Top Songs — 2013
▶ Spotify PlaylistAn old friend recently asked if I get goosebumps when listening to music. It made me think about the difference between songs I like and songs I love. My favorite music rarely grows on me over time — there's usually a catalyst, a moment of connection when it truly sticks. Sometimes it's immediate. Other times, I pick up on something in the instrumentation or harmonies after a few listens that really hits. It might be the lyrics catching me at just the right moment, or an incredible live performance that brings the song to life in a whole new way.
That's exactly what happened when I watched Lorde's performance of "Royals" at the Grammys. The minimalist aesthetic of her performance blended perfectly with the lyrics. Her stage presence was simple, even a bit messy — dressed in black and white with unkempt hair — but the way she embodied the song made the music feel like a physical presence in the room. Her movements conveyed how deeply she was feeling every note. At times, her left hand seemed to be pushing the sound out into the audience, making the connection even more visceral. It was mesmerizing. It was stunning. And it gave me goosebumps.
1.⭐ Vampire Weekend — Step
2.⭐ Lorde — Royals
3.⭐ JR JR — If You Didn't See Me (Then You Weren't on the Dancefloor)
4.⭐ CHVRCHES — The Mother We Share
5.⭐ Vampire Weekend — Hannah Hunt
6.⭐ New Politics — Harlem
7.⭐ CHVRCHES — Recover
8.⭐ The Paranoid Style — Beyond Petition
9.⭐ Cage The Elephant — Cigarette Daydreams
10.⭐ HAIM — The Wire
11.⭐ Los Campesinos! — What Death Leaves Behind
12.⭐ Vampire Weekend — Ya Hey
13.⭐ Sky Ferreira — Nobody Asked Me (If I Was Okay)
14.⭐ Sleigh Bells — Young Legends
15.Vampire Weekend — Diane Young
16.Charli xcx — You - Ha Ha Ha
17.Iron & Wine — Caught in the Briars
18.Paramore — Still into You
19.Dr. Dog — Love
20.The 1975 — Chocolate
21.Miley Cyrus — We Can't Stop
22.Kacey Musgraves — Follow Your Arrow
23.Waxahatchee — Swan Dive
24.Washed Out — All I Know
25.Phosphorescent — Song for Zula
26.Los Campesinos! — Cemetery Gaits
27.The National — Pink Rabbits
28.Yo La Tengo — Ohm
29.Neko Case — Man
30.New Politics — Berlin
31.Eleanor Friedberger — Stare at the Sun
32.Lucius — Hey, Doreen
33.Superchunk — Low F
34.Lorde — Team
35.Fitz and The Tantrums — The Walker
36.Phoenix — Entertainment
37.Okkervil River — Down Down The Deep River
38.Katy Perry — Roar
39.CHVRCHES — Gun
40.HAIM — Falling
41.Lorde — Ribs
42.Miley Cyrus — Wrecking Ball
43.Jack Johnson — Shot Reverse Shot
44.JR JR — Run
45.The National — I Need My Girl
46.New Politics — Tonight You're Perfect
47.Matt Pond PA — Starlet
48.Thao;Thao & The Get Down Stay Down — We the Common (For Valerie Bolden)
49.Arcade Fire — Reflektor
50.The Neighbourhood — Sweater Weather
51.Superchunk — Me & You & Jackie Mittoo
52.Youth Lagoon — Mute
53.Paramore — Ain't It Fun
54.Yeah Yeah Yeahs — Sacrilege
55.Vampire Weekend — Unbelievers
56.Daft Punk;Pharrell Williams;Nile Rodgers — Get Lucky
57.Mariah Carey;Miguel — #Beautiful
58.Robin Thicke;T.I.;Pharrell Williams — Blurred Lines
59.Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds — Jubilee Street
60.Lady Gaga — Applause