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Some Favorites (largely) in Indie-Pop music

Long lists of "favorite music" further below, that follow the snapshots (older) from my iPhone albums/playlist also below. As Ben Flores expressed one December, it's our 'favorite time of the year' when we review NPR/NYT/Pitchfork etc. annual 'best of' lists for songs and albums, and I settle down over the holidays to listen to a good range of music as I decide what to buy/download. Thanks to Ben (former KUOI DJ) to getting me going with the recs below (but comments are mine). I typically start with NPR"s lists to select individual albums and songs. Also see my Spotify playlist 2018-2020 Playlist.

or this NYT piece on 5 Minutes that will make you love opera [see further opera sites at bottom of this long page! and also see the podcast Aria Code]

1. Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense (1984, dir. Demme) includes “This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)”
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JccW-mLdNe0

2. The Roches, The Roches (1979) includes “Hammond Song”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09ypwCN9FDc

3. Laurie Anderson, Big Science (1982) includes “O Superman” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkfpi2H8tOE&feature=youtu.be

4. Robyn, Body Talk (2010), includes “Hang with Me”
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3a2qoyONVA

5. Wye Oak, Civilian (2011) includes “Hot As Day”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3gmEYXvF0Q

6. Lana Del Rey, Norman Fucking Rockwell (2019) includes “Venice Bitch”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg3DxELVPj4

7. Hop Along, Bark Your Head Off, Dog (2018) includes “Prior Things”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IbBU4QXxD4

8. The Beths, Future Me Hates Me (2018) includes “Little Death”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuzlZWvTU2I

9. Julian Bream, Popular Classics for Spanish Guitar (1962)  includes Chôros No. 1 for Guitar, "Tipico brasileiro", A.161
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB9qf9Jhj90&list=OLAK5uy_mllwkaAVeA7CB9xkLNGKUqxYD6UqB7vqM&index=2&t=0s

10. Girl Talk, Feed the Animals (2008)-- samples over 300 songs fabulously mashed-up (some samples likely to offend? nonplussed listeners):
https://vimeo.com/246033367

and (thanks to Barb Kirchmeier's recommendation!) must see the most-exuberant-can-make-you -feel-joyous for the rest of your life? full-length fabulous dance film-album set to the music of Girl Talk's album "All Day" (373 layered song mash up): girl walk / / all day

Also The Avalanches, Since I Left You

Big Thief, Two Hands (2019) includes “Not”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIcVwH47uxQ

". . . It's not the room / Not beginning / Not the crowd / Not winning / Not the planet / Not spinning / Not a ruse / Not heat / Not the fire lapping up the creek / Not food / Not to eat / Not to die / Not dying / Not to laugh / Not lying / Not the vacant wilderness vying / Not the room / Not beginning / Not the crowd / Not winning / Not the planet / Not spinning . . . .” –“Not”, Big Thief

Mitski, Be the Cowboy includes “Nobody

Lucy Dacus, "I Don't Wannt be Funny Anymore"

Riveting performance by LP (Laura Pergolizzi): Lost on You or Robyn's Honey

Robyn, "Get Myself Together" "Call Your Girlfriend"

Angel Olsen "Sister"

Madison Cunningham, "Pin It Down"

Tommy Dorsey, "Song of India"

Artie Shaw, "Begin the Beguine"

Anna Fedorova plays Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 [rec. by good friend Dene Thomas]

Com Truise - In Decay and Massive Attack - Angel (Mezzanine album) and Mac DeMarco - 2 (2012) [recs. by former student/FB friend Skye Williams]

Stella Donnelly's debut album Beware of the Dogs (2019)

NPR's Lists of Best Albums/Music of 2018 which includes The 100 Best Songs as well as The 50 Best Albums

And/or see my Spotify playlist Songs on 2018-2020 Playlist:

[according to Spotify's statistics, my favorite artist/song for 2019 is Lucy Dacus/Night Shift; I listened to 620 different songs from 30 countries, and I was "genre-fluid" because I listened, in descending order of quantity/time, Art Pop, Pop, Indie Rock, Hip Hop, and New Americana; among other favorite songs was Caroline Rose's "Jeannie Becomes a Mom, and Soccer Mommy's "Your Dog" along with songs in italics in the list below.]

5 Dollars/Christine and the Queens
Ablaze/YOB
About You/G Flip
Addictions/Lucy Dacus
Anthem (To Human Justice)/Logan Richardson
APESHIT/The Carters
Bad Bad News/Leon Bridges
Bad Mind/Erin Rae
Believe/Amen Dunes
Black Sheep/MILCK
Body to Flame/Lucy Dacus
The Bug Collector/Haley Heynderickx
Come Over/The Internet
Curious/Hayley Kiyoko
Doctor Atomic, Act I, Scene 3/John Adams
Drowning Man/Eric Church
Everybody Wants to Be Famous/Superorganism
Foundation/Public Practice
Generator/Turnstile
Gladly/Tirzah
Gold Purple Orange/Jean Grae, Quelle Chris
Gold Rush/Death Cab for Cutie
Graffiti/CHVRCHES
Hangout at the Gallows/Father John Misty
Historia de un Amor/Tonina
Historians/Lucy Dacus
Honey/Robyn
I Dance Like This/David Byrne
It Makes You Forget (ltgehane)/Peggy Gou
Jeannie Becomes a Mom/Caroline Rose
King’s Dead/Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar
Last Lion of Albion/Neko Case
Leave It Alone/Amanda Shires
Liquid Days/David Byrne, Philip Glass
Little Death/The Beths
Love It If We Made It/The 1975
Make Me Feel/Janelle Monáe
May Your Kindness Remain/Courtney Marie Andrews
Me & My Dog/Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus (Boygenius)
MJ/Now, Now
Mo Light/47 Soul
MOOO!/Doja Cat
Music Is Worth Living For/Andrew W.K.
My Friend the Forest/Nils Frahm
My Mind I Find in Time/Mary Halverson
My My My!/Troye Sivan
Need a Little Time/Courtney Barnett
Next of Kin/Lucy Dacus
Nina Cried Power/Hozier, feat. Mavis Staples
Nobody/Mitski
Noid/Yves Tumor
Nonbeliever/Lucy Dacus
Once in My Life/The Decemberists
The One/Jorja Smith
Pillar of Truth/Lucy Dacus
She Remembers Everything/Rosanne Cash
The Shell/Lucy Dacus
Short Court Style/Natalie Prass
Show Us the Way/Kamasi Washington
SICKO MODE/Travis Scott
Slow Burn/Kacey Musgraves
Space Cowboy/Kacey Musgraves
This Is America/Childish Gambino
[great]
Thread/David Bazan
Timefighter/Lucy Dacus
Venice Bitch/Lana Del Rey
When We Are/Nubya Garcia
White Flowers/Tom Demac
Wide Awake/Parquet Courts
Widerstehe doch der Sunde, BWV 54/J.S. Bach
You Worry Me/Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
Your Dog/Soccer Mommy
Yours & Mine/Lucy Dacus
6 Summers/Anderson .Paak

Bite the Hand/Boygenius
Work It/Marie Davidson
The Station/Oneohtrix Point Never
Symmetry/Wye Oak
I Shall Love 2 /Julia Holter
Nont For Sale/Sudan Archives
Look Alive/BlocBoy JB feat. Drake
Boo’d Up/Ella Mai
Ella Quiere Beber-remix/Anuel Aa, Romeo Santos
I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend/girl in red
Seventeen/Tomberlin
Salt in the Wound/Boygenius
Still Clean/Soccer Mommy
Baby Forgive Me/Robyn
Between the Lines/Robyn
Ever Again/Robyn
Dead to Me/Kali Uchis 
Killer/Kali Uchis
Geyser/Mitski
How Simple/Hop Along
Prior Things/Hop Along
Acrylic/Leikeli47
The Great Refusal/Colin Self
Less Than Thou/The Beths
Obamanomics/Ryan Porter
Night Court in Compton/Ryan Porter
The Psychologist/Marie Davidson
Pressure/Flasher
Material/Flasher
Sure/Hatchie
Sleep/Hatchie
Try/Hatchie
Han Jan/Peggy Gou
Charcoal Baby/Blood Orange
Future Me Hates Me/The Beths
Great No One/The Beths
But I Like You/Say Sue Me
1539 N. Calvert/JPEGMAFIA
Disarray/Low
Dancing and Blood/Low
Poor Sucker/Low
My Brother/The Survivals
Do You Trust Amajita?/Ntombi Ndaba
Cicada/La Luz
Hyperlands/Aisha Devi/
Inner State of Alchemy/Aisha Devi/
Peacock/Jean Grae & Quelle Chris
Dark Spring/Beach House
Hunter/Anna Calvi
9/10, Jeff Rosenstock
Pristine/Snail Mail
Speaking Terms/Snail Mail
Bird in Space/Screaming Females
Goodlove/Justine Skye
Tommy/Tommy Genesis
You Know Me/Tommy Genesis
It’s OK/Tommy Genesis
Miami/Tommy Genesis
Slowdown/Lunar Vacation
Cold War/Cautious Clay
Karaoke (feat. Lizzo)/Big Freedia
Oh Honey/Neighbor Lady
Las Culpas II/Juana Molina
Majesty (with Labrinth & feat. Eminem)/Nicki Minaj
4EVER/Clairo
The Barrel/Aldous Harding
Red Bull & Hennessy/Jenny Lewis
Seventeen/Sharon Van Etten
Taking Chances/Sharon Van Etten
UFOF/Big Thief
Started Out/Georgia
Terribly True/Deanna Petcoff
Door/Caroline Polachek
On Account of Your Love/Brett
Turn the Light/Karen O & Danger Mouse
Easy Way Out/Illgen-Nur
Tenderness/Jay Som
Reverse Conversion Therapy/Arthur Moon
the stage/Shura
Fighter/Joseph
Ducter/black midi
Real Thing/Middle Kids
A Stone is a Stone/Helena Deland
Just Exist/Eliza & The Delusionals
Groceries/Mallrat
Starry Night-Original Mix/Peggy Gou
Not/Big Thief
This Land-Single Version/Gary Clark Jr.
Mixer/Amber Mark
Juice/Lizzo
Cycles/Shafiq Husayn
Reason in Disguise/Ezra Collective
Divine Wine/Petrov
No One’s Easy to Love/Sharon Van Etten
Old Black Magic/Josh Ritter
L.A. (Remix feat. Westerman)/Amen Dunes
Accident (feat. Laura Jean)/Jenny Hval and Laura Jean
Lark/Angel Olsen
Give It To Me Straight/Gus Dapperton
Was It Something I Said/MyKey
Digger/Great Grandpa
Tú/maye
So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings/Caroline Polachek
The Light/Metronomy
High/Sir Sly
You’ll Need A New Backseat Driver/The New Pornographers
Secretary/Cate le Bon
Messing with My Head/Smoothboi Ezra
Oh Mama/Twin Peaks
Broadcasting/Blood Cultures
Too Late/Alex Siegel
lucy/Soccer Mommy
Fruit Roll Up/Clayjay
Heavenly/Cigarettes After Sex
Shelter/Mikal Cronin
Ayayai/Daniela Andrade
Norman fucking Rockwell/Lana Del Rey
Something Has to Change/The Japanese House
Friend of Mine/Whitney
You Ain’t the Problem/Michael Kiwanuka
Colossus of Rhodes/The New Pornographers
Estrangers/No Vacation
Sex Emoji/Metronomy
Good Luck/Broken Bells
Forgotten Eyes/Big Thief
Still I Miss U/Blue Hawaii
Eye 2 Eye/Moon Duo
Personal/Blue Material
belong/slenderbodies
Water Me Down/Vagabon
Erase/Cautious Clay
The Sun Will Shine/sir Was
Reds/Michigander
Come Down vs Calm Down/Harmony Byrne
Guts/Augustine
Toyko/Julien Baker
Between Me and My Maker/Kele
You're No Good/Chromatics
Deployed (feat. Little Dragon)/sir Was, Little Dragon
Pop Song/Perfume Genius
Driving/Poliça
No Other Like You/Kate Bollinger
Girl/Girl Ray
In the Air Tonight/Lucy Dacus
Your Boyfriend's Gun/Palehound
Uneventful Days/Beck
Barricade/Elliot Moss
Gallo Pinto/Daniela Andrade
Never Said/Samia
Like Before You Were Born/DIIV
In a Spiral/Phantogram
Colors/Black Pumas
Sundays/Emotional Oranges
Jet Black
(feat.Brandy)/Anderson.Paak
Your Hands/GRAE
Cinnamon Girl/Lana Del Rey
Space Cadet/beabadoobee
When Am I Gonna Lose You/Local Natives
Bags/Clairo
Deep in Love/Bonny Light Horsemen
Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)/Bombay Bicycle Club
Two Hands/Big Thief
Maybe/half•alive
Essentially/Japanese Breakfast
H34T RISES/Nilüfer Yanya
You Seemed So Happy/Japanese Breakfast
Hey You/Dope Lemon
Violence/Grimnes,i_o
Try Hard Fool/The Growlers
Summer Girl/HAIM
RABi/Bon Iver
Mono No Aware/Great Grandpa
Hope/(Sandy) Alex G
Now I'm in It/HAIM
I've Been Dazed/Michael Kiwanuka
Geology/Barrie
Cool to You/Teenage Priest
No Bullets Spent/Spoon
West Coast Love/Emotional Oranges
Almost Naked/Ruby Waters
The Fool-SASAMI Remix/Overcoats
sad day/FKA twigs
So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth/Grimes
Gracious Day/Torres
It Just Doesn't Happen/Destroyer
Seven Minutes/TOPS
Virile/Mose Sumney
yellow is the color of her eyes/Soccer Mommy
Fortune/Wye Oak
My Name Is Dark-Art/Grimes
Matando/Tei Shi
Runner/Tennis
You and I/Caribou
Take the Journey/Molly Tuttle
Wasted/Summer Walker
Digger/Great Grandpa
Too Much/Carly Rae Jepsen
Faraway Look/Yola
Summer/Angel Olsen
Harmony Hall/Vampire Weekend
Cellophane/FKA Twigs
One Night Standards/Ashley McBryde
El Potaje/Cimafunk Omar Portuondo
bury a friend/Billie Eilish
Fixture Picture/Aldous Harding
The Barrel/Aldous Harding
Comeback Kid/Sharon Van Etten
Lions (feat. Vivian Wang)/Jenny Hval
Water Me Down/Vagabon
Why Why Why Why Why/Sault
Yo Le Llego/J Balvin Bad Bunny
Un Peso/J Balvin Bad Bunny
Igor's Theme/Tyler, The Creator
Cuz I Love You/Lizzo
Anybody/Burna Boy
It Might Be Time/Tame Impala
Impossible/Clairo
Different Kind of Love/Adia Victoria
Breaking Down/The Black Keys
Liar/Camila Cabello
Zulu Screams (feat. Maleek Berry)/Goldlink
Sweet But Psycho/Ava Max
On a Roll/Ashley O
The Greatest/Lana Del Rey
Gone/Charli XCX, Christine and the Queens
Caro/Bad Bunny
Con Altura/Rosalía, J Balvin, El Guincho
Motivation/Normani
Drunk II/Mannequin Pussy
He/Jai Paul
Gretel/(Sandy)Alex G
hope is a dangerous thing for a woman/Lana Del Rey
All Mirrors/Angel Olsen
Ashes to Ashes/Jenny Hval
Dirty Laundry/Danny Brown
Hey, Ma/Bon Iver
Andromeda/Weyes Blood
Daylight Matters/Cate le Bon
Time Flies/Rico Nasty
Sympathy/Vampire Weekend
Cattails/Big Thief
True Blue (feat. Angel Olsen)/Mark Ronson, Angel O
People/The 1975
What Happens to People/Deerhunter
Only Human/KH, Four Tet
747/Bill Callahan
In Your Head/ Nilüfer Yanya
Stay High/Brittany Howard
NASA/Ariana Grande
Eye in the Wall/Perfumne Genius
Toyota Man/Neon Indian
Starry Night-Original Mix/Peggy Gou
Wasted Youth/Jenny Lewis
Vossi Bop/Stormzy
Freelance/Toro y Moi
Bromley/Joy Orbison, Overmono
Fashionista/CHAI
money machine/100 gecs, Dylan Brady
Aeroplane/Jessica Pratt
Capacity/Charlie Bliss
About Work the Dancefloor - Edit/Georgia
Home/Caribou
Say, Can You Hear/Men I Trust
Hurry on Home/Sleater-Kinney
Dumebi/Rema
Room Temperature/Faye Webster
one sick plan/Oso Oso
Roses That Cry/Empath
New Tribe/Powder
bmbmbm/black midi
At the Party/Black Belt Eagle Scout
Drømmen om Ø (Forever Mix '19) /Kasper Marott
New Apartment/Ari Lennox
Premonitions/Miya Folik
Flood/Vagabon
Tenderness/Jay Som
the stage/Shura
Fool's Gold/Lucy Dacus
Office Rage/Control Top
placeholder/Hand Habits
Superbike/Jay Som
Incapable/Róisín Murphy
Downhill Lullaby/Sky Ferreira
Get Well Soon/Boyscouts
Thinkin Bout You/Ciara
Claim It/Klein
Hedonic Treadmill/Barker
Utility/Barker
Eternal/Holly Herndon
Icy/Kim Petras
BADBADNOTGOOD/IV

as well as this playlist from 2017: https://open.spotify.com/user/spflores7/playlist/3dYVgaKuja5Ado6oEOFJtS

12-25-17

Some  songs from 2017 —when title of song is followed by title of album, that suggests that the whole album may be especially notable (see work-in-progress Spotify list for spflores7, “2017 songs, which includes some 2018 songs and others”:

https://open.spotify.com/user/spflores7/playlist/3dYVgaKuja5Ado6oEOFJtS

Big Thief, "Mary"--Capacity
Charly Bliss, “Glitter”
Cardi B, “Bodak Yellow”
Now, Now “SGL”
Lil Uzi Vert, “XO Tour Llif3”—Luv Is Rage 2
SZA, “The Weekend”--CTRL
Charli XCX, “Boys” [lightweight]
Perfume Genius, “Slip Away”—No Shape
Kendrick Lamar, “Love. Feat. Zacari.”--DAMN
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, “If We Were Vampires”—The Nashville Sound
Vince Staples, “BagBak”—Big Fish Theory
Fever Ray, “To the Moon and Back”--Plunge
Muna, “I Know a Place” also "Crying on the Bathroom Floor" and "End of Desire"
(Sandy) Alex G, “Bobby”
Danish String Quartet, “Æ Rømeser” from Last Leaf
Jay Som, “The Bus Song”—Everybody Works
Ibeyi. Feat. Kamasi Washington, “Deathless”
Aldous Harding, “Imagining My Man”--Party
Valerie June, “Astral Plane”
Harry Styles, “Sign of the Times”
Paramore, “Rose-Colored Boy” –After Laughter
Alvvays, “Plimsoll Punks”--Antisocialites
Feist, “Any Party”
yaeji, “raingurl”
Cam, “Diane”
Phoebe Bridges, “Motion Sickness”
Margo Price, “All American Made”
Downtown Boys, “A Wall”
Sylvan Esso, “Die Young”—What Now
Japanese Breakfast, “Road Head”
Rodney Crowell, “I Don’t Care Anymore”
Broken Social Scene, “Stay Happy”
St. Vincent, “New York”
6LACK, “That Far”
King Krule, “Dum Surfer”
Kingdom, “Nurtureworld”
Joan Shelley, “I Got What I Wanted”
La Santa Cecilia, “Leña de Pirul”—Amar Y Vivir
Vagabon, “Fear & Force”
Hundred Waters, “Particle”
Jorja Smith, Preditah, “On My Mind”
Anna Tivel, “Alleyway”
Luke Combs, “Hurricane”
Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet, “inter-are”
Objekt, “Needle and Thread”
Laura Marling, “Wild Fire”
Overcoats, “23”
Future, “Mask Off”
Jonas Kaufmann, “Pourquoi me reveiller …” from Werther, Acte III
Little Big Town, “Lost in California”
Diet Cig, “Barf Day”
Gracie and Rachel, “Only a Child”
Gabriel Garzón-Montano, "Sour Mango"
Julien Baker, “Appointments”
Anne Akiko Meyers, “Fantasia” (on her 1741 Guarneri del Gesù violin) composed by Einojuhani Rautavaara
Benjamin Clementine, “Phantom of Aleppoville”
Bicep, “Aura”
KH, “Question”
Ambrose Akinmusire, “Maurice & Michael (sorry I didn’t say hello)-Live
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah feat. Elena Pinderhughes
"Encryption"
Priests, “Nothing Feels Natural”—Nothing Feels Natural
Jaimie Branch, “Theme 001”—Fly or Die
Mr. Mitch, “Lost Touch (feat. Duval Timothy)”—Devout
The War on Drugs, “Up All Night”—A Deeper Understanding
The National, “Nobody Else Will Be There”—Sleep Well Beast
Torres, Three Futures (whole album)
Open Mike Eagle, Brick Body Kids Still Daydream (whole album)
Ron Miles, “Is There Room in Your Heart for a Man Like Me”—I Am a Man
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir,  Moorland Elegies (Kõrvits)
Joan Shelley, “We’d Be Home”--album: Joan Shelley
Thundercat, “Them Changes”
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, “An Intention”—The Kid
Midland, “Lonely for You Only”—On the Rocks
Waxahatchee, “Never Been Wrong”—Out in the Storm
Priests, “Suck”
Oumou Sangaré, “Fadjamou”--Mogoya

Unknown Mortal Orchestra, "Everyone Acts Crazy Nowadays"

For lists, check these out for 2017:

NYT 54 Best Songs of 2017

NPR The Year in Music 2017

Pitchfork's favorite music videos of 2017

 

12-23-16: Songs of 2016, from my listening (of course!) and then selected largely from NPR’s Top 100 Songs of 2016 and other song lists, including Ann Powers’ and Stephen Thompson’s lists):
http://apps.npr.org/best-music-2016/list/top-songs/
and see NPR Best Music of 2016 site/links
and if you use Spotify, check out my 2016 Miscellany list of these songs (a few were released late 2015) below via Spotify (spflores7)
Also check out: NPR 25 Favorite Dance Tracks of 2016
Stream A 2-Hour Mix Featuring Mr. Fingers, Pépé Bradock And Much More
http://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2016/12/16/504902797/recommended-dose-our-25-favorite-dance-tracks-of-2016

Pitchfork also has a list of their favorites for 2016 as well as

Stephan's Selected Songs (thus far!) of 2016:

Some favorites:

Lucy Dacus, "I Don't Wanna Be Funny Anymore"
Mitski, "Your Best American Girl"—
Britney Spears, "Clumsy"
Robert Ellis, “California”
Angel Olsen, “Sister
Lindstrøm, “Closing Shot”
Riton (feat. Kah-Lo), “Rinse & Repeat”
Shura, “What’s It Gonna Be?”
Lake Street Dive, “Call Off Your Dogs”
Angelica Garcia, “Orange Flower”
Angela Hunte, “Mon Bon Ami”
Heron Oblivion, “Beneath Fields”
Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band, “High Castle Rock”
Saintseneca, “Sleeper Hold”
CHVRCHES, “Clearest Blue”
Aurora, “Running With The Wolves”
Frank Turner, “Get Better”
Bully, “Milkman”
EL VY, “Return To The Moon (Political S…)
Lianne La Havas, “What You Don’t Do”
The Staves, “No Me, No You, No More”
The Weepies, “Sirens”
Torres, “Strange Hellos”
And The Kids, “All Day All Night”
Patty Griffin, “Made of the Sun”
SOAK, “Sea Creatures”
Beach House, “Wildflower”
Kendrick Lamar, “King Kunta”
Elle King, “Ex’s & Oh’s”
Liza Anne, “Lost”
Low, “No Compromise”
Laura Stevenson, “Torch Song”
Angel Olsen, “Shut Up Kiss Me”
School of Seven Bells, “Open Your Eyes”
Bibi  Bourelly, “Sally”
Lower Dens, “To Die in L.A.”

And other songs I enjoy from 2016:

Anderson .Paak, “Come Down” 's F(also see whole album "Malibu")

Margaret Glaspy, “You and I”

Lizzo, “Good As Hell”

Maggie Rogers, “Alaska”

Blood Orange (feat. Empress Of), “Best to You”

Låpsley, “Operator (DJ Koze’s Disco Edit)

Bombino, “Timtar (Memories)”

Big Thief, “Masterpiece”

Jeff Parker, “Get Dressed”

The 1975, “A Change of Heart”

Savages, “Adore”

La Yegros (feat. Lindigo), “Sueñitos”

The xx, “On Hold”

Miles Mosley, “Abraham”

Noura Mint Seymali, “Ghlana”

Jon Bellion, “All Time Low”

Beth Orton, “Dawnstar”

Adam Torres, “Juniper Arms”

John Paul White, “Black Leaf”

Adia Victoria, “Mortimer’s Blues”

Jamilla Woods, “Blk Girl Soldier”

Martha Wainwright, “One of Us”

Robert Ellis, “You’re Not the One”

Twenty One Pilots, “Heathens”

Ray Lamontagne, “Part One – Hey, No Pressure”

Lori McKenna, “Giving up on Your Hometown”

Lady Gaga, “Diamond Heart”

The Julie Ruin, “Be Nice”

Lady Gaga, “Million Reasons”

Mary J. Blige, “Thick Of It”

Bruno Mars, “24K Magic”

Anderson .Paak, “The Season/Carry Me

Joan Shelley, “Over and Even”

The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, “January 10th, 2014

Girlpool, “Before The World Was Big”

Mates of State, “Staring Contest”

Best Coast, “Feeling Ok”

-----------------------------------------

12-16-15: Free time over the holidays? Check out NPR and NY Times's list of albums/songs, as well as those from The Atlantic.
NPR list of favorite 50 albums 2015

Some good possibilities:

Torres - Sprinter (me: already love this, and just noticed that the American Songwriters' list of top 50 albums puts this at #2)

Girlpool - Before The World Was Big

Africa Express Presents Terry Riley's In C Mali

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly ("King Kunta, for instance, is awesome! also see his past/first album: good kid, m.A.A.d city )

Brandi Carlile - The Firewatcher's Daughter

Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free (but see his last album, Southeastern)

Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion (for instance, "Gimmie Love")

Hop Along - Painted Shut (not on NPR list)—check out via NPR's Tiny Desk Concert:

also other artist/song:

Alabama Shakes/Guess Who,

Colleen/Lighthouse,

Jamie xx/Loud Places,

fabulous songs from the musical Hamilton (such as Non-Stop),

Florence + The Machine/Queen of Peace,

Vince Staples/Dopeman, and also Lift Me Up,

Bomba Estéreo/Somos Dos,

The Internet/Under Control,

Four Tet/Morningside,

Carla Morrison/Todo Pasa/Un Beso...,

Low/Gentle/DJ,

intriguing Ibeyi/Singles,

'classical music' John Adams/Absolute Jest,

Dead to A Dying World/Narcissus,

Floating Points/Peroration Six,

nearly always witty Courtney Barnett/Pedestrian at Best (Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit),

playful sharp Cécile McLorin Salvant/Something's Coming (fantastic version/cover),

Daymé Arocena/Don't Unplug My Body,

Jazmine Sullivan,

Kamasi Washington /Change of the Guard (over the top but in a lush yet at times sharp way),

Sophie/Vyzee,

Colleen Green/Pay Attention,

Ought/Beautiful Sky,

Grimes/Flesh Without Blood (Art Angels--also seek out her REALiTi ),

Rich Homie Quan/Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh),

Jidenna feat. Roman GianArthur/Classic Man,

Keith Ape feat. JayAllDay, Loota, Okasian & Kohh/It G Ma,

Björk/Black Lake and also Stonemilker (Vulnicura),

Future/Commas,

CHVRCHES/Clearest Blue,

Made in Heights/Death,

Blur/Go Out,

FKA Twigs/In Time,

Waxahatchee/La Loose,

Health/Life,

Natalie Prass/My Baby Don't Understand Me (her whole self-titled album is great)

Sujan Stevens/The Only Thing (from Carrie & Lowell),

Blood Orange/Sandra's Smile,

Thundercat/Them Changes

 

NY Times’ critics favorite songs of 2015:

and from The Atlantic, favorite songs of 2015

Some examples I've selected from Ben's Spotify list of NPR-listed favorite albums:

https://open.spotify.com/track/6gjkQKgCWQA2ZA9froITyw

https://open.spotify.com/track/0bcR17JaLVHXqsR3o3phqN

https://open.spotify.com/track/2JQm8NNpFkwvhuKH3yhuC9

And additional lists!:

http://americansongwriter.com/2015/11/american-songwriters-top-50-albums-2015-presented-daddario/5/

http://www.thenation.com/article/forget-what-youve-heard-these-were-the-ten-best-albums-of-2015/





 

Some late 2014 acquisitions (albums and/or songs):

Jessie Ware, "Tough Love"

Caribou, "Our Love"

Phantogram "Voices"

Broken Bells "After the Disco"

The New Pornographers "Brill Bruisers"

Future Islands "Singles"

The War on Drugs "Lost in the Dream"

The Black Keys "Turn Blue"

Angel Olsen "Forgiven/Forgotten"

The Family Crest "Beneath the Brine"

Sylvan Esso "Sylvan Esso"

St. Vincent "St. Vincent"

Perfect Pussy "Say Yes to Love"

FKA twigs "LP1"

Chet Faker "Built on Glass"

Highasakite "Silent Treatment"

And:

Depeche Mode "Enjoy the Silence" and "Personal Jesus"

The Hives "Hate to Say I Told You So"

Metric "The Void"

M.I.A. "World Town"

Missy Elliot "Work It"

Scissor Sisters "Any Which Way"

Ke$ha "Blow" [yes, I know, give me a break]

LCD Soundsystem "Tribulations"

Lady Gaga "I Like It Rough" (classic?)

The Notorious B.I.G. "Mo Money Mo Problems"

Snoop Doggy Dogg "Who Am I (What's My Name)?

Röyksopp & Robyn "Do It Again"

The Rolling Stone "Under My Thumb"

Modest Mouse "Float On"

The XX "Islands"

Recent 2013 songs:

Alice Smith, "Shot"
Arctic Monkeys, "Do I Wanna Know”
Beck, "Gimme”
The Blow “Make It Up”
Boards of Canada “Cold Earth”
Bonobo “Cirrus”
Bosnian Rainbows “Torn Maps”
Caitlin Rose “Only a Clown”
Chelsea Wolfe “The Warden”
Chvrches “Recover”
Courtney Barnett “Avant Gardener”
Daughter “Youth”
Disclosure “White Noise” feat. AlunaGeorge
Fuck Buttons “The Red Wing”
Machel Montano “The Fog”
Parquet Courts “Stoned and Starving”
Pelican “Deny the Absolute”
Phosphorescent, “Song for Zula”
Rhye “Open”
Rich Homie Quan “Type of Way”
Todd Terje “Strandbar” (Samba Version)
Daniel Avery,  “Need Electric”
DJ Koze, “Track ID Anyone?”
Haim, “The Wire”
Juana Molina, “Eras”
Laura Mvula, “Green Garden”
Lucius, “Tempest”
WAXAHATCHEE,  “Hollow Bedroom”

Recent 2012 'acquisitions':

*AlunaGeorge*, You Know You Like It

------------------------------
*Chairlift*, I Belong In Your Arms

Ellie Goulding, Anything Could Happen

*Jai Paul*, Jasmine

*John Talabot*, Destiny

*Julia Holter*,
Marienbad

*Justin Martin*, Don't Go

*Lianne La Havas*,"Is Your Love Big
Enough?

*LV*, Nothing Like Us

*M.I.A.*, Bad Girls
"

*Machel Montano*, Go Down

*Miguel*, Adorn

*Saint Etienne*, Tonight

*Sinkane*, Jeeper Creeper

*Six Organs of Admittance*, Waswasa

*Solange*, Losing You

*The Mynabirds*, Generals

*Todd Terje*, Inspector Norse

*Waxahatchee*, "Be Good

*Wiley*, "I'm Skanking" (The 2 Bears
Remix)

*Y.N. Rich Kids*, "Hot Cheetos and
Takis

Albums:

BOMBA ESTEREO
ELEGANCIA TROPICAL

CARLA MORRISON
DEJENME LLORAR

FRANK OCEAN
CHANNEL ORANGE

NOW, NOW
THREADS

PATRICK WATSON
ADVENTURES IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD

REGINA SPEKTOR
WHAT WE SAW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS

2011 acquisitions:

St. Vincent: Hysterical Strength; Cruel;Strange Mercy

Phantogram: Nightlife

POLIÇA: Give You the Ghost

Gotye: Easy Way Out;State of the Art; Don’t Worry, We’ll Be Watching You; Somebody That I Used to Know (feat. Kimbra)
--see great video of this here--it's the last selection: http://www.npr.org/2011/12/30/144444460/the-currents-surprise-hits-of-2011

The Joy Formidable: Whirring

Ardalan Justin Martin: Lezgo (Original)

Wild Flag

Bear Hands: Burning Bush Supper Club

M83: Midnight City; Reunion;Steve McQueen;

Beirut: The Rip Tide

Talking Heads
The Shins
The New Pornographers
Ladytron
Wilco
The Arcade Fire
Ani di Franco
The Cranberries
U2
The Dodos
Imogen Heap
Jose Gonzålez
Bat for Lashes
DJ Tiesto (Oakenfold's Southern Sun)
Laurie Anderson, including "O Superman"
Animal Collective
The Avalanches
Barenaked Ladies
The Beach Boys
The Beatles
Benji Hughes
Benny Benassi
Bishop Allen
Bjork
Black Kids
blur
Bon Iver
Booka Shade
Broken Social Scene
Burial
Camera Obscura
Chemical Brothers
Circulatory System
The Crystal Method
Chromeo
The Commitments
Daft Punk
Darude
Death Cab for Cutie
The Decemberists
The Dirty Projectors
The Dry Spells
Eric Prydz
Elliot Smith
The Field
Fleet Foxes
Fleetwood Mac
Fountains of Wayne
Four Tet
Fredrik
French Kicks
Frou Frou
Girl Talk's (mashup artist Gregg Gillis's) album Feed the Animals
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
Gnarls Barkley
The Good Life
Gorillaz
Grizzly Bear
Gui Boratto
Fountains Of Wayne
Jeff Hanson
Justice
Justin Timberlake
The Killers
Kings of Leon
Lenka
Lightning Dust
Lumidee
Metric
Michael Jackson
Mint Juleps
Minus the Bear
Mirah
Modest Mouse
Moss
Gianluca Motta (Not Alone, feat. Molly)
Mt. Eerie
Muse
The National
Neil Young
Neko Case
Nelly Furtado
Nicole Atkins & the Sea
No Doubt
The Notwist
Panda Bear
Passion Pit
Paul Oakenfold
Phoenix
Pinback
The Pixies
PJ Harvey (esp. album 'Let England Shake')
Portishead
The Postal Service
Radiohead (esp. recent album 'King of Limbs')
Red Hot Chili Peppers
RJD2
Robyn (esp. album 'Body Talk')
The Roots
The Sea and Cake
Shakira
Small Sins
The Smiths
The Swell Season
Regina Spektor
Spoon
St. Vincent
Taken by Trees
The Talking Heads, including the best concert film ever? Stop Making Sense
Telekinesis
Tilly and the Wall
The Ting Tings
TV on the Radio
Vampire Weekend
Visqueen
Patrick Watson
Wolf Parade
Wye Oak (esp. album 'Civilian') see the song "Civilian" on KEXP live
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvr0FkE_iq8
The xx
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
13 & God
Brazilian . . .

Want to get started on listening to opera? Try these suggestions:

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/editorial/ten-of-the-best-–-the-essential-operas

http://sinfinimusic.com/uk/features/2013/02/top-10-opera-recordings/

http://www.classicalcdguide.com/genres/opera.htm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalmusic/6137471/100-Best-Classical-Recordings.html

Or try listening to online radio via Operavore, or KING FM Opera Channel, or Swissradio Opera--I use the TuneIn Radio app on my iPhone.