It’s been a great year for music. Well duh. Here are 100 songs I enjoyed – don’t take this list too seriously. My opinion on the order changes about every 5 minutes – but if you divide the list into thirds the songs are in the right spots for sure – and the top ten are set in stone! Enjoy! Signed, your friendly Tuned Up founder RG. There’s a Spotify playlist at the bottom of the page (also linked here) if you want to follow along.

100. Beyond Pluto – Take It All Away
99. Farro – On a Wire
98. KiND – Body Heat
97. Miike Snow – Genghis Khan
96. Night Argent – Widowmaker
95. From Indian Lakes – Blank Tapes
94. Jon Atwell – Black Cat
93. Trouper – Phorcys
92. Judah and the Lion – We Own the Night
91. Keeps – Idle Desire
90. Hello Luna – Stitching Holes
89. Run River North – Run Or Hide
88. Safemode – Last Man Out
87. Seaside Holiday – The End of All Things
86. Norma Jean – 1,000,000 Watts
85. July Talk – Picturing Love
84. The Cordial Sins – Go On
83. Operators – Control
82. Switchfoot – Holy Water
81. Glass Animals – Pork Soda
80. twenty one pilots – Heathens
79. Fleurie – Sirens
78. Fashion Week – Even When the Sun Goes Down
77. Deathsong – Murder
76. Everyone Leaves – The Lonely End (Reprise)
75. Daughter – New Ways
74. Anchor and Braille – Keep Dancin’
73. Zealyn featuring JMR – Limbic System
72. Pale Dian – Evan Evan
71. St Lenox – You Don’t Call Me Anymore
70. Japanese Breakfast – Jane Cum
69. House of Heroes – God
68. Leagues – Greedy Man
67. The Orphan, The Poet – Terrible Things
66. The Morning Sea – Lonely Hearts in the Cosmos
65. The Wet Secrets – I Can Swing a Hammer
64. Beartooth – Rock is Dead
63. Avers – Omega/Whatever
62. Young Magic – Valhalla
61. Lacey Sturm – The Soldier
60. Pluto Revolts – Tidal Wave
59. Church Tongue – Ghost World
58. Empire of the Sun – High and Low
57. Highasakite – My Mind is a Bad Neighborhood
56. Joseph – SOS (Overboard)
55. Leonard Cohen – You Want It Darker
54. Nick D’ and the Believers – Room Starts Shaking
53. Free Kittens and Bread – Winners and Losers
52. Seaons – The Visionary
51. Artifex Pereo – Soft Weapons
50. Bayonne – Waves
49. Ben Sollee (feat. Jordan Ellis) – The Long Lavender Line
48. Mitski – Your Best American Girl
47. Young the Giant – Amerika
46. Normandie – Awakening
45. Future of Forestry – On Giant’s Shoulders
44. Heroes Like Villains – Red Ribbons
43. Graceful Closure – Unknown Land
42. Jetty Bones – Coasting Lines
41. Mary Lynn – Two and Two
40. Kishi Bashi – Ode to My Next Life
39. Local Natives – Past Lives
38. Sleeping at Last – Hearing
37. Wolves at the Gate – Flickering Flame
36. Wye Oak – If You Should See
35. The Gills – Rubberband
34. Stay Outside – Void
33. Tiny Moving Parts – Volumes
32. Band of Skulls – In Love By Default
31. blink-182 – Bored to Death
30. Pace of Glaciers – Not There
29. Contact – Never Stop
28. Owel – Steal the Moon
27. o’brother – Deconstruct
26. The Devil Wears Prada – To the Key of Evergren
25. Nothing – Eaten By Worms
24. God Alone – Low As Hell
23. Gungor – Kiss the Night
22. Gaelynn Lea – Someday We’ll Linger in the Sun
21. The 1975 – The Sound
20. Two Door Cinema Club – Gameshow
19. pr0files – Empty Hands
18. Bon Iver – 666 ʇ
17. Keyoung (feat. Many Rooms) – Wild Fire of Eden
16. Eliot Sumner – Information
15. Kid Runner – Give Me Something to Love
14. Cardboard Kids – Social
13. The Wind and the Sea – Riddlin’
12. Silent Planet – Psychescape
11. Radiohead – Burn the Witch

10. Civilian – Cut and Run: One of the top indie debuts of the year features this song, which at its core just is fun to listen to. It meshes the right amount of rock and roll with pensive pondering as the song approaches a fun climax.

9. Julianna Barwick – Nebula: I remember when this song came on for the first time at my apartment. I’m always on the lookout for that next artist to make me to completely zone and just carry me away to a cloud somewhere in my mind. Nebula made me lean back in my chair and close my eyes – it was an almost involuntary reaction.

8. Jimmy Eat World – Get Right: I get pumped up basically every time this song comes on. Classic JEW high energy music at its finest. I loved the fact that they chose to open there recent Columbus show with this song.

7. Comrades – Farewell: All the classic elements of Comrades in one song with one new element – lots of vocals from drummer Ben Russell. This is the sort of thing I want to hear as I pass from this life to the next – not a somber goodbye, but a thrilling fanfare. Only instead of nodding my head to trumpets I’ll be fighting the urge to mosh in my deathbed.

6. Tycho – Receiver: These past few years I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for surrealism. This song mixes optimism with dreamlike surreal moods that I can’t get enough of. I came down with the stomach flu days after this album released and illness always seems to add a weird element to whatever I’m listening to at the time. Receiver was timely.

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5. Thrice – Black Honey: Classic Thrice. Big chorus. Simple yet pointed message. The production is on point and this song will be a fan favorite for years.

4. Polyenso – Not My Real Life: The only song I listened to this year that surpasses Receiver in terms of fun surreal quality is this one by Polyenso. It’s psychedelic pop at its most fun. I love that keyboard sample intro at the beginning – it sets the tone for the rest of the song perfectly.

3. M83 – Do It, Try It!: When I first heard this track I was little put off by it. I thought the vocals were obnoxious. Gradually, the charm of the 80s inspired cheesiness grew on me and I’ve never been more convinced that cheesiness as art is a definite thing that should be taken seriously. And the climax of the song sounds like the conclusion to an 80s sci-fi TV show theme and it ought to plaster a silly grin on your face.

2. Paper Route – Balconies: When I first heard this track in March (the band performed it opening for MUTEMATH) it became my most anticipated track of the year at the time. I’ve been told this song belongs on the Stranger Things soundtrack. I can see why, as what could be a subdued melancholy track blossoms into a booming song with badass synths about grace.

1. My Epic – Memoir: This is the only song I’ve heard this year where I thought to myself, “I might tattoo these lyrics on me.” “Memoir,” like many of My Epic’s songs, brings me to a state of worship and reverence and the musicianship is second to none. What are the lyrics I considered tattooing? “Hell go on and rage, whatever you may say my G-d, He speaks for me and I’ll not be ashamed. Hell go on and rage, you can’t change a thing. My G-d, You speak for me so I’ll not be ashamed.” I think those speak for themselves.

Spotify playlist: