12. Hope the High Road by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.
"I've heard enough of the white man's blues
I sang enough about myself.
So if you're looking for some bad news
Well you can find it somewhere else.
Last year was a son of a bitch
For nearly everyone we know.
But I ain't fighting with you down in a ditch
I'll meet you up here on the road."
To be clear, when I called Isbell the new poet laureate of Appalachia in my last post, it was MY version of Appalachia to which I was referring.
13. Now & Then by Sjowgren.
"Some things had changed
But others stayed the same and you,
You had your stories.
Some different stories
I left behind."
I don't know much more about the artist than I did in 2015 when their (her?) song "Seventeen" was high on my list. But they appear to enjoy the mystery. As long as they keep making music like this, that's okay with me.
14. Fashion by The Royal Concept.
"'Cause I love the way you wear on me
And you fashion is so wild and free
Honey, loving you ain't easy
But I'm not gonna leave ya
No no
So baby put your dope ass crazy fashion on me."
The boys from Sweden are also a past member of the list, albeit five years ago, with a song that reminded me of The Strokes (and Phoenix). "Fashion" puts me more in mind of a certain Purple Icon of Pop who passed away last year. Even if their music continues to be a bit derivative, as long as it sounds like this, I say "vive la sameness."
15. I Dare You by The xx.
"I get chills
Heartbreak multiplies
I'm on a different kind of high.
A rush of blood is not enough
I need my feelings set on fire."
Just a plain ol' lovely love song.
16. Then Again by Pinegrove.
"Wakin' in an unusual town
every morning this September.
You could sleep it off and leave it all
but in the morning you remember."
Along with Jason Isbell, the other artist with two songs on this year's list. Pinegrove's album "Cardinal" is my favorite of 2017.
17. Near to the Wild Heart of Life by Japandroids.
"I was destined to die dreaming
When one day, my best friend
With passion and pure provocation
Summoned me and said
'You can't condemn your love
To linger here and die
Can't leave your dreams to chance
Or to a spirit in the sky.
May your heart always be ardent
Your conscience always clear
And succumb to the city and surrender, baby
I'll be waiting here."
If you ever get the chance, go see Japandroids live. It's astonishing how much (excellent) sound can come out of two guys, a guitar, and a set of drums.
18. Fighting a Ghost by Matt Hires.
"What do you say
when your heart's not in it?
What do you do
when there's no new beginning?
How do you start
When you've forgotten how to finish?"
I've really liked Matt Hires for quite a while now, particularly his voice and the little bit of disgust or outrage boiling just below the surface, even if he's just singing about lost love.
19. Slip Away by Perfume Genius.
"Don't look back, I want to break free
If you'll never see 'em coming
You'll never have to hide.
Take my hand, take my everything."
In a year of angst and equivocation, there was at least one simple love song that I liked a lot -- and this is it. And those drums ...
20. Holding On by The War on Drugs.
"Now I'm headed down a different road, yeah
Can we walk it side by side?
Is an old memory just another way of saying goodbye?"
Highway songs are common, particularly in the U.S. Somehow, The War on Drugs managed to make the genre uniquely their own in this song.
21. Edge of Town by Middle Kids.
"I got all muddled up and journeyed to the edge of town
And then the road cracked open, sucked me in and I went down
I'm standing face to face with the kind of the underground
Some things just don't add up, I'm upside down I'm inside out."
This Aussie group toured with Cold War Kids this summer. Talk about the ultimate vacation for the Kids!
22. Don't Take the Money by Bleachers.
"Will we fight, stay up late?
In my dreams I'm to blame
Different sides of the bed
Roll your eyes, shave my head
Now we're stuck in the storm
We were born to ignore
And all I got is a chance to just sit
(Baby love me you've got me, runaway)."
Proof that pop songs aren't necessarily devoid of meaning (or self-examination). Yes, that's Lorde you hear singing - she co-wrote "Don't Take the Money" with Bleachers' Jack Antonoff. And yes that appears to be Maeby Funke commiserating with Jack at the start of the video (and presiding over his "The Graduate" like wedding at the end). And finally, yes, Jack seems to regularly get his butt kicked in Bleachers videos.
