Trayvon
Martin, as Ocean’s own mor-

tality looms over all the song’s
thoughts and actions.

But he balances out “Nikes”

with his underrated sense of
humor. “You got a roommate
he’ll hear what we do / It’s only
awkward if you’re fucking him
too,” is the now-famous clos-
ing line, but don’t sleep on the
early couplet: “Said she need
a ring like Carmelo / Must be
on that white like Othello.” As
sparse as it sounds at first lis-
ten, “Nikes” reveals something
new each time you return to it,
and it’s another tremendous
accomplishment for one of our
most multi-dimensional, enig-
matic modern pop stars.

— LAUREN THEISEN

3. “Nikes”
Frank Ocean

5. “Pick Up the Phone”
Young Thug ft. Travis Scott

There was much fanfare in

the last year about the “tropical
vibe.” It seethed less successful-
ly on some abrasive EDM tracks,
brought Justin Bieber back to
the radio (because, why not?)
and soared on some of the year’s
biggest songs.

Sometimes, though, trends

work. “pick up the phone,” a col-
laboration between the distinc-
tive Young Thug and the notably
less distinctive Travis Scott, is
by far one of the best examples.

The
production
doesn’t

scream “Look, we’re on an
island!” but its influence is clear.
It’s the Goldilocks principle at

obvious play: not too much, not
too little, but just right. Young
Thug might occasionally sound
the blabber of a baby, but it’s
still perfect. Travis Scott yelps
in background, but it’s still, you
know, masterful. Everything
just falls into place.

Also, it just happens to bang.

Like, really, really bang. It
warrants every replay, every
screamed “I know you’re home
baby!” I don’t care how many
times you heard it in the base-
ment of that frat — “pick up the
phone” is still one of the best
songs of the year.

— MATT GALLATIN

This year, the ’80’s were “in”

(Adidas Superstars, anyone?) and
“Stranger Things” capitalized on
the decade’s sci-fi nostalgia in all
the right ways. From the fantastic
synth-alt music score to the emo-
tional return of ’90’s it-girl Winona
Ryder (“Girl, Interrupted”), the
Netflix original is hands-down
this summer’s breakout hit. Heav-
ily influenced by 80’s films and
novels — with references to “E.T.,”
“Poltergeist” and “Carrie,” to
name a few — “Stranger Things”
follows the mysterious disappear-
ance of 12-year-old Will Byers in
eight addictive episodes gener-
ously strewn with homages to
cult favorites. But even those who
weren’t around in the ’80’s (which
I wasn’t) or are largely unfamiliar
with the classics of the sci-fi/hor-

ror genre (which I’m not) still find
“Stranger Things” spell-binding,
wonderful and universally touch-
ing. The series, with its Spielberg-
esque small-town Indiana setting
and
impressive
performances

from adult and child actors alike,
is able to play on a complex and
varied range of emotional planes,
seamlessly
tapping
into
raw

parental protection and boundless
childhood imagination in the same
episode. I found myself sporting
a ridiculous smile on hour four
of my “Stranger Things” binge
because sweet nostalgia hit as I
remembered when I, too, ate Eggo
waffles and rode bikes into fantas-
tical adventures after school.

— DANIELLE YACOBSEN

2. “Stranger Things”

It’s not, I don’t think, hyper-

bole to say that “Atlanta” redefined
what’s possible on television. A
scarcely present plot, a two-epi-
sode stretch (out of 10) without its
star appearing on screen, an all-
Black cast — before Donald Glov-
er’s FX marvel, if these attributes
were not entirely unheard of, they
were quite definitely not the norm.
Now, truly, anything’s a go.

In its richly nuanced, quietly

cinematic debut season, “Atlanta”
was a lot of things: one week a
whip-smart entry into the canon
of music television (give all the
awards to whoever chose “Eleva-
tors (Me & You)” to close out the
finale), the next a gorgeous ode to
Black female friendship, the next
an outlandish satire of cultural
appropriation (is that even the

right phrase to characterize that
indescribably perfect half-hour of
TV, “Juneteenth”?). Yet, through
it all, its themes were never heavy-
handed, nor were its politics didac-
tic. And while “Atlanta” ’s essential
draw was in legitimate surprise,
everyday hustle this series, unlike
many, actually cared to depict:
people just trying to make some
money. That reductive logline
might not be the most grabby, and
there are no chase scenes or explo-
sions to be found here, but “Atlan-
ta” is the most thrilling, exciting
show in recent memory. What few
boundaries the TV industry has
left have been defiantly obliter-
ated, the doors definitively kicked
down; I can’t wait to see what’s
coming next.

— NABEEL CHOLLAMPAT

1. “Atlanta”
Best TV Shows of 2016

4. Veep

In its fifth season, “Veep”

changed hands from creator
Armando Iannucci to David
Mandel, who followed in the
former
showrunner’s
foot-

steps with the same acerbic
humor. Though Mandel did
not shy away from toying with
the show’s characters with
arduous plots and unexpected
setbacks, the show’s biting
tone and sardonic portrayal of
American politics continues
to shine in its relentless, dark
absurdity. “Veep” also con-
tinues to be anchored by Julia
Louis-Dreyfus’
(“Seinfeld”)

deft portrayal of the scathing,
unlikable Selina Meyer, who
we nonetheless root for. Man-
del’s adeptness at evoking pity

for a comically horrible char-
acter explores who Selena is at
heart, making this season one
of “Veep” ’s most compelling.
In finding Selena at her worst,
the series is unexpectedly pro-
pelled forward using its great-
est strengths.

Like
Selena’s
maladroit

political team, Mandel bravely
forges ahead in a new direc-
tion with an unexpected end
to the season’s arc. In doing
so, Mandel explores who Sele-
na and the show is at heart,
aided by the constant stream
of bureaucratic screw-ups at
the hands of one of TV’s fun-
niest ensembles.

— SHIR AVINADAV

4. “Cranes in the Sky”

Solange

When I first heard this

song, I thought Solange was
singing about birds. I thought
the cranes in her sky were big,
long-necked, migratory birds.
I thought it was about move-
ment and escape. It wasn’t
until I did a quick Genius lyric
search for this blurb that I
came across all this talk about
construction.

Supported by Raphael Saa-

diq’s serene orchestral bass,
“Cranes in the Sky” floats.
Stripped of meaning and inten-
tion, it’s light and dreamy. Sol-
ange’s vocals are soft and the
lyrics are simple, but there’s
something
else
that
lurks

beneath its surface.

“I tried to drink it away / I

tried to put one in the air / I
tried to dance it away / I tried
to change it with my hair,” the
song begins.

What is this “it” that Sol-

ange wants so desperately to
escape? The song itself doesn’t
give an answer — there’s never
an antecedent. But for me, and
I’m sure many others, “it” is

the communal loneliness of
womanhood, and more spe-
cifically Black womanhood.
It is the force that constantly
pull women away from each
other — an idea that is made
strikingly
tangible
in
the

track’s accompanying video,
where shots of Solange alone
in the desert are interspersed
with her lying down, her limbs
interwoven with those of other
women. With this track, Sol-
ange beautifully captures the
absurdity of loneliness in a
hyperconnected world, as well
as its inevitability.

In that way, “Cranes in the

Sky” is a song of opposites. The
best hint towards what the “it”
might be comes in the chorus,
where Solange sings “Well it’s
like cranes in the sky / Some-
times I don’t want to feel those
metal clouds.” Her loneliness
looms over her like a crane,
an image steeped in both hope
and fear no matter which type
of crane you think it is.

I still think it’s about birds.

— MADELEINE GAUDIB

7. The People V. O.J.

Football
player-turned-crim-

inal O.J. Simpson regained some
spotlight this year, but not in
the way you’d expect. Preceding
Ezra Edelman’s incredible five-
part documentary “O.J.: Made
in America” was Ryan Murphy’s
just-as-phenomenal “The People
v. O.J. Simpson,” the first season
of his “American Crime Story”
anthology series on FX. While the
former gave a comprehensive look
at the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson
as a figure in American culture,
the latter focused on the notori-
ous homicide of Simpson’s ex wife
Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald
Goldman, showcasing its effect on
Simpson, played by Cuba Gooding
Jr. (“Snow Dogs”) in a comeback
role, as well as everyone involved
in the trial. As predictable as the
show may be, “The People v. O.J.
Simpson” defies almost every pos-
sible expectation, boosting its Jef-
frey Toobin source material with
an outstanding Emmy-winning
cast, immersive cinematography,
brilliant writing and a nuanced
perspective into the so-called
“trial of the century.” Had it been
put in the wrong hands, the FX
show would have been a disaster or
simply a middling, somewhat pass-
able piece of television. Luckily,
that isn’t the case, as Murphy and
screenwriting duo Scott Alexander

and Larry Karaszewski (“Goose-
bumps”) remain true to capturing
the authenticity and intensity of
the events surrounding O.J.’s trial.

In addition to being a drama-

tized account of the O.J. trial, “The
People v. O.J. Simpson” touches
upon topics that are just as relevant
and timely as ever: the toxic per-
vasiveness of the media, the racial
turbulence in L.A. post-Rodney
King riots, the overt sexism thrown
against prosecutor Marcia Clark
(Sarah Paulson, “American Horror
Story”) and more. Even when we
think our society has progressed
since 1994, it’s amazing that these
issues can still resonate today. But
perhaps the strongest element of
“The People v. O.J. Simpson” is
the acting, which transformed the
famed players of the O.J. trial into
engaging, three-dimensional char-
acters. While Paulson gives the
performance of a lifetime as Clark,
Courtney B. Vance (“Office Christ-
mas Party”) and Sterling K. Brown
(“This is Us”) shine in their break-
out roles as defense lawyer Johnnie
Cochran and prosecutor Christo-
pher Darden, respectively. Within
its mere 10 episodes, “The People
v. O.J. Simpson” spins its story into
something that is not only worthy
of great entertainment, but also of
necessary viewing.

— DANIELLE YACOBSEN

6. “715 CREEKS”

Bon Iver

Justin Vernon’s 22, A Mil-

lion marks a sort of depar-
ture for the artist, away from
his traditionally folk-based,
acoustic music to a more
experimental,
electronic

sound. It’s kind of like what
Kanye did with 808’s & Heart-
breaks. And that’s a fair com-
parison to make seeing as the
two are friends, and make
music together — this new
Bon Iver project is heavily
reminiscent of their collabo-
ration “Woods.” That track
was an obvious precursor to
“715 Creeks,” a standout track
which features only Vernon’s
vocals and a synthesizer. It’s

here the artist best demon-
strates the strength of his
vocals, the intensity of his lyr-
ics, and the inventiveness of
his production to create some-
thing completely engrossing
but totally heartbreaking. Lis-
tening to the song is exhaust-
ing, but in a cathartic way; it
feels necessary and right, but
that doesn’t make the emo-
tional impact any less severe.

— RACHEL KERR