courtney barnett

My 20 Favourite songs of April, 2015:

20. Of Monsters and Men – Crystals

19. Walk Off The Earth – Rule The World

18. Modest Mouse – The Best Room

17. The Mowgli’s – I’m Good

16. Courtney Barnett – Depreston

15. American Authors – Believer

14. Action Bronson – Easy Rider

13. Florence And The Machine – What Kind Of Man

12. Jack U – Where Are U Now f. Justin Bieber

11. Ms Mr – Painted

10. Sufjan Stevens – Should Have Known Better

9. Tame Impala – Let It Happen

8. The Helio Sequence – Stoic Resemblance

7. Hot Chip – Need You Now

6. Destra Garcia – Lucy

5. Dear Rouge – Black to Gold

Bonus: Awolnation – Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)

Already made one of my lists earlier in the year, but that beat kept on coming. This song is a monster.

4. Brandon Flowers – Can’t Deny My Love

Can’t deny how brilliant and hook-filled this lead single to Flowers’ 2nd solo album is.

Bonus: Heems – Soup Boys (from Jan 2013)

Just came across this behemoth. The lyrics are funny and the beat is enticing like cake is with icing.

3. Bear In Heaven – Autumn

It’s so easy to get lost in the majestic haze of this song. A testament to its power, as soon as it’s finished, I want to immediately press replay.

2. Rihanna – Bitch Better Have My Money (Handbag House vs. Krazy Kat Bootleg Mix)

So absurd. So gitchy. So good. Way, way better than the original.

Bonus: Manic Street Preachers – The Holy Bible (entire album)

I saw these Welsh legends perform The Holy Bible in its entirety when their tour stopped in Toronto — man, am I thankful I decided to go to that show. I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t get into this album when it was released in 1994. I’m elated to say that I finally found it. And what a revelation it’s been to me in the brief time I’ve come to know it. It’s massive, melodic, a monument of rock ‘n roll, punk, and art. I’m in love with the entire album, front to back. This album dominated me in April as I played these tracks time after time. Here are a few of the outstanding tracks from that seminal, jaw-breaking record:

1. A Silent Film – Tomorrow

Couldn’t get enough of this track. This is a nostalgia-inducing, melody-indebted, mountain-climbing, mega-sized gem of a song. “Tomorrow, tomorrow, you’ll find out tomorrow…” Over and over and over, until the number on the calendar changes. Then I can sing it again, tomorrow.

It’s nearly impossible for me to do a strict Top 100 Songs of the Year list. Each year, a plethora of new bands/artists release debut records. That’s a lot of songs. On top of that, there are the bands/artists that have already released material, and continue to build their catalogues. That’s also a lot of songs. Songs over songs in between songs topped with songs stuffed into songs. And I can’t help but seek them out — I love music that much. It makes list releasing/curating a hell of a task though, and it will only get harder each passing year. I don’t know what I’ll do in 2020. Perhaps a Top 500 Songs of The Year list will be the way to go.

As for 2013, there are waaaaaaay more than 100 songs that deserve to have a spotlight shone on them, so this year, I’ve made an alphabetical list of the songs that didn’t make my Top 100. Make no mistake, the songs on this Honourable Mention list are really, really good. Some people might even enjoy these tracks more than what will comprise my Top 100 list. To each their own.

This list is for my favourite tracks of the year to have a space to relax and get comfortable, and for insatiable music consumers. This list might not appeal to a lot of people (that’s okay). If one person discovers a song they hadn’t heard before, listing this many songs will have been worth it.

Here, again, are my favourite songs of 2013, Honourable Mention style, in alphabetical order, beginning with A-C.

2 Chainz f. Pharrell – Feds Watching