It’s taken a little longer than normal - I am almost certain this is the latest in the calendar year I’ve ever posted it - but at last I can reveal my 20 favorite songs of the year. This year I’ve had the the least enthusiasm I can recall about the process.[1] Usually I’ll dive into the songs in mid-fall and slowly get obsessed with the list, or at least with certain songs on it.
Christmas week has finally arrived! The countdown that begins sometime around October 1 in my mind is just about done. Reading through old posts, I see I often updated you all on my state of holiday spirit. This has been a weird year for me. I’ve listened to less holiday music than anytime this century maybe? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve still listened to plenty, probably more than the average person.
For part two, the annual review of my favorite songs of the past 20 years. Remember there have been ties for #1 a few years, thus the extra tracks. Also don’t forget that these lists remain static once published. There are several songs I would replace with others if I re-evaluated their years today. Flags fly forever, and favorite songs of the year never die. open.spotify.com/playlist/… 2004 - “Float On” - Modest Mouse 2005 - “Gone Missing” - Maximo Park 2006 - “Star Witness” - Neko Case 2007 - “Intervention” - Arcade Fire 2008 - “The Modern Leper” - Frightened Rabbit 2009 - “Whirring” - The Joy Formidable 2010 - “FootShooter” - Frightened Rabbit 2011 - “He Gets Me High” - Dum Dum Girls 2012 - “The House That Heaven Built” - Japandroids 2013 - “Holy” - Frightened Rabbit 2014 - “Red Eyes” - The War On Drugs 2015 - “California Nights” - Best Coast 2016 - “To Know You” - Wild Nothing 2017 - “Pain” / “Strangest Thing” - The War On Drugs 2018 - “Night Shift” - Lucy Dacus 2019 - “Weird Ways” - Strand of Oaks 2020 - “Can’t Do Much” - Waxahatchee 2021 - “Stacking Chairs” - Middle Kids 2022 - “the man himself” / “in the wake of your leave” - Gang of Youths 2023 - “The Window” - Ratboys
As promised, two different playlists and two videos for the last Friday before Christmas. We begin with the 11 songs that just missed making my Favorite Songs of 2024. That list isn’t completely done - I just moved a couple songs around before I started typing this - but the songs are locked in. Here are the remnants, presented in no particular order. open.spotify.com/playlist/… “If It’s Gone” - Good Looks This band put out a great album and a terrific two-song EP.
Chart Week: December 13, 1980 Song: “(Just Like) Starting Over” - John Lennon Chart Position: #4, 7th week on the chart. Peaked at #1 for five weeks across December and January. This entry is less about a specific song than an extraordinary moment in American Top 40 history. And an opportunity for me to revisit a lost piece of writing from my past. One December night in the mid–2000s, I sat down and quickly typed out what I think is one of the best things I’ve ever written.
In case you haven’t noticed, I’m dialing back the blogging a bit to close the year. I’ve been working on my Favorite Songs list. I’m hoping to squeeze out one more RFTS post before the year is over. And general end-of-the-year busyness is keeping me from sitting down at the keyboard too much. That said, I had an encounter today I thought was interesting and worthy of a quick post. I have all kinds of stories from the gym.
A slightly quieter weekend. No sitting on the couch for 183 hours watching football. I actually got out of the house both days. Multiple times! Let’s review. College Girls I’ll share the biggest, best news up top: C got her acceptance letter from IU on Thursday. That’s the only school she’s really interested in, so I think she’s locked into being a Hoosier.[1] She’s pretty excited. Coincidentally she wore an IU shirt to school Thursday.
Doing things a little different the next couple weeks. Today I’m going to share some new, indie rock, Christmas-y tracks I’ve discovered this year. Next week will be a double playlist of both the songs that just missed my Favorite Songs of the Year list, and a review of the #1 songs of each year I’ve made those lists. Plus, bonus videos each week! You all have been very good this year and deserve a little something extra!
A Spy Like Me - Kim Sherwood The second installment in Sherwood’s planned 007 trilogy, it continues to tread ground that is very unlike anything ever written for the Bond franchise. James Bond himself remains absent (mostly), as the rest of the Double-Os attempt to unravel a network that finances terror attacks before it can strike again. They’re also searching for clues for Bond’s status and whereabouts. And seem to be getting killed off at a fairly concerning rate.
Well, a lot to get caught up on. Not thrilled about all of it… College Football I spent the better part of 11 hours on the couch watching the big conference title games Saturday. Literally. I know I got up to eat dinner. Obviously a few restroom runs. Maybe I ran out to get the mail? Those were momentary breaks, though, and I spent the better part of noon-to–11 PM with my ass firmly planted in the same spot.
I’m behind my normal schedule, but my annual December shift in music has begun. More holiday music and reviewing my favorite songs of the year than listening to new tunes. Which means this is a last-minute collection, rushed a bit as I have to get a kid to an early appointment before school. open.spotify.com/playlist/… “Ceiling Fan” - Swapmeet While not taking over the mainstream, I think 2024 will partially be remembered as the year this third (fourth?
Chart Week: December 6, 1976 Song: “More Than A Feeling” - Boston Chart Position: #9, 12th week on the chart. Peaked at #5 the week of December 25. A perfect song. I could end this post there and it would be enough. Why waste your and my time cranking out a thousand or so words breaking down the how and why when that simple phrase sums it all up?
A few thoughts about how the Jayhawks fared Thanksgiving week. Hoops A good week. A very good week. With one exception. First, taking care of Duke in Las Vegas was a nice way to wrap up the first part of the season. KJ Adams basically shut down super phenom Cooper Flag for three-quarters of the night. I loved how the KU coaches made sure to stress it would be a group effort rather than KJ vs Cooper so KJ didn’t get in his own head about the matchup before the game.
Movies, Shows, etc The Americans, season 6 Why re-watch something I’ve seen before when I have so many unwatched shows on my list that I need to get to? Because this is my favorite TV drama ever made, it never had a subpar season, and its final 10 episodes were as good as any concluding season ever filmed. Each season got progressively bleaker and more stressful. In season six, you could almost feel the weight crashing down on each charater, like a strong arm in the middle of your back forcing you to the ground.
A long, extra-stuffed Thanksgiving weekend is in the books. Let’s run through the highlights. Thanksgiving For the first time in ages that we’ve been home for the holiday,[1] we did not host the local gathering on Turkey Day. One of S’s sisters and her husband opened up their house to the family. It was nice to not have to clean before and after, run around wildly the morning of, and hope that we hadn’t forgotten anything as we started serving the food.
No playlist this week, as the days have passed too quickly and I’ve been too busy to cobble together a few songs. Doesn’t mean I will skip sharing a video from the Billboard Hot 100 chart of December 1, 1984. youtu.be/LHcP4MWAB… “(Pride) In The Name Of Love” - U2 Last week was Madonna, which launched us towards 1985 and her ascension to pop music royalty. This week we get the first U2 song to crack the Top 40 in the US.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Hope your travels and gatherings are safe and enjoyable. The Right Stuff - Tom Wolfe Somewhere I ran across an author/poster I follow who mentioned that they had recently read this book. In their blurb, they said something about not loving Wolfe’s writing style but still enjoying the book. I’ve never read any of Wolfe’s work before. At least for this piece, I loved his writing and the book.
The last weekend update before we dive neck-deep into the holiday season. KU Football How ‘bout them Jayhawks?!?!?! Taking the Colorado Buffaloes out to the woodshed on the sturdy legs of Devin Neal. There could not have been a more appropriate day for #4 to go off than the 33rd anniversary of Tony Sands’ record-breaking performance. It was even sweeter after Buffaloes “senior quality control analyst” Warren Sapp trashed pretty much everything about KU in a video he posted last week.
open.spotify.com/playlist/… “Drive” - R.E.M. This playlist took a long time to come together, so I had to call in a couple ringers to bookend the new music. To open, this week’s The Alternative Number Ones over at Stereogum (subscription required). A little shocked Tom only gave it a 9. “People Watching” - Sam Fender Everyone’s favorite Americana-loving Brit is back! For Fender’s upcoming album, The War on Drugs' Adam Granduciel offered some production help, including on this track.
Chart Week: November 9, 1985 Song: “You Belong To The City” - Glenn Frey Chart Position: #4, 9th week on the chart. Peaked at #2 for two weeks. The fall of 1985 was one of those proverbial Big Times in my life. I was a freshman in high school, which brought all kinds of new excitement and perils each day. The Royals got hot late in the season, came back from two 3–1 post-season deficits, and won the World Series for the first time ever.