Best Songs of 2019
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 (all 100 tracks!) and Apple Music. Track notes to come eventually or maybe never.
-
Juice
Lizzo
Cuz I Love You
Atlantic
via past experience / the ether
-
Now That I Found You
Carly Rae Jepsen
Dedicated
Interscope
via past experience
-
Cross You Out
Charli XCX featuring Sky Ferreira
Charli
Asylum
via past experience
-
Wild Girl
Kito & Empress Of
Wild Girl digital single
Astralwerks
via Said the Gramophone
-
Pleaser
Georgia Maq
Pleaser
Run for Cover
via past experience (Camp Cope)
-
Tears
Nilüfer Yanya
Miss Universe
ATO
via KEXP
-
Faithless
Operators
Radiant Dawn
Last Gang
via past experience
-
Your Capricious Soul
Michael Stipe
Your Capricious Soul digital single
self-released
via past experience
-
Impossible Knots
Thom Yorke
ANIMA
XL Recordings
via past experience
-
Water Me Down
Vagabon
Vagabon
Nonesuch
via past experience / KEXP
-
PDA
Manatee Commune
PDA
Bastard Jazz
via past experience / KEXP
-
Pieces
Tourist
Everyday
Monday
via 10x19.co
-
Can’t Believe the Way We Flow
James Blake
Assume Form
Polydor
via past experience / Fluxblog
-
Hey, Ma
Bon Iver
i,i
Jagjaguwar
via past experience
-
Cast-Off
Bruce Hornsby featuring Justin Vernon
Absolute Zero
Zappo Productions
via past experience
-
You Had Your Soul With You
The National
I Am Easy to Find
4AD
via past experience
-
You Ain’t the Problem
Michael Kiwanuka
KIWANUKA
Interscope
via past experience
-
Ordinary Pleasure
Toro y Moi
Outer Peace
Paper Bag
via past experience
-
Old Graffiti
Bibio
Curls / Old Graffiti 7"
Warp
via past experience
-
Only Human
KH
Only Human digital single
Ministry of Sound
via past experience (Four Tet)
-
Home
Caribou
Home digital single
Merge
via past experience
-
It Rains Love
Lee Fields & The Expressions
It Rains Love
Big Crown
via past experience
-
Beauty & Essex
Free Nationals featuring Daniel Caesar & Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Free Nationals
OBE
via past experience
-
King James
Anderson .Paak
Ventura
OBE
via past experience
-
10%
Kaytranada featuring Kali Uchis
BUBBA
RCA
via past experience / Fluxblog
-
Outta My Head
Khalid featuring John Mayer
Free Spirit
RCA
via past experience
-
Watermelon Sugar
Harry Styles
Fine Line
Columbia
via Rob Sheffield
-
Harmony Hall
Vampire Weekend
Father of the Bride
Columbia
via past experience
-
Summer Girl
Haim
Summer Girl digital single
Columbia
via past experience
-
Just a Little Bit
Norah Jones
Begin Again
Blue Note
via past experience
-
Seventeen
Sharon Van Etten
Remind Me Tomorrow
Jagjaguwar
via past experience
-
The Future Is Here
Sleater-Kinney
The Center Won’t Hold
Mom and Pop
via past experience
-
I’m Not Where You Are
Marika Hackman
Any Human Friend
Sub Pop
via KEXP
-
Bags
Clairo
Immunity
Fader
via the ether
-
Superbike
Jay Som
Anak Ko
Polyvinyl
via past experience
-
Drive On
Alex Schaaf
Drive On / Armistice 7"
Offline
via past experience (Yellow Ostrich) / KEXP
-
Kiss It Away
The Drums
Brutalism
Anti-
via past experience
-
In the Capital
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
In the Capital / Read My Mind 7"
Sub Pop
via past experience
-
Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself
Alex Lahey
The Best of Luck Club
Dead Oceans
via past experience
-
Big Ups
Ravens & Chimes
The Empty House
Better Looking
via past experience / Freegal
-
Knock Me Off My Feet
SOAK
Grim Town
Rough Trade
via Side One Track One
-
Four Tries Down
Hater
Four Tries Down digital single
Fire
via past experience / KEXP
-
Maybe You’re the Reason
The Japanese House
Good at Falling
Dirty Hit/Interscope
via Evan Johnson / 10x19.co
-
So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings
Caroline Polachek
PANG
Perpetual Novice
via past experience (Chairlift) / Stereogum
-
Confessions
Sudan Archives
Athena
Stones Throw
via KEXP / Said the Gramophone
-
BALDWIN
Jamila Woods
LEGACY! LEGACY!
Jagjaguwar
via past experience
-
No Sé
Ximena Sariñana
¿Dónde Bailarán Las Niñas?
WM Mexico
via Julia Paleski
-
Rooting for You
Alessia Cara
This Summer
Def Jam
via past experience
-
Carry on With Me
Júníus Meyvant
Across the Borders
Record Records
via past experience
-
Stay High
Brittany Howard
Jaime
ATO
via past experience (Alabama Shakes)
-
Shining Woman
Daughter of Swords
Dawnbreaker
Nonesuch
via past experience (Mountain Man)
-
This Close
Molly Sarlé
Karaoke Angel
Partisan
via past experience (Mountain Man)
-
Love Yourself
Sufjan Stevens
Love Yourself / With My Whole Heart 7"
Asthmatic Kitty
via past experience / KEXP
-
Sunspots
Sarah Bethe Nelson
Weird Glow
Burger
via past experience
-
Without a Blush
Hatchie
Keepsake
Double Double Whammy
via Said the Gramophone
-
Capacity
Charly Bliss
Young Enough
Barsuk
via past experience
-
Windows
Frankie Cosmos
Close It Quietly
Sub Pop
via past experience
-
Hard to Kill
Bleached
Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough?
Dead Oceans
via past experience
-
Come for Me
Sunflower Bean
King of the Dudes
Mom and Pop
via KEXP
-
Mercury in Retrograde
Sturgill Simpson
Sound & Fury
Elektra
via past experience
-
GIRL
Maren Morris
GIRL
Columbia
via past experience
-
Redesigning Women
The Highwomen
The Highwomen
Elektra
via past experience (Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, et al)
-
Thoughts and Prayers
The Raconteurs
Help Us Stranger
Third Man
via past experience
-
Western Stars
Bruce Springsteen
Western Stars
Columbia
via past experience
-
747
Bill Callahan
Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest
Drag City
via past experience
-
Lincoln
Damien Jurado
In the Shape of a Storm
Mama Bird
via past experience
-
Coming Down for You
Joan Shelley
Like the River Loves the Sea
No Quarter
via past experience
-
Midnight Sun
Calexico | Iron & Wine
Years to Burn
Sub Pop
via past experience
-
New Moon
Steve Gunn
The Unseen in Between
Matador
via past experience
-
Texas Sun
Khruangbin & Leon Bridges
Texas Sun digital single
Dead Oceans
via past experience (Leon Bridges) / Said the Gramophone
-
Terlingua Girl
Lillie Mae
Other Girls
Third Man
via Mark Baker
-
Love Is Everywhere (Beware)
Wilco
Ode to Joy
DbPM
via past experience
-
Resentment
Kesha featuring Sturgill Simpson, Brian Wilson & Wrabel
High Road
Kemosabe
via past experience
-
Didn’t Know What I Was in For
Better Oblivion Community Center
Better Oblivion Community Center
Dead Oceans
via past experience (Conor Oberst, Phoebe Bridgers)
-
Walking on a String
Matt Berninger featuring Phoebe Bridgers
Walking on a String digital single
Dead Oceans
via past experience
-
Weightless
Elbow
Giants of All Sizes
Polydor
via past experience
-
Will We Talk?
Sam Fender
Hypersonic Missiles
Polydor
via Heather Ryan
-
Nice to Meet Ya
Niall Horan
Nice to Meet Ya digital single
RCA
via Fluxblog
-
Turn the Light
Karon O & Danger Mouse
Lux Prima
BMG
via past experience
-
Late Night Feelings
Mark Ronson featuring Lykke Li
Late Night Feelings
Columbia
via past experience
-
Turn Up the Radio
Jenn Champion featuring Victor Le Masne
Turn Up the Radio digital single
Hardly Art
via past experience
-
The Knife
Maggie Rogers
Heard It in a Past Life
Capitol
via past experience
-
The Way I Loved You
Reyna
The Way I Loved You digital single
self-released
via Julia Paleski
-
Breaking Your Silence
Generationals
Reader As Detective
Polyvinyl
via past experience
-
Long Time Coming
Trixie Whitley
Lacuna
Unday
via past experience
-
Hard Times
Guster
Look Alive
Nettwerk
via past experience
-
I’ll Be Around
Joseph Arthur
Come Back World
Moonage Rebel
via past experience
-
I’m a Stranger Now
The Tallest Man on Earth
I Love You. It’s a Fever Dream.
Dead Oceans
via past experience
-
Cattails
Big Thief
U.F.O.F.
4AD
via past experience / Song Exploder
-
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Hand Habits
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Saddle Creek
via 10x19.co
-
Nights That Won’t Happen
Purple Mountains
Purple Mountains
Drag City
via KEXP
-
Everlasting Nothing
Beck
Hyperspace
Fonograf
via past experience
-
Do You Remember
Chance the Rapper featuring Ben Gibbard
The Big Day
self-released
via past experience
-
No Bullets Spent
Spoon
Everything Hits at Once (The Best of Spoon)
Matador
via past experience
-
Little White Dove
Jenny Lewis
On the Line
Warner Bros.
via past experience
-
No Halo
Kevin Morby
Oh My God
Dead Oceans
via past experience
-
Blankets
Craig Finn
I Need a New War
Partisan
via past experience
-
Falling Down the Stairs of Your Smile
The New Pornographers
In the Morse Code of the Brake Lights
Concord
via past experience
-
Quietest Friend
Pedro the Lion
Phoenix
Polyvinyl
via past experience
-
Weird Ways
Strand of Oaks
Eraserland
Dead Oceans
via past experience