October's biggest single was most likely "Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)" by Cardi B. But that's been out since June. This list concerns the best songs actually released this month. Could be a single. Could be a video. Could be an album track that got a lot of hype.

In the case of the song at the top of our list, it's a single. And we're adding to the hype it got.

1. St. Vincent, "Pills"

The third single released in advance of St. Vincent's new masterpiece, "Masseducation," doesn't sound a thing like what the Who were doing with "The Who Sell Out."

But it does share that album's winking cultural appropriation of advertising jingles, which Annie Clark satirically applies to our national obsession with pharmaceutical solutions to that which ails us.

Not that she's picking a fight with Big Pharma.

As Clark explained to Pitchfork, "Pills" wasn't intended as "this moral indictment of the state of the pharmaceutical industry in the U.S."

She doesn't see what good would come of that "because it’s condescending to the audience and just a bummer to listen to," she said. "This song is super personal for me, a little snapshot of a small period of my life. I was having trouble sleeping and I had taken a sleeping pill. As I was popping it into my mouth, I was like, [sings] ‘Do-do-do, do-do-do, pills, pills, pills, every day of the week — oh, maybe that’s so jingle-y that it’s good.’ Just using that language of advertising."

Consider the nagging chorus hook with which she sets the tone, as sung by Cara Delevingne: "Pills to wake, pills to sleep / Pills, pills, pills every day of the week / Pills to walk, pills to think / Pills, pills, pills for the family." I've had that thing stuck in my head for weeks now.

But she really hits her stride on the atmospheric, soulful coda, signing off with "Come all you children, come out to play / Everyone you love will all go away" before passing the spotlight to Kamasi Washington, who adds some melancholy saxophone as the track begins to fade.

She's also an amazing live performer with a January date to go buy tickets for while you still can at the Van Buren.

Details: 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26. The Van Buren, 401 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix. $42; $39 in advance. thevanburenphx.com.

2. Spoon, “I Ain’t the One”

I hailed this as one of the highlights of “Hot Thoughts” when naming that album to my Best of 2017 (So Far) list, praising its bleary-eyed soul vibe. And now there’s a video, which complements that quality by capturing the men of Spoon performing in the shadows.

It’s all about the atmosphere, as Britt Daniels insists he “ain’t the one” to the mournful backdrop of a Wurlitzer and subtle hints of orchestration.

Even when Jim Eno threatens to shake up the mood after more than two minutes of drum-free pathos, the atmosphere remains. And then the drums recede again, crashing in later for maximum impact.

That less-is-more approach to arranging a song has served Spoon well throughout the years and they've only gotten better at knowing what to hold back until later.

3. Nilüfer Yanya, “Baby Luv”

The stripped-down, acoustic-guitar-driven pulse of the opening verse feels a bit like she's channeling Cat Power’s “You Are Free” album. But the voice is distinctly her own. And as the song takes on more textures (in the form of ethereal synths), it leaves that first impression in the dust (at least until it’s made you hit “repeat”).

The singer was quoted as saying this track is about “suppressing your feelings and not being able to feel the normal things like joy and pain.”

Those feelings definitely seep in through the cracks in her delivery, though, especially when she slips into her upper register on the opening line, “So don’t look so surprised when I know where you’ve been” or when she asks, repeatedly, “Do you like pain?”

Of course, that doesn’t stop her from pleading, “Call me sometimes.” That dichotomy between knowing this person is bad for you and desperately hoping the phone rings may be where this single really hits it stride and resonates with anyone who’s ever been in that position.

4. The Bittersweet Way, "Already Over"

The sound of this record is massive. Except when it isn't, the quiet parts making the wall of distorted guitars hit that much harder when they do come crashing in after easing you into the moment with an oscillating synth riff and Jedidiah Foster's wistful vocal asking, "Can we pretend tonight will never end? It's already over."

"The single was originally written and demoed out over a couple of days as a more straight-up synth-pop song," Foster says. "I always heard it as a much heavier guitar song in my head, though."

Lyrically, he says, "a string of horrible situations including my mother becoming very ill, the death of a friend and the loss of my job had culminated in me not being in a good headspace."

The words, he says, "reflect my twisted mindset at the time - a dismissive hand wave at the well wishers and loved ones that I loved in return, but suddenly had no energy or capacity to care about."

He's especially proud, Foster says, of the lines, “You and I could break away from everything we know / Close our eyes and let the whole world go on its own in the dark now. Holding hands as we learn how to sleep sound.”

That search for personal meaning and hope in the face of perceived hopelessness, he says, ended up setting the emotional tone for the whole record.

"This record is pretty much the sound of Jed turning 40," Foster says. "There’s a lot more genuine reflection and honesty in it than anything I’ve done up to this point. I don’t paint myself in a very good light on this record."

On the other hand, he manages to come off rather well as a songwriter.

The song is on "Presents," a forthcoming album that also marks the first release to feature the new lineup with Ehren Stonner (Treasurefruit, Quixote) and Jess Pruitt (Doctor Bones, Some Magical Animal) in addition, of course, to Foster.

5. U.S. Girls, "Mad As Hell"

With apologies to Arcade Fire, this has gotta be the most contagious ABBA flashback of the past 10 years or so, its throbbing disco bass giving way to a pining throwback of Carole King churning out Brill Building classics for one girl group after another.

And what’s truly great is that it’s all in service to an anti-war song, Meg Remy assuming the role of the warmonger’s lover to coyly offer a withering insider’s view.

“The war rolled on and on,” she sighs.

“I left that land my home / We watched your hair go grey, that stressful manly shade / You wore it well / No one could tell / The situation was hell / But lies shone in your eyes / You were the first in line to use those bugs up high / The coward's weapon of choice / But you got that winner's smile / And you know how to leave ‘em moist.”

6. The Rentals, "Elon Musk is Making Me Sad"

To truly grasp the self-effacing genius of this single’s most inspired moment, it’s important that you understand the history – or baggage, if you will – that Rentals leader Matt Sharp carried with him when he formed this group in 1995.

He was still in Weezer at the time. He’s on their first two albums, setting up this truly awesome bit of self-assessment: “When it’s time to say goodbye, what will they write on my tombstone? / Just that last little line from the ‘Happy Days’ video?/ Not so good, Jonze.”

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It’s like “Glass Onion” for a generation raised on “Buddy Holly.”

Why is Elon Musk making him sad? Because he did the math and realized he was more than two years older than the self-made billionaire with not much in the way of rags-to-riches anecdotes to show for it.

There’s a darkly comic quality to his book of regrets, though, as he chronicles his brief flirtation with the brass ring with the sort of self-effacing charm that made Ray Davies of the Kinks such a beloved underdog.

Consider the following lines: “But for a second, there’s no question, I had the lead in ’95 / I mismanaged my advantage / Like a rocket ship, he blasted by / to incredible heights.”

I suppose there’s a chance someone makes a more likeable record in 2017, and yet I doubt it.

The current lineup of the Rentals, by the way, includes Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Flaming Lips/Mercury Rev producer Dave Fridmann, so that’s just two more reasons I’d much rather be Matt Sharp than Elon Musk.

7. G Herbo, "Malcolm"

This richly detailed portrait of growing up black and hopeless on the South Side of Chicago with "a pops he never knew" and a strung-out mom marks Herbo as a briliant storyteller. Stuck on probation, on and off since 13, young Malcolm gets deeper and deeper into crime as he gets older.

Herbo doesn't glorify the lifestyle choices. His story is gritty and bleak, underscored by a minimal slow-rolling beat by from producer DJ L that's suitably haunted.

"Sometimes he even pray to God and wish he die at night," Herbo raps. "He grown now, had to get it on his own and / He know nobody gon' be there when he alone and / So f--k it, he just gon' continue doing wrong."

The track hits even harder when he zooms out, in the final track, from Malcolm's life to illustrate a larger point about systemic forces guys like former Bears coach Mike Ditka, who famously claimed the other week that there's been no oppression in America in the last 100 years, are just too dense to understand.

"The saddest thing about life it keep revolving," he raps. "Same story, different n---as, same apartments / Same gutter, same group of people starving / Malcolm could've stayed in school and got a job though / But this was all that Malcolm knew, he from Chicago / Compare and contrast if Malcolm's from a rich town / His whole life was planned out since he was six pounds."

8. Tennis, “I Miss That Feeling”

Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley made my Albums of the Year (So Far) list in July with an effort called “Yours Conditionally.” And they’re already moving on, with an EP called “We Can Die Happy" on the way.

This track from that EP is essentially what you’d expect from the duo at this point – the sort of soulful soft-rock gem that would’ve sounded perfect coming out of Fleetwood Mac or Harry Nilsson in the ‘70s. Or for those who need a newer reference, following Tobias Jesso Jr. on somebody's Spotify playlist.

And when you're pining for the way things used to be, it doesn’t hurt to tap into a sound so firmly rooted in nostalgia, even if the singer isn’t old enough to have experienced what anyone would sound like coming out of Fleetwood Mac or Harry Nilsson in the '70s.

It also doesn't hurt that the chorus here would definitely make a shortlist of their most contagious moments.

9. Ben Anderson, “Lukewarm”

This local singer spends the chorus of his latest single channeling the silky-smooth falsetto of the great Al Green for all its worth as he soulfully pleads, “Put my hand in the fire ‘til I feel it through / Babe, I am lukewarm.”

And the production follows suit. It's on the understated, jazzy side of classic soul complete with horns and just enough Steve Cropper-worthy grit to the guitar lines.

The second single of a trilogy he calls “YouTopia,” this song is the prequel to “Clay Pigeon.”

In "Lukewarm," the singer explains, “You see the rise of the main character in the corporate world. He quickly discovers that his materialistic life has no substance. He begins to reject the system and fall into the depths of madness which is the beginning of ‘Clay Pigeon.’”

Outside the context of the trilogy, it’s a song about, as Anderson explains, “a longing for the things in life that really matter (relationships, experiences) when you’re wealthy in material luxuries. Nothing heats you up or cools you down anymore and thus you are lukewarm.”

10. The Darts, "Get Messy"

Look, if it was easy capturing the sound of people having this much fun in a recording studio, we'd all be swimming in new records as infectious as "Get Messy." But it isn't, so we're not, which would suggest that we would all do well to let our hair down and appreciate it while we can.

Or as Nicole Laurenne so memorably puts forth on the chorus hook, "Take a chance / Take a leap / Take a risk / You'll see / Everything's better messy."

A Farfisa-driven highlight of "Me.Ow," this track rocks with the reckless abandon you've probably come to expect from the Darts if you've seen them live or heard their previous recordings, with a great melodic bassline from Christina Nunez. And the video is every bit as wildly entertaining as the track itself, with the Darts as mermaids in a kiddie pool at a backyard party out of bounds where they get plenty messy with a birthday cake.

11. Billy Bragg, “Saffiyah Smiles”

The iconic folk singer is bringing his “Bridges Not Walls” Tour to Phoenix for a Crescent Ballroom show Wednesday, Oct. 11.

In the midst of that, he’s dropped this wistful, Hammond-B3-organ-driven country-soul song paying tribute to the courage of Saffiyah Khan, whose smiling face went viral earlier this year.

As Bragg explains it, “Following the shocking scenes of white supremacists marching through the streets of Charlottesville this past summer, my mind went back to an image of a young woman facing down a ranting fascist with nothing but a serene smile."

Khan, Bragg explains, had been taking part in a counter demonstration against the neo-fascist English Defence League in Birmingham, England, when she saw a woman wearing a hijab being surrounded by taunting EDL supporters.

"And when the police failed to act," Bragg says, "Saffiyah stepped up and got in the face of the loudest aggressor, holding him at bay with nothing more than a smile until police eventually intervened.”

Bragg goes on to say her “selfless act of solidarity is an inspiration to us all and a reminder that sometimes you can confront hatred by calmly making plain how ridiculous its propagators are.”

It's a brilliantly playful yet stinging performance by Bragg, who undercuts the menace of the white supremacists at every turn after setting the scene with “Angry white men dressed like Elmer Fudd / Shouting something about soil and blood / A woman of color steps out from the crowd / And does something to make us all proud.”

Best line? “Cosplay Nazis marching in file / Hitler’s haircut is back in style.”

12. Yaeji, "Drink I’m Sippin On"

The EDM producer raps in Korean and English while rocking a minimalist trap beat, her blasé and breathy half-spoken delivery recalling a young Debbie Harry of Blondie as she revels in the everyday ennui of life itself.

She told Pigeons & Planes "'Drink I'm Sippin On' is non-alcoholic though its effects are similar to getting drunk: knowingly being misunderstood by others, forgetting what I did yesterday, and feeling comfortable being me. I sip on it as a reminder that I can feel fine if I just let myself."

13. Quicksand, “Cosmonauts”

It’s been 22 years since these post-hardcore heroes have released an album. And given the sound of the first two tracks they’ve shared from “Interiors,” an effort due Nov. 10, I’d say it has the makings of a modern Quicksand classic.

This one doesn’t hit as hard as the first single out of the box, which was fueled by a muscular, headbanging beast of a riff.

But it’s darker and closer in spirit to ‘90s alternative-rock, its churning rhythms topped by hypnotic guitar arpeggios and a brooding lead vocal by guitarist Walter Schreifels, who desperately wants to arrive where you are, “in the light.” It sounds creepy and ominous but also also dreamy.

Schreifels says the making of “Interiors” “was all just about being ourselves and who we were as well as who we are."

14. Julien Baker, "Turn Out the Lights"

This haunting ballad is the title track to Baker's second album, which hits the streets this week and effortlessly lives up to the promise of her first release, "Sprained Ankle."

In the opening verse, accompanied only by the melancholy finger-picking of a lone guitar, she sets the scene with a sigh of "There's a hole in the drywall, still not fixed / I just haven't gotten around to it / And besides I'm starting to get used to the gaps."



It never really kicks in. It just gets a little louder, adding vocal harmonies on its way to the moment of truth: "When I turn out the lights, there's no one left between myself and me."

15. Slaughter Beach, Dog, "Acolyte"

It took a day or two to realize that the reason I immediately liked the sound of this is that it starts with a guitar lead that appears to have been based entirely on the vocal hook of Blur's "Sad Drunk and Poorly." And I doubt they meant to do that. People rarely do.

But that's not why I kept returning to this track. It's more the unassuming charm of the singer's delivery. That and the whistling solo, among the more contagious whistling solos of the decade.

And bonus points for this line: "Man, it cuts like a dull knife when you're young and you're told / "Makes sense when you're older" / Darling, let's get old.

16. Odesza feat. Leon Bridges, "Across the Room"

This deeply soulful, gospel-flavored electronica plus more organic elements arrives at that same sweet spot Moby worked to glorious effect on "Play." It emerged as one of Sunday's highlights when Odesza headlined the inaugural Lost Lake Festival, which you can read about in our countdown of the weekend's highlights here.

In an interview with Billboard, Clayton Knight said Bridges is someone they've wanted to work with quite a bit.

"We ended up writing that whole song basically," he said. "We re-recorded some of the elements back in Texas, but everything was basically written in that studio in that eight-hour period. When that happens, it's usually a good sign, because things are flowing easily and fast. You know they're there. It's a complete honor to work with him. He's honestly a genius."

You can definitely hear that sense of mutual admiration shining through in this collaboration.

17. A Perfect Circle, “The Doomed”

This is the first taste of A Perfect Circle’s first full-length release in 14 years. (There was a one-off single, “By and Down,” four years ago.) And if the other tracks on that forthcoming, still-untitled album live up to the promise of “The Doomed,” then it was definitely worth the wait for fans of Keenan’s dark, dramatic vision.

“Fourteen years have passed since we released eMOTIVe,” Keenan says. “A new release is long overdue. In light of this current difficult and polarized social, spiritual and political climate, we artist types need to open our big mouths and share the light a little louder.”

Billy Howerdel adds, “Years of life experience has brought our music to this moment. We know where we came from. Deeply connected to the path we’re on.”

It’s a heavy, at times cinematic, track that puts a timely, nihilistic spin on the biblical message of the Sermon on the Mount, setting the tone with “Behold a new Christ / Behold the same old horde.” As the verse continues, Keenan sings, New beginning, new word / And the word was death / And the word was without light / The new beatitude: ‘Good luck, you're on your own.’ ”

After blessing the slothful, the wrathful, the vain and the gluttonous, the tone shifts, the heavy, distorted guitars and pounding drums recede, I'm pretty sure I hear a glockenspiel and Keenan’s vocal takes on a more vulnerable hue as he asks, “What of the pious, the pure of heart, the peaceful? What of the meek, the mourning, and the merciful?”

Then he answers his own question with “All doomed.”

In addition to Keenan and Howerdel, the current lineup feature James Iha (Tinted Windows, ex-Smashing Pumpkins), Jeff Friedl (Puscifer, the Beta Machine) and Matt McJunkins (Eagles of Death Metal, the Beta Machine).

18. Faulkner, "Hot Streak"

I've seen them billed as "the new Killers." And I get that. A healthy percentage of the fans who flocked to see the Killers' set at Lost Lake Festival last Saturday will almost certainly respond to "Hot Streak," a keyboard-driven rocker with a yearning chorus hook of "I will stand by you" and a groove you would be foolish to deny.

When Just Jared premiered the track this week, it quoted the members of Faulkner as saying, “The inspiration behind ‘Hot Streak’ is that magic moment of feeling untouchable like Nicky Barnes. Where for an hour the whole world falls into your hands and everything you touch turns to gold.”

Having never heard of Nicky Barnes, I checked with Wikipedia, where I learned: "Leroy Nicholas 'Nicky' Barnes (born Oct. 15, 1933) is an American former crime boss, active in New York City during the 1970s."

That's old school.

19. Doll Skin, "Daughter"

This emotional ode to survival in the face of crushing disappointment is the second single from the local rockers' second album, "Manic Pixie Dream Girl." But for all the pain, it keeps returning to a life-affirming chorus of "No matter what, she keeps on breathing." And they've left it open to interpretation.

As drummer Meghan Herring explained to Alternative Press, "An interesting aspect of this song is that it has a different meaning to each of us. The video showcases one of the interpretations for it, which is a toxic relationship between parent and daughter. Many of our fans and peers will be able to relate to the lyrics, with the struggles of youth and growing up in today’s society."

Whatever your interpretation of the lyrics is, Sydney Dolezal's vocal delivery is enough to leave you winded. And Alex Snowden's finger-tapping guitar solo may not be as flashy as "Eruption" but Eddie Van Halen wouldadmire the melodic sensibilities behind it.

20. Injury Reserve, "Boom (X3)"

The third video from "Drive It Like It's Stolen" dropped Sept. 28 but I already had an Injury Reserve song on Best September Singles playlist and the 28th is practically October, right? So here it is.

This Parker Corey video is darker than the first two and it suits the darker, more aggressive vibe they're going for on this track, which opens with the chorus hook, Ritchie with a T shouting, "We be up all night, just murdering beats / And had the landlord knocking like a burglary / Like boom, boom, boom / They'll bump a n---a 'round the world, you see / And tell me which of you motherf--kers haven't heard of me."

Musically, the verses have a more reflective tone.

And anyone familiar with their local hip-hop history will have to wonder if Stepa J. Groggs is talking Phoenix when he raps, "Started making a name and now they're knockin' it / F--k the city up whenever we droppin' s--t / Created a sound, they started jockin' it / Don't put on for the scene, 'cause we not in it / I'm not tryna make a scene / But is it still a scene if it's not heard or seen?"

They talked at length about their time in Phoenix when we spoke before the album hit the streets in late September.

21. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, "Holy Mountain"

The man was in Oasis, which explains a lot. But that's not why this single made the list. It's more to do with that falsetto vocal hook. And the way it grooves like T. Rex in a good way.

I swear he's quoting David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" at one point and you'll know exactly what I mean if you're familiar with that song.

This is the first we've heard from Gallagher's "Who Built the Moon" and he issued a statement explaining what he and producer David Holmes were after on the track, which features organ by Paul Weller of the Jam.

(A moment of silence to appreciate the presence of Paul Weller of the Jam on Noel Gallagher's new single.)

“It was one of the first things David and I did on the first week of working together," Gallagher says. "I knew instantly that it was going to be the first single. There’s so much joy in it. Until the day I die, it will be one of my favorite pieces of music that I’ve ever written. It sounds great live. My kids love it, my friends’ kids all love it and I am sure ‘the kids’ will love it.”

22. Porches, "Country"

This haunting ballad seeps into your speakers and/or headphones on a note that makes me wonder if maybe their synth has a tea-kettle setting. Then, Aaron Maine sets the lyrical tone with "When the air hit my face and it smelled like the truth, I saw you in the lake," his vocals sounding sadder than the lyrics would suggest, especially when he hits the line about watching the water drip "from my mouth to yours."

So why does he sound so unspeakably sad? The lyrics invite you to fill in the blanks on your own. I'll keep my fairly dark interpretation to myself. But suffice it to say, it's a beautiful shade of melancholia, especially when Dev Hynes and Bryndon Cook join in on harmonies.

23. Thundercat feat. Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins

I saw Michael McDonald recapture the magic of his guest appearance on this yacht-rocking highlight of Thundercat's "Drunk," one of the year's best albums. McDonald is joined on the track by fellow smooth-rock veteran Kenny Loggins, and Thundercat manages to make them sound absurdly relevant in this unexpected context.

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