Resurrecting this project with a bang. My Spotify subscription has allowed me to take in more music this year than any time since college. I've been completely inundated from all sides and pretty much all genres. I literally listened to everything except rap and country this year. Not that I have anything against those. I was too busy digging through all the shoegaze, emo revival bands, dance pop, dream pop, psych rock, and metal I could get my grubby little hands on. I went genre diving in a way that I've never been able to do before. Mainly because Spotify made it so easy to go down those rabbit holes with playlists, genre radio, and mostly on-target suggestions.
The other side of that coin is that I’m only including songs that are available on Spotify, since it was mostly my only source for music this year. Anyway, with that Spotify commercial out of the way, let's roll. After the jump, part 1 of my 50 favorite songs of 2013, #50 - 26.
The other side of that coin is that I’m only including songs that are available on Spotify, since it was mostly my only source for music this year. Anyway, with that Spotify commercial out of the way, let's roll. After the jump, part 1 of my 50 favorite songs of 2013, #50 - 26.
50. Little Green Cars -
"Please" - I'm
pretty sure the chick who sings this song is a vampire. Also, I couldn't
get this song out of my head for weeks.
49. Betty Who - "Somebody
Loves You" - The
ultimate lets-do-a-mob-flash-dance-for-a-surprise-proposal song.
48. Yo La
Tengo - "Ohm" - These
guys don't sound like a band that's been around for 30 years. The masters of
indie show us how its done.
47. Into
It. Over It. - "New North-Side Air" - Part of the "emo revival" that's
been taking place over the last couple of years. This song captures that
early '00s emo sound perfectly.
45. Dan
Croll - "From Nowhere" - I never paid this song much attention until
it started playing on the radio in GTA V. Now I listen to it at least once a
day.
44. Owel -
"Scales" - More emo
revival. These guys are all about slow-moving builds and crescendos.
Works for me.
43. Jim
James - "State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)" - The more the music builds on this track, the
more distorted and glitchy James' voice becomes. Plus there's the head
bobbing.
42.
Andrew Belle - "Dark Matter" - This is what Chris Martin would sound like if
he left Coldplay and started making good music.
41. Arctic
Monkeys - "R U Mine?" - Is this what you were trying to do, Black
Keys? Because this is better.
40.
Deerhunter - "Monomania" - A fuzzy, squealing mess that escalates from
longing to frenzy to a chainsaw.
39. Balance
and Composure - "Reflection" - Wow, that riff. A real gem in the midst
of a mediocre album.
38. White
Lies - "There Goes Our Love Again" - These guys would have been MASSIVE in the
80's. They also really like Morrissey.
37. Houses
- "The Beauty Surrounds" - I've been listening to this song since
January and haven't gotten tired of it yet. A folky vibe with a bit of
boop beep thrown in for good measure. "Pretty" is an appropriate
adjective.
36. Best
Coast - "I Don't Know How" - I hated her last album, but the "Fade
Away" EP released this year sees Bethany returning to form and then some.
This is classic Best Coast, if there could be such a thing for a band
formed in 2009.
35. Daft
Punk - "Instant Crush" - Julian Casablancas doesn't sound like Julian
Casablancas at all here, unless you said to yourself "I wonder what Julian
Casablancas would sound like if he sang for Daft Punk." And then he
totally sounds like Julian Casablancas.
34.
Phosphorescent - "Zula" - "Some say love is a burning thing.
That it makes a fiery ring. Oh, but I know love as a fading thing.
Just as fickle as a feather in a stream." Thanks for the pep
talk, bro.
33. Fryars
- "Cool Like Me" - I would
totally take cool lessons from these guys. Also I really like that weird
popping sound his vocals make every now and then. I have to take my
headphones out to make sure someone isn't pelting my window with pebbles.
32. Youth
Lagoon - "Mute" - A unique
take on psych rock/pop. All I ever do when listening to this song is
picture flowers blooming in fast motion. I don't know why.
31. Neko
Case - "Night Still Comes" - Something about the line "You never held
it at the right angle" makes me smile. Neko Case being Neko Case,
and that's always enough.
30. Local
Natives - "Ceilings" - I'm a sucker for pretty, jangly guitar music,
and this is about the best I've heard.
29. Caveman
- "In the City" - More
synth pop/chillwave that no one can seem to get enough of right now, including
me. This song was perfect for Summer nights this year.
28. Yeah
Yeah Yeahs - "Sacrilege" - I love this song, but I also hate this song,
because it promised another excellent album from the YYY's, and it failed
miserably to deliver. But really, what a treasure to pull from all that rubble.
27. Caitlin
Rose - "No One to Call" - Think Jenny Lewis without the indie quirk.
I don't listen to a lot of country, because most of it doesn't sound like
this. Let's have more of this, please.
26. Arctic
Monkeys - "Knee Socks" - Late night creeper. That's the only
description that ever comes to my mind when I hear this. That bridge is so much
fun.
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