@brohamand

https://open.spotify.com/user/abarhamand/playlist/0QXyPOJDCUatXBhr5Q20Xf

I know I’m about a month behind on these this year, but better late than never. If you’re new to this, unlike many ranked “Best of the Year” lists, I make a series of mixes—combined into one Spotify playlist—each of which covers a genre or two. So, if you’re wondering why I only like pop, or if that’s not your thing, here’s the breakdown:

Mix I – Pop/Rap/R&B (Tracks 1-22, through “Doomed”)

Mix II – Country/Folk/Singer-Songwriter (Tracks 23-44, through “Bottom of the Barrel”)

Mix III – Rock/Indie-Rock (Tracks 45-64, through “Truth”)

Mix IV – Electronic/Dance (Tracks 65-79)

Thank you for listening, and thanks to my brother for the cover photo. His amazing work can be viewed here.

Happy listening,

Adam

TRACKLIST:

MIX I – POP/RAP/R&B

1. Prom – SZA // Ctrl

2. Boys – CHARLI XCX // Boys Single

3. Cut To The Feeling – CARLY RAE JEPSEN // Cut To The Feeling Single

4. Rose-Colored Boy – PARAMORE // After Laughter

5. Delicate – TAYLOR SWIFT // Reputation

6. The Louvre – LORDE // Melodrama

7. Praying – KESHA // Rainbow

8. XO TOUR Llif3 – LIL UZI VERT // Luv Is Rage 2

9. Magnolia – PLAYBOI CARTI // Playboi Carti

10. BagBak – VINCE STAPLES // Big Fish Theory

11. Talk To Me – RUN THE JEWELS // Run The Jewels 3

12. HUMBLE. – KENDRICK LAMAR // DAMN.

13. Hurt You First – NIIA // I

14. Undercover – KEHLANI // SweetSexySavage

15. New Rules – DUA LIPA // Dua Lipa

16. Told You So – MIGUEL // War & Leisure

17. Midnight – JESSIE WARE // Glasshouse

18. Akanamali – SUN-EL MUSICIAN FT. SAMTHING SOWETO // Akanamali Single

19. Frontline – KELELA // Take Me Apart

20. rockstar – POST MALONE FT. 21 SAVAGE // rockstar Single

21. Love – LANA DEL REY // Lust For Life

22. Doomed – MOSES SUMNEY // Aromanticism

MIX II – COUNTRY/FOLK/SINGER-SONGWRITER

1. I Swear (To God) – TYLER CHILDERS // Purgatory

2. Your Loving Saves Me – JAIME WYATT // Felony Blues

3. Domino (Time Will Tell) – HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER // Hallelujah Anyhow

4. WildHorse – RAELYNN // WildHorse

5. Grand Restoration – NATALIE HEMBY // Puxico

6. Motorcycle – COLTER WALL // Colter Wall

7. Waiting To Shine – JASON EADY // Jason Eady

8. Broken Halos – CHRIS STAPLETON // From A Room: Volume 1

9. Living In The City – HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF // The Navigator

10. Burning Down Birmingham – HANNAH ALDRIDGE // Gold Rush

11. You Don’t Look So Good (Cocaine) – CAROLINE SPENCE // Spades And Roses

12. Funeral – PHOEBE BRIDGERS // Stranger In The Alps

13. We’d Be Home – JOAN SHELLEY // Joan Shelley

14. Rollercoasters – AIMEE MANN // Mental Illness

15. Only Songs – THE WILD REEDS // The World We Built

16. Hope The High Road – JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT // The Nashville Sound

17. Sallisaw Blue – JOHN MORELAND // Big Bad Luv

18. Amar Y Vivir – LA SANTA CECILIA FT. COMISARIO PANTERA // Amar Y Vivir

19. Undercover – SUSANNE SUNDFØR // Music For People In Trouble

20. Better Man – LITTLE BIG TOWN // The Breaker

21. Bottle By My Bed – SUNNY SWEENEY // Trophy

22. Bottom Of The Barrel – LEE ANN WOMACK // The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone

MIX III – ROCK/INDIE-ROCK

1. Appropriate – PRIESTS // Nothing Feels Natural

2. Road Head – JAPANESE BREAKFAST // Soft Sounds From Another Planet

3. Baybee – JAY SOM // Everybody Works

4. Pain – THE WAR ON DRUGS // A Deeper Understanding

5. Don’t Delete The Kisses – WOLF ALICE // Visions Of A Life

6. Baby Luv – NILÜFER YANYA // Baby Luv Single

7. Lollipop (Ode To Jim) – ALVVAYS // Antisocialites

8. Silver – WAXAHATCHEE // Out In The Storm

9. North East South West – JAPANDROIDS // Near To The Wild Heart Of Life

10. Modern Act – CLOUD NOTHINGS // Life Without Sound

11. Glitter – CHARLY BLISS // Guppy

12. Turn Out The Lights – JULIEN BAKER // Turn Out The Lights

13. Slip Away – PERFUME GENIUS // No Shape

14. Right On You – BENJAMIN BOOKER // Witness

15. First Caress – SPOON // Hot Thoughts

16. The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness – THE NATIONAL // Sleep Well Beast

17. Aboard My Train – KEVIN MORBY // City Music

18. Total Entertainment Forever – FATHER JOHN MISTY // Pure Comedy

19. A Man Is Not His Song – FEIST // Pleasure

20. Truth – KAMASI WASHINGTON // Harmony of Difference EP

MIX IV – ELECTRONIC/DANCE

1. Inharmonious Slog – PHOTAY // Onism

2. Los Ageless – ST. VINCENT // MASSEDUCTION

3. disco tits – TOVE LO // BLUE LIPS (lady wood phase II)

4. I Know A Place – MUNA // About U

5. Deadly Valentine (Radio Edit) – CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG // Rest

6. Lucid – KELLY LEE OWENS // Kelly Lee Owens

7. Glutes – PATRICE BÄUMEL // Glutes Single

8. Lush – FOUR TET // New Energy

9. Blue Pedro – BULLION // Blue Pedro EP

10. Six Million Ways – TALABOMAN // The Night Land

11. Adrift – OCTO OCTA // Where Are We Going?

12. Glue – BICEP // Bicep

13. On Hold – THE XX // I See You

14. Theme From Q – OBJEKT // Objekt #4

LINK TO THE MIXES:

https://open.spotify.com/user/abarhamand/playlist/44RLEiy6mjUOJ3pwoQgvqK

This was a tough year. Between the election and all of our heroes dying, hope was in limited supply. 

And then in December, I started my annual tradition, 12 years running, of compiling my favorite music of the year into a set of mixes. Since then, I have been reinvigorated by the joy of music, finding retreat from relentless news headlines and social media updates in my headphones. It sounds silly given how meager the thing is, but I truly hope this playlist brings you some small bit of happiness in 2017.  

As usual, each mix covers a genre or two to help make it actually listenable. This year, there are four: 1. Rock/Indie-Rock; 2. Country/Folk/Americana; 3. Pop/Rap/R&B; 4. Electronic/Dance.

For the past few years, I’ve combined all the mixes into one Spotify playlist. So read on to see where the “breaks” are if you want to jump to a specific mix.

Thank you for listening, and thanks to my brother for the cover photo. His work can be viewed here.

Happy listening,

Adam

 TRACKLIST:

MIX I – ROCK/INDIE-ROCK (80 min.)

1. Finally – CYMBALS EAT GUITARS // Pretty Years

2. Shut Up Kiss Me – ANGEL OLSEN // MY WOMAN

3. In a Black Out – HAMILTON LEITHAUSER + ROSTAM // I Had a Dream That You Were Mine

4. Your Best American Girl – MITSKI // Puberty 2

5. Ful Stop – RADIOHEAD // A Moon Shaped Pool

6. In Heaven – JAPANESE BREAKFAST // Psychopomp

7. I Can't Give Everything Away – DAVID BOWIE // Blackstar

8. 33 “GOD” – BON IVER // 22, A Million

9. You Want It Darker – LEONARD COHEN // You Want It Darker

10. Conceptual Romance – JENNY HVAL // Blood Bitch

11. Dog Years – MAGGIE ROGERS // Dog Years Single

12. Cry All Day – WILCO // Schmilco

13. Dopamine – DIIV // Is the Is Are

14. Kiss Me When I Bleed – WHITE LUNG // Paradise

15. The Getting There – PETE ASTOR // Spilt Milk

16. Dave’s Song – WHITNEY // Light Upon the Lake

17. Wanted You – TWIN PEAKS // Down in Heaven

18. Photobooth – PETAL // Shame

19. Headache – GROUPER // Paradise Valley EP

 MIX II – COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA (79 min.)

1. Old Friends – PINEGROVE // Cardinal

2. I Have Been to the Mountain – KEVIN MORBY // Singing Saw

3. New Shoes – CALEB KLAUDER & REEB WILLMS  // Innocent Road

4. We Should Be Friends – MIRANDA LAMBERT // The Weight of These Wings

5. Rich – MAREN MORRIS // HERO

6. Daughter – BRANDY CLARK // Big Day in a Small Town

7. The Last Hawk – SHOVELS & ROPE // Little Seeds

8. What It Means – DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS // American Band

9. Old Men Young Women – LORI MCKENNA // The Bird & the Rifle

10. Biloxi – HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER // Heart Like a Levee

11. Heaven – LYDIA LOVELESS // Real

12. Blue Rider – SCOTT HIRSCH // Blue Rider Songs

13. In Care of 8675309 – LAMBCHOP // FLOTUS

14. Highway Anxiety – WILLIAM TYLER // Modern Country

15. Behind the Armory – CASE/LANG/VEIRS // case/lang/veirs

16. Call to Arms – STURGILL SIMPSON // A Sailor’s Guide to Earth

17. Mele Kalikimaka – KACEY MUSGRAVES feat. THE QUEBE SISTERS // A Very Kacey Christmas

 MIX III – POP/RAP/R&B (77 min.)

1. Ultralight Beam – KANYE WEST feat. CHANCE THE RAPPER, KIRK FRANKLIN, THE-DREAM & KELLY PRICE // The Life of Pablo

2. Best to You – BLOOD ORANGE feat. EMPRESS OF // Freetown Sound

3. Work – RIHANNA feat. DRAKE // ANTI

4. Dis Generation – A TRIBE CALLED QUEST feat. BUSTA RHYMES // We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service

5. LA – DAWN RICHARD feat. TROMBONE SHORTY  // Redemption

6. Daddy Lessons – BEYONCÉ feat. DIXIE CHICKS // Lemonade / Daddy Lessons Single

7. Solo – FRANK OCEAN // Blonde

8. UGH! – THE 1975 // I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It

9. Hallucinations – DVSN // SEPT. 5TH

10. Guwop – YOUNG THUG feat. QUAVO, OFFSET & YOUNG SCOOTER // JEFFERY

11. Summer Friends – CHANCE THE RAPPER feat. JEREMIH & FRANCIS AND THE LIGHTS // Coloring Book

12. Blk Girl Soldier – JAMILA WOODS // HEAVN

13. The Greatest – KING // We Are KING

14. untitled 06 | 06.30.2014. – KENDRICK LAMAR feat. CEE-LO GREEN // untitled unmastered.

15. Cranes in the Sky – SOLANGE // A Seat at the Table

16. Time – SABINA DDUMBA // Homeward Bound

17. Body – DREEZY feat. JEREMIH // No Hard Feelings

18. How Does It Feel – KAMAIYAH // A Good Night in the Ghetto

19. Police Get Away Wit Murder – YG // Still Brazy

 MIX IV – ELECTRONIC/DANCE (76 min.)

1. Open Your Eyes – SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS // SVIIB

2. Tilted – CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS // Christine and the Queens

3. Florida – THE RANGE // Potential

4. Nautilus – ANNA MEREDITH // Varmints

5. Three Sides of Nazareth – NICOLAS JAAR // Sirens

6. Go! – M83 feat. MAI LAN // Junk

7. Ch-Ching – CHAIRLIFT // Moth

8. Do It Right – MARTIN SOLVEIG feat. TKAY MAIDZA // Do It Right Single

9. What Happened To Us? – SHURA // Nothing’s Real

10. Closing Shot (Radio Edit) – LINDSTRØM // Closing Shot Single

11. Tell You No Lie – FLOORPLAN // Music/Tell You No Lie Single

12. If I Was A Folkstar – THE AVALANCHES // Wildflower

13. Occupied – THE RADIO DEPT. // Running Out of Love

14. Higher Level (Bicep Remix) – ISAAC TICHAUER // Street Lessons Remixes EP

LINK TO THE MIXES:

https://open.spotify.com/user/abarhamand/playlist/4DMAZHgTcVU2y56A7WICDM

If you’re slightly nuts and want a disordered 9-hour mix of all the artists I wish I could have included, here you go:

https://open.spotify.com/user/abarhamand/playlist/0OeyXdhl56P7VaMPpgqm7w

BRIEFLY:

For the 11th year, I’ve compiled my favorite music of the year into a set of mixes. Each mix covers a distinct group of genres and has been intentionally sequenced for cohesion and flow.

Like last year, the mixes are available on Spotify. Some things to note:

The Spotify mobile and desktop apps are free

If you aren’t a subscriber (worth it), the mobile app works similar to Pandora, and the mix should just shuffle with periodic short ads

If you’re a subscriber OR using the free desktop app, you can listen to the mixes in order (with periodic short ads)

Thank you for listening.

Thank you Bryan for supplying a typically clever title.

Thank you Ali for always allowing me to play music in our home, even the weird stuff.

And thanks also to my always-dependable brother for the cover photo. His work can be viewed here.

Happy listening,

Adam

 TRACKLIST:

MIX I – ROCK/INDIE-ROCK (79 min.)

1. Go Out – BLUR // The Magic Whip

2. Pedestrian at Best – COURTNEY BARNETT // Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit.

3. Let It Happen – TAME IMPALA // Currents

4. Living My Life – DEERHUNTER // Fading Frontier

5. The Night Josh Tillman Came to Our Apt. – FATHER JOHN MISTY // I Love You, Honeybear

6. Pretty Pimpin – KURT VILE // b’lieve i’m goin down…

7. You’re a Germ – WOLF ALICE // My Love is Cool

8. Deeper Than Love – COLLEEN GREEN // I Want to Grow Up

9. Milkman – BULLY // Feels Like

10. Shock Me – BARONESS // Purple

11. Poison – WAXAHATCHEE // Ivy Tripp

12. Beautiful Blue Sky – OUGHT // Sun Coming Down

13. Before the World Was Big – GIRLPOOL // Before the World Was Big

14. Something Soon – CAR SEAT HEADREST // Teens of Style

15. To Die in L.A. – LOWER DENS // Escape from Evil

16. Feel You – JULIA HOLTER // Have You in My Wilderness

17. Random Name Generator – WILCO // Star Wars

18. I Can Be Afraid of Anything – THE WORLD IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE & I AM NO LONGER AFRAID TO DIE // Harmlessness

MIX II – POP/RAP/R&B (78 min.)

1. Un Beso – CARLA MORRISON // Amor Supremo

2. King Kunta – KENDRICK LAMAR // To Pimp a Butterfly

3. WTF (Where They From)… – MISSY ELLIOTT FEAT. PHARRELL WILLIAMS // WTF (Where They From)… Single

4. Norf Norf – VINCE STAPLES // Summertime ‘06

5. Can’t Deny My Love – BRANDON FLOWERS // The Desired Effect

6. What Do You Mean? – JUSTIN BIEBER // Purpose

7. Run Away With Me – CARLY RAE JEPSEN // E.MO.TION

8. Kill V. Maim – GRIMES // Art Angels

9. Dumb – JAZMINE SULLIVAN FEAT. MEEK MILL // Reality Show

10. waves – MIGUEL // Wildheart

11. Want to Want Me – JASON DERULO // Everything is 4

12. Can’t Feel My Face – THE WEEKND // Beauty Behind the Madness

13. Trap Queen – FETTY WAP // Fetty Wap

14. Twist My Fingaz – YG // Twist My Fingaz Single

15. Know Yourself – DRAKE // If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late

16. Rewind – KELELA // Hallucinogen

17. Post to Be – OMARION FEAT. CHRIS BROWN & JHENE AIKO // Sex Playlist

18. Hello – ADELE // 25

19. Sunday Candy – DONNIE TRUMPET & THE SOCIAL EXPERIMENT // Surf

20. Warriors – DAWN RICHARD // BLACKHEART

MIX III – COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA (79 min.)

1. On to Something Good – ASHLEY MONROE // The Blade

2. 80’s Mercedes – MAREN MORRIS // Maren Morris EP

3. Dime Store Cowgirl – KACEY MUSGRAVES // Pageant Material

4. Traveller – CHRIS STAPLETON // Traveller

5. Half Broke Heart – CAM // Untamed

6. Crash and Burn – THOMAS RHETT // Tangled Up

7. The Bird Hunters – THE TURNPIKE TROUBADOURS // The Turnpike Troubadours

8. If It Takes a Lifetime – JASON ISBELL // Something More Than Free

9. Bring It on Home to Memphis – EMMYLOU HARRIS & RODNEY CROWELL // The Traveling Kind

10. Kill a Word – ERIC CHURCH // Mr. Misunderstood

11. Crazy Beautiful Sexy – OLD DOMINION // Meat and Candy

12. Last – SHOVELS & ROPE WITH CAROLINE ROSE // Busted Juxebox Volume 1

13. Man of Constant Sorrow – DWIGHT YOAKAM // Second Hand Heart

14. Me and the Whiskey – WHITEY MORGAN AND THE 78’s // Sonic Ranch

15. Getting Ready to Get Down – JOSH RITTER // Sermon on the Rocks

16. Shut Up and Fish – MADDIE & TAE // Start Here

17. Little Bitty Dreams – WILL HOGE // Small Town Dreams

18. Made of the Sun – PATTY GRIFFIN // Servant of Love

19. Steady – THE STAVES // If I Was

20. The Only Thing – SUFJAN STEVENS // Carrie & Lowell

21. Not Over By Half – JOAN SHELLEY // Over and Even

MIX IV – ELECTRONIC/DANCE (79 min.)

1. Gosh – JAMIE XX // In Colour

2. Leave a Trace – CHVRCHES // Every Open Eye

3. Singularity – NEW ORDER // Music Complete

4. Accelerate – SUSANNE SUNDFØR // Ten Love Songs

5. History of Touches – BJÖRK // Vulnicura

6. Where Are Ü Now – JACK Ü FEAT. JUSTIN BIEBER // Skrillex & Diplo Present Jack Ü

7. Roked – SHYE BEN TZUR, JONNY GREENWOOD AND THE RAJASTHAN EXPRESS / / Junun

8. Go – THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS FEAT. Q TIP // Born in the Echoes

9. Lean On – MAJOR LAZER & DJ SNAKE FEAT. MØ // Peace is the Mission

10. Inhale Exhale – NAO // February 15

11. Just – BICEP // Just EP

12. Hyuwee (Kosi Remix) – SESSION VICTIM // DJ-Kicks: DJ Koze

13. Drift – SCUBA // Claustrophobia

14. Apex of the Sun’s Way – BRAIDEN // Off Out 001 EP

15. It’s a Memory – FRED FALKE FEAT. ELOHIM & MANSIONS ON THE MOON // Alpha EP

16. Suzanna – MBONGWANA STAR // From Kinshasa

17. Peroration Six – FLOATING POINTS // Elaenia

Hi there, 

2014 marks the 10th year in which I’ve compiled my favorite music of the year into a set of mixes. Each covers a different set of genres and has been intentionally ordered. 

This year’s mixes will be 100% Spotify based—sorry Taylor Swift fans. If you still don’t have Spotify, you can/should download it for free here. I’m going to try something different and give you a few different choices in how you want to listen to the mixes (see below for more info).

Thanks in advance for all the kind words and feedback. It is truly amazing to hear how much some of you appreciate them. I love talking about music almost as much as I do listening to it and would welcome the chance to do so with you anytime.

Thanks also to my brother for supplying the cover photo. His other amazing work can be found here.

Happy listening,

Adam

---- 

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST OPTIONS

All four mixes, ordered, in a single playlist can be found here (recommended if you're interested in all of the mixes and/or if you pay for a Spotify subscription)

There are two alternatives to this:

A separate playlist for each mix is linked to in the titles in the tracklist below (recommended if you're interested in only certain mixes and/or if you don’t pay for a Spotify subscription but still want a semi-cohesive listening experience)

All four mixes, plus a bunch of other songs I loved but didn't have room for can be found in a massive playlist here (recommended if you just want to hit shuffle on nearly 150 songs and don’t care about cohesion or editing)

 ----

TRACKLIST

MIX I – ROCK/INDIE-ROCK

1. “Don’t Wanna Lose” – Ex Hex (Rips)

2. “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” – Against Me! (Transgender Dysphoria Blues)

3. “Birth in Reverse” – St. Vincent (St. Vincent)

4. “Do You” – Spoon (They Want My Soul)

5. “Red Eyes” – The War on Drugs (Lost in the Dream)

6. “Keep in the Dark” – Temples (Sun Structures)

7. “A Little God in My Hands” – Swans (A Little God in My Hands)

8. “Bored in the USA” – Father John Misty (“Bored in the USA” Single)

9. “Archie, Marry Me” – Alvvays (Alvvays)

10. “Asleep” – Makthaverskan (Makthaverskan II)

11. “Seasons (Waiting on You)” – Future Islands (Singles)

12. “Kelly” – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Days of Abandon)

13. “Salad Days” – Mac DeMarco (Salad Days)

14. “April’s Song” – Real Estate (Atlas)

15. “Our Love” – Sharon Van Etten (Are We There)

16. “Shrinking Violets” – PHOX (PHOX)

17. “Mr. Noah” – Panda Bear (Mr. Noah EP)

18. “The Riverbed” – Owen Pallett (In Conflict)

19. “Birthday Song” – Frankie Cosmos (Zentropy)

20. “Champions of Red Wine” – The New Pornographers (Brill Bruisers)

21. “She’s Not Me” – Jenny Lewis (The Voyager)

22. “Warning” – Cymbals Eat Guitars (LOSE)

23. “Now Hear In” – Cloud Nothings (Here and Nowhere Else)

24. “Windows” – Angel Olsen (Burn Your Fire for No Witness)

  MIX II – POP/RAP/R&B

1. “Just Be Mine” – Cher Lloyd (Sorry I’m Late)

2. “La Joya” – Javiera Mena (Otra Era)

3. “Break Free” – Ariana Grande feat. Zedd (My Everything)

4. “***Flawless” – Beyoncé feat. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (BEYONCÉ)

5. “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)” – Run the Jewels feat. Zack de la Rocha (Run the Jewels 2)

6. “Collard Greens” – Schoolboy Q feat. Kendrick Lamar (Oxymoron)

7. “Left, Right” – YG (My Krazy Life)

8. “Hands Up” – Vince Staples (Hell Can Wait EP)

9. “Sugah Daddy” – D’Angelo (Black Messiah)

10. “Jerk Ribs” – Kelis (Food)

11. “Tuesday” – ILOVEMAKONNEN feat. Drake (ILOVEMAKONNEN EP)

12. “Shower” – Becky G (“Shower” Single)

13. “Rollercoaster” – Bleachers (Strange Desire)

14. “No Control” – One Direction (FOUR)

15. “Gold Coins” – Charli XCX (SUCKER)

16. “Murder” – Kalenna ("Murder" Single)

17. “How Do You Know?” – K. Michelle (Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?)

18. “Benz Friendz (Whatchutola)” – Future feat. André 3000 (Honest)

19. “i” – Kendrick Lamar (“i” Single)

20. “Fight Night” – Migos (No Label II)

21. “Don’t Tell ‘Em” – Jeremih feat. YG (“Don’t Tell ‘Em” Single)

22. “Want Some More” – Nicki Minaj (The Pinkprint)

23. “Champagne Kisses” – Jessie Ware (Tough Love)

  MIX III – COUNTRY/FOLK/AMERICANA

1. “Love is a Liar” – Kacey Musgraves (The Best of Me Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

2. “Motor City Man” – Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison (Our Year)

3. “Saturday’s Song” – Hiss Golden Messenger (Lateness of Dancers)

4. “Chris Issak” – Lydia Loveless (Somewhere Else)

5. “Shut In” – Strand of Oaks (HEAL)

6. “Send It on Down” – Lee Ann Womack (The Way I’m Livin’)

7. “Quarterback” – Kira Isabella (Caffeine & Big Dreams)

8. “Daylight & Dark” – Jason Eady (Daylight & Dark)

9. “All the Girls Are Complicated” – Laura Cantrell (No Way There from Here)

10. “Life of Sin” – Sturgill Simpson (Metamodern Sounds in Country Music)

11. “All That’s Left” – Miranda Lambert feat. The Time Jumpers (Platinum)

12. “You Don’t Know Your Husband” – Sunny Sweeney (Provoked)

13. “21st of May” – Nickel Creek (A Dotted Line)

14. “Made for the Radio” – Emily West ("Made for the Radio" Single)

15. “The Wall” – Willie Nelson (Band of Brothers)

16. “Rose of Jericho” – Lori McKenna (Numbered Doors)

17. “Summer Noon” – Tweedy (Sukierae)

18. “Halloween” – Wussy (Attica!)

19. “Jim Wise” – Sun Kil Moon (Benji)

20. “Don’t Be Scared” – Andrew Bird (Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of…)

21. “Believing” – Chip Esten and Lennon & Maisy (The Music of Nashville Original Soundtrack: Season 2, Volume 2)

22. “In a Barrel at Sea” – Hem (The World is Outside EP)

23. “Give Me Back My Hometown” – Eric Church (The Outsiders)

24. “Beer Can in a Truck Bed” – Old Dominion (Old Dominion EP)

  MIX IV – ELECTRONIC/DANCE

1. “Can’t Do Without You” – Caribou (Our Love)

2. “Rather Be” – Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne (New Eyes)

3. “Sexy Socialite” – Chromeo (White Women)

4. “Love Never Felt So Good” – Michael Jackson with Justin Timberlake (Xscape)

5. “You Don’t Know What to Do” – Mariah Carey feat. Wale (Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse)

6. “Tell You (Today)” – Robyn (Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell)

7. “On the Regular” – Shamir (“On the Regular” Single)

8. “Hey Miami” – Sylvan Esso (Sylvan Esso)

9. “Johnny and Mary” – Todd Terje feat. Bryan Ferry (It’s Album Time)

10. “PSI” – Lydia Ainsworth (Right from Real)

11. “Go” – Grimes (“Go” Single)

12. “Two Weeks” – FKA Twigs (LP1)

13. “Grid” – Perfume Genius (Too Bright)

14. “minipops 67 [120.2] [source field mix]” – Aphex Twin (Syro)

15. “Let There Be Ebola Frost” – The Soft Pink Truth (Why Do the Heathen Rage?)

16. “Banjo” – Clark (Clark)

17. “Do It Again” – Röyksopp & Robyn (Do It Again EP)

18. “Goodthing” – Leon Vynehall (Music for the Uninvited)

19. “Says” – Nils Frahm (Spaces)

20. “Logic of Color” – Wye Oak (Shriek)

Hey friends,

Each year for the last nine (nine!), I've made a set of mixes with my favorite music of the year. This year I've got four mixes to share, each of which covers a set of genres.

I say it every year, but: I'd recommend you try them all, no matter what type of music you're usually into. This was an especially good year for country, so for the first time, I'm leading with it--give it a shot. Two or three of my absolute favorite records this year are covered on that mix.

No matter what mix you're drawn to, my hope is that you find something new you love and that you check out the rest of these artists's music. Nearly every song on here comes from a full album I'd recommend.

To suit both tastes, this year's mix is available via Spotify playlist and mp3s. If you still don't have Spotify, it is the greatest thing ever. Come out from under that rock and download it for free now here. There are a couple minor differences between the two formats because two songs weren't available on Spotify.

Lastly, thanks yet again to my brother for the awesome cover photo (more here).

Happy listening,

Adam

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST: All Done Up: The Top Tracks of Twenty-Thirteen

MP3s: Available via me (coming soon).

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TRACKLIST

DISC I : COUNTRY / AMERICANA / FOLK / SINGER-SONGWRITER -- 1:17:38

1. "Go Wherever You Wanna Go" -- Patty Griffin (from American Kid) [New West]

2. "Two Weeks Late" -- Ashley Monroe (from Like a Rose) [Warner Bros. Nashville]

3. "Life Ain't Fair and the World is Mean" -- Sturgill Simpson (from High Top Mountain) [Thirty Tigers]

4. "Hush Hush" -- Pistol Annies (from Annie Up) [RCA Nashville]

5. "Buzzin'" -- Kellie Pickler (from The Woman I Am) [Black River Entertainment]

6. "Bounty" -- Dean Brody feat. Lindi Ortega (from Crop Circles) [Open Road]

7. "Song for Zula" -- Phosphorescent (from Muchacho) [Dead Oceans]

8. "Stripes" -- Brandy Clark (from 12 Stories) [State Creek]

9. "Follow Your Arrow" -- Kacey Musgraves (from Same Trailer Different Park) [Mercury Nashville]

10. "Leaving'" -- Kelly Willis & Bruce Robinson (from Cheater's Game) [Spunk]

11. "My Favorite Picture of You" -- Guy Clark (from My Favorite Picture of You) [Dualtone]

12. "Elephant" -- Jason Isbell (from Southeastern) [Thirty Tigers]

13. "Drinkin'" -- Holly Williams (from The Highway) [Georgiana]

14. "DONE." -- The Band Perry (from Pioneer) [Republic Nashville]

15. "Only a Clown" -- Caitlin Rose (from The Stand-In) [ATO]

16. "Wild & Lonesome" -- Shooter Jennings feat. Patty Griffin (from The Other Life) [Black Country Rock]

17. *MP3* -- "I've Got a Name for the Newborn Child" -- Hiss Golden Messenger (from Haw) [Paradise of Bachelors]

17. *SPOTIFY* -- "Hotel Catatonia" -- William Tyler (from Impossible Truth) [Merge]

18. "Identical Ship" -- Mountains (from Centralia) [Thrill Jockey]

19. "Pyrrhic" -- Julianna Barwick (from Nepenthe) [Dead Oceans]

20. "What Are They Doing in Heaven Today?" -- Colin Stetson feat. Justin Vernon (from New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light) [Constellation]

21. "The Seed" -- Hem (from Departure and Farewell) [Waveland]

22. "Yellow Flower" -- KT Tunstall (from Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon) [Virgin/Blue Note]

DISC II : ROCK / INDIE-ROCK -- 1:19:14

1. "Shut Up" -- Savages (from Silence Yourself) [Matador]

2. "Ohm" -- Yo La Tengo (from Fade) [Matador]

3. "Me & You & Jackie Mittoo" -- Superchunk (from I Hate Music) [Merge]

4. "Man" -- Neko Case (from The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You) [Anti-]

5. "Do I Wanna Know?" -- The Arctic Monkeys (from AM) [Domino]

6. "Step" -- Vampire Weekend (from Modern Vampires of the City) [XL]

7. "Trying to Be Cool" -- Phoenix (from Bankrupt!) [Glassnote]

8. "I Missed Your Party" -- Camera Obscura (from Desire Lines) [4AD]

9. "My Number" -- Foals (from Holy Fire) [Warner Bros.]

10. "San Francisco" -- Foxygen (from We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic) [Jagjaguwar]

11. "Stoned and Starving" -- Parquet Courts (from Light Up Gold) [What's Your Rupture?]

12. "Shout It Out" -- Mikal Cronin (from MCII) [Merge]

13. "Toe Cutter - Thumb Buster" -- Thee Oh Sees (from Floating Coffin) [Castle Face]

14. "Sacrilege" -- Yeah Yeah Yeahs (from Mosquito) [Interscope]

15. "Horns Surrounding Me" -- Julia Holter (from Loud City Song) [Domino]

16. "Paper Trails" -- Darkside (from Psychic) [Matador]

17. "Open" -- Rhye (from Woman) [Republic]

18. "Byegone" -- Volcano Choir (from Repave) [Jagjaguwar]

19. "Hard to Find" -- The National (from Trouble Will Find Me) [4AD]

DISC III : POP / HIP HOP / R&B -- 1:19:34

1. "Baby I" -- Ariana Grande (from Yours Truly) [Republic]

2. "Proof" -- Paramore (from Paramore) [Fueled By Ramen]

3. "Black Skinhead" -- Kanye West (from Yeezus) [Roc-A-Fella]

4. "You're Not the One" -- Sky Ferreira (from Night Time, My Time) [Capitol]

5. "The Wire" -- Haim (from Days Are Gone) [Polydor]

6. "Chocolate" -- The 1975 (from The 1975) [Dirty Hit]

7. "We Can't Stop" -- Miley Cyrus (from Bangerz) [RCA]

8. "Closer" -- Tegan and Sara (from Heartthrob) [Vapor]

9. "Hold On, We're Going Home" -- Drake feat. Majid Jordan (from Nothing Was the Same) [OVO Sound]

10. "Body Party" -- Ciara (from Ciara) [Epic]

11. "Goliath" -- Dawn Richard (from Goldenheart) [Our Dawn]

12. "XO" -- Beyoncé (from BEYONCÉ) [Parkwood]

13. "Royals" -- Lorde (from Pure Heroine) [Universal]

14. "Fuckin' Problems" -- A$AP Rocky feat. Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar (from LONG.LIVE.A$AP) [ASAP Worldwide]

15. "4:30 AM" -- Kevin Gates (from Stranger Than Fiction) [Self-Released]

16. "V.S.O.P." -- K. Michelle (from Rebellious Soul) [Atlantic]

17. *MP3* -- "Good Ass Intro" -- Chance the Rapper feat. BJ the Chicago Kid, Lili K., Peter Cottontale, Kiara Lanier, JP Floyd of Kids These Days, and Will of The O'My's (from Acid Rap) [Self-Released]

17. *SPOTIFY* -- "LFT" -- Quadron (from Avalanche) [Vested in Culture]

18. "Mirrors (Radio Edit)" -- Justin Timberlake (from The 20/20 Experience) [RCA]

19. "Bubble Butt" -- Major Lazer feat. Bruno Mars, Tyga & Mystic (from Free the Universe) [Secretly Canadian]

20. "You're Not Good Enough" -- Blood Orange (from Cupid Deluxe) [Domino]

21. "#Beautiful" -- Mariah Carey feat. Miguel (from the #Beautiful Single) [Island]

22. "Blurred Lines" -- Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell Williams (from Blurred Lines) [Star Trak]

DISC IV : ELECTRONICA / DANCE -- 1:19:37

1. "The Mother We Share" -- CHVRCHES (from The Bones of What You Believe) [Virgin]

2. "Latch" -- Disclosure feat. Sam Smith (from Settle) [PMR]

3. "Holding On" -- Classixx (from Hanging Gardens) [Innovative Leisure]

4. "Get Lucky (Radio Edit)" -- Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers (from Random Access Memories) [Daft Life]

5. "Reflektor" -- Arcade Fire (from Reflektor) [Merge]

6. "Strandbar (disko)" -- Todd Terje (from the Strandbar EP) [Olsen]

7. "You (Ha Ha Ha)" -- Charli XCX (from True Romance) [IAMSOUND]

8. "Hiders" -- Burial (from the Rival Dealer EP) [Hyperdub]

9. "Retrograde" -- James Blake (from Overgrown) [ATLAS]

10. "We Disappear" -- Jon Hopkins (from Immunity) [Domino]

11. "Chance of Rain" -- Laurel Halo (from Chance of Rain) [Hyperdub]

12. "Metal Swing" -- The Range (from Nonfiction) [Donky Pitch]

13. "XE2" -- Mssingno (from the Mssingno EP) [Goon Club Allstars]

14. "Sentients" -- Fuck Buttons (from Slow Focus) [ATP]

...and gives a masterclass on writing a music review:

"That explains the jump-cuts that are all over this record.  Over and over, he sets you up so well — something's just got to happen — and he gives it to you, he hits you with these melodies.  (He claims he doesn't have those melodic choruses anymore — that's not true.  That melody the strings play at the end of "Guilt Trip," it's so beautiful, it makes me so emotional, it brings tears to my eyes.)  But it's real fast cutting — boom, you're in it.  Like at the end of "I Am a God," anybody else would have been out, but then pow, there's that coda with Justin Vernon, "Ain't no way I'm giving up."  Un-fucking-believable.  It's fantastic.  Or that very repetitive part in "Send It Up" that goes on five times as long as it should and then it turns into this amazing thing, a sample of Beenie Man's "Stop Live in a De Pass."

And it works.  It works because it's beautiful — you either like it or you don't — there's no reason why it's beautiful.  I don't know any musician who sits down and thinks about this.  He feels it, and either it moves you too, or it doesn't, and that's that.  You can analyze it all you want."

"Maps are just nude pictures of reality, so they don’t look like arguments. They look like “Oh my god, that’s the real world.” That’s one of the places where they get their kick-ass authority. Because we’re all raised in this culture of: if you want to know what a word means, go to the dictionary; if you want to know what the longest river in the world is, look it up in an encyclopedia; if you want to know where some place is, go to an atlas. These are all reference works and they speak 'the truth.' When you realize in the end that they’re all arguments, you realize this is the way culture gets reproduced. Little kids go to these things and learn these things and take them on, and they take them on as 'this is the way the world is.'"

The New Republic: The last question is about Syria. I wonder if you can speak about how you personally, morally, wrestle with the ongoing violence there.

Obama:

"Every morning, I have what's called the PDB—presidential daily briefing—and our intelligence and national security teams come in here and they essentially brief me on the events of the previous day. And very rarely is there good news. And a big chunk of my day is occupied by news of war, terrorism, ethnic clashes, violence done to innocents. And what I have to constantly wrestle with is where and when can the United States intervene or act in ways that advance our national interest, advance our security, and speak to our highest ideals and sense of common humanity.

And as I wrestle with those decisions, I am more mindful probably than most of not only our incredible strengths and capabilities, but also our limitations. In a situation like Syria, I have to ask, can we make a difference in that situation? Would a military intervention have an impact? How would it affect our ability to support troops who are still in Afghanistan? What would be the aftermath of our involvement on the ground? Could it trigger even worse violence or the use of chemical weapons? What offers the best prospect of a stable post-Assad regime? And how do I weigh tens of thousands who've been killed in Syria versus the tens of thousands who are currently being killed in the Congo?

Those are not simple questions. And you process them as best you can. You make the decisions you think balance all these equities, and you hope that, at the end of your presidency, you can look back and say, I made more right calls than not and that I saved lives where I could, and that America, as best it could in a difficult, dangerous world, was, net, a force for good."

Johnathan Bernstein had a great post at the Washington Post's Plum Line blog last week. An excerpt:

"Republicans, that is, don’t actually have a program with popular items that they could run on and then pass if they won. After all, they didn’t run on their Medicare program in 2010 and 2012; instead, they called anyone who accused them of cutting Medicare a liar and instead ran against Obamacare’s cuts to Medicare. What exactly is the GOP equivalent, just in terms of swing-voter popularity, of Lilly Ledbetter or SCHIP right now? Beating up on Planned Parenthood? There are no items in any Republican legislative agenda that are workable, are substantively developed, and would have any appeal to swing voters. If there were, Mitt Romney would have run on them, and not on a combination of out of context Obama quotes and proposals that were ripped apart for failing basic arithmetic. This is the GOP’s core problem — and the real cause of the crisis-to-crisis showdowns we’re seeing with the White House and Democrats. A party that doesn’t have a well developed policy agenda that could actually win broad appeal simply can’t function as a normal opposition party."

http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/01/17/the-gops-real-problem

John Feehery echoes Bernstein and looks to the Presidency:

"The problem with being really satisfied with an oppositional strategy is that it makes it awfully hard to be for something. And if you are not for something, you will never get on offense. And if you never get on offense, you can’t build out your coalition. And if the GOP can’t build out its coalition, than it won’t be able to compete for the White House."

I saw this movie last night, and it blew me away. John Greco is spot on:

"Despite their age difference, Grant and Hepburn have a magical chemistry working between them. They are perfectly matched. Hepburn is beautiful and sophisticatedly sexy as one could be. There are no two actors today who glow with the appeal, the sophistication, the style these two stars radiate. They had faces then and charisma."

Hello friends,

For the 8th year running, I've compiled my favorite music of the year into a series of mixes. This time there are four, each of which covers a set of genres. The tracklists are below.

As usual, I'd encourage you to check out all four, as I think each has something for everyone. The Pop/Hip Hop mix has Kesha and One Direction, but also Frank Ocean and Kendrick Lamar. The Country/Folk mix has Eric Church and Little Big Town, but also Fiona Apple and Cat Power. My hope has always been that you'll find something new that you love.

I'd also strongly recommend checking out the rest of these artists and bands's music. While there are certainly some singles on this compilation ("Climax" was really the only Usher song I cared for this year), most of these songs come from albums that I love. I've listed them in the tracklist and hope you explore them further.

Thanks very much for all the incredibly kind things so many of you have said, re: these mixes--makes it a lot of fun to do each year.

Lastly, thanks to my brother for the awesome cover photo (more here) and to Bryan for supplying the clever title.

Happy listening,

Adam

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TRACKLIST

DISC I : ROCK / INDIE-ROCK -- 1:18:57 -- 173.1 MB

1. "Whispers & Ashes" -- Dead Sara (from Dead Sara) [Pocket Kid]

2. "The House That Heaven Built" -- Japandroids (from Celebration Rock) [Polyvinyl]

3. "The Descent" -- Bob Mould (from Silver Age) [Merge]

4. "Crush" -- Sleigh Bells (from Reign of Terror) [Mom+Pop]

5. "Elephant" -- Tame Impala (from Lonerism) [Modular]

6. "Just" -- Swearin' (from Swearin') [Salinas]

7. "Stay Useless" -- Cloud Nothings (from Attack on Memory) [Carpark]

8. "Doused" -- DIIV (from Oshin) [Captured Tracks]

9. "Lilies" -- Bat for Lashes (from The Haunted Man) [Parlophone]

10. "Kill for Love" -- Chromatics (from Kill for Love) [Italians Do It Better]

11. "Wonderland" -- Allo Darlin' (from Europe) [Slumberland]

12. "How Do I Know" -- Here We Go Magic (from A Different Ship) [Secretly Canadian]

13. "Carried Away" -- Passion Pit (from Gossamer) [Columbia]

14. "Myth" -- Beach House (from Bloom) [Sub Pop]

15. "Serpents" -- Sharon Van Etten (from Tramp) [Jagjaguwar]

16. "Immaculate" -- Shearwater (from Animal Joy) [Sub Pop]

17. "The Love You Love" -- The Walkmen (from Heaven) [Possum]

18. "Lord Knows" -- Dum Dum Girls (from the End of Daze EP) [Sub Pop]

19. "Under the Westway" -- Blur (from the "Under the Westway" Single) [Parlophone]

20. "Floating Spit" -- Perfume Genius (from Put You Back N 2 It) [Matador]

21. "First Contact" -- PS I Love You (from Death Dreams) [Paper Bag]

DISC II : POP / HIP HOP / R&B -- 1:18:40 -- 154.8 MB

1. "State of Grace" -- Taylor Swift (from Red) [Big Machine]

2. "Kiss You" -- One Direction (from Take Me Home) [Syco]

3. "Call Me Maybe" -- Carly Rae Jepsen (from the Curiosity EP) [604]

4. "Climax" -- Usher (from Looking 4 Myself) [RCA]

5. "Lost" -- Frank Ocean (from Channel Orange) [Def Jam]

6. "Everything is Embarrassing" -- Sky Ferreira (from the Ghost EP) [Capitol]

7. "Die Young" -- Kesha (from Warrior) [RCA]

8. "Brokenhearted" -- Karmin (from the Hello EP) [Epic]

9. "Anything Could Happen" -- Ellie Goulding (from Halcyon) [Polydor]

10. "Next to Me" -- Emeli Sandé (from Our Version of Events) [Virgin]

11. "Want U Back" -- Cher Lloyd (from Sticks & Stones) [Syco]

12. "Adorn" -- Miguel (from Kaleidoscope Dream) [RCA]

13. "Wildest Moments" -- Jessie Ware (from Devotion) [Island]

14. "There He Go" -- Schoolboy Q (from Habits & Contradictions) [Top Dawg]

15. "Faith" -- Dawn Richard (from the Armor On EP) [Our Dawn]

16. "Mercy" -- Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz (from the Cruel Summer Compilation) [GOOD Music]

17. "Bad Girls" -- M.I.A. (from the "Bad Girls" Single) [Interscope]

18. "Big Beast" -- Killer Mike feat. Bun B, T.I. & Trouble (from R.A.P. Music) [Williams Street]

19. "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" -- Kendrick Lamar (from good kid, m.A.A.d city) [Top Dawg]

20. "Jasmine (Demo)" -- Jai Paul (from the "Jasmine (Demo)" Single) [XL]

DISC III : COUNTRY / AMERICANA / FOLK / SINGER-SONGWRITER -- 1:17:24 -- 158.4 MB

1. "A Heart Like Mine" -- Dwight Yoakam (from 3 Pears) [Warner Bros.]

2. "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" -- Father John Misty (from Fear Fun) [Sub Pop]

3. "Emmylou" -- First Aid Kit (from The Lion's Roar) [Wichita]

4. "Merry Go 'Round" -- Kacey Musgraves (from the "Merry Go 'Round" Single) [Mercury Nashville]

5. "Springsteen" -- Eric Church (from Chief) [EMI Nashville]

6. "Lucky Seven" -- Blackberry Smoke (from The Whippoorwill) [Southern Ground]

7. "Stop Cheatin' on Me" -- Kellie Pickler (from 100 Proof) [Sony Nashville]

8. "Sober" -- Little Big Town (from Tornado) [Capitol Nashville]

9. "Change the Sheets" -- Kathleen Edwards (from Voyageur) [MapleMusic]

10. "Shepherd" -- Anaïs Mitchell (from Young Man in America) [Wilderland]

11. "Anything We Want" -- Fiona Apple (from The Idler Wheel) [Epic]

12. "Manhattan" -- Cat Power (from Sun) [Matador]

13. "Naked Ladies and Electric Ragtime -- William Tyler (from the Oh Michael, Look What You've Done: Friends Play Michael Chapman Compilation) [Tompkins Square]

14. "Leading Me Now" -- The Tallest Man on Earth (from There's No Leaving Now) [Dead Oceans]

15. "Drummer Down" -- Hiss Golden Messenger (from Poor Moon) [Tompkins Square]

16. "Undermine" -- Charles Esten & Hayden Panettiere (from The Music of Nashville: Original Soundtrack - Season 1, Volume 1) [Big Machine]

17. "This Ain't My First Rodeo -- Jamey Johnson feat. Lee Ann Womack (from Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran) [Mercury Nashville]

18. "Don't Rush" -- Kelly Clarkson feat. Vince Gill (from Greatest Hits: Chapter One) [RCA]

19. "Spring 1" -- Max Richter (from Recomposed By Max Richter: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons) [Deutsche Grammophon]

20. "Jesus, Etc." -- Bill Fay (from Life is People) [Dead Oceans]

DISC IV : ELECTRONICA / DANCE -- 1:18:58 -- 169.5 MB

1. "I Love It" -- Icona Pop (from the Iconic EP) [Big Beat]

2. "Inspector Norse" -- Todd Terje (from the It's the Arps EP) [Smalltown Supersound]

3. "I Belong in Your Arms" -- Chairlift (from Something) [Columbia]

4. "Northern Lights" -- Kate Boy (from the "Northern Lights" Single) [Self-Released]

5. "Green Grass" -- Tanlines (from Mixed Emotions) [True Panther Sounds]

6. "Oblivion" -- Grimes (from Visions) [Arbutus]

7. "They Know Your Name" -- Mouse on Mars (from Parastrophics) [Monkeytown]

8. "Higher Ground" -- TNGHT (from the TNGHT EP) [Warp]

9. "Depak Ine" -- John Talabot (from ƒin) [Permanent Vacation]

10. "Flutes" -- Hot Chip (from In Our Heads) [Domino]

11. "New Ships (Original Mix)" -- Benoit & Sergio (from the New Ships EP) [Visionquest]

12. "Five Seconds" -- Twin Shadow (from Confess) [4AD]

13. "Yes, I Know" -- Daphni (from Jiaolong) [Merge]

14. "Windup Robot" -- VCMG (from Ssss) [Mute]

15. "Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage" -- Blawan (from the His He She & She EP) [Hinge Finger]

16. "In the Same Room" -- Julia Holter (from Ekstasis) [RVNG]

The National Rifle Association and its allies would have us believe that the solution to this epidemic, itself but a sliver of America's overall gun violence, is to put firearms in the hands of as many citizens as possible. "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," declared the NRA's Wayne LaPierre...

If only Sandy Hook's principal had been packing heat, the argument goes, she could've stopped the mass killer. There's just one little problem with this: Not a single one of the 62 mass shootings we studied in our investigation has been stopped this way—even as the nation has been flooded with millions of additional firearms and a barrage of recent laws has made it easier than ever for ordinary citizens to carry them in public places, including bars, parks, and schools.

"The reason most critics love Taylor Swift is because she’s everything we wait for in an artist. The best pop songs feel instantly familiar, like they’re already downloaded into your psyche, part of the software the human brain comes with at birth. When I first heard Taylor Swift’s 'Our Song,' a twangy hit off her self-titled debut, I thought it was a cover, that’s how primary and obvious it felt...

There is nothing more emotionally sophisticated in the Beatles’ 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' or Dion and the Belmonts’ 'Teenager in Love' or the Crystals’ 'Then He Kissed Me' than in Swift’s best songs. And though I realize this will sound like blasphemy to many, Swift’s 'Fifteen' could be the sequel to Big Star’s 'Thirteen.'"