A Song List for 2015

• Lori Palminteri
• Uncategorized
• December 28, 2015

This year has been a particularly great year for new music.  I spend a lot of time in my car listening to new music.  Also, walking around the city listening to music.  Or writing in my apartment or random cafe’s listening to music.  I listen to everything from classical Mozart to movie scores, Bob Dylan to Kanye West, The Kinks to The Shins, and pretty much everything in between except for true country and techno.  I tend to favorite the alternative rock scene, and it was actually really hard to narrow this list down to only 12 songs, but here are my top 12 songs from 2015:

12. Ship to Wreck by Florence and the Machine

“And, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I said?
I can’t help but pull the earth around me to make my bed
And, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I did?
Did I drink too much? Am I losing touch?
Did I build a ship to wreck?”

Ship to Wreck

When I first visited my parents in Florida, I got in their car, and this song came on the radio and my Mom says, “this song always reminds me of you.”  Which was both weird and not really weird.  I found this song alarmingly relate-able at this moment in my life (the song is rather dark, that’s why it’s alarming).  But it’s not that weird, because we’re all egomaniacs who apply every song to our own lives.  Either way.  This song is great, and Florence is a power house, and I always look forward to her work.

11. Gibraltar by Beirut

“Say you’re like my kind
You loved the times, I sang
Your loss was mine”

http://Gibraltar

I’m happy to say I finally got to see Beirut live this year, and it was not disappointing.  I’ll admit Beirut is not for every one, just the really smart people who deeply love amazing music.  Their new album this year, “No, No, No,” is magical.

10. Electric Love by Borns

“Baby, you’re like lightning in a bottle
I can’t let you go now that I got it
And all I need is to be struck by your electric love”

Electric Love

I didn’t fall in love this year with any person, but I did fall in love with this song, which also reminded me how awesome it is to fall in love (be it with a person or say, comedy).  It’s just a happy song, about the fire of passion, before you’re burned and cry a lot.  I run to this song a lot, but I would also like to have sex to this song.

9. Leave a Trace by CHVRCHES

“I will show restraint
Just like we said we should
You think I’ll apologize for things I left behind
But you got it wrong
And I’m as sane as I ever was”

Leave a Trace

CHVRCHES has become a favorite of mine in recent years.  This song I’ve yet to get sick of and I’ve listened to it a lot.  Also, I think I might be in love with Lauren Mayberry.

8. Coming Home by Leon Bridges

“The world leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, girl
You’re the only one that I want”

Coming Home

I was so happy when Leon Bridges knocked it out of the park on SNL.  He is amazing, and I am in love with him (I’m a sucker for musicians, can you tell?).  I love his retro style.  He is a tremendous talent.  After SNL, every one was like, “who is this guy?,” and like the hipster I pretend I’m not, I had been onto Leon Bridges for sometime, and scoffed at people’s complete lack of music knowledge.  SIDE RANT THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS SONG:  New York FM radio stations are terrible.  Really, just the worst.  When I was in Milwaukee, I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of great music they had on their FM stations.  LA has great stations too.  You would think New York radio stations would play better music.  On occasion, when they do play a great song, like Adele’s “Hello” they play it until I cannot listen to it any longer.  Ugh.  But Leon Bridges is great, you should all listen to him and I should marry him.  Just sayin.

7. Eventually by Tame Impala

“But I know that I’ll be happier
And I know you will too
Said, I know that I’ll be happier
And I know you will too”

Eventually

Remember how I liked “Electric Love” because it reminded me of the thrill of falling in love?  Well, I like this song for the opposite reason, because it reminds me of healing when that love dries up.  The whole new Tame Impala album is pretty great, but very alternative, so I would recommend it to the somewhat odd.

6. Sister of Pearl by Baio

“Think I might forget it
Gonna write it down
If you’ll just regret it
Don’t bring your ass around

It is what it is.

Until it was what it was.”

Sister of Pearl

Baio is Vampire Weekend’s Chris Baio branching off on his own, and while I am a fan of Vampire Weekend, I couldn’t love this song more.  The song is simple, and the message is just to be who you are, and I love this song and the music video is super cute too.

5. First by Cold War Kids

“First you lose trust, then you get worried”

First

This song is just so good.  I really don’t have anything else to say about it.  So good.

4. Dearly Departed by Shakey Graves

“You and I both know that the house is haunted
And you and I both know that the ghost is me”

Dearly Departed

This song is about as country as I get.  But I do think this song is fantastic.  It’s upbeat yet dark.  And even though it’s about the ghosts left behind by people who left you (and not in the big sleep sort of way), I feel like it’s a pretty positive song, because the not all ghosts are bad, just memories of people or a time missed.

3. Lampshades on Fire by Modest Mouse

“Pack up again, head to the next place
Where we’ll make the same mistakes”

Lampshades on Fire

I have LONG awaited for Modest Mouse to make a new album.  Good News for People Who Love Bad News and We Were Dead Before the Ship Sank are two of my favorite album’s of all time.  Eight years is too long.  Don’t do that to me again, Modest Mouse.  But the new album is great.  I’m so happy to be able to put their new song on this list.

2. Sedona by Houndmouth

“Hey Little Hollywood
You’re gone but you’re not forgotten
You got the cash but your credit’s no good
You flipped the script, and shot the plot
I remember, I remember when your neon used to burn so bright and pink
A Saturday night kind of pink”

Sedona

This song made me rediscover Houndmouth.  I had previously checked them out, and forgot about them totally.  When I heard this song, I went back, and decided they’re a great band, and particularly, this song is amazing.  I’m not sure there’s a new song I’ve listened more this year than Sedona, and I’m still not sick of it.

1. S.O.B. by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

“Son of a bitch.

Get me a drink.”

SOB

Some songs, you just fall in love with the first time you hear them.  This is what happened the first time I heard S.O.B.  Also, I was so happy when I came home (when my parents still lived on Long Island), and my Dad told me this was also his new favorite song.  I have really cool parents.  Anyway, this song is amazing, and not only because I might have a drinking problem.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rocked out in my car/house/in the street to this song.  Sometimes, in comedy, you’re asked for a song to bring you up to.  This song was my pick for this year.