Top 20+ Songs of 2023

My picks for top songs released in 2023 – in no particular order and no Spotify algorithms involved! Listen on Spotify, enjoy!

1. "Oceans Niagra" – M83

2. "From the Hill" – Nation of Language

3. "Goodbye to Music" – Flyying Colours

4. "The Fringe" – Cheekface

5. "Build a Bridge" – Deeper

6. "Wrong Side" – Tourist Activities

7. "My Love is Like" – Maps

8. "Back 2 It' – Teen Daze

9. "The Narcissist" – Blur

10. "Odyssey" – Beck, Phoenix

11. "Tropic Morning News" – The National

12. "Echolalia" – Yves Tumor

13. "Three Drums" – Four Tet

14. "Night Fell" – Hibou

15. "KITM" – The Beacon School

16. "Days Go By" – SBTRT, Toro y Moi

17. "Always/Never" – STRFKR

18. "Live Again" featuring Halo Maud – The Chemical Brothers

19. "Enjoy Your Life" – Flamingosis

20. "The World's Biggest Paving Slab" – English Teacher

21. "Each Night" – Poolside, Mazy

22. "Cousin" – Wilco

23. "prayer remembered" – Slowdive

24. "Blóòberg" – Sigur Rós

Fall 2023 New Music Playlist

 Listen on Spotify, enjoy!

1. "Journey to the Real World" – Tame Impala

2. "Soul Capturer" – Animal Collective

3. "My Big Day" – Bombay Bicycle Club

4. "NYC" – Local Natives

5. "Space Invader" – The National

6. "KITM" – A Beacon School

7. "Palms"– Teen Daze

8. "Build a Bridge" – Deeper

9. "Always/Never" – STRFKR

10. "Each Night" – Poolside, Mazy

11. "The World's Biggest Paving Slab" – English Teacher

12. "The Tower" – Future Islands

13. "Headlights On" – Wild Nothing, Hatchie

14. "Another Side" – Woods

15. "Cousin" – Wilco

16. "prayer remembered" – Slowdive

Winter 2023 New Music Playlist

 

Listen on Spotify, enjoy!

1. "ILYSM"  –  Wild Pink

2. "new body rhumba" – LCD Soundsystem

3. "This is Not Our World" – Moby, Indochine

4. "Another One" – Scott McMicken and the Ever-Expanding

5. "From the Hill" – Nation of Language

6. "Oceans Niagra" – M83

7. "Really Really Light" – The New Pornographers

8. "Fallout" – Yo La Teno

9. "Tropic Morning News" – The National

10. "Gamma Rays" – Temples

11. "We Never Went Away" – Ladytron

12. "Enjoy Your Life" – Famingosis

13. "Just Before the Morning" – Local Natives

14. "Weird Goodbyes" – The National, Bon Iver

15. "I Would If I Could" – Daniel Avery

16. "Future Falling" – The Album Leaf

Romantic Songs Playlist for Valentine's Day 2021

Filled mostly with songs from the past year beyond a trip down memory lane to acoustic soul baring songs by Damien Rice, Ray LaMontagne and Devendra Banhart plus an old gem by Radiohead. Give a  listen to my Romantic Songs Playlist for Valentine's Day 2021 on Spotify here.  

For further inspiration, visit my posts from past years:  2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012.

1. "Never Tear Us Apart" – The National

2. "Guess Again" – Jeff Tweedy

3. "The Animals Were Gone" – Damien Rice

4. "Within You" – Ray LaMontagne

5. "Never Seen Such Good Things" – Devendra Banhart

6. "As the Sun Sets" – Sorry

7. "Crush" – Day Wave

8. "Pattern 17" – Jamison Isaak

9. "Love is All We Share" – Cut Copy

10. "Moonlight" – Future Islands

11. "One More Second" – Matt Berninger

12. "My Heart Bleeds" – Rhye

13. "Hurt" – Arlo Parks

14. "Fire for You" – Cannons

15. "Feel You" – My Morning Jacket

16. "Fake Plastic Trees" – Radiohead

17. "Apes & Children" – Lane 8

18. "Dawn Chorus" – Jon Hopkins

Top 20+ Songs of 2019 with Spotify Playlist

Another round up with my fave songs of the year, listed not by preference but how best to order them.  Listen as a Spotify playlist here.

1. "All I Want" – Broken Social Scene
2. "Greenpoint Gothic" – Deerhunter
3. "Patience" – Tame Impala
4. "Real Tight" – Methyl Ethel
5. "Just Reflecting" – Maps
6. "Summer of '42" – Kishi Bashi
7. " Café Amarillo" – Local Natives
8. "Rylan" – The National
9. "No Bullets Spent" – Spoon
10. "Fade In Nylon" – A Beacon School
11. "New Familiar" – Steve Gunn
12. "Lava" – Still Woozy
13. "Calm Down" – Pete Yorn
14. "Treat" – Vacationer
15. "Sat by a Tree" – Dan Deacon
16. "Pool Party" – Rudy Willingham
17. "Good Luck" – Broken Bells
18. "Love is Everywhere (Beware)" – WIlco
19. "Lost Heads" – Moon Duo
20. "Running" – Teen Daze
21. "Take Care" – SASAMI
22. "Sleeper" – Trentemoller
23. "Entendre" – Eluvium

Top Ten Releases of the Decade 2010-2019 – Plus Others Worthy of a Listen

Here's my list of the Top 10 Albums of the past decade plus a few Honorable Mentions – music loved from front to back and listened to in full many times. Check them out on Spotify at the link here if you missed any! And yes I do love my veteran indie bands, no excuses needed.

In no particular order...

1. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
2. Arcade Fire, Reflektor
3. Arcade Fire, Everything Now
4. Spoon, Transference
5. Spoon, They Want My Soul
6. Spoon, Hot Thoughts
7. LCD Soundsystem, This is Happening
8. LCD Soundsystem, american dream
9. The National, High Violet
10. MGMT, Congratulations

Honorable Mention:
Gorillaz, Plastic Beach
Okkervil River, The Silver Gymnasium
The Walkmen, Heaven
Moby, Innocents

Summer 2019 New Music Playlist

Listen on Spotify, enjoy!

1. "Saw Lightning" – Beck
2. "No Bullets Spent" – Spoon
3. "Fade In Nylon" – A Beacon School
4. "Lava"– Still Woozy
5. "Heartbreak" – Unloved
6. "You're Not Always On My Mind" – Quivers
7. "Raspberry Jam" Allah-las
8. "Do Si Do" – Jenny Lewis
9. "Calm Down" – Pete Yorn
10. "Easy" – Tycho
11. "Rylan" – The National
12. "Elixir" – Tourist
13.  "Entendre" – Eluvium
14. "Sleeper" – Trentmøller
15. "Love Yourself" – Sufjan Stevens
16. "I Am OK" – Lea Porcelain
17. "Pattern 16" – Jamison Isaak

Spring 2019 New Music Playlist

Listen on Spotify, enjoy!

1. "Patience" – Tame Impala
2. "You Had Your Soul with You" – The National
3. "Real Tight" – Methyl Ethel
4. "Evergreen" – Wye Oak
5. "Just Reflecting" – Maps
6. "Suburban Streetlight Drunk" – Telekinesis
7. "Outside Sublime" – Westerman
8. "Sunday" – Foals
9. "Can't Catch Me" – Dr. Dog
10. "New Familiar" – Steve Gun
11. "Cafe Amarillo" – Local Natives
12. "Weird Ways" – Strand of Oaks
12. "Awake" – Tourist
13. "Without a Blush" – Hatchie
14. "Summer of '42" – Kishi Bashi
15. "Katherine" – RAC
16. "Endless Light" – Teen Daze

Romantic Songs Playlist for Valentine's Day 2018

Compiling this year's Romantic Songs Playlist for Valentine's Day was an easy task, considering all the great new music lately from fave bands. Here are tunes that pull at the heartstrings by LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, The National, Beck, Spoon, Washed Out, Mew and more. And check out the gender-balanced cover of Interpol's "PDA" by Daywave and Hazel English. Whether coupled up or single at the moment, it's all music to feed the soul.

Listen to my Romantic Songs Playlist for Valentine's Day 2018 on Spotify here.  For further inspiration, visit my posts from past years: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012.

1. "oh baby" – LCD Soundsystem

2. "All Disco" – Elbow

3. "Do I Have to Talk You Into It" – Spoon

4. "Seventh Heaven" – Beck

5. "Dark Side of the Gym" – The National

6. "We Don't Deserve Love" – Arcade Fire

7. "Come Break My Heart Again" – The Lone Below

8. "Hard to Say Goodbye" – Washed Out

9. "To Hold and Have" – The Dears

10.  "Love Is Love (Sun on Time)" – Woods

11. "Call It Dreaming" – Iron & Wine

12. "Carry Me To Safety" – Mew

13. "PDA" – Daywave, Hazel English

14. "Up All Night" – The War on Drugs

15. "Girl Like You" – Toro Y Moi

16. "The Fear" – The Shins

17. "We a Famly" – The Flaming Lips

Top 20+ Songs of 2017 with Spotify and YouTube Playlist

So I broke my own rule here – I usually run over the total of twenty songs to represent the year but this time I allowed a double helping of two of my very fave bands Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem. (And keeping the choices down to just two songs was not easy to do!) But beyond songs from my  Top Ten Releases of 2017 heard on repeat, there are some singles on the list that became instant ear worms in a very good way. The upbeat approach of Phoenix's "J-Boy" along with the optimism of Woods' "Love Is Love" and Poolside's "Everything Goes" were just the antidote needed during this calamity of a year under the Trump Administration. Here's to weathering another year ahead with another soundtrack of sanity.

Listen on Spotify or as a YouTube Playlist below (except "Wave Is Not the Water" by Wye Oak).

1. "Andromeda" (featuring DRAM) – Gorillaz
2. "Hot Thoughts" – Spoon
3. "Everything Now" – Arcade Fire
4. "Put Your Money on Me" – Arcade Fire
5. "Dreams" – Beck
6. "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness" – The National
7. "call the police" – LCD Soundsystem
8. "american dream" – LCD Soundsystem
9. "Mourning Sound" – Grizzly Bear
10. "Wave Is Not the Water" – Wye Oak
11. "All About Waiting" (featuring Camila Grey) – Dhani Harrison
12. "How It Feels" – Ages and Ages
13. "Everything Goes" (Instrumental) – Poolside
14. "J-Boy" – Phoenix
15. "Hard to Say Goodbye" – Washed Out
16. "Noise Pollution" (featuring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Zoe Manville) – Portugal. The Man.
17. "Love Is Love (Sun On Time)" – Woods
18. "Shine" – Mondo Cozmo
19. "Magnificent (She Says)" – Elbow
20. "Name for You" – The Shins
21. "Call It Dreaming" – Iron & Wine
22. "Carry Me to Safety" – Mew
23. "Leven" – The Octopus Project

Top Ten Releases of 2017 with Video Highlights

Here I go again gushing about how this year was an awesome year of music... But really when your very fave bands come out with releases full of listening goodness, what other proper response is there? With plenty of new tunes from Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, and Spoon, plus those long
awaited Beck and Gorillaz albums, 2017 had me in music fan heaven. Add in beloved indie veterans (The National, The Flaming Lips, Mew, Elbow, Grizzly Bear) along with newcomer Mondo Cozmo, and it was a blissful, busy time catching up with everything across the calendar.

Give a listen on Spotify to all my Top Ten Albums of 2017 as well as Other Fave Albums of 2017 and check out my picks below with live video highlights. Also, I've created a Next New Music Matters Playlist to follow in order to see what's already cued up for 2018.

1. LCD Soundsystem, American Dream
The LCD Soundsystem songs on American Dream continued the Brooklyn band's musical thread after a long seven years – this is the fourth album since 2002 – like they never lost a beat! They also toured extensively and appeared all over the place (seen here confidently presenting "Call the Police" on the U.K. television program Live on Later... with Jools Holland) as if to make up for lost time and appease all the fans who were more than willing to buy tickets.

2. Arcade Fire, Everything Now
Arcade Fire's fifth album since 2001 caught heat for some ABBA-type dancehall leanings (see the Montreal based band rocking the title track "Everything Now" on daytime television with Régine Chassagne playing my dream instrument) but there were also plenty of soulful tracks to dig deep into, especially "We Don't Deserve Love" which is already cued up in my next Valentine's Day playlist. 

3. Spoon, Hot Thoughts
Austin band Spoon returned super strong with its ninth album since 1993, acknowledging many female fans mindset by the title Hot Thoughts. Frontman Britt Daniels exhibits why during this smoking hot performance of the song, "Do I Have to Talk You Into It," to open their sold out show at Brooklyn Steel December 8th.

4. Beck,  Colors

Beck's 13th studio album Colors arrived in the fall with stylish songs across the spectrum to showcase yet again his musical prowess, but all contain the artist's mantra of group catharsis.  He also toured widely and continued to be eager to please his fans with hits old and new. Here Beck brings the single "Dream" to life in a session for his L.A. hometown station KCRW.

5. The National, Sleep Well Beast

Cincinnati-raised quintet The National is now dispersed across the country, but gathered in a newly built recording space in an upstate New York barn to create the seventh album since 1999, Sleep Well Beast. The songs seemed even stronger live, with the power of this band's groupthink exhibited on stage. Check out "The Day I Die" at the Pitchfork Music Festival Paris 2017.

6. Gorillaz, Humanz

Six years passed between albums for the animated U.K. band Gorillaz, as Humanz landed with a host of featured artists in cameos almost distracting the mission.  Damon Albarn is still the mastermind behind it all, seen here leading the way with the song "Andromeda" in a live session at New York City's WFUV.

7. Mondo Cozmo, Plastic Soul

L.A. artist Josh Ostrander, a.k.a. Mondo Cozmo, appeared on KCRW late in 2016 after the strength of a few well played singles. This new band quickly went from small venues (I was lucky to see him at the tiny Mercury Lounge in January) to playing festivals and headlining concert halls. Witness Ostrander's gritty determination here, singing the title track of his debut album "Plastic Soul."

8. Grizzly Bear, Painted Ruins

The quartet Grizzly Bear has expanded from its Brooklyn base, but the band's tightly layered sound remains in sharp focus for the fifth album since 2002, Painted Ruins.  The group dynamic is on full display here during "Mourning Sound" at the Electric Lady Studios in NYC for WFUV.

9. Elbow, Little Fictions
English alt rock band Elbow released its seventh album since1997, Little Fictions, full of trademark emotional depth and lush textures.  Guy Garvey's rich vocals provide the passionate porthole, as witnessed on the U.K. Graham Norton Show with "Magnificent She Says." 

10. Mew, Visuals

Another transfixing voice that transcends our mortal coil is that of Mew's Jonas Bjerre. Angelic yet immediate, he leads the quartet into a singular space of musical brilliance for the seventh album since 1995 Visuals, as evident in "Carry Me to Safety" performance at Seattle's KEXP.

Honorable Mention: The Flaming Lips, Oczy Mlody

One more shout out to The Flaming Lips, for releasing a whopping sixteenth album since 1983 in dreary January with the title Oczy Mlody (that roughly translates to a Polish expression meaning eyes of the young) with wacked out pysch rock that still keeps us on our toes. My favorite tracks are "The Castle" and "We A Family," but this video of "There Should Be Unicorns" shows frontman Wayne Coyne's willingness to continue playing the rock star.

Fall 2017 New Music Playlist

While we are still waiting for the much-heralded Beck album due in a few weeks, I can’t complain. The past few months brought new music from some of my very fave bands sounding as strong as ever: Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem and The National. So enjoy this playlist featuring songs from these and other recent releases as we transition to fall. Listen on Spotify or as a YouTube Playlist.

1. “Dear Life” – Beck

Another single appeared as Beck readies to release his 13^th studio album since 1985 next month. With a jaunty piano intro, “Dear Life” brings another genre stew with guitar swagger and lyrical darkness as he mixes up the sentiment, “Dear life, I’m holding on,” for the howling chorus.

2. “tonite” – LCD Soundsystem

James Murphy finally returns to the music that most inspires him after producing other bands and various creative projects: his own. (And it turns out David Bowie had a hand in this eventual return after seven years!) The fourth album since 2002, American Dream heralds the band’s first number one album but better yet, it comprises all the sonic trademarks expected from LCD, from low reverberating synths, pulsating percussion layers and Murphy’s speak-sing rattling off random thoughts, as found in the song “tonite.”

3. “Put Your Money on Me” – Arcade Fire

“Put Your Money on Me” is perhaps my favorite track on the fifth Arcade Fire album since 2001, Everything Now. The slow build with alternating male/female vocals recalls the romantic push and pull of “It’s Never Over (Oh Orpheus)” from the last album, which was presented live as Win Butler and Régine Chassagne sang longingly to each other across the crowd during the last tour in Montreal to great effect.

4. “You Push, I’ll Go (feat. Alex Sanchez)” – Baby Dayliner

A favorite play on KEXP’s “John in the Morning Show,” this cult hit by Baby Dayliner (the stage name of NYC native Ethan Marunas) has finally attained an official release on an EP of the same name, after two albums over a decade ago. The infectious tune “You Push, I’ll Go” follows city dwellers on a night out, vowing to keep the faith in modern life.

5. “Offering” – Cults

NYC indie pop duo Cults is getting ready to release its third album since 2010, with this title track “Offering” serving as a teaser single. The lush instrumentation by Brian Oblivion under sweet youthful vocals by Madeline Follin find their confident musical stride.

6. “Don’t Delete the Kisses” – Wolf Alice

A four piece alt rock band from North London, Wolf Alice pulls away from punk to offer a tender love song, “Don’t Delete the Kisses,” a single for the upcoming sophomore album since 2010, Visions of a Life. The band embraces standard pop sensibilities with a synth heavy take to conjure up images of modern romance, as sung in hushed whispers by Ellie Rowsell.

7. “Airbourne” – Cut Copy

When any band is formed by a DJ, it usually leans heavily into dance music, as with Australian band Cut Copy. “Airbourne,” this quirky party song bubbling with electronics, is off the fifth album since 2001, Haiku from Zero.

8. “Mourning Sound” – Grizzly Bear

Brooklyn-based quartet Grizzly Bear is back with its fifth album since 2002, Painted Ruins. Complex, lavish instrumentation forms the foundation for Ed Droste and Daniel Rossen to trade honeyed vocals once again.

9. “Valley Boy” – Wolf Parade

Canadian indie rock band Wolf Parade will release its fourth studio album since 2003 (after a hiatus from 2011 to 2016).  You'd never know the band was on hiatus for five years by this swaggering single and title track “Valley Boy” with Dan Boeckner’s gritty yet soulful vocals.

10. “We Stayed Up All Night (featuring Ardyn)” ­– Tourist

Tourist (AKA British electronic musician and Grammy-winning songwriter William Phillips) teams up with British twins Ardyn for this buoyant single “We Stayed Up All Night.”  The melodic polish fills this pop song with poise.

11. “Something to Remember Me By” – The Horrors

Veteran English rock band The Horrors has offered a teaser single “Something to Remember Me By,” for its fifth studio album since 2005, V.  The classic pop sensibility of lead vocalist Faris Badwan blithely carries the tune over wavering synths and pulsing drums. 

12. “Asido” – Purity Ring

Canadian electronic duo Purity Ring recently released this stand alone single, “Asido.” The song blankets Megan James’ childlike vocals over electronic production provided by Corin Roddick.

13. “Call It Dreaming” – Iron & Wine

Iron & Wine is the musical project of South Carolinian Samuel Ervin Beam. His sixth full-length album since 2002, The Beast Epic, continues the acoustic aesthetic with his signature sweet soft vocals, this time about themes of time and aging.

14. “Guilty Party” – The National

Indie rock quintet from Cincinnati, Ohio, The National just released Sleep Well Beast, its seventh album since 1999.  “Guilty Party” offers a tender side of the band, although complexity reigns underneath the introspective lyrics as conveyed by singer Matt Berninger.

15. “Party in the Dark”­ – Mogwai

Scottish post-rock band Mogwai released its ninth studio album since 1995, Every Country’s Sun.  “Party in the Dark” is a sweet tune that takes shoegaze into a resplendent chorus and back.

16. “Planet” – Four Tet

Four Tet is the stage name for Kiernan Hebden, an English musician who also considers himself in the post-rock genre. This stand alone single “Planet” flaunts his wide range of influences, with a world view of instrumentation and vocal pairings.

Summer 2017 New Music Playlist

Now that summer is in full swing, here’s another compilation of new tunes curated into a personal listening session.  There are singles from anticipated albums by Arcade Fire, The National, and Grizzly Bear, along with Mondo Cozmo, The War on Drugs and Rostam’s debut. Stand alone songs by Alex Ebert, Declan McKenna and liv round out the list with unreleased music by Gorillaz, Beach House and Daphni plus more. Listen on Spotify or as a YouTube Playlist.

1. “Everything Now” – Arcade Fire

“Everything Now” is a swirling, musical ride and title track for the upcoming fifth studio album since 2001 by North American indie juggernaut Arcade Fire. While lyrically skewering materialism, the band seems eager to dance with the help of co-producer Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk. 

2. “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” – The National

“The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” serves as a vigorous reintroduction to The National, the indie rock band from Cincinnati formed in 1999.  This is the first single for Sleep Well Beast, the seventh studio album from the group. Guitarist twins Aaron and Bryce Dessner develop the musical structure for each song, then singer Matt Berninger adds a melody and lyrics to fit the composition, as the creative collaboration continues.

3. “Automatic” – Mondo Cozmo

Mondo Cozmo, a.k.a. Josh Ostander, is ready to release his debut album in August, Plastic Soul. “Automatic” features his gritty vocals and rock anthem leanings, that have quickly found a solid fan base for this new musical project (during the 2017 tour the backing band is Illinois).

4. “Dancing is the Best Revenge” – !!!

“Dancing is the Best Revenge” sums up the credo for this dance punk band out of Sacramento, CA. It is a funky, fun single for the group’s seventh album since 1996, Shake the Shudder, which was formed out of jam sessions during a week in Barcelona.

5. “Hard To Say Goodbye” – Washed Out

Georgia native Ernest Greene has released a third album, Mister Mellow, full of quirky tunes and studio wizardry.  “Hard to Say Goodbye” boasts an infectious melody over Greene’s signature chillwave sonic foundation formulated in 2009.

6. “Three Rings” – Grizzly Bear

“Three Rings” is the first single from Painted Ruins, the fifth album since 2002 by indie quartet Grizzly Bear, which is due in August. The group is now split between coasts, so recording took place in both NYC and LA studios using the usual mix of traditional and electronic instruments for this elegant soundscape.

7. “Broken Record” – Alex Ebert

L.A. based singer/songwriter Alex Ebert is best known as the frontman of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Ima Robot. His distinctive vocals highlight the jumpy flow of “Broken Record,” a single for the follow up to his solo debut, 2011’s Alexander.

8. “Chariot” – Beach House

The sumptuous opening organ chords and majestic singing in “Chariot” herald a new Beach House song on a compilation album of unreleased cuts and one other new song, B-Sides and Rarities.  Baltimore duo Victoria Legrand (vocalist/organist) and Alex Scally (guitarist) decided to release every song that did not exist on an album elsewhere for the band’s dedicated fans.

9. “Humongous” – Declan McKenna

Young English singer/songwriter Declan McKenna is ready to release his debut album, What Do You Think About the Car? “Humongous” is yet another solid pop single from the collection.  After a breakout year in 2016, McKenna is now confidently playing festivals.

10. “Ultralife” ­– Oh Wonder

Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West record as Oh Wonder, a London based alt-pop duo. “Ultralife” is the title track to their second album since 2014, a melodic romp sweetened by synth riffs.

11. “Bike Dream” – Rostam

Multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij will soon release a debut solo album after years with Vampire Weekend and collaborating with Hamilton Leithauser, among others. The single “Bike Dream” is a sweet tune that genuinely expresses joy over life’s little moments.

12. “Heaven” – liv

Swedish indie band collective liv released another single, “Heaven,” a hopeful, hazy, pop gem flaunting the powerhouse vocals of Lykke Li and Andrew Watt of Miike Snow.

13. “Tin” – Daphni

Canadian electronic mastermind Dan Snaith (who also records under Caribou) returns to his Daphni alter ego for another album since 2012 of unreleased tracks. The dance music whirl of “Tin” fits in with the title, fabriclive93, which honors the venerable London nightclub.

14. “City Music” – Kevin Morby

L.A. based musician Kevin Morby,  former bass player of the folk rock band Woods, just released his fourth solo album, City Music. This title track, with Woods’ husky, soulful voice on full display, refers to the idea that cities have singular identities of musical style.

15. “Holding On”­ – The War on Drugs

“Holding On” is the second single for the fourth album since 2005, A Deeper Understanding, by Philly band The War on Drugs due out in August. Adam Granduciel’s gritty singing and guitar wailing is the backbone for the group’s sumptuous, expansive sound.

16. “Sleeping Powder” – Gorillaz

This previously unreleased track seems more emblematic of this U.K. cartoon band, with its cheeky harpsichord intro and melodious dance spin with synths galore. “Sleeping Powder” is reportedly one of over 40 unused songs from the group’s fifth album since 2001, last year’s Humanz, so fans can hope for many more singles ahead.