Favorite Songs of 2025 - Songs 1-11

If I may be so bold, the following 11 songs may make for a festive New Year's Eve playlist. Hope you enjoy them!

1.    Spangled by Fust.

"They tore down the hospital 

Out on route 11.

I'm not sure what happened 

Seems like repossession.

And I'm not one to try to get 

All the way to Heaven.

But I can't even mention 

The last place it was relevant.

Now I can't even mention 

The last room I may have been in it, so

Give my love to Amy 

Give my love to Kevin.

They tore down the hospital

And I'm left floating 

In room 305."

 

Since I first heard "Spangled" and then many of Fust's other songs from the excellent "Big Ugly" album it was destined for the top of this year's List. And, no, not because of the Kevin reference above. Fust frontman Aaron Dowdy is a Ph.D. candidate in literature at Duke. His father's family has deep roots in Southern West Virginia (hence both Big Ugly, which references an area in Lincoln County, WV and many of the songs on the album which contain West-by-God themes). He's originally from Appalachian Virginia having lived in Bristol, VA. And Fust's alt-country sound seems to be where I lean (although not exclusively) these days. Also check out "Gateleg" (with perhaps my favorite lyrics of the year: "I still remember you walking down the mountain with that gateleg you built her; 'Cause you remembered that the car was propped up on cinders at Jerry's lot; He can't put it back together but, boy, he can take it apart"), "Goat House Blues," "Jody," and "Mountain Language" from Big Ugly.

2.    Little Acts Of Violence by Ray Bull.

"I'm in a theater

Your voice is coming through the speakers

I always knew you were a singer

I never stopped to ask you nicely

Do you like me?

Do you like it when I talk back baby?"

Doesn't sound like the happiest of family lives for Ray Bull (Aaron Graham and Tucker Elkins). But there's something about this song, as divorced from my life as the lyrics may be, that both attracted me to it in the first place and had me listening all 2025 long.

3.    Nothing I Need by Lord Huron.

"I fell asleep, and when I woke up, she was there

With her long black hair and her ice-cold stare.

She made me wish that I had never let her go

I threw away our love on the g**damn road

But I see her face everywhere I go."

 

Once again falling just short of the top spot, Lord Huron are back on The List with this tale of regretted love lost. "Nothing I Need," however, is their ninth song on one version or another of The List. Also recommended as worth a listen from "The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1" are "Watch Me Go" and "Used to Know." Yes, the Lord's name is used in vain therein. Repeatedly.

4.    Dancing in the Club by This Is Lorelei - MJ Lenderman Version.

"I lay down in that street

My favorite city's artery

And I stared into the moon

Like it was staring back at me."

Yet another lost love/hangdog loser song. But this one featuring This Is Lorelei and MJ Lenderman (whom we saw in April with Jeff and Deborah). You can listen to the original version (without Lenderman or his voice) here, but I much prefer this one. Language warning for this one, kiddos.

5.    Bury Me by Jason Isbell.

"Well, I ain't no cowboy, but I can ride.

And I ain't no outlaw, but I've been inside.

And there were bars of steel, boys, and there were bars to sing

And there were bars with swingin' doors for all the time between."

About as pure country as any song that's ever appeared here. I was surprised to find that Isbell has actually bested Lord Huron's List frequency with ten appearances, including his (with the 400 Unit's) most excellent cover of Metallica's "Sad But True."

6.    The Catastrophe (Good Luck With That, Man) by Car Seat Headrest.

"Signs point in every direction

Advertising a one-night heaven

Got no clue what's driving us

Blind as hell and burning up with your love."

 

Back after a long (eight year) break, Car Seat Headrest reappear with "The Catastrophe," a song from their concept album/rock opera "The Scholars." Welcome back boys (and, no, I have no idea why Will Toledo is wearing a mask while singing in the video). Bonus lyrics: "Is my love true? Are you still afraid of me? Can you make it work? Is this kind of dumb? Does it put the ram in the ramalamadingdong?

7.    Red by Jesse Welles.

"There's a deep swamp and I'll drain it

For my people are in danger

Who would've ever thought the Deep State

Were the National Park rangers?"

I try to avoid most things political these days. But this one is just too on-point to ignore.

8.    Royal by Goose.

"Dancin' on a two top singing

Heart beating in his hand

Twisted up bad

Like a wet bar rag

Back on the road again."

 

I was somewhat incredulous when Goose, essentially a jam band, made The List in 2023 because of my long held loathing of ... well, basically any jam band. Yet here they are back with "Royal" a song about a road-weary musician. I suspect Rick Mitarotonda's voice has a lot to do with that.

9.    Pablo Picasso by Matt Nathanson.

"You strung a wire, higher across the sky

Made me forget my name and my fear of heights

Didn't have to ask me when I ran that thing twice

Like I was born with wings."

Yes! An actual love song. And from an artist who generally seems to prefer reminisces of love lost. Good on you, Mr. Nathanson. And if you are for some reason in need of an(other) example of disillusionment (in love and more broadly) check out "Whitney Houston's National Anthem" recorded with the Indigo Girls (featuring this great couplet: "Your brother used to come around the house; He knows better than to pull that bullsh!t now"). Language warning for both, as you might have guessed at least for the latter.

10.    Well I Know You're Shy by Horsegirl.

"What happened out there?

I wish it was me

What happened out there?

Well, I know you're shy

If you listen to me, you'll know

I wanna say, 'Hi,' in your window."

Just a fun, catchy, bouncy song from Chicago's own Horsegirl. "La-di, da-di, di, di."

11.    Stone Cold Killer by Proton Pool Party.

"All of the roads lead to home

Where you lay I will

Show you the song I was working on.

The weeks go on.

We don’t talk as much because

You got off on the wrong stop."

 

Probably the most obscure song on this year's List, with 162 views on YouTube as I compose. Another Irish band, another song about ... not love lost but clearly teetering on the brink. 

Hope you enjoyed this year's (timely!) effort. Stayed tuned for more new music in 2026.

Favorite Songs of the 2010's - Songs 1-25

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."

Perhaps my all-time favorite breakup song because it starts as a lament (don't they all?) but ends with the "I think I'll be fine" sentiment conveyed by the lines: "In five years I hope the songs feel like covers; dedicated to new lovers." Along with Night Shift, my favorite song of 2018, my new "teacher's pet" (as one friend has described her) also had "Nonbeliever" (number 12 in 2018), "Forever Half Mast" (number 18 in 2019), and her cover of The Boss's "Dancing in the Dark" (number two cover song of 2019) on my lists.

6.  Bloodbuzz Ohio by The National*.

"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."

Along with Sprawl II, the other song (not surprisingly also from 2010) that didn't make a list previously, Bloodbuzz Ohio is the perfect representation of The National's musicianship and Matt Berninger's great voice and inscrutable lyrics. Other songs by The National on my lists throughout the decade were "Quiet Light" (eighth in 2019), "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness" (ninth in 2017), "Humiliation" (second in 2013), and "Don't Swallow the Cap" (twenty-third in 2013).

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."

The 1975 has had more popular songs since they announced their presence (to me anyway) with this one, my third favorite song of 2013, but it still remains my favorite. They also made the list in 2018 ("Give Yourself a Try" was twenty-eighth that year).

10.  All Your Favorite Bands by Dawes.

"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."

Lord Huron went from cowboy-tinged rock to alt noir during the decade. But of course my favorite song from the boys from the Mitten State was their apocalyptic "Until the Night Turns," my second favorite of 2015. Also on various lists: "Ancient Names (Part I)" (twenty-fifth in 2018), "Fool for Love" (twenty-third in 2015), "Time to Run" (fourth in 2013), and "The Man Who Lives Forever" (twenty-first in 2013).

15.  Let Me Down Easy by Gang of Youths.

"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.

Favorite Songs of 2018 - Songs 1-11

As indicated in the last installment of this year's list, I believe the top 11 (and actually 13) songs this year are particularly strong. As befits both of the previous posts, my favorite song this year is a breakup song, sung by my favorite new (to me) artist of 2018 - Lucy Dacus. I hope you enjoyed this year's list as much as i enjoyed listening, compiling, and bringing it to you!

1.  Night Shift by Lucy Dacus.

"You've got a nine to five, so I'll take the night shift
And I'll never see you again, if I can help it
In five years I hope the songs feel like covers
Dedicated to new lovers."

Since I first heard this song early in 2018, it was near the top of my favorites, and ended up perched above all of the others.  Great lyrics, perfectly constructed, building to a crescendo of fuzzy noise, which I think is a positive sign - Lucy's ready to move on. I've actually seen Night Shift at or near the top of "real" music critics' best songs of the year lists, but, as always, I assure you that is purely coincidental. 

2.  Bodys by Car Seat Headrest.

"Everybody's swinging their hips
Everybody's giving the waitress tips
Everybody's dancing all of the dances
Everybody's dancing every dance now (alright)."

Second best concert I saw this year, this one with my spouse and Richmond family. Will Toledo is a genius. But I think I've already told you that.

Car Seat Headrest, Carrboro, NC 9/21/18 (photo by me)

3.  Let Me Down Easy by Gang of Youths.

"Honey, it's no secret that I've been losing my way
In the weirdest of moments and stupidest of ways
But, hey, I'm still young and it's gonna be okay
I've got solipsism, baby, and I brought lemonade."

The lemonade reference works off of an earlier part of the song where frontman David Le'aupepe sings that "not everything is easy as making lemonade." This is the second time in two years that solipsism makes an appearance in lyrics on the list - hope that says more about our current times than me personally.

4.  Ben Franklin's Song by The Decemberists.

"I'm the only American the French want to see
They call me a genius, I can't disagree
They have guns, they have funds
They can set us free
Invest in my reputation."

What's not to like about a song co-written by Lin-Manual Miranda and Colin Meloy? Miranda wrote the lyrics for Hamilton, but it didn't make the cut for the show. He gifted them to Meloy, who put them to music and in turn gifted it to us. For a music loving history major, it can't get much better than that.

Big profanity warning on this one, kiddos.

5.  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."

Love the percussion in this song. No lyrics that I could find, so I did the best I could. Suggestions are welcomed, particularly with the uncertain word above (maybe "jive" instead of "giant?").

6.  Gold Rush by Death Cab for Cutie.

"Digging for gold in my neighborhood
For what they say is the greater good
But all I see is a long goodbye
A requiem for a skyline."

A requiem indeed for Ben Gibbard's Seattle neighborhood. I know, I know, a lot of us in Wild and Wonderful would love to have Ben's problems. But still, gentrification does come with its issues, in a "you kids get off of my lawn!" kind of way that I think he acknowledges as well.

7.  How to Socialise and Make Friends by Camp Cope.

"And I heard it from a friend
That he talks to the primary school kids through the fence
Yeah, you shoulda seen his book collection
It was all 'how to socialise and how to make friends'
Yeah I guess we both got our problems
And areas to improve
And I know one of mine is to go a night without sympathising with you."

As you might guess from the spellings, Camp Cope ain't from around here. Australia, to be exact, is their home. But the raw emotion heard in many of their songs, including this one, is universal.

8.  Not Abel by Hop Along.

"And yet it was not Abel but Cain who got to hear
The voice that for so long had been a stranger
Not one word of all the time they spent growing up brothers
Even love, yes, even love, yes even lose
Something to lose."

Starts out sounding like many Hop Along songs (which I believe to be a good thing), albeit with a less personal theme than most (indeed, the story of Cain and Abel). Then the last minute and a half take it to a whole new, sublime, level, kicked off by a classic rock guitar and bass line.

9.  Fast Talk by Houses.

"So maybe heaven is a ghetto with no bad blocks
Shangri-La dealers at the bus stops
And maybe god is just a cop that we can fast talk
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?
Then we'd better run."

Heard this song first (and repeatedly) while on vacation in late summer with my better half on Sirius. The above lyrics are among my very favorites of the entire year.

10.  Born in Love by Horse Feathers.

"So color came from grey
It's gone from worse to good then great
Something realigned
Was it destiny and not fate?"

Yep, an honest-to-goodness love song! Sung by a guy in a Carhartt cap and denim shearling vest, no less.

11.  Once in My Life by The Decemberists.

"Oh for once in my
Oh, for once in my life
Could just something go
Could just something go right?"

Very different from most of Mr. Meloy's songs, when I first heard it I thought of it as more of a secular prayer than an ordinary song. I think the video, and Colin's notes about the video, confirm my feelings.

And, yes, we end this year's list with yet another song from The Decemberists. I'm an aged fanboy, what other defense do I have?

Favorite Songs of 2017: Songs 1-11

As another year draws to a close, so too does our list. I hope that you've found some new artists to enjoy (or perhaps avoid) in the coming years. I believe that this year's list is particularly strong, especially at the top.

1.  Old Friends by Pinegrove.

"Walking out in the nighttime springtime

Needling my way home

I saw Leah on the bus a few months ago

Saw some old friends at her funeral.

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."

When I discovered this song nearly a year ago, it immediately went to the top of my list and has stayed there ever since. The lyrics are perfect -- sad and hopeful, smart and simple, contemplative and life-affirming. The language advisory at the start of the video? Completely legitimate.

2.  Die Young by Sylvan Esso.

"I had it all planned that way before you met me

Was gonna leave early and so swiftly

Maybe in a fire or a crash off a ravine

People would weep: 'How tragic, so early.'

I was gonna die young

Now I gotta wait for you, hun."

A lovely, albeit slightly twisted, love song. All credit to my comely spouse for first discovering this song and these artists for me. The original version (from the excellent album "What Now") is fantastic, but the "live" version here is, I believe, even better (and I highly recommend the EP "Echo Mountain Sessions" as well). That voice! That sax!!

3.  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." 

I'm a graduate of the "you can never go wrong with hand claps and a 'woo hoo hoo' chorus" school of music appreciation. The other half of the dueling Kids on this year's list (joining Middle Kids from the last post).

4.  Shark Smile by Big Thief.

"It came over her at a bad time

Riding through Winona down the dotted line

Held us gunning out

Ninety miles down the road of a dead end dream.

She looked over, with a part smile

Caught up in the twinkle, it could take awhile

And the money pile on the dashboard fluttering."

A beautiful and sad song. Big Thief singer and guitarist Adrianne Lenker described it in a press release as "the story of a car accident in which one dies and one lives. She recalls her lover leading up to the moment of the wreck, wishing she'd been taken into the next realm, too."

5.  Off She Goes by Bad Suns.

"Where, where do you go

When the light leaves your eyes?

And you're just out of reach

Like a tree-bound kite

What's on your mind, as you're staring behind?

And I'm on my own in your arms tonight

Yeah I'm on my own in your arms tonight."

Not the most profound song on this year's list. But maybe the catchiest.

6.  Unforgiving Girl (She's Not A Single Version) by Car Seat Headrest.

"This isn't sex

(I don't think)

It's just extreme empathy."

As you may have guessed from last year's list, I'm a big fan of Car Seat Headrest. The above lyrics may be my favorite couplet (if that term can be applied to three lines) of any song this year. Besides, how can you not like a group whose front man (Will Toledo) looks more like McLovin than Russell Hammond?

7.  a million other things by pronoun.

"but you gotta come home

(come back baby, come back first)

you gotta come home first

(come back baby, even if it hurts)

cuz there's a million other things we could do in the world

there's a million other things we could do in the world."

According to Spotify, the song that I listened to more than any other in 2017. I have to admit, when I went looking for a song to lift my spirits at the end of a long day, or to sing along with on the ride home, it was "a million other things" that, more often than not, I went looking for.

8.  Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man.

"We could fight a war for peace

(Ooh woo, I'm a rebel just for kicks, now)

Give in to that easy living

Goodbye to my hopes and dreams

Start flipping for my enemies

We could wait until the walls come down."

Guessing this is the most played/heard song on this year's list. It was all over playlists/streams/satellite radio this summer. I never got tired of it (although my spouse did).

9.  The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness by The National.

"I thought that this would all work out after a while

Now you're saying that I'm asking for too much attention

Also no other faith is light enough for this place

We said we'd only die of lonely secrets."

Typical brilliance from one of my favorite bands. I love the guitar work on this song.

10.  Never Been Wrong by Waxahatchee.

"I spent all my time learning how to defeat

You at your own game, it's embarrassing.

I walk around like

This is the last strike

I love being right

Especially with you."

Rock lives, thanks in large part over the past year to female-led bands. This ain't your Daddy's Go-Go's. The woman with the pink Fender can play!

11.  Gwan by Rostam.

"And all of these dreams

Keep coming back to me slowly, slowly.

And sometimes I laugh 

When I think about how well you know me

Yeah, you know me."

I like the lyrics (about maturation and friendship, I think), but the instrumentation in this song is what takes me to a quiet, happy place every time I listen.

If you don't want to wait for my list starting in November 2018, feel free to check out the great new music at All Songs Considered, KEXP, or our local community radio station WTSQ. Or you can follow me on Spotify and see if you can figure out what will be on my list next year.

Favorite Songs of 2016: Songs 1-11

And so we reach the end of another year (which by many accounts, including mine, we are happy to see the backside of) and another list (which was musically pretty darn good). My favorite 11 songs of 2016 will have some artists that you will know from earlier lists this year and years past, songs that you will have actually heard on the radio or the internet, and some you may never care to hear again. But that's okay - it's still a free country. Right? 

1. Grand Canyon by The Wind + The Wave.


"Down to your skivvies at the watering hole
Gonna get you wet
Gonna save your soul ...
It's the damnedest thing
Oh, it's the damnedest thing."

Sure, there are songs that follow this one that are more critically acclaimed or commercially successful. But this song is the one that has always brought a smile to my face whenever it pops up on my playlist, that has the opening stanza that perfectly sets the mood for the rest of the song, that I've never even thought about skipping although I've already listened to it 100 times this year. And that's why Grand Canyon, from the band lead by Dwight A. Baker and Patricia Lynn, is my favorite of 2016. Lynn, the songwriter for The Wind + The Wave, describes Grand Canyon: “[It's] about my brother,” she says. “I almost lost him to a major car accident a few years ago. To me the song is about the ability to appreciate what’s in front of you and not take the things that matter most for granted."

2. Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales by Car Seat Headrest.


"Here's that voice in your head
Giving you sh!t again
But you know he loves you...
And he doesn't mean to cause you pain.
Please listen to him
It's not too late
Turn off the engine
Get out of the car
And start to walk."

From my favorite album of the year, by a longshot: Car Seat Headrest's "Teens of Denial." A song about the choices we make, should make, or don't make; about selfishness and disillusion and how, sometimes, we need to do the right thing even though it's the hard thing. Language warning, btw, if you didn't get that from the lyrics above.

3. Cleopatra by The Lumineers.


"But I was late for this, late for that,
late for the love of my life
And when I die alone, when I die alone, ...
when I die I'll be on time.

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."

My favorite song on my second favorite album of the year. Seems to be largely drawn from historical accounts of Cleopatra's life, with a certain poetic license. But of course it could be about a modern day Cleopatra instead (as the official video seems to suggest). The last two lines quoted above are my favorites from any song this year.

4. Ghosts of Santa Fe by Alberta Cross.


"This heart catastrophe
Is sad in a way
But we'll get past it after all....
I sent my last rose
Down to New Mexico
I kept my head hung there after all."

This was probably the first song on my "Best Songs of 2016" playlist on Spotify.  I discovered it late last year (too late for last year's list) and it's been there ever since. A song of love lost and with a horn section, it's definitely my kind of music. Alberta Cross frontman Petter Ericson Stakee is Swedish as well, which certainly didn't hurt the song's appeal to me.

5. I Wish I Was Sober by Frightened Rabbit.

"My love, you should know
The best of me left hours ago so
Shove a rag into my mouth and let me smoulder...
The fall out and the damage done
I can’t un-sink the things I’ve sunk
Still not giving up, though I wish that I was sober."

My brother Jeff may have thought that this was the year of a new release by the band that he refers to as "Scared Bunny" without mention on my list, and for most of the year he would have been right. I was underwhelmed, truth be told, with much of the band's new release "Painting of a Panic Attack." Until I heard this song, that is. Smart, self-deprecating, gloomy lyrics with just a touch of hope, and crescendo-building music to boost that optimism are precisely why this is one of my all-time favorite bands and Scott Hutchison one of my favorite song writers. Rock on Scared Bunny, rock on.

6. California by i said yes.

"All the dreams you killed,
Do you dream them still?
Are they there in California? Wait and see,...
And come to California with me

And we'll cruise along Broadway in a Model T
When you come to California with me
In a big Top Hat like John F. Kennedy,
When you come to California with me."

The second California song on the list, as mentioned what seems like a long time ago. Love the symbolism of every significant American landmark being in California in the lyrics, although I don't feel it's provincialism that's intended, more like California as a metaphor for the entire country. Of course, if you look in the comments on the YouTube video, some idiot insists that: "statue of liberty, mt Rushmore, chatanooga, and the sun does not rise from the water in California." Thanks for the knowledge Mr. Peabody.

7. Bros by Wolf Alice.


"Shake your hair, have some fun
Forget our mothers and past lovers, forget everyone
Oh, I'm so lucky, you are my best friend...
Oh, there's no one, there's no one who knows me like you do."

A song about female friendship and impending "real-lifedom," but could just as easily be about guys and older folks as well. This song has been around in various versions for several years, but was rereleased in 2015 so I think I'm cool as far as my list rules go. It's such a good song that I didn't want you to miss it.

8. Fill In The Blank by Car Seat Headrest.


"You have no right to be depressed
You haven’t tried hard enough to like it
Haven’t seen enough of this world yet...
But it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts
Well stop your whining, try again
No one wants to cause you pain
They’re just trying to let some air in
But you hold your breath, you hold your breath, you hold it
Hold my breath, I hold my breath, I hold it."

I believe this is only the second time I've had two songs by the same artist in my top 10. Such is my admiration for this album and artist. Will Toledo, frontman for CSH, is the Strummer and Jones of the Millennial Generation as far as I'm concerned. This is music both entertaining and worth listening to.

9. Brand New by Ben Rector.


"I feel like a young John Cusack, like making big mistakes
I feel like for the first time in a long time I am not afraid
I feel like a kid, never thought it'd feel like this:

Like when I close my eyes
and don't even care if anyone sees me dancing.
Like I can fly,
and don't even think of touching the ground.
Like a heartbeat skip, like an open page
Like a one way trip on an aeroplane
It's the way that I feel when I'm with you:
Brand new."

Just a big, fun, pop song, the kind that I seem to always be a sucker for (fun., Bleachers, Walk the Moon, etc.). And despite my general distaste for amusement parks, the video is equally endearing (and kind of goofy).

10. Djin by Mashrou' Leila.


"All the women and the men
Arrive shrouded in hides
Awaiting he who dies and then returns to life...
We heed the wisdom of vines
Vines guard all wisdom of life
We relinquish self
But the god is with us."

You're going to have to trust me on these lyrics, just as I did to the vagaries of google translator, because they're in Arabic (and in fact I've seen the title of the song as both "Djin" and "Djinn"). I first heard Mashrou' Leila on NPR's Tiny Desk concert this year and was blown away by their lead singer Hamad Sinno. The group has a compelling backstory (including Sinno being openly gay in a country that is not particularly welcoming of such individuals) that also weighed into my admiration for the song.

11. Good Grief by Bastille.


"You might have to excuse me
I’ve lost control of all my senses
And you might have to excuse me...
I’ve lost control of all my words.

So get drunk, call me a fool
Put me in my place, put me in my place
Pick me up, up off the floor
Put me in my place, put me in my place."

An upbeat song about death and grieving from a British band with a French name that samples Kelly LeBrock in Weird Science. That about sums it up.