The mysterious and smoldering “Deception” by British singer-songwriter Hannah Reem, with stunning cinematic music by producer-composer Noodle Beard, is my favorite song for a second week. I think Hannah’s powerful, sultry vocals would hold their own up against many of today’s top-rated female singers. This song is so good – to my ears anyway – that I want it to keep going for nine or ten minutes. I guess I’ll just have to keep hitting replay!
Harry Styles jumps eight spots to #2 with his exuberant earworm “As It Was”. Though I was not a fan of One Direction (the boy band he was a member of in his teens, for those who are somehow unaware), I really like a lot of his music as a solo artist, and his latest single is terrific. According to an article in the webzine Stylecaster, though Styles hasn’t confirmed the song’s meaning, many believe it’s about his relationship with fame and how his life isn’t “the same as it was” since becoming a music star, expressed by the lyrics “In this world, it’s just us. You know it’s not the same as it was.” The song also alludes to his loneliness and concern from others as he isolates himself from the world, opening with a child’s voice (an actual phone recording of his goddaughter Ruby Winston) saying: “Come on, Harry, we wanna say goodnight to you,” and in the second verse Styles acknowledges “Answer the phone. ‘Harry, you’re no good alone. Why are you sitting at home on the floor? What kind of pills are you on?’”
Otherwise, just the typical chart movement this week as older songs slowly move down to make way for newer ones on their way up. The Black Keys‘ “Wild Child” climbs four spots to #4, as does Florence + the Machine‘s “My Love”, which moves up to #11. Yet again, I wanted to add at least five new songs to this list, but only had slots for two: Bastille‘s delightfully upbeat Calypso-infused “Shut Off the Lights”, and the mesmerizing “Miracle Mile” by Welsh electro-punk band Head Noise, which enter at #29 and #30 respectively. I love Bastille lead singer Dan Smith’s distinctive vocals, and am glad they’re still going strong after 10 years. And I’ve been following self-described oddball band Head Noise for a couple of years, and for me, the epic “Miracle Mile”, from their recently-released EP SCRAM, is their best song yet.
DECEPTION – Hannah Reem and Noodle Beard (1)
AS IT WAS – Harry Styles (10)
WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (2)
WILD CHILD – The Black Keys (8)
BLACK SUMMER – Red Hot Chili Peppers (6)
LOVE BRAND NEW – Bob Moses (7)
BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (4)
JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (3)
I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (5)
GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (9)
MY LOVE – Florence + the Machine (15)
BROKEN HORSES – Brandi Carlisle (11)
CHEER UP BABY – Inhaler (14)
SLEEP – Gooseberry (16)
CHASING TRAINS – HULLAH (17)
WILD – Spoon (18)
CAVIAR – Two Feet (12)
THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (13)
I LOVE YOU – Fontaines D.C. (19)
LA CIENEGA – Chief Springs (22)
ON MY KNEES – RÜFÜS DU SOL (23)
THE HURT WITHIN – Holy Coves (24)
VIRGINIA (WIND IN THE NIGHT) – The Head and the Heart (25)
This is my first post in a week, the longest stretch I’ve gone without writing a post in my blog’s nearly seven-year history, as I’ve been hit with another crippling bout of writer’s block. But I cannot miss sharing my latest Weekly Top 30, and this week brings a few exciting new developments. First of all, “Deception”, the stunning collaboration between soulful-voiced British singer-songwriter Hannah Reem and producer-composer Noodle Beard, takes over the top spot. The dramatic song is a dark and twisted love story about infidelity and the complexities surrounding painful choices, set to a smoldering, cinematic trip hop soundscape. Hannah explained her inspiration for writing the song: “I’ve felt fury and been forced to lose, I’ve been homeless and broke, felt like a joke, and cheated on by those that I choose. But I’ll get through.” As I’ve mentioned on previous posts, “Deception” would make a great James Bond theme song, and even after having it on repeat for the past month and a half, it still has the power to cover me with chills. It’s an incredible song that deserves to be a huge worldwide hit.
In other chart highlights this week, The Black Keys‘ “Wild Child” leaps eight spots to #8, and the hauntingly beautiful “My Love” by Florence + the Machine jumps seven spots to #15. As always, there’s so much great music out now, with about 10 songs I wanted to add to my list. Alas, I had room for only three new ones: Harry Styles‘ delightful “As It Was” enters high up the chart at #10 (it debuted at #1 last week on the Billboard Hot 100), while Weezer‘s “A Little Bit of Love” and Foals‘ “2am” enter at #29 and #30.
DECEPTION – Hannah Reem & Noodle Beard (3)
WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (1)
JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement with Maella (2)
BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (5)
I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (4)
BLACK SUMMER – Red Hot Chili Peppers (8)
LOVE BRAND NEW – Bob Moses (9)
WILD CHILD – The Black Keys (16)
GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (10)
AS IT WAS – Harry Styles (N)
BROKEN HORSES – Brandi Carlisle (12)
CAVIAR – Two Feet (6)
THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (7)
CHEER UP BABY – Inhaler (14)
MY LOVE – Florence + the Machine (22)
SLEEP – Gooseberry (17)
CHASING TRAINS – HULLAH (18)
WILD – Spoon (21)
I LOVE YOU – Fontaines D.C. (15)
B-SIDE – Khruangbin & Leon Bridges (11)
REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (13)
LA CIENEGA – Chief Springs (25)
ON MY KNEES – RÜFÜS DU SOL (26)
THE HURT WITHIN – Holy Coves (27)
VIRGINIA (WIND IN THE NIGHT) – The Head and the Heart (28)
I love the music of Portland-based Portugal. The Man (who are originally from Wasilla, Alaska, not Portugal), and their deliciously upbeat “What, Me Worry?” is my new #1 song this week. Co-written by the band, along with Jeff Bhasker and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder, both of whom also produced the track, “What, Me Worry” is an antidote for overcoming the gloomy pall of the pandemic. The song’s title is a nod to long-time Mad Magazine cover boy Alfred E. Newman and his iconic phrase. And how about that fantastic bass line?
In other chart news, there’s lots of activity this week. Sliding into the #2 spot is the hauntingly beautiful “Just Like Always” by one of my favorite British acts Oli Barton & the Movement, featuring added vocals by British singer Maella. The dark and cinematic “Deception” by British producer-composer Noodle Beard and vocalist extraordinaire Hannah Reem, continues it’s rapid move up my chart, leaping six spots to #3. Moving into the top 5 are “I’ll Call You Mine” by Norwegian singer-songwriter girl in red and “Broken Hearts” by L.A. duo Ships Have Sailed. Three songs enter the top 10: “Black Summer” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Love Brand New” by BobMoses, and “Give a Little Lovin'” by Jamie Alimorad. The Black Keys leap nine spots to #16 with their latest single “Wild Child”. And making their debut this week are the lovely “Virginia (Wind in the Night)” by The Head and the Heart, “Distance” by British dream rock band Mount Famine, and “Bloodrush” by British alt-rock band TheAmazons.
WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (2)
JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (4)
DECEPTION – Hannah Reem & Noodle Beard (9)
I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (6)
BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (7)
CAVIAR – Two Feet (1)
THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (3)
BLACK SUMMER – Red Hot Chili Peppers (11)
LOVE BRAND NEW – Bob Moses (12)
GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (13)
B-SIDE – Khruangbin & Leon Bridges (10)
BROKEN HORSES – Brandi Carlisle (16)
REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (8)
CHEER UP BABY – Inhaler (17)
I LOVE YOU – Fontaines D.C. (18)
WILD CHILD – The Black Keys (25)
SLEEP – Gooseberry (20)
CHASING TRAINS – HULLAH (21)
HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (5)
LOVE DIES YOUNG – Foo Fighters (14)
WILD – Spoon (26)
MY LOVE – Florence + the Machine (27)
ONCE TWICE MELODY – Beach House (19)
CHAPSTICK – COIN (15)
LA CIENEGA – Chief Springs (28)
ON MY KNEES – RÜFÜS DU SOL (29)
THE HURT WITHIN – Holy Coves (30)
VIRGINIA (WIND IN THE NIGHT) – The Head and the Heart (N)
It’s hard to believe we’re already into April, as 2022 seems to be rushing by at a breakneck speed. All of the songs in last week’s top five remain in that rarefied group, with a bit of shuffling around, however, the seductive “Caviar” by Two Feet holds onto it’s #1 spot for a second week, while Portugal. The Man‘s “What, Me Worry?” moves up to #2. There’s lots of movement on the rest of the chart, though, as older songs move down to make way for newer songs on their way up. Entering the top 10 is the dramatic and haunting “Deception”, by British producer/composer Noodle Beard, with vocals by Hannah Reem.
A whopping five new songs make their debut this week, three of them by veteran acts who’ve had numerous appearances on my chart: “Wild Child” by The Black Keys, “Wild” by Spoon (replacing “The Hardest Cut”, which drops off after a 15-week run), and “My Love” by Florence + The Machine. The other two new entries are by acts making their first appearance: “On My Knees” by Australian alternative electronic band RÜFÜS DU SOL and “The Hurt Within” by Welsh psychedelic rock band Holy Coves, another act I learned about as a guest moderator for Fresh On The Net.
CAVIAR – Two Feet (1)
WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (3)
THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (2)
JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement (5)
HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (4)
I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (7)
BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (8)
REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (6)
DECEPTION – Noodle Beard & Hannah Reem (14)
B-SIDE – Khruangbin & Leon Bridges (10)
BLACK SUMMER – Red Hot Chili Peppers (16)
LOVE BRAND NEW – Bob Moses (17)
GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (15)
LOVE DIES YOUNG – Foo Fighters (13)
CHAPSTICK – COIN (9)
BROKEN HORSES – Brandi Carlisle (20)
CHEER UP BABY – Inhaler (22)
I LOVE YOU – Fontaines D.C. (23)
ONCE TWICE MELODY – Beach House (21)
SLEEP – Gooseberry (24)
CHASING TRAINS – HULLAH (25)
ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (11)
TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (12) 19th week on chart
SOMETHING FROM NOTHING/POINTS OF LIGHT – Secret Postal Society (18)
Well, it was only a matter of time until my favorite artist Two Feet landed atop my Weekly Top 30 again. This week, his hauntingly beautiful song of a futile unrequited love “Caviar” becomes his ninth single to reach #1 on my weekly chart. I love the song’s smoldering trip hop groove, captivating Latin-style guitars, cinematic synths, and his vocals that transition from seductive purr in the verses to vulnerable falsetto in the choruses. Like many of his recent videos, this one was also created by Allison Michael, and features vintage black and white film noir footage that nicely captures the song’s moody vibes. Two Feet is currently on tour in South America.
On a very sad note, like millions of others I’m shocked and heartbroken over the untimely death of FooFighters‘ beloved drummer Taylor Hawkins, which happened while the band was also on tour in South America. It’s a terrible and tragic loss not only for the Foos and Taylor’s family, but also the entire music world. Their latest – and rather prophetically-titled song “Love Dies Young” moves up a notch to #13.
In other chart developments, Portugal. The Man‘s “What, Me Worry?” leaps 10 spots to #3, and the enchanting “B-Side” by the amazing Texas duo Khruangbin, with silky vocals by equally incredible fellow Texan Leon Bridges, enters the top 10. “Deception”, by British producer/composer Noodle Beard, with dramatic vocals by Hannah Reem, continues its rapid ascent, climbing six spots to #14. The lone debut this week is the lovely and mellow “La Cienega” by British post-rock band Chief Springs, one of the many acts I discovered as a guest moderator for Fresh On The Net.
Mitski‘s bouyant but lyrically compelling dance-pop single “The Only Heartbreaker” remains at #1 for a second week on my latest Top 30, while Two Feet‘s darkly beautiful and sultry “Caviar” closes in at #2. Entering the top 10 are “I’ll Call You Mine” by young Norwegian artist girl in red (aka Marie Ulven Ringheim) and “Broken Hearts” by L.A. pop-rock duo Ships Have Sailed, who’ve had numerous songs appear on my Weekly Top 30 lists over the past three years.
The biggest upward movers on this week’s chart are “What, Me Worry?” by Portland-based alt-rock band Portugal. The Man, which jumps seven spots to #13, and the haunting James Bond-esque “Deception”, by British producer/composer Noodle Beard, with captivating vocals by Hannah Reem, which climbs eight spots to #20. After 10 songs having made their debut over the previous three weeks, there are no new entries this week.
THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (1)
CAVIAR – Two Feet (5)
CHAPSTICK – COIN (4)
ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (3)
TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (2)
HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (8)
JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement (9)
REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (10)
I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (11)
BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (12)
B-SIDE – Khruangbin & Leon Bridges (13)
OH MY GOD – Adele (7)
WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (20)
LOVE DIES YOUNG – Foo Fighters (17)
SOMETHING FROM NOTHING/POINTS OF LIGHT – Secret Postal Society (16)
Another week, another new #1 song, as there are so many great ones to choose from right now. Mitski‘s exuberant dance-pop gem “The Only Heartbreaker” takes over the top spot on my latest Weekly Top 30. From her latest album Laurel Hell, the brilliant track was co-written by Semisonic frontman Dan Wilson, marking the first time she’s ever teamed up with another songwriter. She told Apple Music that her collaboration with Wilson came about because she’d been struggling with the track for ages: “I was just sitting on it forever. I have so many iterations of it. Nothing felt right. He helped me solve so many of the problems and kind of lead me out of the labyrinth of it. And yeah, I’m really glad that I took that chance with him.”
Mitski wrote most of the songs for Laurel Hell in 2018 before finishing the album during the covid lockdowns, and she struggled to find a coherent theme for the overall album. In an interview for Rolling Stone, she explained: “This album has been a punk record at some point, and a country record. Then, after a while, it was like, ‘I need to dance.’ Even though the lyrics [for ‘The Only Heartbreaker’] might be depressing, I need something peppy to get me through this.” For the recording of the song, she programmed synths and keyboards and her longtime producer Patrick Hyland played guitar and percussion.
Holding at #3 and #4 are “One and the Same” by British alternative psychedelic rock band Future Theory, which features some of the most stunning guitar work I’ve heard recently, and the sexy “Chapstick” by Nashville pop-rock band COIN. And speaking of stunning guitars, Two Feet‘s sultry “Caviar” jumps five spots to #5. Entering the top 10 are songs by three acts I’m particularly fond of: “Head in the Clouds” by Australian soul-funk band Thunder Fox, “Just Like Always” by British alt-rock band OliBarton & the Movement, and “Redchurch Street Blues” by London singer-songwriter extraordinaire PhilipMorgan Lewis.
Four gorgeous new songs make their debut this week at #s 27-30: “I Love You” by Fontaines D.C., “Deception” by British producer/composer Noodle Beard, featuring breathtaking vocals by Hannah Reem, “Sleep” by talented and charismatic Brooklyn four-piece Gooseberry, and “Chasing Trains” by British artist HULLAH. I learned about Noodle Beard/Hannah Reem and HULLAH a week ago when I heard their wonderful songs as a guest moderator of Fresh On The Net.
THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (5)
TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (1)
ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (3)
CHAPSTICK – COIN (4)
CAVIAR – Two Feet (10)
THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (2)
OH MY GOD – Adele (9)
HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (11)
JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (12)
REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (13)
I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (14)
BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (15)
B-SIDE – Khruangbin & Leon Bridges (16)
WAKE ME UP – Foals (6)
I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (7)
SOMETHING FROM NOTHING/POINTS OF LIGHT – Secret Postal Society (17)
LOVE DIES YOUNG – Foo Fighters (19)
THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (8)
GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (20)
WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (21)
BLACK SUMMER – Red Hot Chili Peppers (22)
IF YOU EVER LEAVE, I’M COMING WITH YOU – The Wombats (25)
After a long, steady climb, the wonderfully ebullient “Two Car Family” by Leeds five-piece Apollo Junction has reached the pinnacle of my Weekly Top 30. The song is from their latest album All In, which is so full of great songs, I could just as easily have chosen some of its other tracks to place at the top of my list. I love their melodic, high-energy brand of electro pop-rock, and so do thousands of adoring fans. I’m so happy to see their star continue to rise.
In other major chart developments this week, the captivating song of unrequited love “Caviar”, by my favorite artist Two Feet, leaps 10 spots to #10. I love the sultry vibe and gorgeous Latin-flavored guitars. Counting both his solo tracks and collaborations with SubUrban and grandson, Two Feet has continuously had a song on my Weekly Top 30 every single week since early November of 2020! Portugal. The Man‘s “What Me Worry?” and the Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ “Black Summer” both climb six spots to #21 and #22, respectively. Finally, there’s so much great new music out now, I wanted to add at least eight new tracks this week. But that would have required dropping eight from my list, which I just could not do. So, I had to settle for only three stellar new additions: “Broken Horses” by Brandi Carlisle, “Once Twice Melody” by Beach House, and “Cheer Up Baby” by Inhaler.
TWO CAR FAMILY – Apollo Junction (3)
THE HARDEST CUT – Spoon (1)
ONE AND THE SAME – Future Theory (4)
CHAPSTICK – COIN (6)
THE ONLY HEARTBREAKER – Mitski (8)
WAKE ME UP – Foals (5)
I SEE THE SUN – Solar Eyes (2)
THE OUTSIDE – twenty øne piløts (7)
OH MY GOD – Adele (10)
CAVIAR – Two Feet (20)
HEAD IN THE CLOUDS – Thunder Fox (11)
JUST LIKE ALWAYS – Oli Barton & the Movement & Maella (13)
REDCHURCH STREET BLUES – Philip Morgan Lewis (14)
I’LL CALL YOU MINE – girl in red (16)
BROKEN HEARTS – Ships Have Sailed (17)
B-SIDE – Khruangbin & Leon Bridges (19)
SOMETHING FROM NOTHING/POINTS OF LIGHT – Secret Postal Society (18)
MAGNIFICENT HURT – Elvis Costello & the Imposters (15)
LOVE DIES YOUNG – Foo Fighters (21)
GIVE A LITTLE LOVIN’ – Jamie Alimorad (22)
WHAT, ME WORRY? – Portugal. The Man (27)
BLACK SUMMER – Red Hot Chili Peppers (28)
STARTS WITH YOU – Shimmer Johnson (9) 19th week on chart
CRUTCH – Band of Horses (12)
IF YOU EVER LEAVE, I’M COMING WITH YOU – The Wombats (26)
The song at #12 on my list of 100 Best Songs of the 2010s is “Dark Necessities” by Red Hot Chili Peppers. The Los Angeles-based funk-rock band have been making great music for more than 35 years, racking up scores of hits. They formed in 1983 while the four original members – singer Anthony Kiedis, guitarist Hillel Slovak, bassist Flea, and drummer Jack Irons – were students at Fairfax High School. Sadly, Slovak died of a heroin overdose in 1988 and Irons, devastated over Slovak’s death, left the band, and would later become a member of Pearl Jam. By the time “Dark Necessities” and its album The Getaway were recorded, the band consisted of founding members Kiedis and Flea, as well as Josh Klinghoffer on guitar and Chad Smith on drums.
Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2016
Thirteen of their songs have reached #1 on the Billboard Alternative chart, more than any other artist in the chart’s 31-year history. I love many of their songs, but my favorite of them all is “Dark Necessities”, from their 11th studio album The Getaway. I think it’s their greatest song yet and a real masterpiece. The band teamed up with Brian Burton aka Danger Mouse for the writing and production of the song and album, and say what you will about the use of more complex melodies and instrumentation, but I love it. Flea’s wonderful opening bass riff, the vibrant piano keys, and Josh Klinghoffer’s layered funky guitars are all drop-dead gorgeous, and I especially love the repeated “aah aah” in the backing chorus. The song was released in May 2016, and became their 13th #1 hit on both the Alternative and Adult Alternative charts.
In a video interview for the band’s YouTube channel, lead singer Anthony Kiedis explained that the song “speaks to the beauty of our dark sides and how much creativity and growth and light actually comes out of those difficult struggles that we have on the inside of our heads that no one else can see.” He added that the song meant a lot to Burton and it was one of his favorites on the album. Mine too! The meaningful lyrics show a real maturation of The Red Hot Chili Peppers sound, which is totally appropriate for a band whose members by then were in their late 40s to early 50s.
Coming on to the light of day We got many moons that are deep at play So I keep an eye on the shadow smile To see what it has to say
You and I both know Everything must go away What do you say?
Spinning Knot that is on my heart Is like a bit of light in a touch of dark You got sneak attack from the zodiac But I see your fire spark
Eat the breeze and go Blow by blow and go away What do you say?
Yeah
You don’t know my mind You don’t know my kind Dark necessities are part of my design And tell the world that I’m falling from the sky Dark necessities are part of my design
Stumble down to the parking lot You got no time for the afterthought They’re like ice cream for an astronaut Well, that’s me looking for we
Turn the corner and Find the world at your command Playing the hand
Yeah
You don’t know my mind You don’t know my kind Dark necessities are part of my design Tell the world that I’m falling from the sky Dark necessities are part of my design
Do you want this love of mine? Darkness helps us all to shine Do you want it? Do you want it now?
Do you want it all the time? But darkness helps us all to shine Do you want it? Do you want it now?
Pick you up like a paper back With the track record of a maniac So I move it in and we unpack It’s the same as yesterday
Any way we roll Everything must go away What do you say?
Yeah
You don’t know my mind You don’t know my kind Dark necessities are part of my design Tell the world that I’m falling from the sky Dark necessities are part of my design
The official video was directed by actress Olivia Wilde and filmed by Chris Blauvelt, and features four female long boarders (Carmen Shafer, Amanda Caloia, Amanda Powell, and Noelle Mulligan) skating around various locations in Los Angeles, interspersed with humorous scenes of the band acting silly and playing the song.
2016 was a year of music highs and lows. Lots of excellent music was released, yet the year also saw an unusually high number of untimely and significant losses of legendary musicians – most notably David Bowie, Prince, Natalie Cole (on New Year’s Eve), Glenn Frey, Maurice White, Paul Kantner, Phife Dawg, Merle Haggard, Bobby Vee, Leon Russell, Sharon Jones, Leonard Cohen, George Michael on Christmas Day and, most tragically, the entire promising young band Viola Beach.
There were a lot of great albums, but I’ve honestly heard only a fraction of the hundreds released in 2016. My personal favorites are the gorgeous albums by Radiohead (A Moon Shaped Pool), The 1975 (I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It), David Bowie (Blackstar) and Matto Rules (What Comes Around, which I reviewed previously on this blog). A few other highlights were the eagerly anticipated albums from Green Day, Metallica, Kings of Leon, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, A Tribe Called Quest and Bon Iver.
Now I unveil my 100 Best Songs of 2016. These are my favorite songs of the year, and I’m confident everyone seeing this list will disapprove of some of my selections, and that’s fine. Music is very subjective and what sounds good to me may not sound good to someone else, and vice versa. My favorite genres are alternative and hard rock, so my list reflects that. However, I never expected that a Justin Bieber song would end up in my top 40 -lol. There were hundreds of songs that I really liked, so picking only 100 was difficult. Some songs on this list were released in 2015 (and “Walking on a Dream” from Empire of the Sun was released in 2009, but didn’t get airplay in the U.S. until seven years later), but they were “hits” or appeared on my Weekly Top 20 in 2016. A few songs overlapped both 2015 and 2016, and are therefore in my Top 100 for both years. Those songs are marked with an *.
1. STRESSED OUT – twenty øne piløts * 2016 was clearly the year of twenty øne piløts, as the duo saw their fame skyrocket with their enormously successful Emotional Roadshow World Tour and the immense popularity of their magnificent album Blurryface. I think they’re one of the best bands to emerge in many years, with a totally original sound that is like no other act around today. Their song “Tear In My Heart” was my #1 song of 2015, and their follow-up single “Stressed Out” is my #1 song of 2016 – and one of my favorite songs of the past 10 years. It’s a brilliant song about facing the burdens of responsibility of adulthood while longing for the simplicity of one’s childhood: “Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days. When our mama sang us to sleep, but now we’re stressed out.” I also think it’s a particularly appropriate song to top the list, as 2016 was certainly a stressful year on many levels. “Stressed Out” was #8 on my Top 100 for 2015, but it had such staying power that it ends up at #1 for 2016. twenty øne piløts have three songs in my top 10, a feat accomplished by only two other artists: the Beatles in 1964 and Foster the People in 2011.
2. DARK NECESSITIES – Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers have been making music for 30 years, and have had scores of hits. But “Dark Necessities” is their greatest song yet and a masterpiece in my opinion. The complex music and meaningful lyrics show a real maturation of their sound, which is totally appropriate for a band whose members are now in their late 40s to early 50s. Without question one of the best songs of 2016.
3. RIDE – twenty øne piløts The exhilarating “Ride” was the fourth track from Blurryface released as a single, and is further proof of the high caliber of the songs on the album. Literally every track could be a hit song. The song’s lyrics speak to uncertainties and anxieties over the meaning of life. Tyler Joseph fervently sings “I’ve been thinking too much, help me.“
4. MOUNTAIN AT MY GATES – Foals * Let me just state up front that UK band Foals is awesome and I passionately love their unique sound. “Mountain At My Gates” is a gorgeous anthem about overcoming life’s obstacles. Lead vocalist Yannis Philippakis has an amazing and immediately identifiable singing style that smolders, wails and soars. The powerful song builds to a climactic flourish that gives me chills every time.
5. BURN THE WITCH – Radiohead The release of Radiohead’s amazing album A Moon Shaped Pool was one of the music highlights of 2016. The brilliant single “Burn the Witch” has dark lyrics, hauntingly sung by Thom Yorke’s beautiful falsetto, and set to a gorgeous arrangement by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood and lush strings performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra. The clever, stop-action animation video, directed by Chris Hopewell, pays homage to the 1973 horror film The Wicker Man.
6. BANG BANG – Green Day Green Day proved their staying power with the release of their 12th studio album Revolution Radio, 26 years after their first album 39/Smooth in 1990. The album’s hard-driving first single “Bang Bang” stays true to the band’s penchant for topical themes, with lyrics that speak to America’s culture of gun violence and mass shootings in an era of narcissistic social media. The song’s high points are the furious guitar riffs and Tré Cool’s awesome drum solos.
7. ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME – Coldplay * Coldplay pulled out all the stops with their joyously upbeat “Adventure of a Lifetime.” Jonny Buckland’s gorgeous swirling guitars, Will Champion’s spot-on drums and Chris Martin’s signature soaring vocals make for a truly great song. Guy Berryman’s strong bass gives the feel of a heart beating and the mandolin at song’s end is stunning. The whimsical video has the bandmembers as gorillas cavorting about in the jungle.
8. LIFE ITSELF – Glass Animals “Life Itself” is one of the most interesting and musically complex songs on this list and I adore it. Glass Animals employs all kinds of instruments, from harps and tom toms to tambourines, piano and unusual guitar synths to create an exceptionally strong track. Lead singer Dave Bayley’s vocals are hypnotic and mesmerizing, and the lyrics about being a millennial slacker are superb: “I can’t get a job, so I live with my mom. I take her money but not quite enough. I sit in the car, and I listen to static. She said I look fat, but I look fantastic.“
9. HEATHENS – twenty øne piløts The brilliant “Heathens” was recorded for the Suicide Squad film soundtrack. The dark song has a haunting arrangement set to a slow hip hop beat. Mournful piano, rough scratching sounds, Tyler Joseph’s monotone vocals, and a mysterious disembodied voice chanting “watch it” contrast with the sweeping orchestration, creating a menacing sense of danger.
10. TROUBLE – Cage the Elephant Another one of my favorite bands, Cage the Elephant returned at the end of 2015 with their album Tell Me I’m Pretty. Produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, the album really shows his strong influence. “Trouble” was the second single to be released (after the uneven “Mess Around”) and it’s absolutely brilliant. The song features beautiful piano, xylophone and guitar instrumentation, accompanied by Matt Shultz’s incredibly beguiling vocals. The song’s video was shot at Joshua Tree National Park, which is near my home and one of the most popular places to make music videos.
11. THE SOUND OF SILENCE – Disturbed When I first heard Disturbed’s “The Sound of Silence” I thought meh. I gave it another listen and thought “well this is actually good.” By my third listen, I was totally blown away by the song’s magnificence. It’s hard to believe anyone could do a respectable cover of this iconic Simon & Garfunkel song, but David Draiman and his band accomplished the feat and then some. Wow, just wow!
12. ALL WE EVER KNEW – The Head and the Heart “All We Ever Knew” is one of the most beautiful and heartfelt songs on my list, which seems quite appropriate given the band’s name. The beautiful melody, instrumentals and vocals belie the bittersweet lyrics about a broken relationship that cannot be fixed.
13. WASTE A MOMENT – Kings of Leon Kings of Leon came roaring back with their gorgeous anthem “Waste A Moment.” The song features Caleb Followill’s signature soaring vocals and the band’s lusty guitars.
14. SAY MY NAME – (IAM)WARFACE I was literally blown over the first moment I heard this incredibly powerful hard rock song by the appropriately-named UK band (IAM)WARFACE. It was like being hit by an atomic blast, and I never tired of hearing this gem!
15. ONE DANCE – Drake, Kyla, WizKid Drake hit the mark with this simple but oh so awesome hip hop dance song. He had assistance by the sultry vocalist Kyla and rapper WizKid. The song spent many weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
16. TRIP SWITCH – Nothing But Thieves “Trip Switch” by UK band Nothing But Thieves is an incredibly catchy song with outstanding instrumentation. Lead singer Conor Mason’s distinctly seductive vocals are mesmerizing.
17. STARBOY – The Weeknd “Starboy” is a beautiful, rather mysterious song from the amazingly talented The Weeknd. His slightly falsetto vocals are really captivating in this song.
18. SPIRITS – The Strumbellas I seem to love gorgeous anthems, because “Spirits” by Canadian band The Strumbellas is certainly that. Everything about this song is perfect – orchestration and arrangement, instrumentals, lyrics and the band’s beautiful harmonizing vocals, led by lead singer Simon Ward.
19. PRETTY PIMPIN – Kurt Vile I really love this quirky song. Great lyrics and guitar, plus Kurt Vile’s wonderful vocals.
20. WAY DOWN WE GO – Kaleo This hauntingly beautiful song by Icelandic rock/blues band Kaleo is from their second studio album A/B, and one of the most compelling singles of 2016. The bluesy melody is almost funereal, but in a torch song kind of way, with a strong drumbeat that propels the song forward. The guitars and piano are gorgeous, and JJ Julius Son’s raw, impassioned vocals bring chills.
21. OPHELIA – The Lumineers 22. BORED TO DEATH – Blink-182 23. 7 YEARS – Lukas Graham 24. WHEN WE WERE YOUNG – Adele 25. GENGHIS KHAN – Miike Snow 26. FEEL INVINCIBLE – Skillet 27. 24K MAGIC – Bruno Mars 28. OFF THE GROUND – The Record Company 29. HELLO – Adele * 30. CHEAP THRILLS – Sia featuring Sean Paul 31. GOOD GRIEF – Bastille 32. HYMN FOR THE WEEKEND – Coldplay featuring Beyoncé 33. SEND MY LOVE (To Your New Lover) – Adele 34. WALKING ON A DREAM – Empire of the Sun 35. YOU DON’T GET ME HIGH ANYMORE – Phantogram 36. SORRY – Justin Bieber 37. CHANGES – MUTEMATH 38. COLOR – Finish Ticket 39. HAPPY SONG – Bring Me The Horizon 40. SOUNDCHECK – Catfish and the Bottlemen 41. CAKE BY THE OCEAN – DNCE 42. HARDWIRED – Metallica 43. PRAYERS/TRIANGLES – Deftones 44. SOMEBODY ELSE – The 1975 45. BAD DECISIONS – Two Door Cinema Club 46. KISS THIS – The Struts 47. 10,000 EMERALD POOLS – BØRNS 48. UNDER THE INFLUENCE – Elle King 49. WELCOME TO YOUR LIFE – Grouplove 50. NIGHTLIGHT – Silversun Pickups 51. CLEOPATRA – The Lumineers 52. SURE AND CERTAIN – Jimmy Eat World 53. JUGGERNAUT – Partisan 54. THANK GOD FOR GIRLS – Weezer 55. MESS AROUND – Cage the Elephant 56. SMOOTH SAILIN’ – Leon Bridges 57. I TOOK A PILL IN IBIZA – Mike Posner 58. TONIGHT – Matto Rules 59. FIRE – Barns Courtney 60. DESTRUCTION – Joywave 61. RIVER – Bishop Briggs 62. WOMAN, WOMAN – AWOLNATION 63. LET IT GO – James Bay 64. WAKE UP CALL – Nothing But Thieves 65. LOVE YOURSELF – Justin Bieber 66. SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN – Young the Giant 67. REAPERS – Muse 68. BAD REPUTATION – Adelitas Way 69. MAGNETS – Disclosure featuring Lorde 70. WISH I KNEW YOU – The Revivalists 71. LOVE ME – The 1975 72. DARK OLD HOUSES – Chris Watkins & Drunk Poets 73. CLOSE – Nick Jonas & Tove Lo 74. DANG! – Mac Miller featuring Anderson .Paak 75. JUST LIKE FIRE – P!nk 76. CAN’T STOP THE FEELING! – Justin Timberlake 77. VICTORIOUS – Panic! At the Disco 78. DEVIL’S BLEEDING CROWN – Volbeat 79. STARS – Wons Phreely + the Horses 80. THE POP KIDS – The Pet Shop Boys 81. THE SHAKES THAT YOU MAKE – Dyslexic Postcards 82. AWAKE – Acrylic 83. WOW – Beck 84. THE SOUND – The 1975 85. YOUR SATURDAY NIGHT – Bryan Howell & the Standalones 86. BELONG – Shelita Burke 87. OBSOLETE – Agony in the Garden 88. RED SUN – Whale House 89. EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT – Neil and Adam 90. ASKING FOR IT – Shinedown 91. UNSTEADY – X Ambassadors 92. CLOSER – The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey 93. THIS IS WHAT YOU CAME FOR – Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna 94. RETURN TO THE MOON – El Vy 95. HAND CLAP – Fitz & the Tantrums 96. AIN’T NO MAN – The Avett Brothers 97. FIRE AND THE FLOOD – Vance Joy 98. DON’T LET ME DOWN – The Chainsmokers featuring Daya 99. BRAZIL – Declan McKenna 100. DON’T THREATEN ME WITH A GOOD TIME – Panic! At the Disco
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 