Top 100 Songs of 2019

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As I was compiling all these wonderful tracks, I realized how much better the year was in singles than in albums.

My Top 25 Albums of 2019 is pretty much complete (and will be released next week!), but I had difficulty choosing a favorite album. Nothing really hit that #1 spot. Most years, the #1 album is a totally obvious answer. Last year’s Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves, Frank Ocean’s Blonde from 2016, and Tame Impala’s 2015 Currents. But this year, not so much.

While I didn’t have a clear cut favorite track of the year coming into compiling these tracks, there were a ton of songs that could have been #1 to me. A ton of new artists creating layers upon layers of sound.

After consideration, Denzel Curry’s “Zuu” is worthy of the crown. It’s unlike any rap song I’ve heard. Listen to this song in a car - and LOUD - and you’ll hear the wailing synth almost declaring a warning on all who listen, which builds up to the energy and viciousness of the beat drop: “Carol City n**** boy I’m coming out the…ZUU” (BOOOOOOM!!! as the drums come in).

What a beginning before Curry comes in and establishes himself as an up and comer with some serious talent.

Some other musings on the rest of the Top 100:

  • The guitar in “You Seemed So Happy” sounds straight from an early Dashboard Confessional song, a little vibrant acoustic guitar.

  • “Hallelujah” is a BEAUTIFUL song that makes the Haim sisters that much cooler. A love song to each other.

  • “Ghostride” wins the award for the weirdest and most unique track, and Crumb’s album was an awesome listen. They have that Little Dragon type of weirdness that is hard to replicate.

  • I wanted to put “Was It Something I Said” at #1, but cooler heads prevailed. I don’t know why, but I LOVE the vocals, instruments, and of course, the chorus!

  • Okay, so “Not” was on A LOT of different music websites lists as #1 track of the year or something close to it. I had to listen to it again because I hadn't thought it was all that great. BUT the last three minutes of this song, the band just fuckin’ goes OFF. The whole song builds up to it, and it’s a level of angst and loudness that is truly something. This song is really amazing. Maybe it should have been #1?

  • Taylor Swift at #7 with “False God.” While her performance of this song on SNL showed she can’t carry the tune (though I know SNL is unforgiving with sound), this song is a perfect ballad to me. It’s not overly produced, it’s got a sexy tempo, and her vocals have feeling behind it. “I know heaven’s a thing, I go there when you touch me, honey, hell is when I fight with you.” It may be a weary love song to New York City, but it’s universal. I also considered this track to be #1.

  • My man, Rex Orange County, wins the only artist I’ve ever been able to compare to Frank Ocean. He has a pop sensibility with his songs, but he’s got his own sound that gives me hints of Ocean. I may be the only one who hears it. Rex and Denzel Curry are my favorite new artists of 2019.

  • I LOVE HARRY STYLES. This guy is really talented. His second album has shown that his debut was not a fluke, this dude has serious chops! “Lights Up” and “Adore Me” are phenomenally catchy songs. Many men just can’t jump on the bandwagon because they’re too insecure that he was in One Direction. But just listen to his music, damnit!

  • Is there a more consistent band of the past decade than Vampire Weekend? I don’t think so. The only other two I can think of are Tame Impala and Bon Iver, though I did not like Bon Iver’s recent album and I’ve loved all of Vampires while Tame Impala only has three albums (fourth coming in 2020!!). Even after Ezra Koenig lost his other songwriter in the band, Rostam, he still made a marvelous album with tracks like “Harmony Hall,” a song that no other band could write.

  • “Morbid Stuff” wins the award for the best first line (sorry, Lana, you get second and third and probably fourth place): “I was bored as fuck. Sitting around and thinking all this morbid stuff.” PUP released my favorite album of the year, an unapologetically loud, aggressive, and somehow melodic album. All of their songs feel real like they just want to slam on all of their instruments and scream some shit into the microphone. I love these guys.

  • “Georgia” by the Alabama Shakes’ vocalist/guitarist, Brittany Howard, is a song that swims way into the deep end. It’s very similar to what happens in “Gemini,” a slow burner of a song the Shakes wrote for their last album that also takes a deep dive into psychedelia and feedback.

  • I still don’t know what to make of FKA twigs, she is beloved by fans and critics, yet I can’t totally dig in. Nonetheless, “Cellophane” is easily the most haunting song of this year. That piano is straight out of a horror movie yet it’s turned delicate and desolate.

  • There’s a lot of electro-pop on this playlist, and “Lack of Love” wins the best of them all. Carly Rae Jepsen, Caribou, Holy Ghost!, and Two Door Cinema Club all receive honorable mentions for kick ass songs too.

  • Let’s talk a little bit about Lana Del Rey. Her 2019 album, Norman fucking Rockwell, was adored by critics. She won album of the year numerous places, and I didn’t read one critical piece on this album that wasn’t gushing. Which is interesting because she’s always been pretty divisive. I hadn’t even given the album much thought since I’m not a huge fan of hers, but I had to listen after all the praise, and it is a really great album packed with phenomenal tracks and scathing lyrics. While most people thought “The greatest,” an ode to this past decade, was the best track, my favorites were the title track and the looooong track (9:37), “Venice Bitch.”

  • Hot Flash Heat Wave wins best Tame Impala-sounding band.

  • Toro y Moi DOES NOT GET THE RESPECT HE DESERVES. The man has been crafting fantastic songs and cohesive albums since 2010. Give him some love, all!

  • If it wasn’t for Kendrick, I think Vince Staples might be the best rapper around. “So What” is such a sick song and Staples can rap over any beat.

  • I saw Spiderman Welcome to the Spiderverse, and the kid in the movie is singing “Sunflower,” and I was like, damn, that’s a catchy song. And of course Post Malone was on it, Spotify’s most streamed artist of 2019. Got nothing but love for Posty.

  • “Jello on my Mind” wins the award for “I’m assuming ‘jello’ is some sort of drug you’re referring to, and if not, then you were probably;y just really high writing about jello when this came about” song.

  • There’s so much more to explore on this playlist. Enjoy!!

Top 100 Songs of 2019

  1. ZUU – Denzel Curry

  2. You Seemed so Happy – The Japanese House

  3. Hallelujah – HAIM

  4. Ghostride – Crumb

  5. Was It Something I Said – MyKey

  6. Not – Big Thief

  7. False God – Taylor Swift

  8. Face To Face – Rex Orange County

  9. Lights Up – Harry Styles

  10. Harmony Hall – Vampire Weekend

  11. Morbid Stuff – PUP

  12. RNP (feat. Anderson .Paak) – YBN Cordae

  13. Lack Of Love – Friendly Fires

  14. Softly – Clairo

  15. Georgia – Brittany Howard

  16. Hey, Ma – Bon Iver

  17. Carry Me Away – John Mayer

  18. Cellophane – FKA twigs

  19. You and I – Caribou

  20. Norman fucking Rockwell – Lana Del Rey

  21. Adore You – Harry Styles

  22. It Gets Better – Rex Orange County

  23. Lovestained – Hope Tala

  24. Julien – Carly Rae Jepsen

  25. Escape From Los Angeles – Holy Ghost!

  26. Talk – Two Door Cinema Club

  27. Sky So Blue – Hot Flash Heat Wave

  28. Megaton Mile – Local Natives

  29. Pigeon – Faye Webster

  30. AUTOMATIC – Denzel Curry, Tay Keith

  31. Freelance – Toro y Moi

  32. Tempo (feat. Missy Elliott) – Lizzo

  33. So What? - Episode 01 – Vince Staples

  34. Bags – Clairo

  35. In My Room – Frank Ocean

  36. Kids – PUP

  37. I Am a Very Rude Person – Thom Yorke

  38. Sunflower - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – Post Malone, Swae Lee

  39. Lions (feat. Vivian Wang) – Jenny Hval

  40. Gimme – BANKS

  41. Offline (with Friend Within) – Friendly Fires\

  42. Dumb – Alpine

  43. Time To Give – White Lies

  44. Give A Little – Maggie Rogers

  45. Addiction (feat. Lil Wayne & Saweetie) – Big K.R.I.T

  46. Jello on my Mind – Half Moon Run

  47. A List of the Virtues – Generationals

  48. In Your Head – Nilüfer Yanya

  49. Lo/Hi – The Black Keys

  50. Big Softy – Middle Kids

  51. Curls – Bibio

  52. Hope – (Sandy) Alex G

  53. a lot – 21 Savage

  54. Nighttime Drive – Jay Som

  55. the view – Oso Oso

  56. Unbearably White – Vampire Weekend

  57. Melody of Love – Hot Chip

  58. Venice Bitch – Lana Del Rey

  59. City of Sound – Big Wild

  60. Real Long Time – White Reaper

  61. POP STAR (feat. Kevin Gates) – DaBaby

  62. Wow – Beach Baby

  63. Prophet – King Princess

  64. Jumpin on a Jet – Future

  65. Last Century – Susto

  66. Fuck The Rain – Ryan Adams

  67. The London (feat. J. Cole & Travis Scott) – Young Thug

  68. Love Is Everywhere (Beware) – Wilco

  69. Summer Girl – HAIM

  70. Pop Out (feat. Lil Tjay) – Polo G

  71. Pressure – Little Simz, Little Dragon

  72. Stop Thinking (About Me) – Alfie Templeman

  73. Dance Through It – Twin Peaks

  74. Bullet From A Gun – Skepta

  75. Hell N Back – Bakar

  76. Andromeda – Weyes Blood

  77. Selfish – Little Simz, Cleo Sol

  78. Exits – Foals

  79. Me Denny & Darryl – Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Cappadonna

  80. Hard to Kill – Bleached

  81. Running Wild – Palace

  82. Renegade – Dylan LeBlanc

  83. Took A Fall – Golden Daze

  84. Marigold – Night School

  85. Bloodless – Andrew Bird

  86. The Barrel – Aldous Harding

  87. Deep End – Gender Roles

  88. Only Child – Tierra Whack

  89. Kickback – Omar Apollo

  90. 1 4 Me – Electric Guest

  91. Spongebob – billy woods, Kenny Segal

  92. Drastic Measures – Bayonne

  93. Rudebwoy (feat. Joey Bada$$) – CJ Fly

  94. Comeback Kid – Sharon Van Etten

  95. Aphotic Waters – Diamond Thug

  96. Black Balloons Reprise – Flying Lotus, Denzel Curry

  97. Impossible – C Duncan

  98. What Happens to People? – Deerhunter

  99. Giving Up – Whitney

  100. Fail Safe – William Tyler