And here we come to the end of the decade and these are my top 10 songs of the year. Stay tuned in January when I put together my decade lists.
10. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - "Waiting for You"
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' 18th album Ghosteen is a haunting song cycle meditating on loss and grieving. The album is the first one released since the accidental death of Cave's son Arthur. It asks the big questions about life but is never heavy-handed or maudlin. For me, the record is most touching during the quiet, contemplative moments. Cave's voice is so emotionally bare and resonant on "Waiting for You." Stark piano chords and subtle electronics provide the perfect canvas.
9. KAZU - "Undo"
Kazu Makino, the former lead singer for Blonde Redhead, released her debut solo album this year, entitled Adult Baby. It's an enigmatic record, full of strange sounds, and lots of intriguing uses of her voice. "Undo" is both gorgeous and offsetting; using odd backing noises (clicks, whistles, and drones) to keep you off-center. Deerhoof drummer Greg Saunier adds cavernous drums to the mix, anchoring the song to the earth.
8. Rhye - "Needed"
Rhye returns with this haunting, and vaguely sinister new track called "Needed." Lyrics like "Why you look so fragile? Do I seem so bad?," hint at a darker under current, as the narrator implores his lover that all he wants is to be needed. The song was co-written with Dan Wilson of Semisonic.
7. Tove Lo - "Glad He's Gone"
Excellent kiss-off track from the always awesome Tove Lo.
6. FKA twigs - "Sad Day"
"sad day" is a stunning, haunting collaboration with Nicolas Jaar, Skrillex, and benny blanco. Her vocal performance and the production tips its hat squarely to Kate Bush's most enchanting work.
5. Broods - "Too Proud"
From their brilliant record Don't Feed the Pop Monster, Broods release this moving track about struggling with depression. It's something I have struggled with all my life and it hit home very deeply.
4. Hayden Thorpe - "Human Knot"
Hayden Thorpe, the former lead singer for art-pop band Wild Beasts, released his first solo album, the gorgeous piano-led Diviner. One of my favorite tracks is the starkly beautiful "Human Knot," which focuses on Thorpe's haunting voice. It's a touching song that deals with the interconnection between people and that, even if there is a split or absence, it doesn't mean there is not still love or caring.
3. Angel Olsen - "All Mirrors"
It's difficult to imagine a more sweeping, dramatic track this year. Angel Olsen erupted this year like a volcano, showing an all-consuming command of her craft. The sweeping strings and swooning synths of this track just propel her titanic vocals forward, leaving us in its wake.
2. Charli XCX ft. Christine and the Queens - "Gone"
This was pretty much my theme song this year. It was a year of massive change for me, and really figuring out what it means to be friends with people, and learning also when to know to drop certain toxic people. And in my head and heart, I recite these lyrics: "Don't search me in here, I'm already gone, baby."
1. Thom Yorke - "Dawn Chorus"
Lord, what do I say about this song. "Dawn Chorus" is an achingly beautiful song from Thom Yorke's solo album ANIMA. It's a song about the loss of his former partner. It's sad, it's incomplete, it's inscrutable; just like life. There is sorrow here and loss of hope, seeing everything lost to ash. But in the absence of that hope, there is also a light, something pulling him forward, making him choose to move into life. Dawn chorus refers to the cacophony of sounds birds make in the dawn; it provides a restart, a resolution, a new day.
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