An annual tradition on my blog – My Top 100 Songs of the Year.
To further explore amazing music, here are my Top Songs from 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009 (click “Follow” at the top of Spotify if you want to add any of the playlists to your sidebar of playlists)
There weren’t any clear “song of the year” candidates in 2016. I like every song in the top 8 equally.
2016 was the year of experimental/weird indie pop – with Yeasayer, Animal Collective and M83 all turning in a slew of great songs. Also really liked Phantogram’s album. But really, 2016 was Twenty One Pilots‘ year. By FAR my kids’ top album of the year. And as much as I’m a hipster music-snob and pretty much hate anything that is on the radio, I begrudgingly REALLY like Twenty One Pilots. Easily the best album of the year. Every song is different and good. Those two dudes have a knack for crafting perfect pop songs. AND their lyrics are super solid – with most songs referring to God.
Despite my hipster tendencies, my top 100 songs are actually really fun to listen to. If you follow indie music at all, you’ll find that most “Top Songs of The Year” are trying really hard to be cool and prove their hipster-ness. My Top Songs list is Indie Music for the Masses – Indie Music that’s actually enjoyable to listen to (not grating avant-garde or sleep-inducing-singer-songwriter).
Most of these songs are Indie-pop, Indie-rock, or Indietronica.
Here are my 100 favorite songs of 2016 (click to play individual tracks or here to play the full list in Spotify):
100 Family And Genus – Shakey Graves
99 Swim Against the Tide – The Japanese House
98 The Moment – Tame Impala
97 Arizona – Frances Cone
96 Everything All At Once – Local Natives
95 Crazy Eyes – Brother Moses
94 Strangers – Psychic Twin
93 Gemini Feed – Banks
92 Waving Goodbye – Sia
91 Sunday Love – Bat For Lashes
90 Do You Remember – St. Lucia
89 Prophecy Gun – Yeasayer
88 Gold – Jorgen Odegard Remix – Imagine Dragons, Jorgen Odegard
87 Dead Alive – The Shins
86 Wings of Love – LIV
85 Time – Mint Royale, Tom Cane
84 LIFE – HEALTH
83 Drifting – On An On
82 Way To Go – Empire of the Sun
81 Never Going Back – Caveman
80 Cheap Thrills – Sia
79 The Sound – The 1975
78 Silly Me – Yeasayer
77 I Can Only Stare – Sleigh Bells
76 Human – Caveman
75 Free – Broods
74 80 West – Caveman
73 All in My Head – Porcelain Raft
72 Club Aso – Palmistry
71 Two Vines – Empire of the Sun
70 I Was Wrong – A R I Z O N A
69 Celestial Creatures – Wild Beasts
68 For U (feat. Charli XCX) – Miike Snow, Charli XCX
67 8 (circle) – Bon Iver
66 May I Have This Dance – Francis and the Lights
65 A 1000 Times – Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam
64 High And Low – Empire of the Sun
63 Ablaze – School Of Seven Bells
62 Choose Me – James Blake
61 Bird Set Free – Sia
60 Don’t Let Me Down – The Chainsmokers, Daya
59 Broken Glass – Sia
58 I Feel The Weight – Miike Snow
57 Gone – Day Wave
56 Way Back Home – Cameron AG
55 Here’s To Us – Ellie Goulding
54 Lane Boy – Twenty One Pilots
53 22 (OVER S∞∞N) – Bon Iver
52 Easier – Mansionair
51 Conrad – SOHN
50 Tear In My Heart – Twenty One Pilots
49 I Need A Forest Fire – James Blake, Bon Iver
48 Same Old Blues – Phantogram
47 Sledgehammer – Rihanna
46 Mother Emanuel – Local Natives
45 Turning a Hand – Francis
44 Past Lives – BØRNS
43 Run Run Blood – Phantogram
42 Past Lives – Local Natives
41 Burn the Witch – Radiohead
40 Radio Silence – James Blake
39 Get Right – Jimmy Eat World
38 American Money – BØRNS
37 River – Bishop Briggs
36 Heathens – Twenty One Pilots
35 I Need Your Light – Ra Ra Riot, Rostam
34 Turn It Around – HAERTS
33 Warrior – AURORA
32 Doubt – Twenty One Pilots
31 Friends (feat. Bon Iver) – Francis and the Lights, Bon Iver – favorite part= “I’m Francis!”. Worth watching their goofy music video featuring Kanye
30 Chariots – Paper Route
29 In a Black Out – Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam
28 What Is Left to Solve – Rogue Wave
27 Cruel World – Phantogram
26 Golden Gal – Animal Collective
25 Divine Simulacrum – Yeasayer
24 If You Should See – Wye Oak
23 Hocus Pocus – Animal Collective
22 Trouble – TV On The Radio
21 Fairly Local – Twenty One Pilots
20 33 “GOD” – Bon Iver – pretty disappointed with Bon Iver’s album, overall. But a few solid songs.
19 You’re Mine – Phantogram
18 Malachite – Lydia Ainsworth – Lydia opened for Yeasayer when we saw them this fall in Tulsa and had some great songs. Eagerly anticipating a full length album from her.
17 Loan Shark Blues – Yeasayer
16 Ride – Twenty One Pilots
15 Warning Call – CHVRCHES
14 Lying in the Grass – Animal Collective
13 You Don’t Get Me High Anymore – Phantogram
12 Polarize – Twenty One Pilots
11 Used To – Mutemath
10 Watching the Waiting – Wye Oak – got to see Wye Oak in Kansas city this summer. She’s super talented and amazing live.
9 Fountain Of Youth – Local Natives – this song reminds me of the crazy election season with it’s lyric “I have waited so long, Mrs. President”.
8 Go! (feat. Mai Lan) – M83, MAI LAN
7 I Am Chemistry – Yeasayer – you’ll never hear a better song about the gas C4H10FO2P (sarin gas) and other toxic chemicals
6 Dream Awake – LIV – an early single from one of my most anticipated albums for 2017 from supergroup LIV – made up of two of my favorites, Lykke Li and Miike Snow
5 Do It, Try It – M83 – give this song a chance. Super weird at first progressing to what M83 does best – epic soundscapes
4 FloriDada – Animal Collective – another super weird song. But you can’t help but have a smile on your face and tap your toes as you listen to it. And surprisingly deep song on the Dadaism and the elite’s snobbery toward Floridians.
3 Take Me Home – Phantogram – easily the best cover song this year. Who knew Phil Collins could be so cool?
2 Hometown – Twenty One Pilots – a great song from the best album of 2016. They did a smaller concert in NW Arkansas (which is an absolute miracle – NO ONE comes to Arkansas). I took all 5 of our kids to the show and they LOVED it (It was a few days after we got back from our summer in East Asia so we didn’t have tickets – we just scrounged up a few at the gate!). Those two dudes are legit entertainers and great musicians. My kids wouldn’t let me play anything but Twenty One Pilots in our van ALL fall. Seriously. “DA-AAD, can you put on Twenty One Pilots – this music is boring!”
1 Cold Night – Yeasayer – we got to see Yeasayer in concert in Tulsa and they were absolutely amazing – cementing their status as our #1 alltime favorite band. I thought their new album was pretty disappointing – but still a few gems on it.
Would love to hear – What were your favorite songs from 2016??