5 Songs We Can't Stop Listening To is a collection of our newest favorite songs. Every week we ask an artist that we love to tell us about the music they love. This week, I'm recapping my top five songs of the year.
Listen to the whole segment and all the songs below.
These top five songs are TOTALLY subjective. They are the ones that gave me the most love, joy, and most of all, feeling in 2018.
Also, check out my top 10 albums of 2018.
5. “Pristine” by Snail Mail
The other day I was trying to make my top 10 albums of the year list. So I went to my record shelf and I pulled all the albums from 2018 down. Cause I wanted to listen to a bunch and compare and contrast, so I started by putting Snail Mail’s “Lush” on the turntable and then I listened to it six times in a row and I didn’t listen to anything else.
My fifth favorite song of the year is “Pristine” off Snail Mail’s album, “Lush.” Pristine” captures a lot of what I love about this album, the biggest being the big emotions of this album. There are so many great lines in this song, from “Is there any better feeling than coming clean?” to “It just feels like the same party every weekend.” To my favorite, “Who would you change for” The way she spits “for” has everything that this album is about which is real feelings.
Listening to Snail Mail, remind me that it’s possible to feel those emotions.
4. “Sports” by Viagra Boys
“Sports” by Viagra Boys just kind of embodies the don’t-give-a-sh*t attitude of rock ‘n’ roll.
When I first listened to this song I thought, “Oh this is funny.” And then I listened to it again and thought, “No, this is really good.”
Sebastian Murphy is loose and comfortable behind the mic. He’s confident and cool. He’s rock n roll.
3. “Peach Scone” by Hobo Johnson
Hobo Johnson is a different kind of rapper. I don’t know if rapper is even the right term here. He’s a different kind of musician. Talker, poet, music maker. He’s just different. And for me, differ ent is good.
He lifts the mystique of a musician and bears the soft part of him on his sleeve. His delivery and earnestness is vulnerable. It’s difficult to do what he’s doing and, maybe that’s why no one else is.
Making some of the most original music I’ve heard all year, my third favorite song of the year is “Peach Scone” by Hobo Johnson.
2. “All This Useless Energy” Jeff Rosenstock
Some records are best listened to alone at home. Jeff Rosenstock is not. Jeff Rosenstock’s music is best listened to in a room of 100 other people, all yelling every word, and ideally, Jeff Rosenstock is there too. There is something communial about Jeff Rosenstock’s music. The joy of singing together.
“All This Useless Energy” is a great song to sing together. It’s an anthem. It starts slow. The first two minutes it marches. And at minute 1:51 it takes off, with Jeff Rosenstock yelling, “You’re not fooling anyone when you say you tried your beeeeeeeesst.”
1. “Night Shift” Lucy Dacus
In this song Lucy Dacus captures the swinging emotions of a break up. She told me she worte it basically in one session even though it sounds like two different songs. It starts with her writing about a break up. Rather diplomatically, a little sad. Then she starts to get a little worked up. In the middle, the song basically stops and turns. Mid song. And she lets loose. She lets it out. She truly lets go. It’s an inspired performance that captures passion, emotion, and everything that makes music great, in my opinion.