2016 Favorite Songs (Numbers 10-1)

And finally, here are my top singles of 2016:

10. Porches - "Underwater"



This song is reportedly about reaching a contented state of mind. With its liquid synths, I imagine the singer floating on top of a pool, letting the water flow over him.

9. Drake - "One Dance"



All I can say is that once I start playing this song, it will be on repeat for about 10 listens in a row.

8. Clock Opera - "In Memory"



"Do I still do the things that made you fall in love?"

7. James Blake - "My Willing Heart"



This song kills me every time. His voice is pure heaven.

6. Sylvan Esso - "Kick Jump Twist"



By the end of this song you will be doing all three. Trust me.

5. Tinashe - "Ghetto Boy"



Gorgeous R&B track, that perfectly evokes the feelings when you are dating someone you know is bad for you, and that others won't approve of, but you can't help yourself.

4. Hælos - "Cloud Nine"



Mesmerizing song that delves into the abyss of a breakup and the constant swirls of the whys and hows that plague the mind.

3. Massive Attack ft. Hope Sandoval - "The Spoils"



No one does cinematic quite like Massive Attack. Hope Sandoval's vocals are practically perfect.

2. Radiohead - "Daydreaming"



The only thing surprising about this song from Radiohead is how simple and yet ultimately complex it is. I have listened to it countless times and it always sends me into a deep reverie. That this far into their career they can continue to do this never ceases to amaze me.

1. Phantogram - "Funeral Pyre"



Many years ago, I saw Phantogram at a small club in Atlanta. They opened with a song I had never heard before, and in most set lists it was labeled as "Untitled." I had never been grabbed by a song and a performance before, the song building and building to a point of collapse, bludgeoning you to the point of exhaustion, but sending you into spasms of release. That song is now the lead track on Phantogram's latest record Three. It is called "Funeral Pyre," and it is still amazing, and it is my top song of the year.