jay-z

These are my Top 20 Songs of January, in terms of plays and resonance:

20. Tove Lo – Habits

19. Lucius – Wildewoman

18. Massari – Brand New Day

17. Alvvays – Adult Diversion

16. Foster The People – Coming Of Age

15. Trust – Rescue, Mister

14. Britney Spears – Alien

13. Kaleida – Tropea

12. Beyonce f. Jay-Z – Drunk In Love

11. Basia Bulat – Tall Tall Shadow/It Can’t Be You

10. Zedd f. Hayley Williams – Stay The Night

9. Broken Bells – Holding On For Life

8. Ghost (B.C.) – If You Have Ghosts

7. One Direction – Story Of My Life

6. Wildlife – Lightning Tent

5. Maximo Park – Leave This Island

4. Katy Perry – Unconditionally

3. Eternal Death – Head

2. Future Islands – Seasons (Waiting On You)

I thank the stars they’re back. What an immense, amazing tune. Future Islands own so much real estate in my heart that I think I’d disappear if they ever chose to sell.

1. Against Me! – True Trans Soul Rebel

NB: At present, and for the life of me, I can’t find the original version of this song to share. The acoustic version I’ve shared below is brilliant, but the original is one of the catchiest alt/pop songs I’ve heard in a long time. If you can find it, listen to it. Embrace it. Against Me! are on fire.

I think 2013 was a brilliant year for new music; it was just as good as 2012 (which I thought at the time was the best year for songs in many moons) or better. There’s no way I could make a strict Top 100 Songs of the Year list and feel good about myself, though I don’t want to go as overboard as I did last year, where many numbers on that list had a part A) and a B). I’m going to hold off on playing that card, as want to fall in line with my prediction that in 2014, we’ll see “restraint” adopted more and more as a thoughtful, progressive lifestyle choice — bahahaha, sorry I can’t continue that sentence any longer. The complete opposite will prove true. Shit be cray; restraint seems like a relic of a long lost world, like the crystals of the Mayan civilization, Tesla’s time machine, and when you could count on your breakfast cereal containing all the GMO’s your (growing) body could handle http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/original-cheerios-to-go-gmo-free-1.2482761.

There will be no A)’s and B)’s on this list, but I’ve still got to find a way to massage the proceedings to ensure maximum comfort, so I’ve chosen to include two or more songs by a particular band/artist in some spots. I’ve found that on many occasions, it’s difficult to discern which song of a given band/artist is the “best,” so I’m going to forego that agony altogether. For instance, I really like Lorde’s “Tennis Court” and “400 Lux”. I wouldn’t say one song is better than the other, nor can I decide which one I like more, so I’ve listed them together. This happens several times over the course of this list. (I’ve also decided to include an audio link to each song when this happens — why should one track get daps over another!?)

Lastly, some might think that songs placed at the low end of this or any list aren’t worth sharing/remembering/exploring. This could not be further from the truth. So much good music was released in 2013, that to be listed anywhere in the top 100 should be a huge source of pride for these songs (if songs knew about this list, and if songs could feel pride. I love anthropomorphism!). Music continues to be the gift that keeps on giving. All it takes is a little time and effort to seek out the best of the best.

Here are my Top 100 Songs of 2013:

100. Mereki – Blue Lake