Dork's Bangers of the Year (So Far): the rules

Like all important scientific surveys, there need to be rules to our Bangers of the Year (So Far) list. Here’s the criteria we’re working off.

We’re more than half way through the 2018 auditing period, Dear Reader. That means it’s time to pull down the shutters, call in the staff, and do a stock check on the only thing that counts. Cold, hard Bangers.

We’ve run the sums, calculated the co-efficients, and come up with our definitive top 50 tracks of the year so far. Those of you who pay attention to 'this sort of thing' may remember that, back in June, we were asking you - our Dear Readers - to tell us your picks too.

Over the next few days, we'll run down our, and your, choices. But first - like all important scientific surveys, there need to be rules to our Bangers of the Year (So Far) list. Here’s the criteria we’re working off.

All tracks must be from the first half of 2018

That means anything released up to and including 1st June 2018 is allowed. Everything else will have to wait for our end of year round up.

All types of banger are permitted

When we say banger, we don’t just mean your traditional track that ‘goes off’. We’re happy to accept all forms of standout tracks, from sad-bangers to turbo-bangers, emoti-bangers and nuclear-pop-bangers. Yes, we do think if you add any word to the front of banger it makes ‘a thing’. Want to make something of it?

There are no limits

Artists can have more than one track in our run down - because the banger is a singular entity, independent of those who create it.

This is all from a ‘Dork perspective’

We really shouldn’t have to say this - but no, this isn’t a bland, opinion-free, oh-let’s-all-be-objective run down of the de-facto tracks of the year across all styles, genres, sub-genres and sub-sub-genres. It’s one filtered through the Dork prism. There are some amazing bangers that aren’t on this list, but we don’t have to all be everything to everybody, now do we?

We reserve the right to change our minds later

Authority is great. Let’s be clear, this list is absolutely authoritative. For now. We might change our mind next week. Or next month. Or come December when we’re putting together our end of year lists. We might decide something that missed our 50 all together is our Banger of the Year. Music evolves even after it comes kicking and screaming into the world. Opinions form, re-form and 180 on themselves all over again. Our word is law, until we change those laws. Deal with it.

We’re making it all up as we go along

All that stuff up there? It’s a list of 50 great tracks from the first half of 2018. Stop overthinking things, Barry.

Artists can have more than one track in our run down - because the banger is a singular entity, independent of those who create it.