Keeping Score pulls from Kevin's experience as a soccer coach and an employment lawyer; offering thoughts and observations on sports, coaching, leadership, music, and almost anything else he wants to write about. Enjoy.
Not exactly Coldplay territory, but judging from the number of YouTube hits for this video, once again I may be veering dangerously close to mainstream territory by including this song on my list. Check out their song "Don't Wanna" (written with list fav Rostam) while you're at it.
13. Phase by Pinegrove.
"That night when I lifted my head up
And I was seeing what was trembling there
On the edge of my restless eyelid
On the tip of horizon's lash
On the lip of collapsing letter
In the lap of confusing moon
I'm reduced to an estranged illusion
I'm consumed by all the shit in my room."
The fourth consecutive year on the list for the band from New Jersey (including my favorite song of 2017, and third favorite of all the 2010's, Old Friends). The above lyrics are among my favorites this year, which is not surprising given my admiration for Evan Stephens Hall's songwriting. I also recommend to you Dotted Line and pretty much everything else from Pinegrove's latest album, Marigold.
14. Alter Ego by Kaleo.
"You feel the rush in your head
This is the time to attend
There's nothin' holdin' you back
Now, go ahead."
A dollop of The Black Keys, a dash of AC/DC and voila! rocking magic from ... Iceland? Yep, like last year's entry from Junius Meyvant, Kaleo hail from the Land of Fire and Ice. Mjog gott!
15. A Thousand Words by Jay Som.
"Remember to call me when you're feeling blue
Don't follow the rules, go on and speak your truth
I've got you playing on my team
With the kind of people who sweep you off your feet
Writing a thousand words."
A bit of a rocker by Melina Mae Duterte's (aka Jay Som) standards, an artist who lives the cliche and makes music largely in her bedroom. I love the crescendo outro.
16. Strangers by Mt. Joy.
"I guess I'll have to fall in love with strangers
Go ride through New York City like I'm famous
And I did not want our love to be erased, but
Lord knows we chased it, love just rearranged us."
So, is her really over her? I think not. Hearing echoes of The Lumineers in this song, who, according to Seth Myers in the video, they were touring (or supposed to be touring) with. You know, before the world ground to a halt.
17. Circle the Drain by Soccer Mommy.
"It's a feeling that boils in my brain
I would dial back the flame
But I'm not sure I'm able
I'm wobbling out on the wire
And the lights could go out
With the break of a cable."
It was inevitable, wasn't it, that a song by Soccer Mommy (aka Sophia Regina Allison) would appear on the list sooner or later? Although I'm sure this song was written pre-COVID, it certainly describes what a lot of us have been going through at various times this year.
18. Who's Gonna Love Me Now by Cold War Kids.
"All those times when I imagined
What'd be like to have my freedom
Not be so uptight, live my best life
Oh, what a fool, I was only dreamin'."
A little Kings of Leon, a little White Stripes, a little Black Keys. I like how the Cold Ware Kids roll.
19. Automatic by Houses and Dawn Golden.
"Another bleached out, black hole
with nothing to lose
Another paywall, shopping mall
coming for you."
This marks the third straight year Houses has had a song on the list. I guess that officially qualifies me as a fan.
20. Come On Out by The Airborne Toxic Event.
"Black lungs, headlights
Heading off to the city tonight, out the
Front door, turn right
I was alone, alright, alright, alright."
One of those songs that I think says more with its music and "mood" than its lyrics. Those voices! That lead guitar!
21. Wrestling by Cartalk.
"Dance around what I want to say
Clear performance in my mind
Star at hands like a saving grace
Are they gonna catch me alright?"
Likely the most obscure song on this year's list, if YouTube hits are the measuring stick. Another retro-sounding, catchy tune that seemed in vogue this year.
22. Beautiful Anyway by Judah & the Lion.
"That's what makes this life so wonderfully awesome
and horribly awful
Yet somehow it's beautiful anyway."
The boys are back with another life-affirming anthem that we all really need. The video's pretty darn fun too.
Well, here we are again. Most of us, anyway. While live music ground to a halt this year, as did most everything else, fortunately many artists utilized that "down" time to be incredibly productive and creative (including doing a lot of cover songs which, yeah, sorry, I didn't do a separate list for this year). Here's the start of my list of my favorite songs of 2020. And oh, by the way, 2020?, don't let the door hit you ...
23. Care by beabadoobe.
"It's been a while since I've talked about it
Maybe it's time to cooperate
I need some help to forget about it
I don't want your sympathy
Stop saying you give a shit
'Cause you don't really
Care, care, care, yeah."
I'm pretty sure my comely wife first alerted me to the existence of Beatrice Laus, aka beabadoobe. Apropos of several "retro" artists further down this list, beabadoobee has a very late '90's, early aughts feel about them/her. Maybe a Go-Gos branch transported to 1998 and grafted onto a Goo Goo Dolls tree?
24. Walking on a String by Matt Berninger (feat. Phoebe Bridgers).
"In a way, I can't escape it
You'll always worm you way back in
To my lonesome soul and take it
You've always had me
Walking on a string."
Phoebe's everywhere these days, whether teaming with various outstanding artists (Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, Conor Obrest in Better Oblivion Community Center, high on last year's list, or Mr. Berninger here), or on her own (more on that in a later installment of this list). Obviously I think she, and they, have excellent taste. A lovely song from the movie Between Two Ferns.
25. Tiny Indoor Fireworks by Biffy Clyro.
"Looking for a new revolution
This one didn't get very far
I never want to spoil an illusion
Abracadabra."
I first because familiar with Biffy through their connection to Frightened Rabbit. This song makes me particularly glad that I did.
26. The Surprise Knock by The New Pornographers.
"Drive off the map and take the long way round
Didn't know the score but we knew we were down
It won't be long until we grind the gears
But carry on, we're on to something here."
I've long been an admirer, but my memory (and Blogger) tell me that TNP have never made the list. That oversight has now been corrected.
27. Reaching Out to You by Snow Patrol and the Saturday Songwriters.
"All of those nights before this
They're not like nights ahead
Inside there's space between us
Of things that won't need said."
A new song from an old favorite. I'm sure my kids would tell you they had more than their fair share of Snow Patrol in the aughts. And yet here they still are, hooky as ever.
28. Orphans by Coldplay.
"Baba would go where the flowers grow
Almond and peach trees in bloom
And he would know just when and what to sow
So golden and opportune."
I feel no need to further try to defend my long-standing admiration of at least some of Coldplay's songs. And it seems as though a billion or so people agree (although none are apparently family members or friends).
29. Pantomima by Greg Dulli.
"Waiting on a breeze
I'm waiting on a breeze
I'm waiting on the fever
That will bring me back alive."
Dulli is/was the driving force behind The Afghan Whigs. Driving describes this song accurately as well. The video is kind of cool but pretty artsy (Bob Fosse, anyone?). You can skip to 1:54 if you're only here for the music.
30. By and By by Caamp.
"Driving through West Virginia
And I've seldom been thinner
With that chip on my shoulder
And this past year I got so much older."
I mean, how can I not put this on my list just based on that first stanza alone?
31. Dressing America by TORRES.
"It's easier for you to insist
That I can't remember
Then to admit
That you can't forget."
My better half insists that she doesn't like this song much because it's a Frightened Rabbit rip-off. Perhaps that's why I like it ... Warning: the video is NSFW.
32. Little Bit Sweet by The Wood Brothers.
"I look my lover straight in the eye
Stops the clock she looks in mine
Precious moment I'm holdin' on
Then she blinks
And the moment's gone
Then she blinks
The moment's gone."
A pretty little song about the vagaries of love and the passage of time.
33. 4 American Dollars by U.S. Girls.
"(You can do a lot with four American dollars)
No matter how much
You get to have
You will still die
And that's the only fact
You gotta have boots
If you wanna lift those bootstraps."
U.S Girls is (are?) Meg Remy, who now lives in Toronto but was born in Illinois. This song definitely falls into the "escape" category, which we all definitely need more than a little of this past year.
Stay tuned, boys and girls. My favorite 22 songs are yet to come!
I have to admit, I tinkered quite a bit with the top of this list, and even as I publish it am not convinced, that numbers two, three, or four in particular shouldn't be number one. But, hoping that you understand that the differences are minute and that while obviously I truly appreciate all of the songs on this list, I'm going to go with my heart. As with the last version, the * indicates artists I've seen in concert (in some cases multiple times).
1. Swim Until You Can't See Land by Frightened Rabbit*.
"Up to my knees now, do I wade? Do I dive?
This sea has seen my like before, though it's my first and perhaps last time.
Let's call me a baptist, call this the drowning of the past.
She is there on the shoreline, throwing stones at my back."
I suppose those who follow the list won't be surprised by this choice. Hearing Frightened Rabbit for the first time (on the t.v. show "Chuck" - remember when we watched network t.v.? and it was good? and had great curated music?) in 2010 in many ways shaped my musical decade. While it might be easy to read "Swim" as yet another song where Scott Hutchison contemplated suicide, I find that, quite the opposite, it is a song of hope, as Scott the baptist cleanses himself of a relationship gone bad (while she throws stones at his back, of course). While Hutchison's passing was incredibly sad, I'm grateful that he lives on in music like this, my favorite song of 2010, and, as it turns out, the entire decade. Other FR songs on my list throughout the 2010's were "I Wish I Was Sober" (number five in 2016), "Holy" and "Late March, Death March" (seventh and twenty-eighth in 2013), "State Hospital" (number 12 in 2012), and "Nothing Like You" (number four, also in 2010).
2. Young Fathers by Typhoon*.
"When you're young you're hot
You have your whole life before you
Everyone will adore
You'll grow up, you'll be an astronaut
(or anything you want)."
Typhoon's dawning of adulthood lament/cry for clarity has everything I love about a song - multi-percussionists, smart lyrics, group-shout choruses, and of course a horn section. Young Fathers was number one on my list in 2013, followed up by "Common Sentiments," which was eleventh in 2014. Also one of the best concerts I've ever seen.
Typhoon at Cat's Cradle, March 2014 (photo by me)
3. Old Friends by Pinegrove.
"My steps keep splitting my grief
Through these solipsistic moods
I should call my parents when I think of them
Should tell my friends when I love them."
Stripped down simplicity compared to Typhoon, Pinegrove's style is equally appealing - even to someone who is separated by many years from Gen Zers. Pinegrove has admirably soldiered on despite the social media uproar surrounding front man Evan Stephens Hall. And, in my opinion, we are all the better for it. The band from Jersey also appears on the list in 2019 ("Darkness" was 33), 2018 ("Easy Enough," number 14), and 2017 ("Then Again" was number 16, while Old Friends topped that year's list).
4. Calamity Song by The Decemberists*.
"Hetty Green
Queen of supply-side bonhomie bone-drab
(If you know what I mean)
On the road
It's well-advised to follow your own path
In the year of the chewable Ambien tab."
If this were a list of my favorite artists of the decade, surely The Decemberists would be number one. But, alas, it's not. Calamity Song remains my favorite of the decade (it was number one in 2011) among all of those issued by our intrepid balladeers from the Northwest (although "Ben Franklin's Song" came pretty darn close). I usually like to include live versions of songs through the videos, but the above for Calamity Song so perfectly captures Colin Meloy's dark perspective and whimsical humor that I had to use it instead. Joining Calamity Song in my catalogue of tunes were: "Down by the Water" (number 11 in 2011), "A Beginning Song" (number three in 2015), "Ben Franklin's Song" (number four in 2018), "Once in My Life" (number 11 in 2018), and "We All Die Young" (number 18 in 2018).
5. Night Shift by Lucy Dacus.
"I feel no need to forgive, but I might as well
But let me kiss your lips, so I know how it felt
Pay for my coffee and leave before the sun goes down
Walk for hours in the dark feeling all hell."
"I still owe money to the money to the money I owe
I never thought about love when I thought about home
I still owe money to the money to the money I owe
The floors are falling out from everybody I know."
7. Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales by Car Seat Headrest*.
"It's too late to articulate it
That empty feeling
You share the same fate
As the people you hate."
Again, a song to which I can only vaguely relate, through Car Seat Headrest mastermind Will Toledo, to my ear, captures perfectly the angst of younger folk these days. Drunk Drivers was my second favorite song of 2016, and, since my top song that year is twenty-eighth on this list, that's a pretty good indication that it's grown in my estimation over the last few years (or I got that year's list really, really wrong). CSH's "Bodys" was also number two on my list in 2018, and "Fill In The Blank" was number eight in 2016.
8. Die Young by Sylvan Esso* (Echo Mountain Sessions version).
"I had it all planned out before you met me
Was gonna leave early and so swiftly
Maybe in a fire or crash off a ravine
People would weep, 'How tragic, so early.'"
A twisted love song, the studio version is very good, but the Echo Mountain version is sublime. My second favorite song in 2017.
9. Chocolate by The 1975.
"Now we run, run away from the boys in the blue
And my car smells like chocolate
Hey now think about what to do
I think about what to say, I think about how to think
Pause it, play it, pause it play it, pause it."
"Now I’m just waking up and
I’m not thinking clearly so don’t quote me.
With one eye open, I'm writing you this song
Ain’t it funny how some people pop into your head so easily
I haven’t seen you in there for so long."
One of the songs I believe I seriously under-appreciated when it first debuted, ranking it ninth in 2015. Now it's only one place down for the entire decade. Just a beautiful song about about fondly recalled lost love.
11. Sister Cities by Hop Along*.
"See the old man on the bridge?
He's hauling up a sagging net.
It's full of eels twisting through
The eye sockets of a horse's head
And this fiend has no family
So he will outlive you and me."
Not exactly the sweet sentiment of "All Your Favorite Bands," now is it? Regardless of how real life "Sister Cities" is or not, front woman Frances Quinlan's lyrics and singing can't help but grab our attention. It was my favorite song of 2015, followed by "Waitress" (number 15 in 2015), and "How Simple" (number 20 in 2018).
12. Getting Ready to Get Down by Josh Ritter*.
"And now you come back sayin' you know a little bit about
Every little thing they ever hoped you'd never figure out
The Red Sea, The Dead Sea, the Sermon on the Mount
If you wanna see a miracle, watch me get down!"
Even though she "didn't like him then [and] probably won't like him now," Josh is entitled to take a shot, isn't he? Ritter's quick wit and sly humor shine through in Getting Ready ... a sort-of updated "Footloose" without John Lithgow's incredibly bad southern-Oklahoma accent. This was my sixth favorite song in 2015 (which, as I previously noted, was apparently my favorite year of the decade as far as music goes), joined by "Homecoming" (number 14 in 2016), Ritter's cover of Frightened Rabbit's "Old Old Fashioned" (seventh on my 2019 covers list), and "Old Black Magic" (number 13 in 2019).
13. Bros by Wolf Alice.
"I tell you all the time
I'm not mad
You tell me all the time
I got plans."
A great song about friendship, remembrance, and how things can never be the same, but memories can. Number seven on my list in 2016.
14. Until the Night Turns by Lord Huron*.
"I got a helluva view for the end of the world
I've got a bottle of booze and a beautiful girl.
If I'm a'goin' to die I'm gonna go in style."
"Honey, it’s no secret that I’ve been losing my way
In the weirdest of moments and the stupidest of ways
But hey, I’m still young and it’s gonna be okay
I got solipsism, baby, and I brought lemonade."
One of several artists on this list that I regret having not (yet) seen live. Let Me Down Easy was my third favorite song in 2018, and the boys from Down Under had another song farther down the list that year ("The Heart is a Muscle" was number 13), and in 2016 ("The Diving Bell" was number 31).
16. Fast Talk by Houses.
"So if you’re guilty and you know it, put your hands up.
Cause karma’s just a different word for bad luck, and
What if death is just another pair of handcuffs.
Well then we’d better run."
I should probably be too old to appreciate Houses. But I do nonetheless. Fast Talk was number nine in 2018, while "Left Alone" was seventeenth last year.
17. Living the Dream by Sturgill Simpson.
"That old man upstairs, he wears a crooked smile
Staring down at the chaos he created
Said son if you ain't having fun just wait a little while
Momma's gonna wash it all away
And she thinks Mercy's overrated."
My, my what's happened to our man Sturgill the past few years? He went from an obscure country singer to a full-on one man industry. While Living the Dream (number 16 in 2015) remains a favorite, based on the above lyrics if nothing else, check out his new effort ("Sound and Fury") as well, kind of Lynyrd Skynyrd meets ... I dunno, Led Zeppelin? "Mercury in Retrograde" (fifteenth last year) made the list from that excellent album.
18. Pompeii by Bastille.
"But if you close your eyes
Does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?
And if you close your eyes
Does it almost feel like you've been here before?"
Pompeii has over half a billion views on YouTube. So much for my eschewing popular songs ... It was number five in 2013, followed by "Good Grief" (eleventh in 2016), and "Quarter Past Midnight" (32 in 2018).
19. a million other things by pronoun.
"Remember the night?
Even though we were sad
That we cried so hard that we started to laugh
Cried so hard that we started to laugh."
pronoun has gone from mysterious artist dribbling out a few songs to full on alt presence in the past year. But this is still my preference from the artist otherwise known as Alyse Vellturo. a million other things was my seventh favorite song in 2017, followed by "everybody knows" from "i'll show you stronger" (number 16 in 2019).
20. Cleopatra by The Lumineers.
"The only gifts from my Lord
Were a birth and a divorce.
But I've read this script and the costume fits,
So I'll play my part."
I read somewhere that Cleopatra is based on a conversation that The Lumineers' lead singer Wesley Shultz had with a taxi driver in the Republic of Georgia. It was number three on my list in 2016, followed by "Ophelia" (twenty-first that year), and following "Ho Hey" (fifth in 2012).
21. Depreston by Courtney Barnett.
"Then I see the handrail in the shower
A collection of those canisters for coffee, tea and flour
And a photo of a young man in a van in Vietnam."
Ms. Barnett's observational lyrics, chronicling what appears to be but certainly is not the mundane, are most brilliantly demonstrated (in my estimation) in Depreston, my tenth favorite song of 2015.
22. Someone New by Hozier.
"I wake at the first cringe of morning,
And my heart's already sinned.
How pure, how sweet a love, Aretha,
That you would pray for him."
"Take Me to Church" was a bigger hit, but the contrary Someone New was my favorite Hozier song of the decade. this was number 12 on my list in 2015; others from the Irish crooner (how's that for music journalism cliche?) were Take Me to Church (number 29 in 2014), and "Nobody" (number seven last year).
23. Blown to Bits by Charly Bliss.
"Your mom in the yard
Your dad's favorite team
Poised to fail,
Then somehow suddenly win."
My favorite song of 2019. I'd love to see them, and particularly lead singer Eva Hendricks, live some day soon.
24. Love Is Mystical by Cold War Kids.
"Oh, can't you hear the future is calling
For heaven's sake
It's either hell or high water
Let's get outta this place."
A Little Richard-esque piano and "Woo hoo ho" to boot? Oh yes. Love Is Mystical was my third favorite song of 2017.
25. Little Trouble by Better Oblivion Community Center.
"Well, tell me, baby, what’s your biggest conceit?
Is it that you did it, or you did it with me?
I can't imagine what the problem could be
You found one song that you like, and you just play it on repeat."
Phoebe Bridgers is the only artist to appear on this list more than once, first solo with "Motion Sickness" and now with Conor Oberst as part of Better Oblivion Community Center. Little Trouble was my second favorite song in 2019.
Over the past month or so, in addition to listening to and posting my favorite songs of 2019, I spent some time reflecting on the now-past decade's music and my favorites among all of those published over the last 10 years. Going back through my lists (which began on Facebook in 2010, but did not make it into blog form until the next year), I was struck by how much things have changed in terms of the increase in platforms on which music (especially that to which I am drawn) and the sheer volume of music being produced.
Ten years ago I was dependent on ... what? ... internet web stations as far as I can recall to hear "alternative" music in Charleston. Today I have Spotify, Apple, our local community radio station WTSQ, NPR, and KEXP to feed me, almost daily, the new music I sift through to find the songs and artists that I like. It's a daunting and exhilarating task that I alone have imposed on myself and I like to think that it keeps me young - at heart anyway.
After compiling my list of 50 favorite songs of the 2010's and having recovered from my holiday crush of posting, I decided to share the list with you. Where I don't include a video of a song, I'll provide a link in the song name, will let you know where they were ranked (if at all) when I first posted them, and provide links to those past lists. A further conceit: I will signify the artists that I've had the pleasure to see in person with an asterisk by their name.
As always, thanks for indulging me in my pursuit of new music - or, in this case, not so new.
26. Rollercoaster by Bleachers.
"We took the bones out from the road
Those endless nights that we traveled we stole
You let your clothes fall to the floor
And lit a fire while I waited for more."
Bleachers made the list four times in the decade, but this song, number 28 in 2015, is my favorite of the lot. Plus, the video had to be one of Bleachers' offerings featuring the recurring theme of front man Jack Antonoff getting his butt kicked.
27. This Life by Vampire Weekend.
"Baby, I know hate is always waiting at the gate
I just thought we locked the gate when we left in the morning
I was told that war is how we landed on these shores
I just thought the drums would all be loud warnings."
Since This Life was included in my last post (number 3 in 2019), I won't go on about my favorite Vampire Weekend song of the past 10 years ("Unbelievers" made the list in 2013 and their cover of "I'm Goin' Down" topped my favorite covers of 2019). I note that for songs from the past year, I probably underrated some since they haven't had the opportunity to stand the test of time the way that others have.
28. Grand Canyon by The Wind + The Wave.
"Don't die, you're just a baby, yeah you're way too young
You haven't lived till you've been to the Grand Canyon
It's the damndest thing
Oh, it's the damndest thing."
My favorite song of 2016, "Grand Canyon" hasn't held up quite as well as some other list-toppers have. But not for want of trying -- still makes me be-bop every time I hear it. While you're at it, check out the similarly movement-inducing "Raising Hands Raising Hell Raise 'em High."
29. Some Nights by fun.
"Well some nights, I wish that this all would end
'Cause I could use some friends for a change
And some nights, I'm scared you'll forget me again
Some nights, I always win, I always win."
While I declared it my third favorite song of 2012, it's the highest of songs from that year on this list. Perhaps I was scared off by its popularity (almost 194,000,000 YouTube views). fun. also featured Jack Antonoff (that's him playing guitar in the video, and not getting beaten up).
30. Cumberland Gap by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit*.
"I ain't cut out for war, unless I know what I'm fighting for
And there's nothing here but churches, bars, and grocery stores.
Ain't much money in the old-time mandolin
So I cash my check and I drink 'til I'm on my ass again."
My second favorite song in 2011, Delta Spirit seems to have fallen off the map, but according to the band's website, they are touring this spring.
32. Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men*.
"There's an old voice in my head
That's holding me back
Well tell her that I miss our little talks."
Little Talks is another former top song (in 2012) that hasn't fared as well over the years, perhaps influenced by the fact that I didn't much care for any of their songs that followed. I do still enjoy the interplay between the female and male singers though.
33. Light Me Up by Bronze Radio Return.
"If you’re feeling good
Is all I need to know‘
Cause you light me up
Oh, you light me up."
Another song that I can't really defend lyrically, but is impossible not to bounce to from the first chord to the last (and the little "Alright now" makes me smile every time). Light Me Up was number 13 in 2015.
35. Sprawl II (Mountains beyond Mountains) by Arcade Fire*.
"They heard me singing and they told me to stop
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock
Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small
Can we ever get away from the sprawl."
One of two previously unranked songs on this list, Sprawl II was part of Arcade Fire's epic 2010 release The Suburbs. I had only limited exposure to Arcade Fire before "prepping" for Bonnaroo in 2011. Their set at that festival still ranks as the best concert I've ever seen.
36. Gold Rush by Death Cab for Cutie*.
"Now that our haunts have taken flight
and been replaced with construction sites
oh, how I feel like a stranger here
searching for something that's disappeared."
Another frequent list occupant ("Black Sun" was number 22 in 2015, "You Are a Tourist" number 12 in 2011), Ben Gibbard's lament to urban renewal was both the antithesis of Sprawl II, number six in 2018, and my favorite Death Cab song of the 2010's.
37. Pretty Pimpin' by Kurt Vile.
"I woke up this morning
Didn’t recognize the man in the mirror
Then I laughed and I said, 'Oh silly me, that’s just me.'"
If Kurt truly has a disassociation problem, he is the most connected person every to suffer from it. Pretty Pimpin' was Number 7 in 2015, and has done nothing but grow on me since.
38. Riptide by Vance Joy.
"There's this movie that I think you'll like
This guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City
This cowboy's running from himself
And she's been living on the highest shelf."
Also a former number one song (in 2014), Riptide has not aged particularly well for me, although as with almost every song on this list, I do recognize it instantly and feel a little jolt of happiness whenever I hear that ukulele start.
39. Seventeen by Sjowgren.
"If you want a second to breathe
I'll give you all of my love
I'll give you all that you need
Don't worry
I'm not in a hurry
Not going nowhere
I'm not going nowhere, yeah."
A four-time list denizen (twice in 2018, with "High Beam" at number 15 and "better off" at 29, and "Now & Then," 2017's number 13, along with Seventeen, number 5 in 2015), Sjowgren ("Show-grin") remains largely a mystery in terms of composition of the band. I like a little mystery at times ...
40. Don't You Look Back by Augustines.
"All right
This kiss ain't got no hope
But I'm gonna get it right
This kiss ain't got no hope
You see
We go up then down again
This'll be the end."
While Delta Spirit may or may not be defunct, Augustines certainly are, having called it quits in 2016. They do share something in common with Delta Spirit, however - a band name change. Delta Spirit was once known as The Delta Spirit, while Augustines were originally We Are Augustines. I regret that I never saw them live. Don't You Look Back was my third favorite song of 2014, followed by Nothing to Lose But Your Head (number 23, also in 2014), and This is Your Life (27th on the list in 2016).
41. Motion Sickness by Phoebe Bridgers.
"I hate you for what you did
And I miss you like a little kid
I faked it every time but that's alright
I can hardly feel anything
I hardly feel anything at all."
"It's time to give a little to the
Kids in the middle, but oh 'til it falls
Won't bother me."
A Grammy winner on my list? I'm nonetheless comforted by: 1. the socialist lyrics (the popularity of the song juxtaposes well with its message); and 2. The Beastie Boys reference. Feel It Still was my eighth favorite song in 2017.
43. Bondurant Women by The Texas Gentlemen.
"There was a genuine act of celebration
On the corner of the freight train station
And the sweating man gave a benediction
Said you're looking for a giant (?) foundation."
Another from 2018 (Born in Love was number 10), which trails only 2015 (12) and is tied with 2017 (7) for the most songs from one year on this list. Every list needs at least one pretty love song.
"I used to feel so strong, now I feel like a loser
This truth is hard to speak, but I could use the freedom
Oh, I can't do this all alone."
Another from last year's list, Quarter-Life Crisis was at number four. I'm long past the opportunity to have a mid-life crisis let alone a quarter-life one, but understand Judah's angst just the same.
Do you think I'd pass up the chance to listen to Rachael Price's voice another time (or six or seven)? Of course not. You Go Down Smooth was my fourth favorite song in 2014.
49. Crying Wolf by Caleb Hawley.
"You always said you wanted me to be honest
So I made u a promise to tell u the truth
I thought you'd understand so that's why I said it
But now I regret it
Baby what are we gonna do?"
No list of mine would be complete without at least one blue-eyed soul song. Crying Wolf was number 18 in 2015.
50. basking in the glow by oso oso.
"Cut me up, I've said enough
Learned this lesson far too much
It'll only bring you down
Carrying someone around
In your head, in your head."
The last on the list from 2019 (basking in the glow was number five) and the last ... period.
