Best Songs of 2015

As I have done for the past two years, in 2015 I resumed my project of publishing Best Songs lists for 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, 10 and 5 years ago, along with a list for this year. My favorite part about this process isn’t so much the end product (though I do love sharing it), but the act of making the lists, for in doing so I am able to discover new artists and new songs along the way.

For lists like this one, created in the year when they are published, everything is new—even those songs from familiar artists. Additionally, this journey to 100 songs is very different from the other lists in another crucial way: rather than assembling a mix of 100 tracks, my lists for the past few years have been culled from playlists nearly double that size.

This means that whereas once I had to scrounge for tunes to include, just to hit that century mark, now I have to make cuts, some of them often quite difficult. In the end, this makes the list maybe more a collection of 100 coherent songs than it does my 100 “best”. Then again, that designation was always kind of arbitrary, so I doubt this new method makes the result any less reasonable.

And yet, it felt like a burden of sorts this year. I kept trying to listen to more and more songs, chasing a pipe dream for a true list of the 100 best of 2015. This completist tendency, if anything, left me with more difficult decisions, and less vested interest in my final 100. The paradox of choice is real, and though I have been preaching Barry Schwartz’s teachings for years, in 2015 it became clear that I still have much to learn myself.

Despite my everlasting, ultimately pointless search for great songs in every nook and cranny of the music world, one thing I did a great job of this year—helped along by that same cursed, ever-growing playlist I padded every week—was to listen to these songs. Often this came at the expense of listening to their attendant albums, but it did mean that, on the whole, I probably engaged more with each of these songs than I did with those of my lists in 2014 and 2013.

At times this also meant shutting myself off from a large chunk of my music collection, so I can safely say that these songs truly represent my music listening year even more than normal. Sure, I discovered old albums and tunes in 2015, but with my massive collection now reaching its logical limits (of physical space, but mostly mental capacity), my attention was largely focused on the year that was, and these songs are the ones that best held that attention.

For these year-end lists, I like to undertake the seemingly impossibly task of creating an hours-long mix. The order you see below represents that effort, which you can listen to via Spotify. Sadly all 100 tracks aren't available, but you get the general idea. Track notes to come eventually or maybe never.

Show Grid

I Can’t Feel My Face

The Weeknd

Beauty Behind the Madness

Republic

via the ether
Clean

Big Data featuring Jamie Lidell

2.0

Warner Bros.

via Rdio New Release browsing
Waves

Miguel

Wildheart

RCA

via past experience
Nobody Wins

Jodeci featuring B.o.B.

The Past, The Present, The Future

Epic

via past experience, Rdio New Release browsing
Uptown Funk

Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars

Uptown Special

Columbia

via past experience, the ether
Slip Slide

Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment

Surf

self-released

via Cody Goins
Waterboarded (In Love)

Bhi Bhiman

Rhythm & Reason

BooCoo

via Mark Baker
I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)

Jamie xx featuring Young Thug & Popcaan

In Colour

Downtown

via Pitchfork (probably)
Where Are Ü Now

Skrillex & Diplo featuring Justin Bieber

Jack Ü

Mad Decent

via Charlie Rose
Leave a Trace

Chvrches

Every Open Eye

Glassnote

via past experience, Rdio New Release browsing
2Shy

Shura

White Light

Interscope

via Said the Gramophone
No Justice

Astronauts, etc

Mind Out Wandering

Hit City USA

via Fluxblog
Game Over

Cool Uncle featuring Mayer Hawthorne

Cool Uncle

Fresh Young Minds

via Stereogum
Hailslide

Júníus Meyvant

EP

Record Records

via KEXP
The Bloom (AG3)

Wale

The Album About Nothing

Atlantic

via past experience, Rdio New Release browsing
Not Long

Ludacris featuring Usher

Ludaversal

Def Jam

via past experience, Rdio New Release browsing
Better Man

Leon Bridges

Coming Home

Columbia

via past experience
New England Crows

Hamilton Leithauser & Paul Maroon

I Could Have Sworn

Leithauser & Leithauser

via past experience
Stay in My Corner

The Arcs

Yours, Dreamily,

Nonesuch

via past experience
Great Tide

Phil Cook

Southland Mission

Thirty Tigers

via past experience
Somebody Was Watching

Pops Staples

Don’t Lose This

Anti-

via Aquarium Drunkard
Vision

Matthew E. White

Fresh Blood

Domino

via past experience, Stereogum
Vessel

Dan Mangan + Blacksmith

Club Meds

Arts & Crafts

via KEXP (probably)
NFB

Amason

Sky City

Fairfax

via Amy Madrigali
Hasta la Raíz

Natalia Lafourcade

Hasta la Raíz

RCA

via Song Exploder
Are You Real?

Farao

Till It’s All Forgotten

Arts & Crafts

via Mark Baker
What’d You Say

The Go! Team

The Scene Between

Memphis Industries

via past experience, Rdio New Release browsing
Your Love’s Whore

Wolf Alice

My Love Is Cool

RCA

via KEXP
Brainfreeze

Bully

Feels Like

Columbia

via KEXP
Carolina

Royal Headache

High

What’s Your Rupture

via Cody Goins
Hard Luck Kid

Beach Slang

The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us

Polyvinyl

via Grantland
Come Down

Wavves + Cloud Nothings

No Life for Me

Ghost Ramp

via past experience
A New Wave

Sleater-Kinney

No Cities to Love

Sub Pop

via past experience
Mountain at My Gates

Foals

What Went Down

Warner Bros.

via past experience
Living Zoo

Built to Spill

Untethered Moon

Warner Bros.

via past experience, Side One Track One
The Ghosts of Beverly Drive

Death Cab for Cutie

Kintsugi

Atlantic

via past experience
Suicide Saturday

Hippo Campus

Bashful Creatures

Grand Jury Music

via KEXP
Stoic Resemblance

The Helio Sequence

The Helio Sequence

Sub Pop

via past experience
Born Slippy

Albert Hammond, Jr.

Momentary Masters

Vagrant

via past experience, Side One Track One
Slipping Away

Tanlines

Highlights

True Panther Sounds

via past experience
Summerlong Wave

Moonbabies

Wizards on the Beach

Culture Hero

via past experience, Rdio New Release browsing
Ready to Shine

Young Galaxy

Falsework

Paper Bag

via past experience
Another Go Round

Beat Connection

Product 3

Anti-

via past experience
Wild Motion (Set It Free)

Miami Horror

All Possible Futures

Dine Alone

via KEXP
Empty Nesters

Toro y Moi

What For?

Carpark

via past experience
Dreams

Beck

Dreams 12"

Capitol

via past experience
Black Magic

The-Dream

Crown Jewel

Capitol

via past experience, Stereogum
Cause I’m a Man

Tame Impala

Currents

Interscope

via past experience
Can’t Keep Checking My Phone

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Multi-Love

Jagjaguwar

via past experience
These Walls

Kendrick Lamar featuring Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat

To Pimp a Butterfly

Top Dawg

via past experience, Mike Guay
Them Changes

Thundercat

The Beyond/Where the Giants Roam

Brainfeeder

via past experience
Here

Alessia Cara

Know-It-All

Def Jam

via I cannot recall
Dammn Baby

Janet Jackson

Unbreakable

Rhythm Nation

via past experience
Need You Now

Hot Chip

Why Make Sense?

Domino

via past experience
Ebb/Flow

All We Are

All We Are

Domino

via I cannot recall
Wide Open

The Chemical Brothers featuring Beck

Born in the Echoes

Virgin

via past experience
Downtown

Majical Cloudz

Are You Alone?

Matador

via past experience
I’m Ready

Twin Shadow

Eclipse

Warner Bros.

via past experience
Run Away With Me

Carly Rae Jepsen

E•MO•TION

Interscope

via past experience
The Chase

Future Islands

The Chase 7"

4AD

via past experience, The Late Show
Teenage Talk

St. Vincent

Teenage Talk 7"

Loma Vista

via past experience
You Confuse Me

Ian Ball

A Mixtape from Ben Lee

self-released

via past experience
The Wait

Tobias Jesso Jr.

Goon

True Panther Sounds

via Rdio New Release browsing
Depreston

Courtney Barnett

Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit

Mom and Pop

via past experience
I Don’t Mind

Twerps

Range Anxiety

Merge

via Cody Goins
La Loose

Waxahatchee

Ivy Tripp

Merge

via past experience
Every Other Sunday

Sarah Bethe Nelson

Fast Moving Clouds

Burger

via Mark Baker
Moon in My Mouth

No Joy

More Faithful

Mexican Summer

via Fluxblog
The Knock

Hop Along

Painted Shut

Saddle Creek

via KEXP
Something Soon

Car Seat Headrest

Teens of Style

Matador

via Side One Track One
Police My Love

The Mantles

All Odds End

Slumberland

via past experience
Struck Matches

Bop English

Constant Bop

Downtown

via past experience (White Denim), Side One Track One
The Tide

The Dodos

Individ

Polyvinyl

via past experience
Influence

The Acorn

Vieux Loup

Paper Bag

via past experience
What Part of Me

Low

Ones and Sixes

Sub Pop

via past experience
Vestiges

Martin Courtney

Many Moons

Domino

via past experience (Real Estate)
Surreal Exposure

Ducktails

St. Catherine

Domino

via past experience
Return to the Moon (Political Song for Didi Bloome to Sing, with Crescendo)

EL VY

Return to the Moon

4AD

via past experience (The National, Ramona Falls)
Work for Me

Pfarmers

Gunnera

Jurassic Pop

via Pitchfork (sorta), past experience (The National, Menomena)
Let It Grow

Maximum Ballon featuring Karen O & Tunde Adebimpe

Let It Grow digital single

Federal Prism

via Pitchfork
Long Night

Guster

Evermotion

Nettwerk

via past experience
Future People

Alabama Shakes

Sound & Color

ATO

via past experience
Ship to Wreck

Florence + The Machine

How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

Island

via past experience
Don’t Let Me Bring You Down

Laura Marling

Short Movie

Ribbon Music

via past experience
Mistral

The Decemberists

What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World

Capitol

via past experience
Riverman

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

Chasing Yesterday

Sour Mash

via past experience, Rdio New Release browsing
Time Ain’t Slowing Down for Us

Hayden

Hey Love

Arts & Crafts

via past experience, Rdio New Release browsing
Wild Imagination

Kurt Vile

b’lieve i’m goin down…

Matador

via past experience
Leaf Off/The Cave

José González

Vestiges & Claws

Mute

via past experience
Primrose Green

Ryley Walker

Primrose Green

Dead Oceans

via past experience
Steady

The Staves

If I Was

Nonesuch

via Justin Vernon
Over and Even

Joan Shelley

Over and Even

No Quarter

via Mark Baker
God Knows (You Gotta Give to Get)

Iron and Wine & Ben Bridwell

Sing Into My Mouth

Black Cricket

via past experience
The Only Thing

Sufjan Stevens

Carrie & Lowell

Asthmatic Kitty

via past experience
All You Had to Do Was Stay

Ryan Adams

1989

Pax-Am

via past experience
Sagres

The Tallest Man on Earth

Dark Bird Is Home

Jagjaguwar

via past experience
No No No

Beirut

No No No

4AD

via past experience
Goodbye to Yesterday

Ben Lee

Love Is the Great Rebellion

Warner Bros.

via past experience
Wherever Is Your Heart

Brandi Carlile

The Firewatcher’s Daughter

ATO

via past experience, Rdio New Release browsing
Pilgrim (You Can’t Go Home)

Dave Rawlings Machine

Nashville Obsolete

Acony

via past experience