There's something about "best of" lists that I - and obviously lots of people - love. I think it's that there's a low-stakes challenge to the task. It's enough that you can be invested in it, while at the same time, it's just opinion, so... fun. Anyway, in that vein, I was thinking we'd look back over the past decade and put together some lists.
I'm making this a 2-part post, since, frankly, I don't think I could complete my list today. And I'm sure people will list other songs that appeal to me, and such.
So my thought process was this - today, let's just heap up a pile of favorite songs, albums, artists, etc., from the 2010s. And next week (and I've not run this by anyone else, but I'm guessing they'll be okay with it? Free? HJ?) we'll try to actually carve out some top 10 lists.
Unless everyone else already has those 10 ready to go... then just drop 'em. Also, drop your random lists.
Did I miss the best of 2019 time?
Short list for that:
1. Florist Emily Alone
2. Lana Del Rey Norman F---ing Rockwell!
3. Hiro Kone A Fossil Begins to Bray (Link)
4. Default Genders Main Pop Girl 2019
1&3: Artists new to me this year that have intriguing back catalogs, but these are definitely their best albums.
2&4: Artists I've been watching for a long time that finally seemed to pull everything together in one place, paying off the promise of early singles.
2: Was very close to being #1. Yesterday, I noticed that the delayed "t" sounds at the ends of final words in phrases remind me of the skipping discs of Oval's Systemisch.
Didn't miss it. I guess I kind of just focused on the decade, and forgot about 2019.
[Not here.]
Just my typical random list:
1. The Longest Time--Billy Joel
2. Only One--James Taylor
3. I Like Dreamin'--Kenny Nolan
4. Will It Go Round In Circles--Billy Preston
5. Colour My World--Chicago
6. Listen to the Radio--Don Williams
7. Carry On Wayward Son--Kansas
8. Ribbon of Darkness--Gordon Lightfoot
9. Don't Give Up On Us--David Soul
10. Anticipation--Carly Simon
When I think about best songs of the decade, I've been going to a few artists who emerged for me, especially in the second half of the decade. Recentness affecting my perception and all that. Anyway, I've really enjoyed a lot from:
Josh Ritter
Alice Merton
Sturgill Simpson
Ezra Furman
There are others, of course, but these 4 stick out with me listening to a lot of their things on repeat. I suspect I'll have at least 1 song from each on my best of list.
I think Guided By Voices just made a play for performance of the decade. On NYE in Los Angeles they played a 4.5 hour, 100 song set. No breaks, no encore, just straight 100-song rock and roll. Songs from all phases of their career, no covers, no guest artists, some songs that are in every set, some they rarely if ever play live. Top that Bruce!
Well, just browsing the Date Added in my list, these "new" artists fall in my decade favorites (no particular order):
Gotye
Big Big Train
Riverside
Plini
Here: I forgot to think about my favorites of the decade as I was thinking that would come next week.
I think this is my list, alphabetized:
Aaron Dilloway Modern Jester
Colin Stetson New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
Dolfish Your Love Is Bumming Me Out (EP)
Emot Trees & Claws (EP)
Fiona Apple The Idler Wheel...
Florist Emily Alone
HEALTH DEATH MAGIC
Hello Saferide The Fox, The Hunter And Hello Saferide
Jan St. Werner Miscontinuum Album
Julian Baker Sprained Ankle
Katy B [at least a subset of singles]
Lana Del Rey Norman F---ing Rockwell!
Lydia Loveless Indestructible Machine
Nisennenmondai N, N', and #N/A
Robyn Body Talk Pt. 1, Body Talk Pt. 2, and Body Talk Pt. 3 (EPs)
Zola Jesus Stridulum and Valusia (EPs)
16 artists, 21 releases (counting "Katy B Singles" as one release). Could replace the three Robyn EPs with the corresponding album, but that'd cuts the acoustic versions I love so much, and a few other tracks (though I don't remember which ones).
Few of those should be secrets to anyone who paid attention to my tastes.