Great Songs From a Horrible Year (2016)
These are all the songs in some kind of chronological order that defined my year, or I became absolutely fixated on.Â
1. If You Let It - Sioux Falls/Strange RangerÂ
- February 19th the now Stranger Ranger played their release show for Rot Forever and I cried when they played this song. I think Isaac saw.Â
2. In A Big Country - Big Country
- I had never heard this song before but I went to a Sizzle Pie staff party and they were projecting the music video onto the wall. I immediately fell in love with it, and genuinely think it successfully pulled me out of depression for a week or two at least.Â
3. Sheâs In Parties - Bauhaus
- That same night I ended up staying up all night with a friend watching music videos and also heard this song for the first time. Both In a Big Country and Sheâs In Parties ended up on a mix CD I had in my car and listened to almost every day on my way to work for the first half of the year. I also became totally obsessed with the music video.Â
4. Nothing Feels Good Anymore - The Menzingers
- Janie made me a very angsty mix CD around the beginning of the year and as much as I was convinced I would never get into The Menzingers this song was my absolute favorite on the CD. I listened to it on repeat for weeks.
5. Jackson Cage - Bruce SpringsteenÂ
- I saw Bruce Springsteen with my parents in March when he toured for â The Riverâ and it was my first time really getting into that record. Turns out its so fucking good. Theres a live video of him playing this song on youtube where he does this incredible spin around move with his guitar that I tried showing anyone would would listen.Â
6. Smear Me - Rozwell Kid
- Finally listened to this band in the earlier part of the year and got really into their record âToo Shabbyâ. Me and Bee were hanging out a lot around then and weâd always play this song on repeat when we were driving around. Iâd listen to this record walking to the food carts near Annarres and feel hopeful.Â
7. Always Never - Lee Corey Oswald
- In April I went on a short tour with Lee Corey Oswald and this was my favorite song to play
8. Calming Ritual - Little Star
- On that tour I would spend most of the rides laying across the back bench seat listening to âLove and Kissesâ the album of Little Star demos.Â
9. Your Best American Girl - Mitski
- I could barely decide which Mitski song to put on here, but the music video for this song came out while I was on the LCO tour and I would watch it over and over again and make all of them watch it too. Puberty 2 wasnât out yet but we listened to Bury Me At Makeout Creek for days. When Puberty 2 finally did come out in June I listened to it for the entire 7 hour car ride home from Bellingham the day after my brothers 21st birthday. It completely wrecked me.Â
10. Love Buzz - Nirvana
- I did a Nirvana show with my kids at work and I finally had the Nirvana phase I didnât have as a teen. And it was intense. This cover is just so freakin SICK.
11. Non-Monogamy Nightmare - Thin Lips
- In June Joyce Manor played opening for Modern Baseball (a band I still canât really get down with) and Thin Lips. Like a dumbass I was at the bar when Thin Lips played so I didnât see them. The next day Caleb sent me this song. Itâs funny to talk about seriously, but it does really capture the feeling of messy open relationships perfectly.Â
12. C U Around - PWR BTTM
- I saw PWR BTTM for the first time in July opening for Pity Sex and it was truly fucking incredible. It was like watching the gay Beatles. Before playing this song one of the singers said something about the song being about still being in love with someone you have to see everyday. Standing alone around a bunch of people I didnât know I cried so fucking hard.Â
13. Everywhere - Fleetwood Mac
- This song makes me feel so fucking good. I love it so much. Some night after some show during the summer I was house sitting my parents house and me, Nitro, and Sarah stayed up all night listening to Fleetwood Mac and playing cards (and watching are you the one!). The beginning of the Crush Squad :â)
14. Blooming - Sculpture Club
- After missing their Portland show (in July?) I met up with the buds in Sculpture Club at Bar Bar before they left town. They gave me the tape, and I thought it would be good but I didnât know it would be SO FUCKING GOOD. It feels like this band is trying to be my favorite band. I went home that night and read all the lyrics and listened to it over and over again while playing tetris.Â
15. Jumpers - Sleater Kinney
- Maya let me borrow Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl and I will never be the same again. I went through a huge Sleater Kinney phase like it was the very first time. There were so many songs, but I got a copy of The Woods and still canât get past this song without playing it at least 6 times.Â
16. Grape Ghost 2 - Mo Troper
- I went on my first full US tour with Mo Troper and The Assumptions and this was my favorite song to play
17. Dagger - Slowdive
- I came back around to this song multiple times this year. The first being in my room, and it had a huge influence on some of the songs I was writing at the time. The single note played on the piano throughout the whole song is so brilliant to me. The second time was at the beginning of the Mo Troper tour at the end of August. No matter how far I got from my troubles at home this song would fling me back into emotional panic.Â
18. Date With Ikea - Pavement
- A week or so into the Mo Troper tour I ditched listening to the songs that made me feel like I was dying and listened to Brighten The Corners for the first time in a very long time. It was sunny and we were driving in the middle of nowhere to Minot, North Dakota. I was happy.
19. 12:03 - Against Me!
- Shape Shift With Me came out a few weeks into tour in early September. I listened to it over and over again in headphones in the back seat for days. I silently freaked out that my favorite band from high school came out with such a great record that felt so relevant to me. This song especially.Â
20. Malibu - Hole
- When we were in Athens Ohio everything except the CD player had broken in the card so we went to a little shop and bought a couple of bags of CDs. Celebrity Skin was one of my choices and I made them listen to it almost everyday until the end of tour. We listened to it on my final drive, the last few hours back to Portland from Salt Lake City.Â
21. Eighteen - Joyce Manor
- I think this is maybe my favorite song thatâs come out this year. Maybe not my favorite but âThe bestâ. I think itâs just perfect.Â
âEverybody gets a little lonely sometimes, I get so tongue tied, I feel so old todayâ
We listened to it a lot on the Alien Boy tour in October after it came out.Â
22. Kool Thing - Sonic Youth
- Another phase that happened way to late. I was sleeping in the back and Mac and Dan put on a old Sonic Youth CD that was in my car forever but rarely listened to. I still listen to this song almost every day. It was the only thing I could listen to after Trump got elected. Makes me wanna burn shit down.Â
FEAR OF A FEMALE PLANET.Â
23. Academy Fight Song - Mission of Burma
- I had to pick out a few Mission of Burma songs for work. I had never listened to them before but remembered Kathryn mentioning she wanted to sing Academy Fight Song at karaoke sometime. A few days after becoming obsessed with the song I got the CD at Amoeba in LA.Â
24. Donât Fear The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
Early on in the Halloween season I heard this song at the âSpirit Halloween Superstoreâ. I was taking the bus a lot after getting back from Alien Boy tour (the car I had used forever finally died) and would listening to this and âBurninâ For Youâ over and over and over again. The weekend before Halloween Mac, Dan, and I were driving to a party in Danâs car and blasting this song. I was happy.Â
25. The Last of The Famous International Playboys - MorrisseyÂ
- Halloween had passed. I was home for good for a while and was back in full weekend party mode. I went out to Lovecraft for a gothy dance night for the first time and they played this song. I had never heard it before so I drunkenly ran up to the DJ asking what it was called. Opened up a whole new world of solo Morrissey I was missing, and I proceeded to show everyone who would listen the music video (a pattern? yes)
26. Ivy - Frank Ocean
- I just heard this song for the first time last week and it broke my heart. I couldnât finish listening to the record. Just this over and over again. Itâs so beautiful.Â
27. Built To Spill - Lutra
- A last minute addition, I saw my friend Emit play his songs for the first time last weekend and this was one of them. I like heartbreakers and this is definitely that. The chorus is just so fucking good. The snow was still on the ground, I got in bed and stayed up listening to it over and over even though I knew I had to work early the next day.Â
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