14. “Gallipoli” :: Beirut
6. “Mujeres” :: Y La Bamba
What will be my #1 favorite song of 2018? You’ll have to wait with breathless anticipation for my final post with the top five songs of the year!
Favorite Songs by Year, 1973-2017
Liam Sullivan's Ideas and Reflections
14. “Gallipoli” :: Beirut
6. “Mujeres” :: Y La Bamba
What will be my #1 favorite song of 2018? You’ll have to wait with breathless anticipation for my final post with the top five songs of the year!
Favorite Songs by Year, 1973-2017
Album: Be the Cowboy
Artist: Mitski
Release Date: 17 August 2018
Favorite Tracks: “A Geyser,” “A Pearl,” “Me and My Husband,” “Nobody,” “Washing Machine Heart,” and “Two Slow Dancers.”
Thoughts: Something of a concept album from the point of view of a married woman expressing her angst and ennui underneath a cheerful veneer. I love Mitski’s dynamic vocals and her guitar-playing style. She’s versatile musically too, transitioning through country, disco, and electro-pop without breaking a sweat. Lyrically she has a power with words to express introspection and vulnerability, even if it’s coming from the point of view of a character.
Rating: ***1/2
6 songs for the 8th month.
Mitski :: “Nobody”
BC Unidos :: “1,2,3, in French”
The Beths :: “Future Me Hates Me”
Jealous of the Birds :: “Plastic Skeletons”
Ali Barter :: “Girlie Bits”
Chancha Via Circuito :: “Algeria”
Previous Mixtapes::
Once again, it’s time to look back on the music of 2016 with my favorite songs of the year.
I’ve featured many of this songs in my Song of the Week posts this year. If you see a link from a song title it will take you back to the Song of the Week post for that song, or other time I wrote about that band.
For previous year-end lists of previous years check out my lists for 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009.
In alphabetical order, here are my ten favorite songs of the year:
“Atomic Number” by case/lang/veirs
“Brother, What Happened” by Muddy Magnolias
“Big Bad Good” by My Bubba
“Freedom” by Beyoncé
“Mighty (feat. JFTH)” by Caravan Palace
“Quiet” by Erik Blood
“To Have You Back” by Tourist
“Wave of History” by Downtown Boys
“Your Best American Girl” by Mitski
“You Want it Darker” by Leonard Cohen
And here are five honorable mentions:
“Augustine” by Blood Orange
“Frankie Sinatra” by The Avalanches
“Stranger Things” by Kyle Dixon, Michael Stein
“This Girl” by Kungs vs. Cookin’ on 3 Burners
“Yeah, I’m Okay With My Shit Life” by Bethlehem Steel
What were your favorite songs of 2016?
The song “Your Best American Girl” by Mitski has been out for several months, but I only became acquainted with it a few weeks ago, and then I heard it broken down in this excellent episode of the Song Exploder.