I feel as though I rarely listen to the ‘year’s best music’ the year it is released, but I’ve made a marginal effort this time. Rather than post my favorite songs of the year, I gathered my favorite ‘new’ songs and made a bit of a novelties mix. The truth is, most of this isn’t anywhere in my so-called ‘canon’, but I’ve never tried to form a playlist this way before, so… why not.

1. I Know Places - Lykke Li
2. Machu Picchu - The Strokes
3. One and Only - Adele
4. The Devil Is in the Beats - The Chemical Brothers
5. Grown Oceans - Fleet Foxes
6. The Rip Tide - Beirut
7. The Last Living Rose - PJ Harvey
8. Dealbreaker - Rachael Yamagata
9. Never Let Me Go - Florence + The Machine
10. Salinas - Laura Marling
11. Midnight City - M83 
12. Trellick Tower - Emmy the Great
13. House - Patrick Wolf
14. Codex - Radiohead
15. Summer Camp - Summer Camp
16. I Don’t Want Love - The Antlers
17. Saying I Love You - Girls
18. Cruel - St. Vincent
19. Tigers - The Submarines

DOWNLOAD!

Ho-ho-hum. Contemporary music. Well, at least it’s not adult contemporary. Not quite yet.