To share a little more of the music I’ve enjoyed this year, here’s my list of favorite songs. I’ll include a link to my 2015 Spotify playlist at the end. Hope you enjoy – and please feel free to let me know what you think.
Favorite Songs of 2015 (in no particular order):
The Front Bottoms, “HELP” – The anthem I adopted for 2015. (“This is what I want Motherfucker, Make it Happen For Me.”) I can’t say it it got me anywhere, but it made me feel a little better.
Buddy Guy, “Come Back Muddy” – Like a lot of people (especially generations of semi-cultured white Americans) I was introduced to the blues through B.B. King and his passing this year felt particularly significant. With most of the blues giants already gone, it felt like the closing of an era in music that will never be repeated. Ironically, it’s the one blues icon still alive, Buddy Guy, who captures this sadness best with this tribute to the great Muddy Waters.
Hop Along, “Horseshoe Crabs” – It starts with a simple, stutter-step melody that sets the foundation for a roots rock ballad. Then Frances Quinlan uses the harsh edges of her voice to pile on a layer of punk rock anger.
Sufjan Stevens, “John My Beloved” – The most touching track from a very melancholy album.
Bill Ryder-Jones, “Satellites” – A dreamy, sedated ballad that finally bubbles up. Admittedly, this probably rides the edge between meaningful and over-dramatic but sometimes that’s right where you want to be.
FIDLAR, “Punks” – No surprises here. If the title doesn’t clue you in, you’ll get the picture in the first raspy scream, “Well I’m still alive!” I put this one in the category of aggression pallet cleanser.
The Underachievers, “Illusions” – Take a little philosophy and mix with New York rap – follow the lyric and see where your mind ends up.
John Moreland, “Hang Me in the Tulsa County Stars” – Moreland is a talented guitar picker but it’s his vocal delivery in this rather traditional country-blues song that grabbed me. The song doesn’t sound new – it feels like it came off a Steve Earle album (or then again, maybe a Tom Waits album). But I guess it shows there’s nothing necessarily wrong with a classic sound.
Sweet Spirit, “If You Wanna” – Mixing a bit of 50’s pop, 80’s punk and 90’s grunge-guitar, this siren song has given me something to fantasize about.
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nightlife, “S.O.B.” – Some might criticize as being derivative, hipster music stylings but I’ll go ahead and take the Blues Brothers nod for what it is because sometimes fun is what you need.
Bonus Pick: Favorite Video for Getting Over a Crap Day
In the tradition of Red Fang‘s best work, I found the video for “Paradise Day” from The Armed a useful tool for getting a little release after especially crap days.
Not More Music Crap? 