My Favorite Songs of 2013-Part 5 (20-1)

Think of it this way: I get to make you one CD of music from 2013, and that's all you get from this year. Here's what I'm putting on it:

20. Lorde-Buzzcut Season: At first I thought this sounded a lot like The XX (“VCR”), but now I think it’s more akin to “The Spiderbite Song.” I’ve always been a sucker for a clever line, and she penned one here: “I remember when your head caught flame / it kissed your scalp / and caressed your brain / well you laughed / ‘baby it’s okay / it’s buzzcut season anyway.’” Beyond that, the imagery is strong as well: “we ride the bus with our knees pulled in / people should see how we live.” The arrangement is minimal for the first two minutes of the song, though more production is added as the chorus finally comes in. I like the simple beginning though—sometimes it’s best to know what your strengths are and just let them play.

My Favorite Songs of 2013-Part 4 of 5 (40-21)

40. Caveman-Chances: The closest thing to a spiritual descendant of 2011’s brilliant “Old Friend.” Only difference being, perhaps, this one is all build and no climax. As it climbs for two minutes, everything grows, the drums, the feedback of the guitars,…and then it just fades, beautifully.

My Favorite Songs of 2013-Part 3 (60-41)

60. T. Hardy Morris-Disaster Proof: Mr. Morris steps up the pace a bit here, but keeps the pedal steel guitar (if it ain’t broke, etc.). On this track, a drum takes the place of the insistent acoustic guitar of OK Corral, giving a more even and straightforward tune.

My Favorite Songs of 2013-Part 2 of 5 (80-61)

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.

My Favorite Songs of 2013-Part 1 of 5 (100-81)

Before we embark on this sonic journey, I feel the need to clarify a couple of things. One, these are my favorite songs, not yours, and I'm not proclaiming them the "best" or anything like that. They're just what I would want to listen to if we were in a car and you asked me "what music did you like last year?" Second, I'm only one person, and getting this list together took a long time (it's nearly February, I seem to have noticed), and it's still imperfect. The rankings are, at best, a guess. A snapshot of what I like at the moment, heavily influenced, I would imagine, by what I've heard most recently. But I figured, better to do this than nothing at all. So, without further ado:

100. Foxygen-Shuggie: Foxygen seemingly got more press for being semi-irresponsible 22 year-olds this year than for their record; a tragedy given how awesome We are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Love and Music is. Despite the fact that they don’t make music together in the same room, Jonathan Rado and Sam France manage to put together opuses straight out of the 60s and 70s. "Shuggie" would slide in comfortable on the Rocky Horror soundtrack, as the song switches gears around a minute in, becoming a soaring sing-along before fading back into its story of unrequited love.

The Best Thing I Heard This Week: The Black Keys' El Camino

First, read this. Great. Now that it's out of the way, we should celebrate how magnificent El Camino is. It's nigh unfathomable that the Black Keys would release this already, as the last phenomenal record, Brothers, was released less than a year ago. This record finds the Black Keys both celebrating this winning streak and providing the rustiest, dustiest, and yet cleanest pop record they've ever made.

The Black Keys are the Sad Keys

I have no idea what it is like to write, record, and release a piece of music, so I'm starting from a position of ignorance here. That said, if I was to do so, my first objective would be to have as many people hear that music as possible. So I was disappointed to learn last week that the Black Keys would not be allowing their new record, El Camino, to be streamed on music services such as MOG and Spotify.