Favorite Songs of the 2010's - Songs 26-50

Over the past month or so, in addition to listening to and posting my favorite songs of 2019, I spent some time reflecting on the now-past decade's music and my favorites among all of those published over the last 10 years. Going back through my lists (which began on Facebook in 2010, but did not make it into blog form until the next year), I was struck by how much things have changed in terms of the increase in platforms on which music (especially that to which I am drawn) and the sheer volume of music being produced. 

Ten years ago I was dependent on ... what? ... internet web stations as far as I can recall to hear "alternative" music in Charleston. Today I have Spotify, Apple, our local community radio station WTSQ, NPR, and KEXP to feed me, almost daily, the new music I sift through to find the songs and artists that I like. It's a daunting and exhilarating task that I alone have imposed on myself and I like to think that it keeps me young - at heart anyway.

After compiling my list of 50 favorite songs of the 2010's and having recovered from my holiday crush of posting, I decided to share the list with you. Where I don't include a video of a song, I'll provide a link in the song name, will let you know where they were ranked (if at all) when I first posted them, and provide links to those past lists. A further conceit: I will signify the artists that I've had the pleasure to see in person with an asterisk by their name.

As always, thanks for indulging me in my pursuit of new music - or, in this case, not so new. 

26.  Rollercoaster by Bleachers.

"We took the bones out from the road
Those endless nights that we traveled we stole
You let your clothes fall to the floor
And lit a fire while I waited for more."

Bleachers made the list four times in the decade, but this song, number 28 in 2015, is my favorite of the lot. Plus, the video had to be one of Bleachers' offerings featuring the recurring theme of front man Jack Antonoff getting his butt kicked.

27.  This Life by Vampire Weekend.

"Baby, I know hate is always waiting at the gate

I just thought we locked the gate when we left in the morning

I was told that war is how we landed on these shores

I just thought the drums would all be loud warnings."

Since This Life was included in my last post (number 3 in 2019), I won't go on about my favorite Vampire Weekend song of the past 10 years ("Unbelievers" made the list in 2013 and their cover of "I'm Goin' Down" topped my favorite covers of 2019). I note that for songs from the past year, I probably underrated some since they haven't had the opportunity to stand the test of time the way that others have.

28.  Grand Canyon by The Wind + The Wave.

"Don't die, you're just a baby, yeah you're way too young

You haven't lived till you've been to the Grand Canyon

It's the damndest thing

Oh, it's the damndest thing."

My favorite song of 2016, "Grand Canyon" hasn't held up quite as well as some other list-toppers have. But not for want of trying -- still makes me be-bop every time I hear it. While you're at it, check out the similarly movement-inducing "Raising Hands Raising Hell Raise 'em High."

29.  Some Nights by fun.

"Well some nights, I wish that this all would end

'Cause I could use some friends for a change

And some nights, I'm scared you'll forget me again

Some nights, I always win, I always win."

While I declared it my third favorite song of 2012, it's the highest of songs from that year on this list. Perhaps I was scared off by its popularity (almost 194,000,000 YouTube views). fun. also featured Jack Antonoff (that's him playing guitar in the video, and not getting beaten up).

30.  Cumberland Gap by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit*. 

"I ain't cut out for war, unless I know what I'm fighting for

And there's nothing here but churches, bars, and grocery stores.

Ain't much money in the old-time mandolin

So I cash my check and I drink 'til I'm on my ass again."

One of four Isbell songs featured in the 2010's (including "Hope the High Road" which I had number 12 in 2017, as opposed to Cumberland Gap, which landed at 25), I believe this song now better exemplifies Isbell's oft angry but always loving depiction of Appalachia. The other Isbell songs from the past decade? 24 Frames (thirtieth in 2016) and Super 8 (number 26 in 2013).

31.  Bushwick Blues by Delta Spirit.

"When we first met

We spoke so brief

When you sang a sonnet

I hummed sweet relief."

My second favorite song in 2011, Delta Spirit seems to have fallen off the map, but according to the band's website, they are touring this spring.

32.  Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men*.

"There's an old voice in my head

That's holding me back

Well tell her that I miss our little talks."

Little Talks is another former top song (in 2012) that hasn't fared as well over the years, perhaps influenced by the fact that I didn't much care for any of their songs that followed. I do still enjoy the interplay between the female and male singers though.

33.  Light Me Up by Bronze Radio Return.

"If you’re feeling good

Is all I need to know‘

Cause you light me up

Oh, you light me up."

Another song that I can't really defend lyrically, but is impossible not to bounce to from the first chord to the last (and the little "Alright now" makes me smile every time). Light Me Up was number 13 in 2015.

34.  Shark Smile by Big Thief.

"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 sad yet funny, tender yet brutal, road song, Shark Smile was my fourth favorite song in 2017.

35.  Sprawl II (Mountains beyond Mountains) by Arcade Fire*.

"They heard me singing and they told me to stop

Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock

Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small

Can we ever get away from the sprawl."

One of two previously unranked songs on this list, Sprawl II was part of Arcade Fire's epic 2010 release The Suburbs. I had only limited exposure to Arcade Fire before "prepping" for Bonnaroo in 2011. Their set at that festival still ranks as the best concert I've ever seen. 

36.  Gold Rush by Death Cab for Cutie*.

"Now that our haunts have taken flight

and been replaced with construction sites

oh, how I feel like a stranger here

searching for something that's disappeared."

Another frequent list occupant ("Black Sun" was number 22 in 2015, "You Are a Tourist" number 12 in 2011), Ben Gibbard's lament to urban renewal was both the antithesis of Sprawl II, number six in 2018, and my favorite Death Cab song of the 2010's.

37.  Pretty Pimpin' by Kurt Vile.

"I woke up this morning

Didn’t recognize the man in the mirror

Then I laughed and I said, 'Oh silly me, that’s just me.'"

If Kurt truly has a disassociation problem, he is the most connected person every to suffer from it. Pretty Pimpin' was Number 7 in 2015, and has done nothing but grow on me since.

38.  Riptide by Vance Joy.

"There's this movie that I think you'll like

This guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City

This cowboy's running from himself

And she's been living on the highest shelf."

Also a former number one song (in 2014), Riptide has not aged particularly well for me, although as with almost every song on this list, I do recognize it instantly and feel a little jolt of happiness whenever I hear that ukulele start.

39.  Seventeen by Sjowgren.

"If you want a second to breathe

I'll give you all of my love

I'll give you all that you need

Don't worry

I'm not in a hurry

Not going nowhere

I'm not going nowhere, yeah."

A four-time list denizen (twice in 2018, with "High Beam" at number 15 and "better off" at 29, and "Now & Then," 2017's number 13, along with Seventeen, number 5 in 2015), Sjowgren ("Show-grin") remains largely a mystery in terms of composition of the band. I like a little mystery at times ...

40.  Don't You Look Back by Augustines.

"All right
This kiss ain't got no hope

But I'm gonna get it right

This kiss ain't got no hope

You see

We go up then down again

This'll be the end."

While Delta Spirit may or may not be defunct, Augustines certainly are, having called it quits in 2016. They do share something in common with Delta Spirit, however - a band name change. Delta Spirit was once known as The Delta Spirit, while Augustines were originally We Are Augustines. I regret that I never saw them live. Don't You Look Back was my third favorite song of 2014, followed by Nothing to Lose But Your Head (number 23, also in 2014), and This is Your Life (27th on the list in 2016).

41.  Motion Sickness by Phoebe Bridgers.

"I hate you for what you did
And I miss you like a little kid
I faked it every time but that's alright
I can hardly feel anything
I hardly feel anything at all."

You can "Me Too" tweet all you want, but turning a creep's craft on him, with better lyrics than he ever wrote to boot? That is genius. Was my 21st favorite song in 2018, I'm given the opportunity to right that wrong now.

42.  Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man.

"It's time to give a little to the
Kids in the middle, but oh 'til it falls
Won't bother me."

A Grammy winner on my list? I'm nonetheless comforted by: 1. the socialist lyrics (the popularity of the song juxtaposes well with its message); and 2. The Beastie Boys reference. Feel It Still was my eighth favorite song in 2017.

43.  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."

Deserves inclusion based on the video alone. Number five in 2018.

44.  Born in Love by Horse Feathers.

"Some color came from grey

It's gone from worse to good then great

Something realigned

Was it destiny, not fate?"

Another from 2018 (Born in Love was number 10), which trails only 2015 (12) and is tied with 2017 (7) for the most songs from one year on this list. Every list needs at least one pretty love song.

45.  Circadian Rhythm by Silversun Pickups.

"Another night alone, a temporary dream

I came in through your window sleepwalking

Standing arm and arm, still so out of reach...

Well, there's nowhere left to go

Stay with me, stay with me."

Creepy Silversun Pickups, equally as effective as bemused Silversun Pickups (It Doesn't Matter Why, number 24 in 2019) and artsy Silversun Pickups (Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings), number 27 in 2012), Circadian Rhythm was my seventeenth favorite song in 2016.

46.  Quarter-Life Crisis by Judah & The Lion.

"I used to feel so strong, now I feel like a loser

This truth is hard to speak, but I could use the freedom

Oh, I can't do this all alone."

Another from last year's list, Quarter-Life Crisis was at number four. I'm long past the opportunity to have a mid-life crisis let alone a quarter-life one, but understand Judah's angst just the same.

47.  Smart by Girl in a Coma.

"Hold your head up though you’re shaking

I’ve never felt a rush like this, 

not quite like this."

Another defunct band ... maybe it's me? Smart was number six in 2011.

48.  You Go Down Smooth by Lake Street Dive*.

"And I am afraid to need you so

And I am too sober not to know

That you may be my problem, not my love

'Cause you go down smooth."

Do you think I'd pass up the chance to listen to Rachael Price's voice another time (or six or seven)? Of course not.  You Go Down Smooth was my fourth favorite song in 2014.

49.  Crying Wolf by Caleb Hawley.

"You always said you wanted me to be honest
So I made u a promise to tell u the truth
I thought you'd understand so that's why I said it
But now I regret it
Baby what are we gonna do?"

No list of mine would be complete without at least one blue-eyed soul song. Crying Wolf was number 18 in 2015.

50.  basking in the glow by oso oso.

"Cut me up, I've said enough
Learned this lesson far too much
It'll only bring you down
Carrying someone around
In your head, in your head."

The last on the list from 2019 (basking in the glow was number five) and the last ... period.

Stay tuned for the top 25!

Favorite songs of 2016: Songs 23-33

If there was any doubt that I was going to reprise my annual list here, they were erased by the generous words of my friend R, who posted about it in her GrongarBlog and is telling us what she's listening to this month as a result. As in years past, these are my favorite songs that I've heard over the past year from one source or another, culled from hundreds that I've listened to (in some cases, only for a few seconds). As in only last year (and the first when I listed only 20), there are 33 songs on this year's list because ... well, just because. 

23. Babylon by Jesiah.


"You've got the best type of defense
You tell the joke just to distract them
I thought we both grew up in Babylon...
We speak the language, no one understands us."

C first suggested that this sounds like Vampire Weekend, which after reflection I agree is spot-on. From the artist himself: "Babylon is a story about two souls defending their love in the face of adversity.”

24. White Flag by Joseph.

"I could surrender but I'd
Just be pretending, no I'd
Rather be dead than live a lie...
Burn the white flag
Burn the white flag."

No Josephs, Richards, or Thomases to be seen in this band, fronted by the three Closner sisters, who just happen to be from Joseph, Oregon. Love the defiant vocals that match the "never surrender" lyrics of this song. The album title, "I'm Alone, No You're Not" is excellent as well.

25. Brazil by Declan McKenna.

"I wanna play the beautiful game while I'm in Brazil
Cause everybody plays the beautiful game while in Brazil
It's all you've ever wanted, and it's all that you want still...
Don't you wanna play the beautiful game out in Brazil?"

I'm guessing I don't have to explain to most who read this why I would like a song about soccer in general, and FIFA's corruption in particular. But if the lyrics were about hopscotch instead it would probably still be on the list given its hooky Britpop sound and McKenna's unique voice.

26. Coastal California 1985 by Math and Physics Club.

"Coastal California
Like a picture postcard
Your wind-swept hair and...
Pasted on smile
Remind me how the years have come and gone
And never seem to linger very long."

One of many songs about California released this past year (including one further up the list), almost all of which make its residents seem pretty darn happy currently.

27. This Is Your Life by Augustines.

"Maybe we'll pull ourselves together
Burn forever in some fading summer night
But you got to find sometimes for anything in this life...
Just forgot it in yourself, but you're alright
You're alright
Hey you're alright."

The first of several repeat artists from past lists - some below, some farther up. What can I say -- I know what I like and Augustines, with their big anthemic sound, is something I definitely like. "Knock me down my friend, I'll just get back up again."

28. Turn Up by The Heavy.

"There ain't nothing more I want
For you my love
If that's what you really want...
Must be what you really want
If that's what you really want
My love
I said you better
Turn, (Up!)"

Most of my favorite songs are lyrically driven. Not (obviously) this one. Why does it seem that all the best funk/R&B bands these days are English? And, yes, The Heavy have been here before.

29. Soft Offering (For the Oft Suffering) by Hey Rosetta!

"Under the pitch and pull of the moon
Sweet silver medicine swim in my temples
Bring in the shadows to cover our wounds...
When the pain is gone and the rest is
Coming on."

The song's title alone makes it list-worthy let alone the evocative lyrics. At least the second appearance by Hey Rosetta! on one of my lists as well.

30. 24 Frames by Jason Isbell.

"You thought God was an architect
Now you know
He's something like a pipe bomb ...
Ready to blow
And everything that you've built
That's all for show
Goes up in flames
In twenty-four frames."

Better late than never with this song which should have been on last year's list. A brilliant song from a brilliant artist. One of, I believe, only two artists on this year's list that I saw live this past year.

image from rukkus.com

31. The Diving Bell by Gang of Youths.

"And I dreamed the voices they were calling
Out to you
Come alive, come alive and the firings...
Where everything is true."

A haunting song - maybe a Ferguson reference, maybe something more personal. A sufficiently obscure track that I can't find a link to an MP3, let alone a video. If you do find it somewhere (try Spotify) this is your language warning.

32. True Sadness by The Avett Brothers.

"I cannot go on with this evil inside me
I step outside my front door and I feel it surround me
Just know the kingdom of God is within you...
Even though the battle is bound to continue."

A song whose dark lyrics belie its mostly upbeat melody. I don't think the boys have given up hope - they'll continue to fight the good fight.

33. I Need Never Get Old by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats.

"I know that some will say
It matters but little babe
Oh but come on and mean it to me...
I need it so bad."

I think I first saw this song on AXS TV live from some festival this late spring. These guys look like they pour everything they have into every minute on stage.

Favorite Songs of 2014: Songs 1-10

And now my top 10:

1. Riptide by Vance Joy.

"Lady, running down to the riptide.
Taken away to the dark side,
I wanna be your left-hand man.
I love you when you're singing that song, and
I got a lump in my throat 'cause
You're gonna sing the words wrong."

Have to admit that I had second thoughts about "Riptide" being my number 1 after hearing it in the "Top Nine at Nine" on a local Top 40 station a few weeks ago. But, popularity be damned, this is my favorite song of 2014. The Midnight Cowboy reference and the ukulele don't hurt a bit either.

2. Left Hand Free by Alt-J.

"Hey, shady baby, I'm hot,
like the prodigal son.
Pick a petal eenie, meenie, miney, moe ...
And flower, you're the chosen one."

According to the critics, the most un-Alt-J-like song they've ever done, composed in 20 minutes to satisfy their American label for a radio-friendly tune for their new album. Works for me. There are two "official" videos, this is the second and more disturbing one, but seems to be more in keeping with the lyrics.

3. Don't You Look Back by Augustines.

"This kiss ain't got no hope."

The best single line from any song this year. And the only artist to have two songs on this year's list. They appear to have been touring in Europe most of 2014 and there are no new tour dates on their website, but here's to hoping they're coming to a venue near you (and, more importantly to me, near me) in 2015.

4. You Go Down Smooth by Lake Street Dive.

"Would it be true to say that I ordered you?
Or is it you that ordered me?
I could say you are the only one I see,
but I can't stop at two or three."

If we were to fashion an IQ test question from the top 5 of my list and ask: "which song is unlike the others?" You Go Down Smooth would be the correct answer. But Rachel Price's voice can make any list any time as far as I'm concerned. It sounds every bit as good live as it does recorded, as the she proved at Mountain Stage earlier this year and in the video from KEXP above.

5. I Wanna Get Better by Bleachers.

"While my friends were getting high and chasing girls down parkway lines,
I was losing my mind 'cause the love, the love, the love, the love
that I gave ...
Wasted on a nice face.
In a blaze of fear I put a helmet on a helmet,
counting seconds through the night and got carried away.
So now I'm standing on the overpass screaming at the cars:
'Hey!
I wanna get better!'"

Unlike many years, when one or at the most two songs stand out to me as possible number ones on my list, this year there were five, starting with this punk-pop anthem to insanity by Jack Antonoff's (of fun.) side project, Bleachers. Maybe the funniest video of 2014 to boot.

6. A Little Opus by Little Comets.

"You feel the weight of imposition.
Bear heavy on your own decision.
Fate to face they multiply ...
The crush of language,
and the cedent school ties.
The subtle angles of tradition (tradition)."

A song about .. English preparatory schools I guess. And, apparently it was actually released in 2012. But rules were meant to be broken, right?

7. Zigzagging Toward the Light by Conor Oberst.

"Oh how the circumstances change.
I fly by interstate, across a purple mountain range.
I find a place to come undone ...
Zigzagging toward you now, I sing out loud our boundless song."

Former Bright Eyes member Oberst's Upside Down Mountain is one of my favorite albums of the year. According to Wikipedia, his brother is a lawyer. No wonder I like him.

8. Madman by Sean Rowe.

"And the city has a way to make you forget.
About half the stuff you love and things you don't know yet.
About the space that's left when nobody talks.
About the quiet on the path where nobody walks."

Great song, and the best male voice of anyone on this year's list.

9. Can't Be Broken by Twin Forks.

"That's a love that
can't be broken.
That's the sting of a
heart cut open.
That's the thing about
blind devotion.
That's a love that
can't be broken."

Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba's new indie folk/Americana band churns out the same great music as DC, but with more acoustical instruments and less angst. Nothing wrong with that. And one of the bonuses of being seven minutes from Mountain Stage's usual venue? Meeting your favorite artists:

10. Budapest by George Ezra.

"My many artifacts.
The list goes on.
If you just say the words,
I'll up and run.
Oh, to you,
you.
I'd leave it all."

A pleasant little tune from a guy who reminds me of another artist, but I can't quite put my finger on who. And he looks absolutely nothing like I imagined he would from his voice.

So there's this year's list. Go listen to some live music in 2015!

Favorite Songs of 2014 - Songs 21-30 Plus One

I've been regaling/boring my friends with my favorite indie/alternative songs of the year for some time now. As with my past lists, the only rule is that these songs were released in either 2014 or 2013. Some of the songs here may appear on actual critics' lists as well, but any resemblance between them and me is purely coincidental.

21. Thirsty Man by Blitzen Trapper.

"I've been driving all night,

On a road to nowhere.

With the Devil's convoy,

Black smoke upon my tracks."

This band has remade itself from a folk/Americana sound to rock, and now sort of in-between. In whatever iteration they chose, I'm a fan.

22. Unfold by Wouie.

"I could never change the world for you.

But I could teach you how to cheat it.

I could never kill the pain in you.

But I can teach you how to treat it."

A Swedish band singing in perfect English. Not so sure about the American band a little farther on the List's mastery of Swedish, but sounds good to me.

23. Nothing to Lose But Your Head by Augustines.

"Have you ever lost someone?

Screamed Bloody Mary down the hall.

Or cried against a steering wheel,

And hated every mirror you ever saw?"

The only artists with more than one song on this year's list. Would love to see them live, but they've apparently been touring in Europe most of the year.

24. Sacrilege by Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

"Fallen for a guy,

fell down from the sky.

Halo 'round his head;

Feathers in a bed.

In our bed;

in our bed."

At first I was off-put by the screaming lyrics, but it turns into something visceral and essential to the song once you give it a chance. And I love how it builds to the climax of a choral climax.

25. Vad Hande Med Dem? by The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

"Inget är rätt, inget är bra, ingenting här är som det ska

Nånting gick fel så långt tillbaks, gick sönder inuti av det vi sa

Men jag hoppas vintern kommer snart och släcker ner hela stan

Snön kommer täcka alltihop, vartenda misstag som vi gjort."

Which, translated from the Swedish (according to Google) is:

"Nothing is right, nothing is good, nothing here is as it should.

Something went wrong so far back, broke inside of what we said.

But I hope winter is coming soon, and turns off the lights all over town.

The snow will cover it all, every mistake we made."

Despite my Swedish heritage, I have no reason not to trust that the translation is accurate. And while many of my choices for this List are lyrically driven, obviously this one is not.

25.  Spinners by The Hold Steady.

"Before she figures out what's wrong,

put another record on.

She picks it up and she carries a cross;

Heartbreak hurts but you can dance it off."

Another mythic urban tale from Craig Finn and the band, habitual list denizens. And, yes, references to the crucifix abound. And, yes, there was already a number 25 on the list. I'm too old to count correctly. 

26. From Now On by Delta Spirit.

"Your inner compass says you know I'm right.

No more letters, just a will.

All the prophets on the mountaintop.

But no one's hanging on the hill."

Another one of my favorite bands, with their best song in my opinion since the History from Below album. And no, I don't think Craig Finn wrote the lyrics, but kind of sounds like him, doesn't it?

27. Permanent Hesitation by Born Ruffians.

"Is it cheating if I call you sweetheart?

Is it cheating if you call me your man?

I'm retrieving wayward glances with my wandering eye,

and pretending not to know you care."

Sounds a little like Phoenix perhaps? Back when they were good I mean.

28. Gotta Get Away by The Black Keys.

"I went from San Berdoo

to Kalamazoo.

Just to get away from you.

I searched far and wide,

hopin' I was wrong.

But maybe all the good women are gone."

Definitely not a love song.

29. Take Me to Church by Hozier.

"No masters or kings when the ritual begins;

There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin.

In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene:

Only then I am human.

Only then I am clean.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen."

Three different friends/family members who know my musical taste well asked me at different times if I'd heard Hozier and this song and told me that it "sounds like something (I'd) like." Who am I to disagree?

30. Pull Down the Moon by Cattle & Cane.

"Can you hear me scratching at your door?

You say it won't be different

than before.

I will sing you all my songs,

I will sing them all day long,

for you."

This, on the other hand, is definitely a love song. And a pretty one at that.