Tag Archives: Dawes

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Top 100 Songs Of 2016 (Part 1 – #100-91)

To any music fan, the best part about the end of the year is not holidays, vacations, or time spent with family and loved ones: it is the end of the year music countdowns. This year, to commemorate the 7th year of Ryan’s Countdown’s “Best Songs of the Year”  there will be a Top 100 Songs of 2016 Countdown.

Each list of 10 songs will be released every few days throughout the month of December, until the reveal of the #1 Song of 2016.

While the majority of the Top 100 Songs of the Year are all Rock based, there is still a wide array of sub-genres represented in this years countdown. The list is littered with Alt-Rock songs, including Indie Rock and Folk Rock. But, there is also a significant showing of Pop Rock, Country Rock, Hard Rock, and even a dusting of Electric Rock songs.

Certainly the lines of what is considered “Rock” may be blurred, but each of these listener friendly songs, were either released in 2016, or released in 2015, but gained notoriety, in 2016.

Please feel free to chime in (comments section) and let me know whether or not you agree with my well thought out, carefully selected, and correct choices. Enjoy the countdown, and happy holidays!

 

TOP 100 Rock Songs of 2016…

 

 

100. “Shine A Light” – BANNERS

BANNERS, also know as Michael Joseph Nelson, is an English musician from Liverpool, UK. While “Shine A Light” technically was released in mid 2015 overseas, it was not until 2016 that it gained popularity and exposure in the States.

“Shine A Light” starts as a piano ballad and quickly escalates to anthem rock. BANNERS perfects both the sweet and savory as he sings about having a beacon of light that brings him through the storm. Dedicate this song to anyone that has gotten you through a rough patch in your life, and the lyrics will speak for themselves….. or play it for a loved one that wakes up before you and insists on turning a light on while you are trying to get some much-needed beauty sleep. They, too, will get the point.

 

 

99. “Up&Up” – Coldplay

As with just about every other Coldplay song that has ever been written, I have no idea what “Up&Up” is about, and to be honest, I’m pretty sure Coldplay doesn’t even know what they are singing about anymore.

Fortunately for the band, Chris Martin can sing about anything and people will swoon. And if having Chris Martin as your lead singer isn’t enough, the band also recruited Beyoncé to sing backup vocals, and Noel Gallagher to play guitar. You know you are one of the biggest bands in the world when you get Beyoncé to sing backup vocals on a track. The real life equivalent of that would be if I walked past Gisele Bundchen on the street and stopped her to ask if she could take a picture of me because I had just gotten a fresh haircut and wanted to show it off to all of my Instagram followers.

But anyway, “Up&Up” is catchy as hell, and with over 100 million views on YouTube it is yet another reason why Coldplay is one of the most iconic bands of the past 20 years.

 

 

98. “Sister Of Pearl” – Baio

It has been a few years since Vampire Weekend released any new music, which is heart-breaking, but manageable now that bassist, Christopher Baio released his solo album, The Names, in the second half of 2015. This song, “Sister Of Pearl” is an 80’s style, indie rock track that you can’t help but sing along with. And while “Sister Of Pearl” was released in mid 2015, it was in its peak of radio airplay at the beginning of 2016.

The song is about one a simple message: to be who you want to be. And from watching the video, I am damn sure I know who I want to be: best friends with Christopher Baio.

And yes, he is related to Charles in Charge’s Scott Baio. First cousins, once removed. Whatever the hell that means.

 

97. “Happy Pills” – Weathers

Quite possibly the happiest song about being sad since Third Eye Blind’s “Semi-Charmed Life”, the jolly track about ones decent into crystal meth addiction, “Happy Pills” will almost certainly brighten up your most dreary, depressing days. Weathers, the young rock quartet from LA perfectly summarizes the continuously rising trend of taking “happy pills” to deal with your problems.

Not only will you find yourself singing along to the catchy chorus…

“I take my pills and I’m happy all the time, I’m happy all the time, I’m happy all the time…”

But you will also find it impossible to not sing along with the “LA LA LA LA LA LA’s” even more enthusiastically than the Smurfs do after yet another victorious encounter with their rival, Gargamel.

 

96. “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore” – Phantogram

Only by sheer coincidence is Phantogram’s first single of their album Three, “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore” on the countdown directly after “Happy Pills,” but I am going to pretend that it was a stroke of genius.

“You Don’t Get Me High Anymore” is dark, edgy, and the definition of what good 2016 electronic rock sounds like. In an interview with Pitchfork the duo said of the song:

“Metaphorically, it’s about addiction. It’s also about certain things that we see in culture, pop culture, and even music that we find redundant, that we’ve always kind of strayed away from as a group…. It also taps into this idea of wanting to feel something. Basically, wanting to feel something strong and doing whatever it takes to feel it again, because you know it feels good and you miss it.”

Hopefully Phantogram will continue to get us high off their music in the new year.

 

95. “When The Tequila Runs Out” – Dawes

LA folk-rock band, Dawes, released their fifth studio album this year, and while their lead track, “When The Tequila Runs Out” sounds very similar to their previous work, it is one of their most laid back songs to date.

The video for the folky jam shows the band at a house party and is filmed entirely in slow motion. “When the tequila runs out, we’ll be drinking champagne” is the theme of the song, implying that the Dawes guys are not going to call it a night anytime soon. The fun, playful song is quite a variation from the guys that brought us 2015’s tear-jerking “All Your Favorite Bands.” And unlike “All Your Favorite Bands,” which was included on last year’s top 100 songs countdown, it is a track you can listen to when laying by a pool, without fear of crying your eyes out.

Now, to the laboratory, to test my holiday season drink special, The Dawes: 2 parts tequila, one part OJ, fill with champagne. Repeat. Then repeat again. And then repeat 3 more times.

 

94. “HandClap” – Fitz and the Tantrums

Not since the early 1900’s “If You’re Happy And You Know It” has a song about clapping your hands been so accepted into pop culture.

“HandClap,” the first single off Fitz and the Tantrums self-titled third studio album, is one of the most infectious tracks of the year. And fans of all genres of music are equally infected by how catchy it is. People of all ages can be caught clapping their hands and singing “I can make your hands clap.” Additionally, “HandClap” is a DJ’s wet dream, as even the most stubborn “I don’t dance” club visitors will find themselves out on the dance floor, because even they can’t mess up clapping their hands in unison with the crowd.

Fitz and the Tantrums were 100% right, they certainly can make our hands clap. They make us happy. And they know it.

 

 

93. “Heart Of My Hometown” – Matthew Szlachetka

Regardless of whether or not you still live in the hometown you grew up in, Matthew Szlachetka’s “Heart Of My Hometown” will have you reminiscing about your 1st grade teacher, your high school prep rally, your childhood best friends, the pharmacy that used to be where the new McDonalds is, that is the home of the former Blockbuster, and whatever else may remind you of the good old days.

“Heart Of My Hometown” is John Cougar Mellencamp’s “Small Town,” for a whole new generation. It is hard to decide if the track is folk-rock, country, pop, or just plain rock, but that doesn’t even matter. It is Americana at its best.

“Hometown” is the first track I’ve heard from Szlachetka, but it is difficult to imagine anyone else singing it, as his voice is both poignant and comforting at the same time. And it could be just because I wouldn’t want to have grown up anywhere in the world other than my hometown of Westerly, RI, but the lyrics “Farewell to the love forged in this ground / Farewell, don’t look back, just make ’em proud / No matter where I go, can’t let go to the heart of my hometown” may be some of my favorite lyrics of the year.

Hopefully we get more solid music from Matthew Szlachetka in the coming year, but one thing is for certain, “Heart Of My Hometown” will forever be a staple of all of my 4th of July playlists.

 

92. Regular World, Spirit Animal

Spirit Animal’s “Regular World” sounds like it could have received a coveted spot on NOW! That’s What I Call Music: Volume 1 back in 1998. And I mean that in the highest form of flattery.

“Regular World” is a big, bold, alt rock track that defines the genre. The song is about making the best with what you have been given, and focusing on what you need in life, rather than obsessing over the things you want.

Back in late 2015 the band told Consequence of Sound that “There’s a delicate balance between always demanding more — from life, from friends, from your job — and being satisfied with what you’ve got… This song is about walking that tightrope; about being able to want, want, want without having to need, need, need.”

I want more Spirit Animal in 2017, and I am pretty damn sure I need it too.

 

91. “Ringer” – The Unlikely Candidates

Move over Beyoncé and all of you single ladies, The Unlikely Candidates are here with some bromance advice to tell you to put a ring on her finger before she turns into a scorned woman who unapologetically tells you that if you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it. 

Just when I thought that the upbeat, pop-rock song couldn’t get any better, the acoustic version of the song appears on YouTube, and is just as good, if not better than the studio version. Listen to them both and judge for yourself which one you prefer.

So fellas, if you have that special someone, a “ringer” if you will, then take The Unlikely Candidate’s advice and put a ring, put a ring, put a ring around her finger.

 

 

Come back on Wednesday for #90-81 of the Top 100 Songs of 2016.

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Top 100 Songs of 2015 – Part 8 (30-21)

Songs 100 – 91     Songs 90-81     Songs 80-71     Songs 70-61     Songs 60-51                    Songs 50-41         Songs 40-31

30. Buy Me a Boat, Chris Janson

You know the old saying that money can’t buy happiness. Chris Janson is well aware of it. But, he doesn’t care, he still wants it. Because what money can do, is buy you a boat, a truck, and a huge cooler filled up with ice cold beers.

In one of the most clever country songs of the year, Chris Janson disproves the old saying, and goes to show that money can buy happiness. It is a country song in every sense of the term, but even country haters will get a kick out of Janson, and his brilliant outlook on money and life.

29. Kiss This, The Struts

The Struts are a rock band from Derby, England, and have had a massive year expanding their fandom to the States with their hit “Could’ve Been Me” which was released way back in 2013 in the UK, and not until the summer of 2015 in the States.

The band has dubbed their style as “glamorous indie rock and roll” in reference to The Killers song by the same name (which is itself a must hear track.)

“Kiss This” is a hard core rock and roll track. It is so full on rock that it almost comes across as scary, which is what rock and roll is meant to be. If Freddie Mercury was still alive, he would be lead singer, Luke Spiller, which is meant as a massive compliment to both men. “Kiss This” will get your fists pumping and ready to take on the world.

Who will love this track? Fans of The Darkness, Stone Temple Pilots, Against Me! and classic rock lovers.

28. Beautiful Life, Nick Fradiani

Nick Fradiani, winner of the penultimate season of American Idol may not become one of the more successful Idol winners of all time. But, his coronation song for season 14 is certainly one of the best in the show’s history.

27. The Wolf, Mumford & Sons

Nothing could make “The Wolf” more perfect. Expect a video featuring the guys of Mumford and Sons running around Bonnaroo music festival dressed as a chicken, fox, Robin Hood, and a bride. This is the most fun we have seen Mumford and Sons have, and it makes them even more likable than they already were.

“The Wolf” continues the pattern of a more rock sound that they band was searching for on the latest album, Wilder Mind.  

26. America’s Sweetheart, Elle King

Unless you have been in a coma for the past six months, you are probably quite familiar with Elle King and her breakout hit of the summer, “Exes and Ohs.” Being the real life daughter of Rob Schneider may have left some wondering if her father’s connections has helped Elle launch her music career, but after “America’s Sweetheart” Elle confirmed that she is not a one-hit wonder, and is a bonafide rock star, regardless of her dad being Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo.

In “America’s Sweetheart” Elle shares with the world all of her imperfections, and flaws. She drinks too much, has a chip in her front tooth, and has awful tattoos. Elle breaks boys’ hearts, and couldn’t care less. She is unapologetic for who she is, and does not care what the world thinks of her, because she has never claimed to be America’s sweetheart.

“What do you want from me? I’m not America’s sweetheart
So beat the drum with me, I’m not America’s sweetheart
Well, they say I’m too loud for this town
So I lit a match and burned it down
What do you want from me, I’m not America’s sweetheart
But you love me anyway”

BUT, despite all of her traits, and her inability to play the role of America’s sweetheart, Elle promises that we are going to love her anyway, and she could not be any more right. She is certainly not “America’s Sweetheart”, but America has fallen in love with Elle King.

25. Crash and Burn, Thomas Rhett

Perhaps the least country, country song of the year goes to “Crash and Burn” by Thomas Rhett. You can define it however you want; country, pop, rock, funk, soul, r&b, etc., but there is no denying that it is fantastic.

Rhett, son of country star Rhett Atkins, has had his breakout year in 2015, releasing “Crash and Burn” and more recently, the wildly successful “Die a Happy Man.”

Cupid would crash and burn into the ground if he could hear this song about failed relationships, which is the complete opposite of “Die a Happy Man.” Possibly Rhett realized that if he wants a nice Valentines Day gift he better release a follow up to the anti-relationship anthem. I am sure I am not alone when I say that I can  not wait to see what this guy comes up with next.

24. High, Young Rising Sons

If you know this song, and do not sing alone with it each and every time you hear it, than you are a much better man (or woman) than I. Even if I am tired, or in a sour mood, in a classroom full of students, or at the gym, I do not have the will power to not sing along. It is catchier than the Bubonic plague in 14th century Asia.

Next time you’re having a bad day, play this pick-me-up from Jersey boys, Young Rising Sons, and you will quickly be reminded that without the lows, you would never have the highhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeiiiiiii.

23. Makeshift Love, Good Charlotte

There were a lot of surprises in music in 2015, but maybe none more shocking than Good Charlotte returning after years of hiatus and releasing their best song in a decade, “Makeshift Love.”

The Madden Brothers and Co. have channeled their inner Weezer for the music video, which features numerous text message alert noises, which have tricked me every single time I have listened to the song.

If “Makeshift Love” is any indication about what their new album will sound like, expect to see some Good Charlotte tunes in the top 20 songs of 2016.

22. Things Happen, Dawes

No band in music today can harmonize quite like Dawes, and no frontman has a more soothing voice than Taylor Goldsmith. One of the most underrated bands of the decade, Dawes, released their fourth studio album this summer, titled All Your Favorite Bands, and “Things Happen” was their first single off the album.

Despite the bands folkiness and laid back demeanor, Dawes has a tendency to have some epic songs, and “Things Happen” is one of them. Second to none, their songs tell stories, and Dawes is a band that can tell the most beautiful stories that you never tire of hearing.

21. Sing It All Away, Walk Off The Earth

I don’t just listen to “Sing It All Away”, I actually feel “Sing It All Away.” The repeat button is always on when this track plays. Walk Off the Earth have got to be the coolest, laid back band in music today. Who knew that Canadians could be so cool?

“Sing It All Away” is about going to a bar with your buddies to forget about all your troubles. Is it even humanly possible to sing it all away at karaoke while throwing back some beers with your friends and still be weighed down by daily burdens? I certainly don’t think so.

“Oh oh oh
Sing it all away, sing it all away my darlings

I know a place that will take you away
Your troubles no longer remain from the day
I found a love there it’s hard to escape
It cures me at night, but it hurts when I wake

There’s no judge and the jury’s at bay
‘Cause this is our house where melodies play
If worries still linger my friends and I say
Top up your cup and let’s sing it all away”

Walk Off the Earth, if you are ever in New England and feel the need to sing it all away, I know a guy that will close the bar down with you.

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Top 100 Songs of 2015 – Part 6 (50-41)

Songs 100 – 91     Songs 90-81     Songs 80-71     Songs 70-61     Songs 60-51 

50. All Your Favorite Bands, Dawes

Anyone that considers themselves a music lover knows that there is not much more devastating than their favorite bands breaking up. Dawes frontman, Taylor Goldsmith said of the “All Your Favorite Bands”…

“I know that my favorite bands are a really deep part of who I am.” “They help define me, they help represent me, they trigger certain emotional memories, and they stand for the ideals and lifestyle that I will always hope to achieve. And I don’t mean rock and roll fantasies, but rather concepts like freedom and enlightenment.”

“I would love for someone wishing me well to put it in the terms of ‘may all your favorite bands stay together.’ That would be a real friend. That person would know what truly matters. To me, the statement of ‘All Your Favorite Bands’ immediately gets down to a highly personal and singular part of anybody in a way that few other concepts can.”

“All Your Favorite Bands” is a beautiful, thought provoking song that will make you question why nobody has ever wished that blessing on you before. Hopefully, for the sake of music fans everywhere, Dawes will be one of those bands that stays together forever.

*The addition of Brandon Flowers, lead singer of The Killers, in the music video makes a great song even more amazing.

49. Wasn’t Expecting That, Jamie Lawson

Break out the tissues for the most gut-wrenching, heart-breaking song of 2015. “Wasn’t Expecting That” (released in Ireland in 2011, but did not make it to the States until this year) is a love story to end all love stories. Newcomer Jamie Lawson tells the story of a couple’s journey together from their first meeting, until the woman’s untimely death, and it could not be more beautiful and traumatic at the same time.

Based on this track alone, it looks as though Lawson could be following in his buddy Ed Sheeran’s footsteps as a dominant force in the singer-songwriter world.

48. Big Decisions, My Morning Jacket

My Morning Jacket has been around for nearly 18 years, and “Big Decisions” is arguably their best song, and most successful song to date. Lead singer, Jim James says that the track is about people that are unhappy with their lives and constantly complain, but refuse to make any changes.

Just about everyone can listen to this song and think of that one friend they have and relate. How many times have you thought, “what do you want me to do, make all the big decisions for you” while giving advice and pretending to feel sympathy for your disaster of a friend? Thanks to My Morning Jacket, you can now play “Big Decisions” and let the song speak for itself.

47. Where Do Broken Hearts Go, One Direction

Before you spit your drink out all over your computer screen or phone, I think you need to listen to the song, and ignore the band name. Despite being One Direction, “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” is just as much rock as it is pop. If you are not a One Direction fan, or secretly are one, but you are too embarrassed to admit it to yourself, I am here to tell you that it is alright to like this song, no matter how old you are.

Do yourself a favor and blast this song in your car and sing along. You will not be sorry.

46. I Don’t Wanna Be Sad, Simple Plan

https://youtu.be/aOKXGfk_-6I

Canadian pop-punk-rock band Simple Plan is back and as fun as they have always been. If you or someone you know is sad, this is a must watch video. “I Don’t Wanna Be Sad” will turn your frown upside down, and make your sad feelings disappear, if only for a few minutes. The motivational track is just enough to hold fans over until they release their highly anticipated fifth studio album, Taking One For the Team in February, 2016.

45. Ship To Wreck, Florence and the Machine

We have all had those mornings where you feel the same was that Florence feels in “Ship to Wreck.” You drank too much, partied too hard, hooked up with someone you would rather not have, or simply made disastrous, awful decisions. We feel you, Flo.

Florence said the following about her writing “Ship To Wreck.”

“I was thinking about my own self destructive side, and how you can make something only to tear it down, enjoy/destroy, create/devastate etc. When you’re in that whirlwind, you often end up breaking the thing you love the most.”

At 2015’s Coachella festival Florence introduced the song the with..

“Some time off I had in London where I had some drunken parties and trashed my house and said a drunken ‘I love you’ too soon.”

“Even though all that disastrous stuff happened, I got this song out of it,” she added. “It all works out, and even if it doesn’t, write a song about it.”

The rock world is thankful for your drunken parties, your trashed house, and your drunken “I love you’s” Florence. Keep up the partying, and keep releasing songs about your self destruction.

44. Cocoon, Catfish and the Bottlemen

Welsh rock band, Catfish and the Bottlemen formed back in 2007, but it was not until late 2014 that they released their first full length studio album, The Balcony. From the first second when the guitar rips, “Cocoon” is a rock and roll juggernaut which keeps the pace through the entire track.

Simply put, the song “Cocoon”, written on a rooftop in New York City across from a million strangers, is about “being in love with the moment,” says lead singer Van McCann.

Hopefully now that Catfish and the Bottlemen have released their first album, fans will not have to wait another 7 years before they release their next one.

43. Wherever is Your Heart, Brandi Carlile

Brandi Carlile could sing the McDonalds dollar menu and it would probably be considered one of the best songs of the year. This woman can do no wrong. Each and every time she releases a song, it is better than the one before it (with the exception of “The Story“) which, in my opinion, is one of the greatest female fronted songs of all time. In fact, if she ever released a song I was more obsessed with than “The Story” I think my head would explode.

“Wherever Is Your Heart” is pretty damn close to being her best though. Nobody can do folk-rock and make it sound SO folky and SO rock at the same time, quite like Brandi Carlile. “Wherever Is Your Heart” starts out as a laid back, peaceful track that you want to listen to as you lay in a hammock on a warm summer’s day. It ends with me wanting to jump out of the hammock, rip off my shirt, and sprint around my block which singing along with Carlile.

* On a devastating note: I just found out that Brandi Carlile is married…… and a lesbian. Therefore she will definitely never be able sing “The Story” to me at our wedding. I’m crushed.

If you have never heard “The Story” you have failed at life, and you must save face and listen to it immediately. Multiple times.

42. Dumb, The Heydaze

https://youtu.be/d0fusFSSVy8

I’m beginning to think that The Heydaze have some sort of recording device in my house because the lyrics to “Dumb” are basically the words that come out of my mouth every morning in the summer. And on the weekends. And Tuesdays.

“Dumb” is one of the most playful songs on the year, and catchy as hell. Hopefully The Heydaze can continue to drop hits like “Dumb” and steer clear of one-hit wonder status. Because of their unique style, they certainly have the ability to stand out from the pack and expand their audience in 2016 and beyond.

41. Renegades, X Ambassadors

Quite possibly the most inspirational song of the year, “Renegades” is about people overcoming their challenges. The video features athletes with physical disabilities competing as any other athlete would compete. From weight lifting, to wrestling, boxing, and rock climbing, disabled athletes are shown overcoming the odds and achieving their goals.

It is especially poignant since one of the members of the band, Casey Harris (keyboards) has been blind since birth.

“Renegades” is a great rock song, but more importantly, it is a great song to inspire people with any sort of disability that they are capable of achieving whatever they put their minds to: like being in a killer band, and having one of the best rock songs of the year.