My Top 13 Songs of 2013

Music is one of the greatest things around, it inspires us in ways no other medium can. It can be just what we need to hear, or something we've never heard before that changes our outlook. It can score our journeys and underline our lives. And sure, there are lots of award shows that will talk at length about what the "Best" songs/albums/artists were this year, I've found that the opinions of things like the Grammy's rarely line up with what I thought about music, I'm sure there's a lot of people who agree. The Grammies and other award shows are based on peer-review and that's fine, but that's not how I consume my music. I don't consult a panel to tell me what to listen to, and I would never presume to tell anyone else what to listen to either. Music is such a personal thing, like any art, it's quality is entirely in the eye of the beholder.

That being said this year had some awesome music in it, and I couldn't not talk about some of my favorites. So, in no particular order here are the 13 songs that made the biggest impact on me this year. Please check 'em out for yourself.

13: Sweater Weather- The Neighbourhood

The Neighbourhood are an alternative rock band from california who released their first full album I Love You This year. This song, Sweater Weather,  is the second single off of that album. It's a dark melodic tune that conjures up visions of hanging out at the beach at night with a girl the singer seems to care only marginally about. To me it's a song about the banality the singer finds in doing the same routine over and over again. I love the beat and the echoey guitar. It's the kind of driving melancholy that's perfect for a rainy day.

12: Get Lucky- Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams

Yes, I'm aware it's probably on every end of the year list. Yes I know the whole point of this song is just talking about going out getting hammered and, well, getting lucky, grounds thoroughly covered by every other pop song this past decade. But I can't help it. This song is just the right blend of funk, electronic and r&b that never fails at making your toes tap, your liver quiver and your butt on the dance floor. That guitar riff just won't quit. This song is pure fun from beginning to end.

11: Gang Of Rhythm- Walk Off The Earth

Honestly, this band stole my heart and loyalty as soon as they put out the famous Somebody I Used to Know cover on youtube three years ago. I've followed them since and to be honest thought of them as a cover-exclusive kind of band. But as it turns out their original stuff is really great as well. This song in particular is right up my alley, it's happy, fun and doesn't take itself to seriously. It's a song about making a song, and a good one at that. Keep it up WOTE. I want more!

10:  Full Circle- Half Moon Sun

This is a song I heard a lot of in November it's solid harmonies are what drew me in at first and the melancholic beat and dark, subtle guitar is what kept me around. This Montreal based band has been quickly climbing the Canadian charts ever since this song was used in a Assassin's Creed IV trailer earlier this year, and I can say I'm very excited to see what they've got coming up next.

9: Dreaming- Smallpools

This LA based band only just formed this year and if their debut EP is telling at all, we're in for some great tracks from these guys in the future. Dreaming is a song I only discovered a few weeks ago and it's already climbing my "Most Played" list in my iTunes very quickly. I love the poppy beat, the combination of synth and guitar and the lyrics themselves, that are seemingly at odds with the bouncy beat and chorus. For some reason I can not get this song out of my head. 

8: Touch- Daft Punk

Get Lucky got me to buy Daft Punk's newest album, Random Access Memories, but it was Touch that turned out to be my favourite track from it. It's got a really weird and otherworldly intro which disuades some casual listeners, all to eager to get to the music who'll press "skip" all too soon. But those people are missing out on possibly one of the best songs I heard this year. Off the charts instrumentally this is one track I keep coming back to again and again.

7: Starting Over- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (feat. Ben Bridwell)

This year marked a special occasion for music. It was the first time an independent artist topped the charts in America. Thrift Shop was the song and that propelled Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' album The Heist to being one of the top twenty highest grossing albums this year, and three more singles off of it including Same Love, White Walls and Can't Hold Us. And those songs are all great but to me one of the bigger stand outs from The Heist was Starting Over a heartfelt song in which Macklemore talks about this very personal struggle for sobriety. It's a song I like to show to people who think that all rap is about is Sex, Violence and Drugs. I really love this album and it's not the only time it'll be talked about on this list but Starting Over is a track that really stuck me with it's honesty and down to earth-ness that's very appealing for me in a rapper. I'd rather hear about someone's real struggles and challenges in their music than something they've contrived to sell records (looking at you Kanye).  And that's a trait that I think has drawn a lot of people to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis this year and a big reason why they've been so successful. It's a realness you don't get from a many top 40 artists these days.

6: Pompeii- Bastille

Bastille, a band from London England, really captured my imagination with this single off of their album, All This Bad Blood. As a bit of a history buff it's really cool to hear a song that, for all intents and purposes is actually about the Roman city of Pompeii which was consumed by a volcano. It's a song about going to see Pompeii, that's just cool. It's also got some killer harmonies and a pounding drum beat that holds it all together.

5: Ways To Go- Grouplove

I mean, first off it's hard not to love this video. It's just about as much fun as this song is. Poppy and bright it's got some great instrumentals and I'm always a big fan of having both male and female lead singers in a band. This song is a great one to throw on when you're in the mood to get a'dancin.

4: Wing$- Macklemore &Ryan Lewis

 I said earlier how much I adore this album and why, I love every track on it but I find it so weird that this song hasn't seen as much radio play as the other ones off the album. Wing$ is all about shoes. Something that you'd think wouldn't be as profound a topic as Macklemore makes it in this song. But he uses them to talk about things like materialism and self identity. It's a really tight track that makes you really think, and that's what I like in a good rap song.

3: Sleepwalking- The Chain Gang of 1976

Yep, it's the song from the GTA V trailer. Yes that's where I first heard it too. But after hearing it a couple times in the trailer (and game) I started to really really dig it. It's got probably one of the best hooks on this list, and just always makes me feel like a badass inside when it comes on. It's just full of swagger and punch and I just love it.

2: On Top- Flume feat T-Shirt

This is probably one of the coolest music videos to come out this year. I love how video game-y it is. Same with the song. It's got tons of arcade-y sounding hooks and even though it's a song I only very recently discovered, I really, really dig it. Although it'd be nice if there was a little something more to the lyrics.

1: We Think We Know You- Bo Burham

This. F*&$ing song. Bo Burham, for those unaware, is a young stand up who incorporates a lot of funny songs (amongst other things) into his act. This song comes at the end of his most recent special what. and it's really sweet. Sure the intro's all talking and a big, huge part of what makes the song great is Bo's actual performance in this bit. But that doesn't make me love it any less. Easily the one song that blew me away the most this year. I didn't expect it to exist and when it finally kicked in I lost my brain. The other great thing about it is that it makes the transition from comedy bit to real introspective song so seamlessly, once it starts really going you understand what Bo's singing about and how it's a real thing to him, not a bit. 

Thanks for reading, go watch all the vids then disagree with me. Because that's the beauty of opinion. You always get to have your own.