Top 119 Songs of 2019, #110 - 101

#119 - 111

#110. I FEEL BETTER BUT I DON'T FEEL GOOD

by Alice Skye

It might not seem like much but I'm hurting now

I’ve said this sentence so many more times in my life than I care to admit. Alice Skye says it in a much, much prettier way than I ever could and makes me feel much more better-er and almost close to good-er-er when I hear it. And this is why music is so important and this is exactly why I love so much music so much. (Jo Michelmore)

#109. DEMON

by Mark Harding





And people say it's the land of opportunity

Mark Harding has this amazing talent, a way of painting pictures with sounds that transport me to familiar places I’m not sure I’ve been, beats of confident hesitation and slow notes I almost mistrust. Lyrics that transport me to so many places, some of them beautifully bathed in golden light, some of them hazy and gloomy; his music is so comfortably Australian it makes me homesick for places I’ve never been. If only I had his talent I could explain how much talent he has. (Jo Michelmore)

#108. GIVE ME THE NIGHT
by Essie Holt





I won't find the key to your feelings
But I know that I'm going to break in

“You look up, you look down, you look up, you look down (repeat)” It was those words that hooked me on this song from the first time I heard it, which is funny because it’s exactly how the whole song feels; poppy and light, with a shadow overriding, dancing with your back against a wall. Essie Holt has managed to capture atmospheric and equally grounded, moody and overjoyed all at the same time and she’s managed to squish it all into two minutes and fifty one seconds of greatness. (Jo Michelmore)

#107. IN MY ROOM
by Frank Ocean


 


Quit being violent with me
You make me violent

I’m not going to pretend I’m on the Frank Ocean can do no wrong bandwagon, but I’m not going to pretend I don’t at least sorta kinda maybe like pretty much everything he does. Last month a couple of new Ocean tracks were released to much twitter fanfare, but as hopefully everyone has figured out by now, Twitter is pretty dire as a platform (said by someone who uses it to get the ‘news’). I probably couldn’t tell you the name of the other one (DHL?) but ‘In My Room’ holds a nice vibe, it’s pretty chill, dope one might say. Or not?  (Matt Bond)

#106. SKIN
by San Cisco





Was it the way I behaved
To try and make you stay?

San Cisco, you reliable teen babes. Sure they’re likely young adults now, but they’ll always be teen dreams to me. Remember when they were releasing stalker anthems and then super dreamy indie bops and it’s like 10 years later and now here they are... releasing stalker-y, super dreamy indie bops. I can dig it. Like their contemporaries, Ball Park Music, San Cisco only get better with age as they bestow gems like ‘Skin’ on us that reflect their maturing world view. There’s beautiful guitar lines in this too. What more do you want? (Matt Bond)

#105. SAD DAY
by FKA twigs





Take a chance on all the things you can't see

Art. What is it? What’s it all about? Is there such thing as musical art? Yes, obviously. That’s why we callperformers musical artists. It’s not like how Subway has sandwich artists who are unable to express themselves in any unique ways. Musical artists can get all experimental if they want and as an example of this, here’s FKA twigs and her trippy beats and it’s all very arty... but it’s also just good music that, like the title suggests, is going to make you have a sad day. Or since art is subjective, maybe you’ll take this in a completely different interpretive direction and be happy? See. Art. (Matt Bond) 

Perhaps I haven’t been paying as much attention as I should, but I’m unsure what happened to FKA Twigs in the years between LP1 and her second album, Magdalene, released late this year. The reason I mention this is because I’m unsure at what point exactly she became Kate Bush. For the younger kids playing along, Kate Bush was an art/baroque rock/pop singer/songwriter from the 70s and 80s who sounded much like….FKA Twigs. Has anyone seen either of them in the same room at the same time? No? Has anyone noticed bushes are made of sticks and...twigs? The FKA Bush conspiracy theory continues. (Jo Michelmore)

#104. SILVER
by DMA'S





It's funny that I think of you right now
Knowing all the years that turned to clouds

Never one to shy away from admitting they are extremely late to the party, I can finally say in 2019 I’m a big fan of DMA’S. I can’t even explain how I’ve managed to avoid them all this time. Not listening to the radio much helps. But I did hear ‘Silver’ and now I’m kicking myself for not getting into them sooner because this makes me really, really happy. Like smile on the face happy. Are all the DMA’S songs this romantic? I look forward to finding out for myself. (Matt Bond)

#103. NICK CAVE
by Thelma Plum





I don't hate her, I hate you
It's not her fault, this one's on you

A little bit awkward and a whole lot sad. This reminds me of some of Thelma Plum’s earliest releases that captured that first sentence so well, as only she can. It’s kind of crazy to think Plum has been releasing for the last decade and we’ve only just seen the release of her debut album, but it’s also genuinely amazing to see an artist that can still capture the same magic in a song after all this time. ‘Nick Cave’ finds Plum is the role of the other woman, albeit reluctantly and willing to call old mate out on being a dick for putting her in this position. Unenviable and forgivable...  but working at Mrs. Flannery’s? Don’t know about that, Ms. Plum. So much to love and one of the best singalong choruses of the year. (Matt Bond) 

 

 

There is a special something that incredible artists and incredibly good pop songs all share – the ability to be relatable. There is a line in this song that tells the tale of one of the most relatable situations anyone with a social media account will have either been in, or dread. And if you’ve heard the song, you know the line, which is as amusing as it is horrifying, much like social media itself. Thelma Plum's brand of pop is exactly as pop should be; totally relatable, totally incredible, totally the best. (Jo Michelmore)

#102. THE REAL THING
by Client Liaison





Everybody's a winner
But there's more to reach than just the finish line

I’ve never been quite sure whether Client Liaison are absolutely taking the piss and have made a very successful career out of it or whether they’ve managed to travel through time and bring their fashion to the future, that is now, with them, or whether the other option, they just really like the 80s. To be honest, I’d be happy with any of these options, because those 80s synths and mullets are a welcome feel, in any decade. They manage to make pop positive without being overbearing, keeping dance battles and funk riffs alive in a world that can sometimes feel too much number 101 than number 102. Don’t tell me you don’t love it. No offence Lana. (Jo Michelmore)

#101. CALIFORNIA
by Lana Del Rey





You said to a friend that you wish you were doing better
I wanted to reach out, but I never said a thing

Over the past couple of releases, Lana Del Rey has really carved out her own space in the musical world. She knows what her brand of music is and she’s not afraid to stick to it... in fact she keeps getting better at making the music that is so uniquely her with each new album. Maybe that’s why “Fucking Norman Rockwell” finds itself on the nominees list for Album of the Year at the next Grammy Awards. And it’s really no surprise it’s up for top honours when it has songs like ‘California’ that take a detour from your standard pop fare to tackle how to be a good friend to someone struggling with their mental health. There might be the standard Lana Del Rey dreamy vocals and vintage references in the lyrics for days but it’s sweet and effective and worth every single replay it has you hitting. And it’s probably the least California inspired song to have California in the title, so that’s a nice change of pace too. (Matt Bond)



Top 119 Songs of 2019, #119 - 111

TOP 119 SONGS OF 2019

#119. CRUSHED

by CLEWS

And I wanna change

But I don't know how

Sure, ‘Crushed’ was released in mid-November last year. But we had already finalised our list for last year because these end of year lists take a bit of time together and really wear us out. They wear us out so much we don’t post for the other eleven months of the year. That’s our story and we’ll stick to it. In regards to ‘Crushed’, it was a song I had on high rotation coming into 2019 and I’ve come back to it a lot in the months since. The duo, comprised of sisters Lily and Grace Richardson, deliver a howling rock chorus that’s up there with the best of your grunge era faves and leave you wanting more. It’s a breakout track that promises a huge journey ahead for CLEWS. (Matt Bond)

#118. NOW I'M IN IT

by Haim

 


But I've been trying to find my way back

For a minute

From a sisterly duo to a sisterly trio. Ah, those sweet, sweet Haim harmonies... how can we say no to them? We can’t. Why would we want to? We don’t. We’re a long way from the glorious “Days Gone By”, with Haim 3.0 showing they can pull off these lower key tracks with a newfound maturity and depth. I’m thinking bass face Haim sister wouldn’t even be bass facing to a track like ‘Now I’m In It’ is a track that’s sleek, sophisticated but still so effortlessly Haim. (Matt Bond) 

Haim have this thing that they do, and they do it really, really well, don’t they? There’s nothing new about ‘Now I’m It’, but does there need to be? If you have a formula, and it works, stick to it. It’s classic Haim; quick, catchy and contagious and, like everything they do, it’s hard not to like it. (Jo Michelmore)

#117. TOKYO

by Julien Baker

 


Don't wanna stay here

But I'll crash anywhere

‘Tokyo’ has all the hallmarks of a quintessential Julien Baker track. An atmosphere built on a million little heartbreaks that builds to a warm, not quite but almost hopeful finish. The voice of one of her generation’s finest storytellers; raw, vulnerable and unafraid of openly asking herself those tough questions that keep us awake at night. Who hasn’t compared their life situation to the burning wreckage of a plane at least once. You haven’t? Then you haven’t lived. And as we all know, life is for the living. Hopefully ‘Tokyo’ marks the start of a new musical cycle for Julien Baker and we’ll hear so much more from her in 2020. (Matt Bond)

#116. SEVENTEEN

by Sharon Van Etten

 


I see you so uncomfortably alone

I wish I could show you how much you've grown

Speaking of the finest storytellers in music... here’s another banger from Sharon Van Etten. Shazza, Queen of the Feels. Van Eating my feelings over here while I listen to ‘Seventeen’ and think of all the time that’s passed since what we’re supposed to think of as being the good old days when, really, why wouldn’t you want to be where you’re at now? A twentythirtyforty going on sixty year you who’s come a long way, made better fashion choices, learned to not be afraid to say no, learned that you can say yes to the things you like and want and learned that a purple, half mullet is not a good idea ever. Sharon Van Etten is proof that you can just keep on getting better and better and all you need to do is listen to ‘Seventeen’ to see why. (Matt Bond) 

At the start of this year I decided I wanted to see at least one gig a month for the entire year and Sharon Van Etten’s performance early this year was one of my first, and remains one of the best. Not just because of the couple of bottles of wine shared with a friend before the show, but because Sharon oozes a cool that I can only dream about. Likewise, 'Seventeen', one of ten songs from her fifth (!) album, Remind Me Tomorrow, which I lived and breathed for a little while there. Powerful, catchy, dramatic, it is exactly as her performance was, she's a storyteller beyond comparison and her album and her performance are not just highlights of my musical 2019, but my whole year. (Jo Michelmore)

#115. LITTLE BEAST

by Sports Bra

Your voice is always with me

Telling me the awful things that I want to hear

Sports Bra draw you in with a subtle touch as ‘Little Beast’ begins to play. You might find yourself tapping along at the start with a fist pump and nod of the head when during the chorus. By the time the song reaches the mid-point, you’ll more likely be throwing yourself around the room as the track thunders along to a riotous conclusion. It’s the alternative anthem you didn’t know you needed from a band you hadn’t heard of at the start of the year but you’re super grateful you didn’t miss this one from one of your favourite emerging Sydney-based bands. (Matt Bond)

#114. KILLING TIME

by The Kite String Tangle ft. Eliott

Heavy on my shoulder, we get older

I get lighter with you

I’d like to say lots of nice things about the vocals of (featuring) Eliott, but I’m going to save them for later in the countdown when she visits us again. This one, by Kite String Tangle (not G Flip, who also sang a song with a similar name this year and appears later, sorry for all the spoilers) is everything we have come to expect from KST; his brand of music is always so catchy, albeit this time a little darker than normal, Killing Time’s glitchy beats driving Eliott’s sweet vocals against his more subtle voice, which is especially obvious in the acoustic version of said track, along with the gorgeous strings and keys. It’s the type of thing I’ve come to expect from Danny Harley, and I’m never disappointed. (Jo Michelmore)

#113. THE PISS, THE PERFUME

by Hayley Mary

I should be back in the fight where I belong

Not stumbling out my window with your t-shirt on

YES. And FUCK YEAH. And yes fuck yeah (fist pump)! Hayley Mary performs a song that makes me want to go to a pub and get a parmy and skull a beer and throw my fist in the air and be so damn happy to live in a country that produces this kind of rock m8. It’s so Australian, so rock, so pubs and gigs and lights and hot nights and cold (but warm) drinks and stumbling home full of energy and I love it. Nah m8, I fucking love it. This is Australian rock, at it’s best. (Jo Michelmore)

#112. LOST WITHOUT YOU

by Freya Ridings

You said, "I wanna see the world,"

And I said, "Go."

Freya Riding performed one of my favourite lyrics of the entire year about building a large structure “from the rubble of your love” (in a totally different song), but this song appeared in Grey’s Anatomy, which may or may not be one of the reasons it appears in this countdown. I don’t watch it, but Grey’s is responsible for a lotta good songs, that can’t be denied. ‘Lost Without You’ is complete  heartbreak in shortened version; an entire life torn apart, a relationship built and broken, a dream started and lost within the confines of a few minutes, similar to what Grey’s does every episode. No wonder Freya featured.  And one more thing, for those who may still not realise it; Freya is not Florence. (Jo Michelmore)

#111. MISSING YOU

by Ariela Jacobs

I can't help myself

I go astray

It really wouldn’t be an end of year countdown without the gorgeous sounds of Ariela Jacobs. She’s been one of our most loved artists over the past ten years of It’s My Kind of Scene and ‘Missing You’ keeps that flame a-burnin’. Jacobs’ dreamy vocals navigate you through a track dominated by the sweetest longing. As a listener, you’re in her corner, hoping that she’ll find her way back to the one she’s missing the most. Oh, the tragic romance of it all. One can only dream that Jacobs gets the fairytale ending she deserves. Until then, we’re just happy to be along for the musical ride. (Matt Bond)