2021 was somewhat less of a dumpster fire of a year than 2020. In general, popular music continued its long slog away from melody with lyrics and more toward rhythmic chanting (but I'm an old fogey, so what do I know?). I had to work harder than I can ever remember to find more than 100 songs that rose to the top of/for my annual favorite songs list. (Remember: I'm not counting down here; I went right for the favorite starting at #1.)
1. “Head Rush” – Art d’Ecco
2. “Chaise Lounge” –
Wet Leg
3. “Decoration” – TV
Priest
4. “Soft Spot” –
Claud
5. “We Are Between”
– Modest Mouse
6. “Hush” – The
Marías
7. “Age of Roaches”
– Kid Dakota
8. “The Nowhere Inn”
– St. Vincent
9. “U&ME” –
alt-J
10. “Let Down” –
Michigander
11. “Future Lights” –
Double Mixte and Desire
12. “Deliver Me fromWondering Why” – Nation of Language
13. “On the WrongSide”– Lindsey Buckingham
14. “Seventeen GoingUnder” – Sam Fender
15. “Best Life” –
Cheekface
16. “Waking Up” –
Django Django feat. Charlotte Gainsbourg
17. “Destroy Us” –
Beachy Head
18. “After Coffee” –
Joywave
19. “Total Stranger”
– Storefront Church
20. “Love U More” –
ACTORS
21. “Everyone IsHorrid Except Me (and Possibly You)” – Quilloughby (w/Lisa Simpson)
22. “Mine Forever” –
Lord Huron
23. “World on Fire” –
the KVB
24. “Empire Builder”
– Typhoon
25. “Safety Dance” –
Angel Olsen
26. “How Not toDrown” – Chvrches with Robert Smith
27. “Beautiful James”
– Placebo
28. “Invisible” –
Duran Duran
29. “Mold” – Lunar
Vacation
30. “Stay the Ride(Cast a Light)” - GusGus
31. “Jeff Goldblum” -
Mattiel
32. “Go DownTogether” - Foxing
33. “Bye Bye Baby” –
Requin Chagrin
34. “Why So Cruel” –
Whitehorse
35. “Eat an Eraser” –
Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum
36. “Wounds of Love”
– Nation of Language
37. “The First Day” –
Villagers
38. “Wolves” –
Garbage
39. “Disassociate” –
Deb Never
40. “Glowing in theDark” – Django Django
41. “New Invention” –
I Don’t Know How But They Found Me
42. “Bottle Rocket” –
Briston Maroney
43. “Distraction” – Beachy Head
44. “Back to Nowhere”
– UV-TV
45. “Prayer fromNowhere” – Cold Cave
46. “Headstand” –
Failure
47. “Desires” – Art
d’Ecco
48. “Under an Oceanof Holes” – Minor Moon
49. “Uneasy” –
Metronomy x Spill Tab
50. “Cloud 9” – Beach
Bunny featuring Tegan and Sara
51. “Love Is Alone” –
GusGus featuring John Grant
52. “Future” – the
KVB
53. “Futurecide” –
Kid Dakota
54. “Wet Dream” – Wet
Leg
55. “How It Works” –
Old Sea Brigade
56. “Traveling Light”
– Bootblacks
57. “Chemtrails Overthe Country Club” – Lana Del Rey
58. “Wherever You Go”
– Lola Lennox
59. “ElegantStrangers” – Atlas Genius
60. “Animal” - Lump
61. “Feels Right” –
Roosevelt
62. “Warning Bell” –
Beachy Head
63. “To the Island” –
Crowded House
64. “I Don’t Mind” –
Lindsey Buckingham
65. “Eclipse” – XIXA
66. “Shivering” –
Haerts
67. “The Rusty Bull”
– John Grant
68. “Sleepwalking” –
Admiral Fallow
69. “Pink Elephants”
– Claire George
70. “Kick the DevilOut” – Django Django
71. “White Horses” –
Low
72. “It’s Good to BeBack” – Metronomy
73. “Anniversary” –
Duran Duran
75. “This FracturedMind” – Nation of Language
76. “Strong Feelings”
– Dry Cleaning
77. “Projector” –
Geese
78. “Oxygen” – Beach
Bunny
79. “Stop MakingStupid People Famous” – Our Lady Peace featuring Pussy Riot
80. “Stargazing” –
the Neighbourhood
81. “Astronaut” –
Kate Toupin
82. “Day by Day” – Old Sea Brigade
83. "Elizabeth Taylor" – Pete Yorn
84. “Part of You
Wants to Believe Me” – They Might Be Giants
85. “Surrender Song” – Thomas Abban
86. “The Eye That
Follows Suit” – Wingtips
87. “Orion from the
Street” – Field Music
88. “TV God” – Art
d’Ecco
89. “Homesick” – Kid
Dakota
90. “And It Never
Ends!” – Fires of Denmark
91. “Unité” – the KVB
92. “Hold on to Love”
– Kiss the Tiger
93. “All My Favorite
Songs” – Weezer
94. “Promised Land” –
Cold Cave
95. “The Underground”
– Meg Myers
96. “Questions” –
Middle Kids
97. “Open Up the
Heavens” – Jade Bird
98. “Bad Dreams” –
Cannons
99. “Ramona” – Smashing
Pumpkins
100. “Armageddon
Suite”– Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum
101. “Hiddensee” –
Beachy Head
102. “Stephen Hawking”
– Kid Dakota
103. “May They Call Us
Home” – XIXA
104. “Roots and Wings”
– the Wallflowers
105. “Cluttered World”
– Museum of Love
106. “Cigarette
Packet” – Sorry
107. “Free from
Gravity” – Django Django
108. “It’s so Fun (to
Be Gay)” – Man on Man
109. “Cold War” – Kid
Dakota
110. “Peddler” – Lunar
Vacation
111. “Happy Birthday
Dark Star” – Cold Cave
112. “Freaks” – Surf
Curse
113. “Scratched
Lanyard” – Dry Cleaning
114. “Blind” – the KVB
115. “Listen to Your
Heart. No.” – Cheekface
116. “Space Girl” –
Frances Forever
117. “Good Girls
(Don’t Get Used)” – Beach Bunny
118. “We Cannot
Resist” – Lump
