Top 50 Songs of 2015

Each year, I spend November and December moving songs up and down a Spotify playlist, trying to put together a concrete list of my top 50 favorite songs from the year. It is never easy. In fact, it’s usually frustrating and tiresome. Nonetheless, I like how it forces me to reflect. It forces me to remember the moments when I first heard these songs and how they changed my perception in one way or another. Everyone has different taste, but hopefully there is something for everyone here. Enjoy!

Other lists: 2014, 2013, 2012

Check out the Spotify playlist and post your own favorites on our app Cymbal!

Songs: (40–31)(30–21)(20–11)(10–1)

50) Thundercat — “Them Changes (feat. Flying Lotus)”

Thundercat was everywhere this year. His work on Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly” was masterful and it is great that he is finally getting the attention he deserves. He released a funk-filled EP this year, but I expect a breakout LP to come. P.S. This samurai fight above is A+

49) Julien Baker — “Go Home”

Julien reminds me of the time I first heard The Tallest Man On Earth. I don’t really listen to him that much anymore, but I remember being amazed how well he was able to create songs all on his own. You don’t need that many instruments to write great music. Julien does it here with piano, and I think the effect is really strong, especially when she hits the line “And I haven’t been taking my meds \ So lock all the cabinets send me to bed.” The spotlight is on her voice, and what’s going on in her head. For Julien, the struggle is daunting, but the future is bright.

48) Genghar — “She’s A Witch”

I like any band that is named after a Pokémon. At least I hope that was the intention…

47) Plums — “Parking Lots”

If you like this, check out the song “Fine Madeline.”

46) Kacy Hill — “Foreign Fields”

45) Heather Woods Broderick — “Wyoming”

Heather is the keyboardist in Sharon Van Etten’s band. I saw her at the ICA in Boston when she opened for Lucius (wow what a show). The crowd was a little restless at the time, but the few that were paying attention we’re absolutely captivated. This was her first time playing her own music live, but surely not her last.

44) Deradoorian — “Violet Minded”

Angel Deradoorian (from Dirty Projectors and Avery Tare’s Slasher Flicks) uses loops in ways that I have never seen. If you are into this, check out this video of her and her sister playing “A Beautiful Woman.”

43) Haybaby — “Her”

42) Sufjan Stevens — “No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross”

This is one of three songs from Sufjan Stevens’ “Carrie and Lowell” that made the list. The album is a honest expression of Stevens’ darkest memories ranging from his drug addiction, to his passing mom. It is one of the best albums of the year, if not the best.

41) FKA Twigs — “In Time”

FKA Twigs is much more than a musician. Her short film “M3LL55X” proved that. But what makes her art so compelling is her direct attacks on sexism and current gender roles in our society. Kris Ex from Billboard said it best in his review of the EP. He states, “In the video for ‘In Time,’ when her water breaks and drips down her legs in streams of rainbow colors, it disgusts an onlooking man. The inference is clear: The male gaze wants to penetrate women’s lives, but it does not always want them to have the power to create.”

Continue on to songs 40 – 31