Being the time of year for lists, I give you my personal 2013 top songs list. Because it's my list and therefore I can do what I want, they're not even all 2013 releases, but they are the songs I listened to the most this year. I call this my "Tom Kha" list, because (like Thai coconut soup), I simply couldn't get enough of these songs. Also like tom kha soup, once I get a little taste, I want to immerse my head in them.
This is the music that filled my space, my airwaves in 2013. Play these songs in a loop on my car stereo, and I will drive around the block forever.
12. "Cruise" - Florida Georgia Line
Forget "Blurred Lines." "Cruise" was the song of the summer. It happens to be the only song in this list I don't own. But it made me so happy every time it came on the radio. Which, gloriously, was a LOT.
11. "Farewell, December" - Matt Nathanson
There's not much Matt can do that I don't like. (Although, playing the horrible music venue that is the Grandstand at the Iowa State Fair might be one of them.) Matt is one of my favorite live performers. It's getting harder to catch him in a small or mid-size venue, but if you have the chance, take it.
10. "The Donnybrook Affair" - Carbon Leaf
No secret, Carbon Leaf is a perennial favorite on my airwaves. Their song lyrics are brilliant, and their music spans different sounds and genres. A lot of their early music was Celtic-influenced, so it was fun to see them return to those roots and release an entire Celtic album earlier this year. This song makes me want to live in an Irish pub.
9. "Better Days" - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Nothing like an outdoor concert on a perfect Des Moines summer evening with a crowd of happy hippies to cement a song to the brain. This song also ended up in heavy rotation on our road trip to California in June.
8. "Walking Shoes" - Red Wanting Blue
Okay, this is a song from 2012, but it didn't come on my radar until we experienced Red Wanting Blue on the Rock Boat this past February. Lead singer Scott Terry is larger than life on stage, and his deep voice gets into the wrinkles of my brain. In a good way. Super happy when their tour brought them back through Des Moines this fall.
7. "Slumber" - NEEDTOBREATHE
Going further back, this song came out in the fall of 2011. I still can't get enough of it. We first saw NTB probably 5 or 6 years ago, and they just keep getting better. They were another Rock Boat band who also toured through Iowa later in the year, re-upping this song on my most-played list. One complaint. I've see them play five shows since this album came out, and I have yet to hear "Slumber" live. I'll keep trying.
6. "San Francisco" - The Mowgli's
The Mowgli's make me want to spend a carefree day at the beach. That is all.
5. "We Come Running" - Youngblood Hawke
In the same vein as "San Francisco"... so many songs I liked this year are happy ones with many layered vocals. Group love! I also love the video for this song. Yes, I still watch music videos. Every Saturday morning, VH1 Top 20 Countdown with Jim Shearer. Don't judge. Just come on over and join me. Bring Krispy Kremes.
4. "Counting Stars" - OneRepublic
This one has been getting so much radio play that it risks burnout, but not yet for me. Still going strong. Ryan Tedder is a genius songwriter and a fun performer. Dennis and I road-tripped four hours to Minneapolis to see them on a school night, and drove back the same night. No regrets.
3. "Preacher" - OneRepublic
"Counting Stars" might be the biggest hit from 1Rep's Native, but "Preacher" edges it out as my favorite song from the album. This one I DID get to hear live. It's sweeping.
2. "Anna Sun" - Walk the Moon
I love this music video. I guess it's actually been a while since this song has been out, but it's still up there on my playlist. Fun, fun, fun! The 80s room in the video is my favorite part. I want to paint my face and party with this band. Again, join me for Saturday morning videos sometime. My family is growing tired of it.
1. "Red Hands" - Walk Off the Earth
(Don't be confused. Not the same band as my #2 pick.) Walk Off the Earth is super talented in all the great song covers they do on YouTube, but "Red Hands" shows they can hold their own with original music too.
Countdown Contenders (as Jim Shearer would call them):
"Lucky Strike" - Maroon 5. Yes, the Overexposed album is from 2012, but it's still not overexposed in my world.
"Lego House" - Ed Sheeran. He is so likeable, and the Lego version of this music video is mesmerizing.
"Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons. My favorite song off their Night Visions album. It didn't make my top dozen list because, while at first I couldn't get enough of it, eventually, I got enough.
