This year was an expansive one for me, as I spent a lot of time expanding my musical boundaries but also circled back to some genres that are old friends. This playlist of songs of the year is set up like a mixtape: calm and warm at the beginning, a short upbeat period, dark and stormy in the middle, then cheery and upbeat at the end. These are thus not in a “best to least” order. Without further adieu:
- “The Becalming” – Veldhans.
- “Already Am” – Will Samson & Message to Bears
- “This Land Is Your Land” – Kris Orlowski
- “The Seminar” – Stables
- “The Earth Is Flat” – Alexander Wren
- “Song for Nick Drake” – Grace Gillespie
- “San Francisco” – Racoon Racoon
- “Book of Witches” – Jake Aaron
- “Give Thanks” – Black Violin
- “Roger Ebert” – Clem Snide
- “Of a Million” – Thunder Dreamer
- “Heliotrope” – Runnner
- “Cribbage Champs” – Jake McKelvie and the Countertops
- “Pull Apart” – Summerooms & Samantha Eason
- “Nobody Knows” – Ellen Andrea Wang
- “All Will Be Well” – Blue Water Highway
- “Getaway Car” – Ezekiel Songs
- “Rest” – The Gray Havens
- “Let’s Leap” – Mesadorm
- “Inhale Exhale” – Anna Meredith
- “How Dare You” – Cameron Blake
- “Vista” – Escaper
- “First to the Feast” – Stagbriar
- “Mile” – Wisdom Water
- “210” – Matt Karmil
- “Tony Sendo” – Underground Canopy
- “Black Sorbet” – Closet Disco Queen
- “Kora” – GoGo Penguin
- “For Victor” – Joshua Crumbly
- “Palms Up” – Ezra Feinberg
- “QUO” – Martin Kohlstedt
- “The Actor” – Brief Candle
- “Crow” – Sam Carand
- “Saw You Through the Trees” – Eerie Gaits
- “Another One for Slug” – Dougie Stu
- “Mission Plan” – Matthew Shaw
- “Dis kô Dis kô” -YĪN YĪN
- “Nap” – Standards