2013 Favorite Songs (10-1)

And we finally reach the creme de la creme, my Top Ten Favorite Songs of 2013:

10. Nine Inch Nails - "Satellite"



Damn funky, and extremely catchy, "Satellite" off of Reznor's latest opus Hesitation Marks is textbook NIN, sinister and slinky, and ultimately booty shaking.

9. FKA twigs - "How's That"



Mixing trip-hop's sense of dread with beat music's warped style and mood, vocalist FKA twigs, working with top notch producer Arca, crafted this amazing single off her EP2. The song takes a while to take shape, its fractured beats never really letting you sink into a groove. But it is all due to the commanding vocals from FKA twigs that draw you in, a whisper, a coo, beckoning you into her dark, twisted world. Expect great things from this lady.

8. Blood Orange - "Chamakay"



Heartbreaking track from Blood Orange, the solo project of producer Dev Hynes, featuring vocals from Caroline Polachek from Chairlift. Over a languid, tropical vibe, Hynes and Polachek's vocals wind in and out of one another, each unsure of each other, and unable to make a relationship work with all the lies and game playing. The haunting lines "I'll never leave you if you're thinking that it's all the same/I'll never trust you if you're thinking that it's just a game" echo throughout the track, showing the impasse that can't be overcome.

7. When Saints Go Machine - "Iodine"



When Saints Go Machine cannot be called direct. Their experimental electro-pop tracks deal more with mood, texture, and atmosphere rather that getting straight to the point. Their lyrics are especially impressionistic and very open to interpretation, with single "Iodine" not being an exception. I have pretty much no idea what this song is about, however, their use of warm electronics and singer Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild's fragile, tender voice bring all the emotion and longing that is needed. This is pure pop feeling at its finest.

6. Local Natives - "You And I"



Local Natives took a monster leap into the upper echelons of indie rock with their second record Hummingbird. "You and I" is the soaring, emotional first track on the record that sets a high barrier for the other tracks to follow, and from there, the record becomes more and more sublime. This single always stands out for me, with its lush bed of guitars and keyboards, and Kelcey Ayer's gorgeous voice, and its sad dissection of a failing relationship, with Rice singing "When did your love, when did your love go cold?/The closer I get, the farther I have to go/To places we don't know." Quietly heartbreaking.

5. Drake - "Hold On, We're Going Home"



Sort of the yin to Local Native's "You and I" yang, Drake's self-proclaimed "wedding song," is not quite as straightforward as it sounds (why does this girl act different around Drake for instance?), but all thematic quibbles aside, this is the best damn pop-R&B track of the year. Drake assumes a slick Marvin Gaye persona on this track, and rides it home on its insistently good vibe.

4. London Grammar - "Wasting My Young Years"



Propelled by the striking vocals of Hannah Reid, London Grammar's "Wasting My Young Years" is the haunting centerpiece to their record If You Wait. It perfectly captures youthful doubt that a relationship is holding one back from actually living. Reid makes these doubts so palpable, you feel each pang deep inside.

3. Chvrches - "Gun"



If I could, I would easily put every song on The Bones of What You Believe on this list. As I have limited myself to one for each artist, I will go with "Gun," the ultimate kiss off song. And it doesn't hurt that this is some of the catchiest synthpop you will hear all year.

2. Tove Lo - "Habits"



Odd for me that the best, catchiest pop song of the year is also one of the saddest tracks I have ever heard. Singer Tove Lo wrenches every emotion she can as she tries to forget a lover that has either left her or passed away. As she numbs herself with drugs, alcohol, and one night stands, his memory keeps coming back to haunt her and you feel her anguish. Anyone who has lost their one great love should be devastated by this track. This song should have been huge.

1. James Blake - "Retrograde"



Damn you James Blake. Just as I was about to give up on you, you had to go and release "Retrograde," possibly the finest song of your career and now my favorite song of the year. That gorgeous croon, the delicate, fragile humming over somber piano chords and muted drum programming, erupting into such a emotional whirlwind. For the first time I felt your presence in a track, inhabiting it like an ancient ghost. When the analog synths kick in like air raid sirens from the underworld, my heart drops, your voice in agony over an unrequited love. You drop back into almost silence, keeping me tightly in your grasp. The aching refrain of "and your friends are gone/and your friends won't come" the perfect encapsulation of feeling lost and lonely in this world. Bravo.