80. Bill Callahan-The Sing: Dream River seemed to garner less fanfare than 2011’s Apocalypse, and maybe that’s right. There are some lovely, if not transcendent moments, on the record, and Callahan’s poetry hasn’t suffered a bit. The record, this song, and his emotions sound sparse and lonely: “the only words I’ve said today are ‘beer’ and ‘thank you.’” He goes on to repeat himself, knowing how good the line is, and having the confidence to bask in it.
79. Low-Holy Ghost: Nothing crazy here, just a well-sung ballad, in the style of Jeff Buckley.
78. Daughn Gibson-Into the Sea: The main change from All Hell to Me Moan seemed to be the adding of layers into his music. Sometimes this blunts the emotional heft he gave to his character portraits on All Hell, and sometimes, like on this track, the added production lets Gibson ascend to a higher level. Here we get his piano, synth, and a regretful chorus: “I don’t wanna drink away the day / but it’s so unfair / the way it went last night / it went last night.”
77. Neko Case-Calling Cards: Ah, this is the Neko I love. Whiskey in a dusty glass, rocking chair on the front porch in summer. The minimal arrangement allows her to explore the nuances of her voice, not needing to blast over anything.
76. Waxahatchee-Swan Dive: I think Katie Crutchfield is at her best when she's at her quietest, like on this ballad about the near impossibility of giving up someone you love but aren't in love with any more. It's just a guitar and some soft footstep (?) percussion, but that gives the words more emotional heft.
75. Foxygen-In the Darkness: Sure, it’s a partial rip-off (or tribute) to Sergeant Pepper’s, but it’s an excellent one. Replete with horns, fake crowd noise, and some direct aping (“without further ado / we’d like to introduce you to / the darkness), it would be a disaster if it weren’t so well done. Even if you’ve heard it or Lonely Hearts Club Band 100 times, it’s still fresh, a trick Foxygen seem well-versed in pulling.
74. The Blow-A Kiss: “A kiss was just something to do / with my tongue / until you kissed me.” Brilliant. I mean, with a line like that, I’m not sure you need anything else in the song. Good luck googling it though.
73. Lucius-Wildewoman: Another first track, from Lucius’ debut record, also called Wildewoman. Interestingly enough, nothing on this track (or record) actually gets that “wilde,” but it feels calculated in a way that the Black Keys’ El Camino felt calculated—polished, sweet, and a pleasure to listen to.
72. The Minks-Hold Me Now: The Minks find themselves firmly planted in the 80s, though on this track, a more relaxed but just as synthny version. These small twists keep the music more fresh than most 30 year trips down memory lane.
71. Lorde-Ribs: Less a beat to this song and more of a pulse, a racing thump pulsating through your ribs. Sure, it's tough to hear a 17 year-old lament getting old ("and I've never felt more alone / it feels so scary getting old"), but my parents probably don't like listening to me talk about it either.
70. Lucius-Nothing Ordinary: The gals from Lucius finally get a little more "wilde" on this track, really flexing their vocal talents through a frantic chorus declaring that "there is nothing ordinary."
69. Palma Violets-Best of Friends: I don't know, normally I'm not huge on these shouted drunken raucous things, boy do I sound like an old man right now, but I'm trying to embrace it. What was the point of this comment? Oh, right--this song is great because it reverses the usual trope. Instead of saying he doesn't want to be just friends, he tells us "I want to be your best friend / I don't want you to be my girl." I bet he gets lots of women.
68. Matthew E. White-Signature Move: I'm not sure what attracts me to this song--a laughable attempt by a dorky white dude to groove to smooth R&B, but man, I guess not taking yourself too seriously works sometimes. And while White's Outer Face EP wasn't as refreshing as 2012's Big Inner, it still finds him stretching his talents.
67. Paul McCartney-New: Did you know that one of The Beatles (not Ringo) released a record this year? Totally. This is a pretty good song. Hell, it even sounds Beatles-esque. And I'm not sure what else McCartney should be trying to do at this point. Sounding like anyone else would be going downhill, right?
66. Waxahatchee-Coast to Coast: Good guitar rock, simple, and quick.
65. MGMT-Plenty of Girls in the Sea: The spiritual counterpoint to Animal Collective's My Girls. Sonically, however, they're fairly similar.
64. Of Montreal-Fugitive Air: I remember finding the new Of Montreal record on Spotify and thinking that it would only take me one track to dismiss the record as something I didn't need to listen to. Luckily, Fugitive Air is their seemingly intentional statement that they're back to making good music.
63. Poor Moon-Waiting For: A little of Andrew Bird-esque electric guitar, and a similar bare-bones arrangement.
62. T. Hardy Morris-OK Corral: I really love the rolling acoustic guitar he strums in the chorus, and the slide guitar present elsewhere.
61. Purling Hiss-Mary Bumble Bee: More jangly guitars, please. Thanks!
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