Previously:
100-91,
90-81,
80-71,
70-61,
60-51,
50-41
Spotify Link
40. London Grammar - Wasting My Young Years
There are few vocalists who have a voice as arresting as London Grammar's Hannah Reid, a smoky alto with great range (both in tone and emotion). This, a standout from their debut LP, is London Grammar's best song in their young career, and was the odds-on favorite to be after its appearance on the same-titled EP that preceded the album. Reid is a potential star, and her voice fits the pensive mood of guitarist Dan Rothman and multi-instrumentalist Dot Major's music.
39. Ski Lodge - Just to Be Like You
I'm not positive a song exists from this year that so starkly contrasts the feel of its music with its lyrics. A jaunty, bopping indie rock song by note and a sad sort of eulogy by voice, Just to Be Like You sounds like something Real Estate would write while on speed. And it makes me want to actually hear what Real Estate would write while on speed. But I'm sure Andrew Marr would be suited to sing a happy song; the best stuff on Ski Lodge's debut EP, Big Heart, is its most downtrodden, highlighted by this track.
38. The National - Demons
The National have always been known first for Matt Berninger's voice (divisive opinions abound) and second for Bryan Devendorf's drumming. Devendorf, part of two sets of brothers that constitute The National's main make-up, really began to stand out on 2007's Boxer, and has made his mark on many National songs since. Here, his awkward 7/4 (I think that was the final verdict) tempo is disorienting at first. It takes a few listens to get accustomed to the way the beat paces the song, a traditionally somber National tune rife with plenty of smart lines from Berninger ("I am secretly in love with / everyone that I grew up with"), allusions to past albums and slight theistic overtones with the play between "worried talk to god" all the while staying "down with my demons." It's a complex song - they always are with this group - but a rewarding one once its puzzles are solved.
37. Rhye - Major Minor Love
Michael Milosh, Rhye's vocalist, has said that his goal is to create music that is emotionally moving, regardless of mood. Here, that mood is soothing, comforting, sleepy. It's a beautiful song, with Milosh's vocals layered atop themselves to create this soft, loving environment that feels well-suited for the bedroom (for sleep or otherwise). Its utility on top of its beauty make it enrapturing.
36. Man Man - Head On (Hold On to Your Heart)
Experimentalist indie group Man Man don't usually go quite this straight-and-narrow with their music, often choosing novelty in their sound above most else. But if this could be considered moving out of their comfort zone, I'd say they handle the unfamiliar territory with aplomb. Ryan Kattner, aka Honus Honus, has a slightly gruff singing voice that almost sounds extra vulnerable singing about things like holding your heart "above flood waters ... never let nobody drag it under." It's inspirational and inspired, coming from someone who sounds like he's lived through the exact things he's cautioning us to avoid, and the song is better for it.
35. Phoenix - Entertainment
It's energetic! It's alive! It sounds like Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix carry-over! All of these are great, positive things, even if they're (sadly) not indicative of the rest of the album that houses this tune. Entertainment feels like Phoenix at their near-best: Thomas Mars sings his semi-nonsensical lyrics actively, the music is vibrant and lively and everything comes together to nicely straddle the line between straight indie rock and dance rock.
34. Chvrches - Strong Hand
Perplexing: a song that's just as confident, engaging and energetic as any other on The Bones of What You Believe is relegated to bonus material, released ex post facto. The lyrics even hold the title of the album within! There are two other Chvrches tracks to come on this list, both from the album proper, and that's it. In my mind, this is the third-best song the band released this year, carried mostly by a tough chorus. It's kind of disappointing that this song couldn't bolster an already strong LP, but that it was released at all is a positive. Considering how strong a live track it is, it deserved a proper recording, and it's got one.
33. Neko Case - Man
Neko Case has an aggressive, take-no-shit personality, but that doesn't often translate to her music. Sure, the lyrics can be confident and determined, but the music often finds its niche being a bit more patient, planned and careful-sounding. That sound complements Case's terrific voice just fine. That makes it a little unusual to hear a song like Man, a tune that charges ahead with near-reckless abandon. Sung from the perspective of a guy with a whole lot of braggadocio, Case flaunts some lyrical smarts as she issues this takedown.
32. The National - Pink Rabbits
The National seem to save their piano-driven songs when they have their most poignant points to make. High Violet's England and Boxer's Gospel come to mind as two of the rare instances when a piano is a prominent player. Here, on Trouble Will Find Me's penultimate track, the piano is THE player. Berninger's vocals sound particularly pained, spending most of the track in what you could consider his upper register. It also includes a little bit of the storm/water imagery featured so prominently on High Violet, as well as some more quirky Berninger wordplay ("I was the television version of a person with a broken heart), but the song hits its emotional stride just before the 3:30 mark, when Berninger wails, "You said it would be painless / a needle in a doll / you said it would be painless / it wasn't that at all." No one else makes emotional torture sound so good.
31. Everything Everything - Cough Cough
Where Radiant (#97) was an exercise is surprising (relative) timidity for Everything Everything, the lead-off track from Arc finds their more spastic selves at full bore. The music feels like it's moving in three different directions, with plenty of falsetto vocals to spare between Jonathan Higgs and the verses' backing singing. It's pretty clear that this style is the band's wheelhouse, with a little bit of latter-day Muse craziness sprinkled in.
