Howdy, disco citizens!

 

It's now December, which means that it's officially Listmas. Which means that it's time for my 11th annual rundown of my 50 favourite songs of the year, which for this period is 2019. Which song will find it's place on the wall of fame, joining my favourite songs of the past few years? Past list toppers have been:

 

2008. Vampire Weekend - A Punk

2009. Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream

2010. French Horn Rebellion vs Database - Beaches & Friends

2011. The Vaccines - Norgaard

2012. The Asteroid's Galaxy Tour - Heart Attack

2013. Public Service Broadcasting - Signal 30

2014. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Eurydice

2015. Ten Fé - Make Me Better

2016. Bear's Den - Auld Wives

2017. CHAMPS - The Garden Is Overgrown

2018. Eels - Today Is The Day

 

And last year - the top 10 went a little bit like this:

1. Eels - Today Is The Day

2. Brand New Friend - Girl

3. Ciara O'neill - Dreamer

4. Confidence Man - Don't You Know I'm in a Band

5. The Presets - 14U+14ME - Single Edit

6. George Ezra - Paradise

7. The Fratellis - Starcrossed Losers

8. Snow Patrol - Life On Earth

9. Suede - Life is Golden

10. isaac gracie - last words

 

And to whet your appetites, here's a few hints as to the songs that made the top 50 -

 

- 11 of the acts are from Ireland

- 2 is from Japan

- One artist has made the list with 2 different songs.

- Fifteen songs are from artists that have made one of my lists in the past, including two former chart-toppers.

- Five songs made the UK top 75, including a number 1 single.

 

So, speculate away. The countdown should commence tomorrow.

#50

Old Town Road

Lil Nas X ft Billy Ray Cyrus

 

 

Album: 7

 

And we kick things off with the biggest hit of 2019. There was a lot of controversy over whether it should have been considered a country song (my own two cents - I consider it a hip-hop song with country elements, rather than a country song with hip-hop elements, something that I will return to later in the countdown), but it did nothing to harm its success. It’s a great, unexpected joy of a song, based around a sample of an obscure Nine Inch Nails side project song.

#49

Cabin Fever

Cheerbleederz

 

 

Album: Faceplant E.P

 

A short little DIY indie-pop song from trio Cleerbleederz, who’ve been involved in other groups like Happy Accidents & Fresh in the past.

 

#48

Other Voices

Drop The Shadow

 

 

Album: N/A

 

Up next is “Other Voices” from Dublin band Drop The Shadow. It’s a song that mixes 90s alt-rock with the sound of more contemporary bands like Tame Impala. The music video is pretty decent, showing what is probably the only hair-metal hurling match ever caught on camera.

 

#47

The Low

Ferals

 

 

Album: N/A

 

Up next is “The Low” from Belfast noise-rockers Ferals. If you are a fan of Biffy Clyro, you’ll find a lot to love about this song.

 

#46

On The Luna

Foals

 

 

Album: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1

 

Foals have been one of the most successful indie-rock bands of the post-2008 musical landscape, and even though I wouldn’t call them my favourite group, they’ve had several songs that I’ve loved from each album. From their first of two albums released in 2019 we have “On The Luna”, which is a good mix of the heavier sound that has typified them from their 3rd album onwards, mixed with the unusual time signatures that typified their debut.

 

Previous chart positions:

2008 Cassius- #50

2012 Inhaler - #6

2013 My Number- #35

2015 What Went Down - #15

On The Luna ❤️

Old Town Road is very catchy, I don't think I'd call it a country song either but it's still a very well made song.

Giving Cabin Fever a listen now, a fairly cheery-sounding indie track and her voice is very nice also.

On The Luna was a solid second single from Foals but nothing could top Exits for me this year!

#45

Pony on The Fare

Peter J McCauley

 

 

Album: N/A

 

Northern Irish artist Peter J McCauley has been making music that I've admired for many years now, previously under his Rams' Pocket Radio moniker and now under his own name. "Pony On The Fare" sees him moving into Beck meets Boards of Canada-like territory, and is all the better for it -

 

Previous chart positions:

2009 Dogs Run in Packs - #8 (as Rams’ Pocket Radio)

 

#44

Christopher

Jamie Johnson

 

 

Album: Is It Just Me? EP

 

If ever a song has been written for me (which it hasn't), then this must be it. A heartfelt acoustic ballad about long-distance love.

 

 

#43

Let Go Of Nothing

Husky Loops

 

 

Album: I Can’t Even Speak English

 

Italy has hardly been the epicentre for indie-rock breakouts, but in 2019 a lot of buzz built up around Husky Loops. Of the tracks released this year, it was “Let Go Of Nothing” that most tickled my fancy-bone, a song built around a simple keyboard riff, over which layers of sounds build upon.

 

#42

Goodbye Honeymoon Phase

Kitten

 

 

Album: Goodbye Honeymoon Phase E.P

 

I could’ve sworn that I had included American pop group Kitten in one of my year-end countdowns before, but it turns out this is their first appearance. Go them, I guess. “Goodbye Honeymoon Phase” is a quirky pop tune about the end of the ecstatic beginning of a relationship, one which sounds suspiciously like “Closing Time” by Semisonic.

 

#41

100 Bad Days

AJR

 

 

Album: Neotheater

 

It may have one of the most cringeworthy choruses of the year, but I just can’t stop get “100 Bad Days” by American trio AJR out of my head. Incredibly infectious pop of the earwormingest variety.

 

#40

Dig

Runabay

 

 

Album: Between The Lines

 

Runabay have built up a reputation as one of the best live modern folk acts in Northern Ireland at the moment, and it is songs like "Dig" like show why they are held in such high regard.

 

#39

To Feel Good

Swim Deep

 

 

Album: Emerald Classics

 

Swim Deep have given me some of my favourite indie songs of the past few years, although they had been inactive for some time before releasing “To Feel Good” a few months back. It’s a bit different to what you might expect from the group, a Rozalla-interpolating track about the struggles of modern life. Not what I expected, but still rather good.

 

Previous chart positions:

2013 King City - #4

2015 One Great Song and I Could Change The World - #23

 

#38

Jane

Dean Maywood

 

 

Album: Dean Maywood E.P

 

Donegal native Dean Maywood won me over at the start of 2019 with “Jane”, a heartfelt country-inflected ballad that gets under the skin. Have seen him live since then and really enjoy what he does, definitely one to keep an eye out for.

 

#37

Hold Me Now

Nai Br.XX&Celeina Ann

 

 

Album: Carole & Alice OST

 

“Hold Me Now” is the ending theme for anime Carole & Alice, and is a bouncy synth-pop song that reminds me a little bit of The Buggles.

 

#36

Hatchet

I Was A King

 

 

Album: Slow Century

 

Up next we’ve got some glorious indie-pop from Norweigian band I Was a King, with “Hatchet”. It’s a warm little gem of a song that fans of Teenage Fanclub & Camera Obscura would happily gobble up.

 

100 Bad Days is sadly one of my least favourite AJR songs for me, it was a big step down from a fab previous album. It's not terrible by any means though and quite catchy once you've listened to it enough.

I did really enjoy To Feel Good though, I don't think I've paid too much attention to Swim Deep in the past but it really is a great track, reminds me of a few songs from the 00s.

#35

Hospitalized

Broods

 

 

Album: Don’t Feed The Pop Monster

 

At #35 we have a song that featured in the BJSC from New Zealand synth-pop act Broods. It’s a song that is so infectious, that you get...well, you know where I’m going with this.