Favorite Songs of 2024 - Songs 12-22

 On with the List ...

12.    Bored by Waxahatchee.

"Armed with a safety pin

Overly confident

My skin is airy thin

But my game is rigged to win."

Waxahatchee (aka Katie Crutchfield) returns with a half-spoken, half-sung single about ... complacency? Also look for her duet with MJ Lenderman "Right Back to It," full of banjos and Southern angst. You'll hear from Mr. Lenderman again, soon.

13.    Another good year for the roses by Kurt Vile.

"These days I ... man, these days I do whatever I want,

Tone out the rest

'Til something wakes me from a rest.

Tone out the rest."

Kurt's doing his best to try to stay positive. To which I say both thank you and good luck.

14.    The Death Of The Punchline by The Hold Steady.

"Now I'm trying to manage some bands.

Looking for sad kids writing anthems for the big time.

Hands in the air and a flag at half mast on the grapevine.

Mourning the American dream and the death of the punchline."

Our Midwest poet Craig Finn and friends are back again, telling us a tale of gambling, drinking, possibly drug pushing ... and a band manager. Carry on, good sir.

15.    Mint Tea by Johnny Blue Skies/Sturgill Simpson.

"So put another band-aid on my bullet wound

Pour us both another cup of that mint tea.

Sit down by my side underneath the moon

Tell me why you're so afraid of little ol' me."

A song about (mostly) comfortable, well-worn love. I think. With his nom de plume Johnny Blue Skies, Sturgill takes a more direct country route, with the little (but restrained here) blues and rock flourishes we've come to enjoy.

16.    Maestro (Tears Don't Lie) by Wilder Woods.

"I can tell that you're tryin'

I can tell that you're scared

Trail of fears and a face for denyin', baby

But I'm still here."

Sounds as if it's the end of this relationship for Wilder Woods' Bear Rinehart (also the frontman for NEEDTOBREATHE). But man, the way he takes us there is a joy: his voice, the background vocals, that chorus. 

17.    Love Of A Girl by The Avett Brothers.

"So I sneak out, peace out, peek out the curtains

Of a blacked-out bedroom passed-out cartoon 

Version of a person with a whole herd of sheep

Just floatin' in a circle with come capital z's."

What meaning is the in this daily grind? It's all for the love of a girl. Maybe it's an oversimplification, but I have to think the Brothers' interchanging vocals would be much more difficult to accomplish if they weren't ... brothers.

18.    Breakfast for Dinner by Winnetka Bowling League.

"It's when I picture us in forever

Wrinkles matching, layering up

For cozy winters

And a lifetime of breakfast for dinner."

A fun little love song from a group that I must admit I was somewhat disappointed to learn is not from a Northern suburb of Chicago but, rather, was named after a real bowling league in Southern California.

19.    The Place That Makes Me Happy by The Moss.

"My baby got a twist like you've never seen

Shakin' her ass in the grass, she's a dancin' queen."

Demographically and life outlook wise, I'm sure I have little in common with The Moss. But I do appreciate their attitude, and this song.

20.    anything you wanna get! by Katie Billes.

"And what did your father say?

'If you hit it with your pure emotion

You can get it,

Anything you wanna get.'"

Another obscure one judging from the YouTube views, but a fun, positive song that the dad of a bright, successful daughter has to like.

21.    I'll Be Ur Friend by Rigby Picnic.

"One day I'll be growin' older

Being bolder, puttin' out the flame

I'll have picked my poison

Made my noise 'n given up the game."

Yet another little heard song, which warms my heart. A lovely end-of-love song. Rigby Picnic are (is?) Philidelphia-based musician Jake Hoffpauir (according to its/his Facebook page).

22.    Up All Night by James Bay (with The Lumineers and Noah Kahan).

"Let's talk about dreams

Let's talk about lies

Let's talk about all the things that keep us up all night.

Let's talk about who

Gotta talk about why

Let's talk about all the things that keep us up all night."

A fun stomper. If insomnia can be fun, that is. While they're not present on the video, the contributions of list favorites The Lumineers and Noah Kahan are unmistakably present in the music.

A pretty strong middle 11 this year, if I do say so myself. On to the next batch!

Favorite Songs of 2019 - Songs 12-22

On we roll with the list, which features rockers old and new.

12.  Groceries by Mallrat.

"And if you wanna get groceries
And if you wanna get close to me
Just gimme some, gimme some, gimme some sign
I think that we're supposed to be."

Mallrat is one Grace Kathleen Elizabeth Shaw, an Australian musician (and rapper according to Wikipedia). Will her love be unrequited? Perhaps we'll find out on her next album.

13.  Old Black Magic by Josh Ritter.

"I can't sleep for crying
I cry all the time
Everybody's got an angel
I got mine
Wings of a crow
Overshadowin'
I got that old black magic rolling in."

One of my favorite artists backed by The 400 Unit and produced by Jason Isbell (who, I'm guessing, plays lead on the studio version)? Oh heck yes.  The studio version is here:

14.  Western Stars by Bruce Springsteen.

"Here in the canyons above Sunset, the desert don't give up the fight
A coyote with someone’s Chihuahua in its teeth skitters 'cross my veranda in the night.
Some lost sheep from Oklahoma sips her Mojito down at the Whiskey Bar
Smiles and says she thinks she remembers me from that commercial with the credit card."

In addition to the many fine covers of The Boss this year, we also had the good fortune to listen to his 19th album. This song seems to be from the perspective of an aging actor in Westerns -- for which there doesn't seem to be much call these days. Far from a coincidence that it comes from Springsteen in his 70th year of life.

15.  Mercury in Retrograde by Sturgill Simpson.

"Mercury must be in retrograde again
But at least it's not just hangin' around, pretendin' to be my friend
Oh, the road to Hell is paved with cruel intention
If it's not nuclear war, it's gonna be a divine intervention."

Mercury is truly (but of course, "truly" being a relative term since it only appears that way to us) in retrograde this year, but that's not what our friend Sturgill is singing about. This is actually one of the quieter songs on what is a rather pronounced turn to the loud for Simpson. Check out "Sing Along" and "Last Man Standing" to see what I mean.

16.  everybody knows by pronoun.

“I've been trying to make some sense of things
I know deep down don't make any at all
And the things I thought would build me up
One-eighty'd now and make me feel so small.”

Much like another list favorite, Sjowgren, pronoun would dribble out a few songs a year for us. Until 2019, when Alyse Vellturo graced us with her first album “i’ll show you stronger.” And what a treat it was. I recommend to you “stay” and “wrong” on the album as well - but this is my favorite.

17.  Left Alone by Houses.

"I wake up dreaming everyday
It's just like living but it doesn't feel the same
'Cause the sky up above me starts falling down on me
Like a shovel full of graveyard dirt."

Houses' "Fast Talk" was high on my list last year. I like this song almost as much ...

18.  Forever Half Mast by Lucy Dacus.

"We're in a state of disarray, united by our darkest days
Aching from the growing pains, they always say it's just a phase
America, the tried and true, red and white and black and blue
Tell me, who did this to you? If it was me I hardly knew."

Last year's list queen, Ms. Dacus spent this one rolling out one song at a time in celebration of various holidays (including Bruce Springsteen's birthday). This was her take on the Fourth of July, which expresses the ambivalence a lot of us are feeling these days toward the country that we love. A friend described Lucy as a "teacher's pet" for me. Absolutely accurate.

19.  Heavy Like the World by Guided by Voices. 

"It's a lonely world I've heard
I might have the knot pull through
It's so difficult to do
I might have to get one too."

When I first heard this song, I was convinced it was a certain aging but far from over-the-hill alternative rocker -- Bob Mould of Husker Du, Sugar, et al. fame. Then I learned that Guided by Voices are actually contemporaries of Mould, and are from of all places, practically our backyard -- Dayton, Ohio. I'm ashamed to admit I hadn't heard of them until a few months ago.

20.  Dope Queen Blues by Adia Victoria. 

"It's a culmination
Of my ruination
We are lost
In vain."

The subject matter is a little lost on me, but the vocals aren't. And then the sax kicks in ... Ms. Victoria's album was produced by Aaron Dressner of The National, which certainly isn't a negative (in my book) either.

21.  Moderation by Florence + The Machine. 

"Can't hold it back, I can't take the tension
Oh, I'm trying to be good
Want me to love you in moderation
Well don't you know, I wish I could."

Given the way she puts her soul into every song, it's easy to believe that moderation is not in Florence Welch's playbook.

22.  High Highs, Low Lows by Stephen Kellogg. 

"But most of your critique
Doesn't sound that much like me.
But I wonder if it sounds
A bit like you."

The second artist on this year's list that I heard at a most excellent Mountain Stage. C thinks it sounds like a Lyle Lovett song. High praise in my book.

Favorite Songs of 2015 - Songs 12-22

My list continues with some familiar faces from last year and lists farther in the past. And some great new bands as well.

12. Someone New by Hozier.

"There's an art to life's distractions,
To somehow escape the burning weight, the art of scraping through.
Some like to imagine,
The dark caress of someone else, I guess any thrill will do.

The last of the artists on this year's list that also appeared on last year's. The perfect juxtaposition to "Take Me to Church" where he was literally worshipping a woman. And this year, "any thrill will do." My favorite line in the song, and maybe of any single line in any song this year, however, is "love with any stranger, the stranger the better."

13. Light Me Up by Bronze Radio Return.

"And when you feel right
I'm electrified
'Cause you light me up
Oh, you light me up.
So tell me how ya feeling tonight
Tell me how ya feeling tonight."

Another one of those songs that doesn't wow you with intellectual lyrics but is just so catchy you want to hear it over and over. And the video matches the song - I can almost hear Kevin Bacon yell "Let's Dance!" near the end.

14. Talking Backwards by Real Estate.

"And I might as well be talking backwards.
Am I making any sense to you?
And the only thing that really matters.
Is the one thing I can't seem to do."

After the <ahem> less than monogamous themes of the previous two songs, a more poignant love song. Or love lost song.

15. Waitress by Hop Along.

"I call you enemy.
'Cause I'm afraid of
What you could call me.
The world's gotten so small and embarrassing."

A song about relationships and social media and awkward chance meetings. Made all the more evocative by Frances Quinlan's tired, sad, frenetic, evocative voice. The last artist this year that you'll hear more from in the next installment of the list.

16. Living the Dream by Sturgill Simpson.

"That old man upstairs always 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
She thinks mercy's overrated."

Seriously, is that not a ridiculously perfect stanza? The only way it could possibly be improved is by the way Simpson delivers it.

17. Lifted Up (1985) by Passion Pit.

"Oh well, how many years has it been now?
How many days went to waste?
Now the rain and the thunder are clashing.
The Sun's go a smile 'cross the face."

Yes, listening to this song after the last, much like watching the video, could lead you "to potentially experience seizures." I didn't make that up - watch the video - and note the warning.

18. Crying Wolf by Caleb Hawley.

"Well I got no time to talk about it.
I said that I'm sorry
And I'm movin' on.
Just pretend that those words we said never happened.
Let's go back to laughin'
And getting along."

This year's blue-eyed soul entry. Love the Motown sound.

19. 4th and Roebling by The Districts.

"Sunshine, I believe we're headed the right way

But then again, I can't quite tell for sure.

'Cause we're running to the west to let our hands touch down

Where you left me in the dark so long before."

This year's "sounds like The Strokes" song.

20. Mr. Rodriquez by Rayland Baxter.

"Yesterday morning, I was walking around

Me and Mr. Rodriguez on the wrong side of town.

The streets were all empty and the houses all burned down

He reached in his pocket and he pulled out a crown.

And he said:

'You're so much like me, boy

Step outta your dream.

Watch 'em all gather 'round boy,

It's your turn to be king."

Saw him at a great Mountain Stage with Craig Finn, among other fine artists. Rayland rocked the house that night.

Rayland Baxter at Mountain Stage. Lighting is great for concert-going,
not so much for cell phones that you're not supposed to use the flash with.
(photo by me)

21. Black Sun by Death Cab for Cutie.

"There is a role of a lifetime;

And there's a song yet to be sung.

And there's a dumpster in the driveway

Of all the plans that came undone."

Kind of like rubbernecking a car wreck with the obvious references to Ben Gibbard's failed relationship, sad and cathartic. But then now-departed guitarist Chris Walla cranks up a fantastic, angry solo and takes it to a different dimension entirely.

Honestly, I had never seen the video when I first wrote the car wreck line. 

22. Gone by Jr. Jr.

"I've made up my mind,

over and over.

Keep pressing rewind,

but I'm getting older.

Tried every door,

don't know who I'm looking for.

And I've made up my mind,

over and over."

I had always hope to hear a song by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. that I liked enough to include on the list. I heard this one and thought "this is it!" Then they went and changed the name of the band to just Jr. Jr. Ah well, it's still good enough to make the list.