30. Affection/Keep on Loving You (REO Speedwagon cover) by Cigarettes After Sex (A/B single-Indie rock).
The band smartly packaged an original, dreamy slow jam with a tremendous cover. Smart marketing, great music. And it’s just two bucks, so even the cheapest motherfucker can afford it.
29. Stranger Things by Yuck (Album-Alternative/pop)
Yuck’s newest album does for 1990s grunge what the Foo Fighters do for classic rock, which is to say that Yuck’s influences are clear and omnipresent, but the band still manages to excel and thrill and make great music. The new album brought us great singles like Hold Me Closer and As I Walk Away, but that wasn’t enough: Yuck also gave us a pretty neat Fugazi cover!
28. Quiero Creedence by Various Artists (Album-Covers)
My personal favorite cut on this is Los Lonely Boys’ take on Born on the Bayou, but there are many gems here on this collection of Spanish and Latin covers of the songs of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
27. Big Baby D.R.A.M. (Artist-Rap)
From “Cute:” “One thing about me, I’m a foodie…” “I choose you like a pokemon…” “If you’re crying I’m gonna ask you why you crying bitch I’m caring…” Hilarious, sweet, and full of swagger. It was the best love song of the year, until Cash Machine came along. And then it all got swept into a debut album—the rise of the conquering Soundcloud star!
26. Wildflower by Avalanches (Album-electronica/pop)
By far, the most fun I had listening to music this year. Avalanches don’t take themselves too seriously, and just cut loose making some of the finest beats and hip hop of the year—music unlike anything else on this list.
25. Vintage Lee (Artist-Hip hop)
Think women can’t rap? Check this out.
24. Sleep is Day by The Joy Formidable (EP-indie/Americana/covers)
A tremendous collection of new acoustic versions, covers, and solidly wonderful music.
23. The Cross by Bonnie “Prince” Paul (Prince cover)
In a year where multiple crossover legends died, doing a Prince cover was a good way to get forgotten, but Paul not only made this great—he actually made it better than the original.
22. The Seeker by Cloud Cult (Album-indie rock)
Christ, Cloud Cult is so full of pain. “Just give me one more chance to say, ‘I love my baby so…Come home…’” If this album doesn’t make you weep, you’re a callous sociopath. It’s technically a soundtrack, but like most of the band’s prior work it’s really a collection of soaring songs about loss and pain—it feels like they’re still writing about the child they lost, but even if they aren’t, just knowing they’ve been through that makes this album resonate with even more power. I love this band so much.
21. Coloring Book by Chance the Rapper (Album-Hip Hop)
I have to confess—part of the reason I’m including this is because I feel like I have to. This is not my favorite Chance album. But even a lesser album by this artist stands higher than most other releases. Good stuff, often great stuff, and my expectations for this were so high there’s probably no way I wouldn’t have been disappointed.
Next: The Top 20!
