Favorite Songs of 2025 - Songs 23-33

We're back again with The List - who knows if successfully completed by year's end, but giving it the old college try. This year's List is somewhere between eclectic and confusing, as always, featuring some recent denizens, some new artists, some old favorites who have never made the list, and a few who may have actually made their way into the category of popular music. As always, anyone in the last group included in The List is purely accidental.

23.    Lou Reed Was My Babysitter by Jeff Tweedy.

"I wanna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake until my shoes untie

'Cause rock 'n' roll ain't ever gonna die

Not as long as you and I are alive.

'Cause rock 'n' roll is dead

But the dead don't die."

Exhibit A in the category of "old favorites who have never made The List." In fact, neither Tweedy nor his band Wilco ever have, although I've listened to them for years. I'm sure there are two people out there (to whom I am related) who can also relate to the song title. And bonus points for Tweedy doing a great Lou Reed impersonation. 

24.    Honkeytonk by Oldstar.

"I knew I’d make a fool of myself

If I walked on to your side of the band

So I packed up and left

Haunted by the thought of you in someone else’s arms."

Not a song of lost love, but instead love never realized. Oldstar are a NYC band playing "country rock from Florida for everyone" according to their Spotify bio. Seems about right. Couldn't find a video of just Honkeytonk, but the song begins at 9:09 in the video above. Or you can listen to two other of their songs beforehand as well.

25.     Down to be Wrong by HAIM.

"Down to be wrong, don't need to be right

I left you the keys, I left on the lights

I locked myself out of the house

I'm on the next flight, you can't talk me out of it, yeah."

A second appearance on The List for the Haim Sisters. This one's a break-up song, completely lacking in remorse.

26.    Ankles by Lucy Dacus.

"If it's the thought that counts

Let's think it through."

To be honest, I was a little disappointed by this latest effort "Forever Is a Feeling" from Lucy Dacus (my "teacher's pet" according to my friend Philbert). But I like this song a lot, and the above couplet is among my favorites of the entire year.

27.    Twist and Turn by Cardinals.

"Wrong and right

Ah all your life.

Get those wrongs and right them, baby

Learn to tell your lies."

Another fairly depressing song (sorry about that!), but this one from Irish band Cardinals, which along with the upbeat tempo somehow makes it easier to take. That and the seemingly cathartic ending where they seem on their way to redemption. 

28.    The Forks of Cypress by Patterson Hood and Waxahatchee.

"Wait until morning and I will meet you there

Even when it's storming there's sunlight in your hair

I'll bask in your splendor and your scent upon the air

Past the Forks of Cypress."

A Southern tale of forbidden love by Drive-by Truckers' Patterson Hood, made all the more haunting by Waxahatchee/Katie Crutchfield's backing vocals.

29.    Snowflakes by Dropkick.

"We complicate the words that we hear

Thinking that it wasn't clear."

Most of the British Isles are now covered, with this effort from Edinburgh-based Dropkick. Some power pop to relieve the depression of most of the above songs (Jeff Tweedy excepted).

30.    Inept Apollo by Nation of Language.

"How many miles ago?

A dream that fell

Lamented in the morning glow

Embraced and left alone

How many miles ago?"

Nation of Language is one of those bands (synth pop? semi-shoe gaze?) that I would have told you I would never like. And yet here they are, for the second year in a row, on The List. AI tells me that this song "explores themes of artistic self-doubt, imposter syndrome, finding solace in creative work amidst life's difficulties, and the struggle with love and loss." I will take our soon-to-be computer overlords' word for it. 

31.    Last Night I Held Your Hand by Somebody's Child.

"And I thought my youth was over

Now I'd die for you

Now I feel myself get older

But not when I'm with you."

Ireland strikes again on The List with Somebody's Child. A song about reflecting on lost youth (from 30-something front man Cian Godfrey ... spare me says this 60-something listener), or perhaps a Mrs. Robinson-esque relationship?  

32.    What's Fair by Blondshell.

"Maybe it was not the right time

Maybe it was not the right wine

Maybe it was in the water

Maybe God turned a blind eye."

Sounds as though Blondshell, a.k.a. Sabrina Teitelbaum is working through some issues with her mom. Language warning for this one, if that's still necessary these days ...

33.    Hard to Love by Dehd.

"Won't catch me goin' on about where the good men gone

Give me someone rough and tumble, someone hard to love."

Dehd's Emily Kempf seems to be looking for a bad boy. 

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 2020 - Songs 1-11

We made it! The end of a horrible year, the end of what I hope you found was an entertaining and (even more than usual, I believe) eclectic list. Here's to hoping we all get to congregate at some point in the not too distant future, whether it be in the office, at church, at sporting events, or, more pertinent to this topic, at concerts. It can't come too soon!

1.  ICU (or I See You) by Phoebe Bridgers.

"I'll climb through the window again

But right now it feels good not to stand

Then I'll leave it wide open

Let the dystopian morning light pour in."

The most difficult part of this part of the list was choosing which lyrics to include for ICU. The entire song is chock full of insightful, and biting, commentary about love gone wrong. While admittedly Ms. Bridgers and her work have appeared on a lot of "best of" lists in 2020, fortunately for my contrarian nature most have been in acknowledgement of her songs "I Know the End" and "Kyoto" or for her outstanding album Punisher. ICU, however, has been enduringly my favorite since I first heard it early in 2020.

2.  Armageddon's Back In Town by Drive-by-Truckers.

"The die has been cast

Symbolism's so pronounced

That there's nothing left to wonder or explain

There'll be no healing

From the art of double-dealing

Armageddon's back in town again."

If you think its sounds like the boys from Athens (although apparently at least some of them live in Portland now) don't sound optimistic, it's because they're not. Also check out "Thoughts and Prayers" from their excellent album The Unraveling and "The New OK" from their follow-up effort of the same name later in the year. DBT may be bowed, but they are not broken.

3.  Bad Decisions by The Strokes.

"Oh, baby, I hang on everything you say

I wanna write down every word

But do me a favor, when you come close

When I look around, don't wanna see you

I don't take advice from fools

Never listening to you."

The list has often featured songs that I bill as that year's offering of "sounds like The Strokes." This year we have ... The Strokes sounding like a mashup of Billy Idol and Modern English. While Julian Casablancas doesn't sound like he's completely pleased with how he's aged, I still wanna be him when I grow up.

4.  Fastest Man Alive by Steve Earle.

"I'm the rumble with the thunder

I'm the bolt out of the blue

I'm the master of the stratosphere

A pilot tried and true

My name's Charles Elwood Yeager

And I've been everywhere

Paris, London, Timbuktu

And Dover, Delaware

Ended up in California

That's where I'm gonna die

I come from West Virginia

I'm the fastest man alive."

Sadly, West Virginia's favorite son died this year (and even more sadly, Steve Earle's son, Justin Townes Earle, did as well). But Steve got it right, Chuck died in California. And he also got it right that Chuck was the "master of the stratosphere, a pilot tried and true" along with being, in Tom Wolfe's words the "most righteous of all the possessors of the right stuff."

5.  AUATC by Bon Iver.

"Ate up all their cake

And they drank their own wine

They were always on the take (will you shed a little light on it?)

Well, you know the burden ain't of dust

The only path to love is touch

I know that all that ain't proper mounts to much."

AUATC = Ate Up All Their Cake. Yes, that's The Boss you hear helping out in the chorus. A protest song for our post-COVID, post-George Floyd, post-destruction of the middle class times.

6.  Fire by Waxahatchee.

"I take it for granted

If I could love you unconditionally

I could iron out the edges of the darkest sky

For some of us it ain't enough

It ain't enough."

My favorite song from Katie Crutchfield's (aka Waxahatchee) excellent album St. Cloud. I also recommend "Can't Do Much" and "Arkadelphia" from that stellar work, which is much quieter than Waxahatchee's earlier offerings.

7.  Shangri-La by EOB.

"Going back

I'm not going back

In the old house

We'll burn it to the ground."

EOB is Ed O'Brien of Radiohead fame. One song that's here more for the music than the lyrics.

8.  Surrender by Will Butler.

"I'm so tired now

I'm so tired of

Thinking of you

No, no, no, child

I wish you were outta my head."

As convincing as he can be, I don't think Will's winning this argument -- whether it's with the subject or (more likely) himself. Will's better known as a multi-instrumentalist and frenetic stage presence in Arcade Fire.

9.  Persona Non Grata by Bright Eyes.

"Getting dressed for a date

Put on Blue aftershave

Wore a kilt like a Celt

Hid the way that I felt."

The first album in nine years by Bright Eyes is full of angst and Connor Oberst's quivering vocals (and stellar lyrics like the ones above). List regulars will remember Mr. Oberst teaming with Ms. Bridgers last year in Better Oblivion Community Center, whose offerings included "Little Trouble" (which also made my Favorite Songs of the 2010's list). A bright, smart downer in a dismal year, and another song about love lost, a genre for which I have an unexplainable affinity.

10.  Different Light by Best Coast.

"Askin' myself all the time, what if this just goes away?

'Cause I have gotten used to lookin' forward to another day

Probably why I live my life in black and white and never grey

Who am I to judge if you still see things in a different light?"

Another song from the past year that has a strong late '90's-early aughts feel to it. I guess this is a plea for finding common ground? If so, I'm fine with that.

11.  Good Times by The Lone Bellow.

"Boy he's wrestled down his demons

Broke the fall of all his friends

Quotes the Bible and the Koran

Has the heart of fifteen men.

Never wonders what you're doing

Never needs the words to say

There's some good ones still trying

Let's no good time slip away."

Spotify tells me I listened to this song more than any other in 2020. Perhaps that's because it was released early in the year; just as likely it's because I love its optimism (I want to meet whomever it is it was written about, if he exists) that helped with the isolation of most of this year. Which, hopefully, will not be the norm for all of 2021.

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.