My top 10 Songs of the Year.. despite nobody asking.

10. Kingston - Faye Webster, Atlanta Millionaires Club

I had never heard of Faye Webster prior to her 2019 release, Atlanta Millionaires Club (released under Secretly Canadian). I stumbled upon her album with at tip from /r/indieheads (like most people with new music nowadays) and thought her sound was delightful, with a smooth, almost warm sounding R&B vibe. After giving her last two records a shot, I can tell that Atlanta Millionaires Club was a new direciton for Webster, and it seemed to have paid off. Kingston, in my opinion the standout single of the album, is incredibly warm, sweet, and is as honest as a song about an ex can be. Definitely give this a shot if you're into low-key vibes (and the rest of the album)!

9. A Lot's Gonna Change - Weyes Blood, Titanic Rising

Titanic Rising (released under Sub Pop) by Weyes Blood currently has one of the highest scores on Metacritic, with a 91 at the time of this writing. This album, by far, is perhaps one of the best we've seen this year. Each song is amazingly written, composed, and produced with a spacey atomosphere. The entirety of the album is about as mystical and dreamy as the album art itself, and the opening track of this album, A Lot's Gonna Change, is definitely one of the best songs that shows it. Weyes Blood creates a stadium-large atmosphere with just this song, with complicated layering that almost make you get lost in the song, yet so connected. It has an unbelievably good hook (A Lot's Gonna Channnnnge, In your, lifeeeee-time). There is an amazing mix of sound in this album entirely, with callings to 70s pop, baroque rock, and the likes of Kate Bush. The album, overall, is a masterpiece. This is just about the one song, though, so I'll just keep it at that.

8. The Dog/The Body - Sleater-Kinney, The Center Won't Hold

Okay--I'll be the first to say it. Sleater-Kinney didn't live up to the hype on this record (obvious sarcasm here), and even the band's drummer, Janet Weiss, felt the same. There was a mixed bag of singles released prior to the album, some drawing praise, some drawing, "oh my god, what the f!&$ happened?" It was no surprise that the album was going to be a change of pace for the band, when it was announced Annie Clark of St. Vincent was going to be producing the album. Sadly, for the Olympia, Washington based (now) duo, they saw mixed reactions on the new album, ruining an almost perfect streak of consistently favorable albums. However, one standout from the non-singles of the album, is the second to last song, The Dog/The Body. It begins with a quiet two notes, then Carrie's isolated vocals, which turn into a banging, absolute rock anthem. The chorus on this song is perhaps the best on the entire album, and honestly the sound is probably the most classic "S-K" on the record (which isn't saying much). I could write an entire paper on this highly controversial album, but I think I'll just say that this song slaps.

7. can't calm down - Hand Habits, Placeholder

Hand Habits (Meg Duffy) released their second studio album this year, which is jam packed with fear-like lyrics, over a smooth, dreampop like sound. It apparently took Duffy three years to write the song. can't calm down is an incredibly beautiful song, with troubling lyrics (what if I can't calm down, I don't have that in my bloodline) over a soothing, ambient guitar and drum pairing. The song, no matter who you are, can relate to anybody. It's about fear, worry, and pain--something everyone has faced at one point. Definitely give this track a shot.

6. Harmony Hall - Vampire Weekend, Father of the Bride

Vampire Weekend, to many's suprirse, came back this year after a six year hitaus since their last record, Modern Vampires of the City. A lots changed since the band's previous release: Rostam is no longer in the band, Ezra is a dad, and suddenly their live band went from four people to seven. Once again though, the band went through as big of a change as it did from Contra to MVotC, with Father of the Bride seeing guest features from Danielle Haim, Steve Lacy, and Jenny Lewis. The entire album is pretty damn good, but the standout single by far is Harmony Hall. The song introduces itself with a twangy, earthy tone that follows into a cheery chorus (with lyrics about "I don't want to live like this, but I don't want to die!"). It's sweet, summery, fun.