Favorite Songs of 2025 - Songs 12-22

I'm trying folks, honest! Here are the oft-ignored middle kids (but no Middle Kids) of this year's List.

12.    The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy by James McMurtry.

"The black dog and the wanderin' boy

Come around every night.

The wanderin' boy never gets any older

The black dog doesn't bite.

He just sits on the floor at the corner of the bed

Watchin' for the things that haunt.

They oughta both go away when I take my meds ...

But they don't."

Now officially a frequent List denizen, this is McMurtry's third appearance. How can you not love someone who paints such a vivid story in under five minutes? "Hey, somebody lied to me!" 

13.    Forever by The Tisburys.

"When the day’s lost and the night’s won

And the lights are home and nobody’s on

Are your bags packed? Is your life hacked?

Can you pull the strings coming from your back?"

The Tisburys seem to be trying to find those little victories. Good for them. This sounds very much like a '90's alternative/pop song (thinking Gin Blossoms), which is right in my musical wheelhouse.

14.    It's Alright by Cecilia Castleman.

"I don't need your money

I don't need your time

So I bought a ticket

I bought a ticket to ride, and I don't know why

But it sure feels right."

My spouse used to make fun of my loathing of the genre that I referred to as "angry white woman with guitar." But, to be clear, it was an acoustic guitar. And Ms. Castleman does not appear to be going away mad. Just going away.

15.    I'll Be Okay by Michigander.

"I'm knocked down and I'm still out

So if you see me on the ground it's okay

But I'm not okay right now."

Glad to hear that Michigander (a.k.a. Jason Singer) is working through his issues. He moved to Nashville and released his first album this year, so I'm gonna say that he will be okay.

16.    Armies of the Lord by The Mountain Goats.

"Trying to pantomime surprise

After we buried you at sunrise

With nothing you'd predicted coming true

Just doing what we'd promised we would do."

Another artist that it surprises me has never made The List until now. The Mountain Goats' latest work, "Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan," is a concept album about a shipwreck and its (dwindling) survivors. It is likely the song released the latest in 2025 to make this year's List. Bonus: Lin-Manuel Miranda sings backup vocals on this song and three others on the album.    

17.    Cadillac by Colin Miller.

"Nascar crash on the big screen

Shirtless in July heat

And I'm helpless

Helpless, helpless."

Miller is from the Asheville, NC artist colony which has spawned, amongst others, the group Wednesday and last year's List topper MJ Lenderman. Cadillac is about the death of Gary King, the owner of the land on which Miller, Lenderman, Wednesday's Karly Hartzman, and other artists (musical and otherwise) were welcome to live and work on their craft.

18.    Sally, When the Wine Runs Out by ROLE MODEL.

"Heard through the grapevine

She can be a diva

Cold like Minnesota

Hotter than a fever."

The aforementioned popular artist in this year's List (9.4 million views of the "official video" on YouTube), this is one of those "guilty pleasure" songs that appear here every once in a while. I cannot defend its artistic merit, nor do I feel compelled to. Oh, yeah, and that appearance by someone whom the internets tell me is Charli XCX at 2:30 of the video? It's a whole 'nother thing. 

19.    Chateau Blues by Spoon.

"Well, you got it all?

But your lonely chateau blues

You got it all

Got the lonely chateau blues."

Proof, once again, that you can have it all and not have anything at all.

20.    Straight Line Was A Lie by The Beths.

"I thought I was getting better but I'm back to where I started

And the straight line was a circle

Yeah, the straight line was a lie."

The fourth appearance for New Zealand's The Beths on The List. They put me in mind of The Go-Gos or The Bangles with better musicianship. And, of course, New Zealand accents. Also check out Metal from their latest album (also called "Straight Line Was A Lie").

21.    Season of Charade by Birdtalker.

"Now the money's gone

But the dream lives on

Guess I'll keep slaving at the game show

Spin the wheel

Aw, but nothing's real (nothing is real)

Answer the answer with a question."

I think Birdtalker is on to a lot of us. Would be included in The List for the Jeopardy reference alone ...

22.    Float by Jay Som (featuring Jim Adkins).

"Is this the way it's supposed to be?

Measuring your misery

Pouring out what's left of me

Without you."

Go with the flow seems to be the message of this effort by Jay Som a.k.a. Melina Mae Duterte. I had to google who Jim Adkins was. Turns out, someone I should know: the lead singer of Jimmy Eat World.

Favorite Songs of 2023 - Songs 23-33

It was a weird year musically for me - no live concerts, lots of time on Spotify and in C's car on Sirius and semi-listening to songs suggested by Uproxx to find candidates for this year's List. The result is an odd combination of new artists and old favorites, quiet, often sad songs, and loud, pretty much meaningless rockers, obscure releases and very popular ones, and a few that fall somewhere in-between all of the above. It may not be my most coherent list, but I prefer to think of it as ... eclectic. 

23. Gimme Back My Soul by Medium Build.

"When I met you at the tap room

I was young, with big brown eyes.

Got your number, for the summer

I was drunk, but you were nice, nice, nice.

Told you about Jesus

I told you about James

Told you about all the pieces of me

That I can't change."

The first of many songs on this year's List that I can empathize, but not sympathize, with.

24. Surfing in Iceland by Goth Babe. 

"I was waiting right there away from 

Hiding from the bad and hiding from the bad 

I was standing right there in Iceland 

And this is mighty rad and this is mighty rad."

 

Yes, Goth Babe is a male (Griff Washburn). And, yes, he apparently really did surf in Iceland.

25. Positive Charge by The Gaslight Anthem.

"I need a spark

I need a positive charge

Plug it into my veins and make me love this life again.

I need a spark

I need a positive charge.

Plug it into my brain and make me love my life again."

In the oft repeated "reminds me of" category on the List, this song definitely puts me in mind of the best from the Gin Blossoms back in the day.

26. Joiner by Blondshell.

"You've been running around LA with trash

Sleepin' in bars with a gun in your bag.

Asking 'Can I be somebody else?'

You've been riding around on handlebars

Buying drugs from guys in cars

Asking 'Can I be somebody else?'"

I can't tell if Blondshell (aka Sabrina Teitelbaum) is rubbernecking a car wreck, or wants to become part of it.

27.  Highlands by Middle Kids.

"Wherever you are, we're just getting started

Out of the dark, into the highlands.

Give me your heart, I wanna hide it

And I can't keep waiting for things to change."

The Kids from Down Under are back. And it sounds like they're ready to stir some ... stuff up.

28. SLAP ME IN THE FACE by PRONOUN.

"Slap me in the face and tell me I'm perfect

I wanna feel nice instead of just feeling sad

The world is so big and its future is yucky

I wanna play nice but you should treat me real bad."

Not sure I'm entirely comfortable with the message, but anything that pronoun/PRONOUN (aka Alyse Vellturo) does is so darn catchy it can't be ignored.

29. Something Wrong by Hand Habits.

"I'm beggin'

Beggin' you to understand

Amazing, call you my friend

Is there something wrong with that?

Is there something wrong with that?"

This song from Hand Habits (aka Meg Duffy) is haunting, but I like it. Is there something wrong with that?

30. CSI: Petralona by Westerman.

"Close shave in Petralona

My new friend walked me, hand in hand

Down to that busy square

You said, 'Let's head someplace quieter'

Athen is small

Everybody knows you here."

No, not that CSI. Sounds like Westerman was sorting through some deep stuff. Glad he had his friend with him.

31. Sugar Babies by Spoon.

"At the bar, don't forget les au revoirs les sugar babies

They saw me in the storefront standing still

They walked on by they couldn't chill

They'll say hello next time now maybe."

Anything Spoon does is worth a listen. Their longevity (they formed 30 years ago) and ability to not get stale and yet be true to themselves and their sound is admirable.

32. Save the World by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.

"Balloon popping at the grocery store

My heart jumping in my chest.

I look around to find the exit door.

Which way out of here's the best?"

We know how you feel, Jason. I love how the instrumental intro sounds like "breaking news" music on a t.v. station.

33. I Don't Know What You See in Me by Belle and Sebastian.

"I've been looking in, and looking out

And there's a million faces in the crowd

But you chose to hold your gaze on me.

And it only took a moment to see."

Belle and Sebastian have been around for almost as long as Spoon, but I believe that this is their first appearance on the List. Welcome, old friends!

Stick around friends, 22 more songs to come!

Favorite Songs of 2022 - Songs 23-33

We made it! Most of us mostly intact. 'Twas a slim year for me, live music-wise, but did get out a little bit, enough to see one of my favorite artists twice and an old friend at Mountain Stage once. But more about that later.

We begin my list of favorite songs of 2022 with a recent list favorite. Hope you enjoy!

23. Sidelines by Phoebe Bridgers.

"Watching the world from the sidelines

Had nothing to prove

'Til you came into my life

Gave me something to lose."

Perhaps second only to she-who-is-not-yet-named, Ms. Bridgers has appeared most frequently on the list in the last few years. I like this song a lot, but perhaps not as much as ... 22 others this past year. The release of this song gives us some hope that we'll hear more from Phoebe in 2023. But in the meantime, she's busying herself with production work - and you'll find out more about that in the last iteration of this year's list.

24. Wild by Spoon.

"Trippers and askers, they surrounded me

All them describing how they'd like me

All them wanting somethin' special

Bring 'em roses, sing them blues."

Sounds like someone's not all that comfortable with ... comfort. Always admire Spoon for keeping true to themselves, yet being fresh at the same time. Comforting, one might say. Check out their album "Lucifer on the Sofa." For the name, if nothing else.

25. Scab Song by Dora Jar.

"I've got a brain in my head

I've got a brain in my head and it thinks as hard as Einstein ever did

MC squared equals E

That's the theory of relativity

And how are you relative to me."

This year's silly pop song entry, about ... a scab on Dora Jar's leg. Don't judge me.

26. The Lightning I, II by Arcade Fire.

"I heard the thunder and I thought it was the answer

But I found I got the question wrong

I was trying to run away but a voice told me to stay

Put the feeling in a song."

So nice to hear an Arcade Fire song that sounds like Arcade Fire. Makes me feel all ... 50 again.

27. A Real Thing by The Beths.

"Picking up the tires from the side of the road

Gonna push back the coming tide

Laying down beside them like I'm in on the joke

Wake me up when the world is fried."

One of several songs on this year's list that sound like the female-lead power pop bands of the '80's. but with better musicianship. This song appears to have a decidedly un-'80's theme, though -- guessing the "Real Thing" is global climate change.

28. Talk by beabadoobee.

"A crowded place, waitin' for you

Am I lost? Why can't I find you?

A silhouette that's in my head

You don't exist, you're my imagination

You don't exist, you're just a bad decision."

Seems as though 2022 (or more likely 2021) was/were bad year(s) for relationships - love gone bad songs abound on this year's list. Another song that puts me in mind of The Go-Go's or the Bangles.

29. Soberish by Liz Phair.

"I already told you

It was love at first sight

And that's a frightening notion.

I'll hold the light

And you can read me what we owe."

A middle-aged love song. But a love song nonetheless, for a change, from "alt-rock icon" Ms. Phair.

30. Sweet Memory by Geographer.

"Sweet memory

Burning like a candle 

At the bottom of the sea

I don't believe in love, and

It doesn't believe in me

All I have is my sweet memory."

One of those "happy sounding sad songs." Geographer returned to the list last year after a long absence. And now here he/they are again, a year later.

31. Reprise by The Lumineers.

"Callin' on your neighborhood

Tell me who to like

Everyone's a friend

Every now and then

Tell me who to like."

"Reprise" as in a different version of "Brightside," the first song on The Lumineers' latest album, also called Brightside. I like this version better. My friend Dave likes Brightside better. And I'm okay with that.

32. Hometown by The K's.

"Hometown, playing all his favorite songs.

In the sun, in the sun, in the sun.

Put 'em on, put 'em on, put 'em on, put 'em on."

Admittedly, I've gotten a little lazy and depend on google to tell me what the exact lyrics are for a song. Or most of them, anyone. Hometown is apparently sufficiently obscure to not warrant their publication. So the above lines are a guess. Seems clear I like this song mostly because of the driving guitar, not the lyrics, huh?

33. Stay Out of It by Michigander.

"It feels like everybody's talking

But nobody's ever listening

And it breaks my heart because I know I can't

Stay out of it."

Michigander is/are Jason Singer (good name for a singer!), originally from Kalamazoo in the Mitten State. As if the name wasn't enough to put Michigander on my radar, I love the bouncy beat, and, yes, the singing.

Stay tuned for the second edition of the list coming soon.

Favorite Songs of 2014: Songs 11-20

11. Common Sentiments by Typhoon.

"o what am i waiting for
a spell to be cast or for it to be broken?
at the very last
some wild ghost from my past come to split me wide open?
no. if i hold out my hand there is nothing at all because nothing's the token
i will be good though my body be broken."

Typhoon's Young Fathers topped last year's list, but I hadn't really had the time to appreciate the whole White Lighter album until this year. I listened to it front-to-back more than any other cd in 2014, and this is my second favorite song on it. And it sounds great live as I learned at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC in March.

Kyle Morton and some of Typhoon's band members.

12. Start Again by Bishop Allen.

"Summer, summer and the sun is settin' later than late.
I try to stop you, but you say it isn't worth the wait.
If I could give away the keys to the kingdom I would.
I'm sorry sorry but I think you may have misunderstood."

A break-up song, sounds like to me. But of a romance, or a friendship?

13. Simple and Sure by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

"I know we live in complicated times;
and it's so difficult to decide:
Who should be our king and how low we should bow
to lick the boots of the sacred cow."

One of those songs that sounds like a simple, poppy love song. But isn't.

14. Say Goodbye by Beck.

"See the sleet that rests upon
the quiet street we're standing on.
Is it time to go away,
and try again some other day?"

A song of love lost by one of the most influential artists of his generation. And still going strong.

15. Teenage Wasteland by Wussy.

"Yeah, we heard you, Pete.
Real loud and clear on the last one.
And we were pullin' for you a thousand times a day.
It don't take much
to sound like a sleeping prophet.
When your misery sounds so much like ours
so far away."

An ode to The Who and Baba O'Riley (according to an article that I read in Spin).

16. Someone to Love You by Andrew Ripp.

"Oh now I'm tryin'
Fightin'
To be the one I know you need.
I'm gettin' closer every day."

Just a straightforward pop love song. And that's just fine by me. And, with apologies, the first song on this year's list without a complete video.

17. Even the Darkness Has Arms by The Barr Brothers.

"People will raise a whole lotta hell.
About the water and the windmill.
And although I stab chaotically,
it hurts no one but me.
Even the darkness has arms,
but it ain't got you.
Baby I have it,
and I have you too."

Another beautiful, slightly mysterious song from the Brothers, adopted Montrealers like Arcade Fire.

18. Gimme Something Good by Ryan Adams.

"I was playing dead. Didn't make a sound.
Holding my breath, going underground.
So I can't talk. I got nothing to say.
It's like there's no tomorrow.
Barely yesterday."

This album is on many "best of" lists for 2014. Again, coincidence.

19. Scream (Funk My Life Up) by Paolo Nutini.

"Unload, reload, eyes back swinging.
Sweet thing, knows things, Jeff Beck sings.
Roundhouse, going down … Let's go!
And the girl's so fine makes you wanna scream Hallelujah.
Hallelujah!"

A little Scottish brown-eyed soul for y'all. This one's kinda R rated kiddies. Make sure mom and dad say it's okay to listen. If it is, turn it up, get up, and dance around. Now!

20. Rent I Pay by Spoon.

"Everybody knows just where you been going.

Everybody knows the faces you been showing.

And if that's your answer no I ain't your dancer.

And if that's your answer no I ain't your dancer."

Another solid effort by another veteran act. A nod to T Rex in that last stanza perhaps?