2019 - The Top Ten Songs

This race felt much tighter to me than the top album spots. There were a lot of songs vying to make the cut. I had to stop myself from adding more to the runner up section because I kept thinking of songs I wanted to gush about. 2019 was a year of strong songwriting, of bold moves and daring directional shifts. A lot of the songs emerged as my top choices because of a sense of adventure, an excitement inspired by the new ideas and sounds. I got to expand my perception of artists and bands this year, which is something I always enjoy doing. Even if it takes some time or involves periods of discomfort, it's an inevitability.

Runner Ups:

People - The 1975

• This song is such an intriguing and left field track from The 1975. It's raw, ferocious even as the band tears into political angst in a very My Chemical Romance fashion. That is both its strength and weakness - its intensity. It was something that drew me in at first, but would also sometimes keep me from listening. It felt like I had to be in a specific mood to appreciate the song, which is not a bad thing. It prevented it from placing in the top 10.

Nightmare - Halsey

• When I first heard this song, I was hooked the moment the chorus kicked in. It's got a gritty, punk vibe to it that was so different for Halsey yet also right up her alley. The only reason this song didn't make the top ten was the verses - the trap beat didn't quite mesh as well for me. But the chorus keeps me coming back, it's impossible to listen and not want to start a riot.

How To Build A Relationship/High Beams - Flume

• Both of these songs from Flume were stand outs from his mixtape, specifically for their well-fitting features. I hadn't heard of either JPEGMAFIA or slowthai before these songs. I found their rap styles to add an immense amount to each of their respective songs. The instrumentals that Flume provides both of them to spit bars are tailored to fit their vibes. Both were songs that I played often while driving, quite loudly. It's hard not to feel cool while listening to either.

Starting from number 10, here are my top songs of the year.

10. Put Me Under - grandson

• I went back and forth about which song from grandson I wanted to include on this list - up until I started writing this post, it was "Stigmata", with "Oh No!!!" also being quite close. That just shows the quality of the music grandson has put out this year, that I was going back and forth on multiple songs to include. I ended up on this song, however, because of the new light it shed on grandson and expanding my perception of the kind of music that the group could make. Every time I hear the song, especially the chorus, I get a rush of exhilaration. It's so relatable, lyrically, but musically is thrilling in the highs and lows. Can't say enough how ecstatic I am to hear more from this group.

9. No Halo - Brockhampton

• I was not familiar with the self proclaimed "boy band" of rap before this year, but found myself intrigued by some of the songs off their latest album. It was a close call between "No Halo" and "Boy Bye" (what an absolute blast of a song), but "No Halo" appealed to me through its appeal to emotions and vulnerability, not something I often find in rap. The combination of the acoustic guitar melody with the softer beat, especially on the chorus, continued to bring me back again and again. While it's more of a moody song, it's right up my alley and exactly the kind of song that will stick with me for a long time.

8. Congratulations - Jimmy Eat World

• While "555" off of Jimmy Eat World's latest album was the song that drew me into the record, "Congratulations" is the song that kept me there and coming back for more. The six minute track is an intense piece of alternative rock, really reminding me of the band in its more angsty days. The political nature of the lyrics is an unusual route for the band, is much more subtle than the instrumental. The combination of the two makes for a more nuanced performance. It's not grandson, raging against the machine of the system, but the quiet frustration of someone watching friends and family turn on each other over polarized views and parroted talking points.

7. Numb Without You - The Maine

• While I had some issues with the album, the lead single from The Maine's latest record is an absolute thrill ride of a track. The inclusion of strings adds a level of depth the band had really never explored before, and it is a sound that really fits them well. The way the chorus drops in, it's explosive and intoxicating. This song was something I returned to often this year, even if I didn't come back for the rest of the album.

6. Sucker - Jonas Brothers

• If anyone had told me that I would ever put a song by the Jonas Brothers on my list of top songs for the year, I would have likely told them they were out of their mind. But here we are, in a year where the brothers are back together and making quality music. This song threw me for a loop, but I could not get enough of it. The groove, the infectiousness, the irresistible sappiness of the tune was impossible to deny. I can't say I'm a fan of the band's older material, but I am most definitely a fan of this new era.

5. 11 Minutes (with Halsey feat. Travis Barker) - Yungblud

• An interesting combination of artists results in an intereting combination of sounds. I had not heard anything from Yungblud before this song, but was intrigued after seeing the featured artists. The result is pop-punk meets trap with a dash of emo. Nothing feels forced - the genuine quality of the song is what drives its appeal to your hear and ears. The back and forth between Yungblud and Halsey has some real chemsitry (which considering they were dating for some time, makes sense), with incredible moments of harmonization and spitting back and forth across the line of this lyrical relationship. All brought together by Barker's tight and driving drum work; it's not only an interesting combination, but a winning one.

4. Nihlist Blues (feat. Grimes) - Bring Me The Horizon

• It feels a little ironic to me that the song I enjoyed the most off of Bring Me The Horizon's latest album is the direction the band explored even further on their surprise EP they dropped last month. The blending of the band's intense/heavier tendencies with Grimes' electronic sounds is unexpected but ingenious. It shows the band's real ability to be genre fluid while still retaining their core essence; something they've been ramping up in their last few albums. Each step they take away from their metal sound is a welcome step for me, and the direction they want to take as musicians as well.

3. Take What You Want (feat. Ozzy Osbourne & Travis Scott) - Post Malone

• The fact that Post Malone got both Ozzy Osbourne & Travis Scott on a song, with himself is impressive enough on its own. The smashing hit they created is on a whole other level. The meeting of rap and rock is nothing new, and has been done for decades, but this fusion feels very current and fresh. The switching between trap beats and synths to a drum set and wild guitar solos is invigorating, as well as the passing of the vocal baton between Osbourne, Scott, and Malone. The range demonstrated by Malone is remarkable, with some light screaming/yelling revealing the ways in which he can switch towards a more gritty and darker tone. The fact that Ozzy Osbourne is still rocking out at 71, however, is heartening and makes the whole experience all the more enjoyable.

2. Bring Me Back To Life - The Dangerous Summer

• A band that I had not listened to since high school, The Dangerous Summer's latest album captured my attention more than I anticipated - due to this song. There are certain songs that have a specific quality, a combination of sounds and tones that invoke a mood and response within that I have always struggled to put a name to. There's usually two or three songs like that a year, and this song was one of them without a doubt. I've told a few people, this song sounds like if Angels & Airwaves were a little more gritty, a little more earthbound instead of shooting to the stars. The way lead singer AJ Perdomo screams on the chorus feels so raw, so visceral. It keeps me coming back again and again to howl in the nameless Southern scenery described in the song.

1. The Wolf - Simple Creatures

• If I had one complaint for this song, it would be that it's not long enough. Every listen always leaves me wanting more. The first time I listened through this EP, I only distinctly remember when this song came on and how I stopped whatever else I was doing to listen. The build up, alternating between Alex & Mark's almost apathetic vocals and them screaming earnestly, all over an instrumental that taps into electronic elements. All of this culminates in the last 33 seconds of the song, which explodes in a wall of sound of electrifying guitars and beats. The song is just, really damn cool. And while my top songs of the year usually lean more towards those I create emotional connections with, this song kept coming back as the song I played when I was feeling great. This year was a year of feeling great.