Now that exams are over, I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with my life. So I’ve decided to write up some posts about this year in music, because that’s the only good thing that has come out of 2016. I have a list of my favourite albums of 2016, as well as my favourite performances. I don’t think I can do a “Best of 2016” list justice, so it will all be music that has meant a lot to me over the past year.
I’m starting off with a list of albums from the past that I’ve been listening to, thanks to events from 2016. It’s music that I revived, reminded by new music from these artists or seeing them live. They are songs that have meant a lot to me.
Sound of Silver (2007) – LCD Soundsystem
This is one album that has been a constant this entire year. Played it a lot throughout January, brought it back for LCD Soundsystem’s return at Wayhome during the summer, and then read Ryan Leas’ 33 1/3 book on the record in December.
I scream along to James Murphy’s proclamations that “the time has come” and “it’s Us v. Them, over and over again.” I think of Toronto when I sing along to “New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down.” I imagine tragedy when I hear “Someone Great.”
And then there’s “All My Friends.” The song that Leas has argued is THE song about nostalgia. Our generation’s version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark.” Every time I hear the lyric, “You spend the first five years trying to get with the plan, and the next five years trying to be with your friends again,” I want to cry.
Champ (2010) – Tokyo Police Club
I was there at Tokyo Police Club’s triumphant return to Toronto at the Mod Club on my birthday, December 8th 2016. It brought back all of the memories about this album and how classic it is. There’s that pause on the opening track of the album, “Favourite Food,” where Dave Monks screams, “Cause your knees are scratched and your eyes are…” [PAUSE] “… BLACK!” Or “Bambi,” where he sings, “I wanna tell you there’s a really good reason why I came home wasted in the middle of the night.” Or on “Wait Up (Boots of Danger),” where he sings, “I’m on your team but I never know when you’re not.” This is the classic Tokyo Police Club album.
Sam’s Town (2006) – The Killers
For all of my hatred for Wayhome and the culture surrounding the festival, the music truly made up for it. I had the opportunity to see a band I’ve loved since I was a child. Sam’s Town (2006) meant more to me than their debut album Hot Fuss (2004), and I’m not sure why. I’ve always loved “Read My Mind,” “Bones,” and I’ve grown to love “My List.”
And then there’s “When You Were Young.” I always find myself singing along to “Can we climb this mountain? I don’t know. Higher now than ever before.” I imagine “the place where you used to live when you were young.”
There’s something classic about Sam’s Town, and this year being its 10th year anniversary has only brought back my love for the record.
Reflektor (2013) – Arcade Fire
Each of Wayhome’s headliner performances were iconic in their own way, with LCD Soundsystem’s being the most emotional. But it’s Arcade Fire’s set that will come away as the most memorable. I’ve never seen a set end with fireworks. I was in awe at the sheer immensity of the entire performance.
We re-listened to this record on the traffic-heavy drive up to Barrie for Wayhome. I forgot just how much I loved this entire album from front to back. It’s easy to dance along to songs like “Reflektor” and “Here Comes the Night Time.” I imagine the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, making their journey from Hades on songs like, “It’s Never Over (Hey Orpheus).” And I’m haunted by “Afterlife” and “Supersymmetry.”
Set Yourself on Fire (2004) – Stars
My friends and I spent Sunday afternoon at Wayhome just lying around on the grass. It’s probably the sixth time I’ve seen Stars play in Toronto, and I’ll be seeing them again at the Danforth on December 21st. One of the jokes about the weekend is how much Torquil Campbell loves to play the song, “Trap Door,” which is arguably Stars’ worst song.
Set Yourself on Fire (2004) is one of the bands’ classic records. That line from Torquil Campbell’s thespian father, “When there’s nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire,” on “Your Ex-Lover is Dead,” starts off the album perfectly. I imagine myself in that taxicab crossing the Pont Champlain in Montreal. We also played this album from front to back on the drive up to Barrie, and it reminded me again how much I loved this album. “Set Yourself on Fire,” “Ageless Beauty,” “Reunion,” “One More Night,” “Celebration Guns,” “Calendar Girl.”
Songs for Christmas (2006) and Silver & Gold: Songs for Christmas, Vols. 6–10 (2012) – Sufjan Stevens
Every winter, Sufjan Stevens’ collection of Christmas songs resurfaces on my playlist. Most of these covers are forgettable, but he has some quirky, crazy and at times, emotional covers of classic Christmas songs. You just have to spend an afternoon with this entire collection of about 100 tracks on shuffle and find the gems. It makes even the most cynical Christmas Grinches (like me) love Christmas music.
E•MO•TION (2015) – Carly Rae Jepsen
I had to throw this one in. With E•MO•TION Side B (2016) released this year, Carly Rae Jepsen remained a staple of this year. It’s not easy to forget songs like “Runaway With Me” and “Emotion.” “Your Type” still gives me the vibes that Robyn’s Body Talk (2011) always gave me. The 80’s inspired synth-pop on this record are absolutely perfect, and it’s remained a regular on my playlist for the second year in a row.
Plans (2005) – Death Cab for Cutie
My cousin told me many years ago that seeing Death Cab was like a religious experience, so they’ve been a band I’ve been dreaming to see for years. When I saw them at Toronto Urban Roots Festival (TURF) this year, I was instantly transported back to my middle school days, singing along with Ben Gibbard on both tracks I’ve known for years as well as their more recent work.
While they only played a few songs from Plans (2005) during their set — “Crooked Teeth,” “Soul Meets Body,” “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” and “Marching Bands Of Manhattan” during their encore — seeing them brought back the album as my favourite Death Cab record. I wish they would have played songs like “What Sarah Said,” which I sing to myself every time I find myself in a waiting room, or “Brothers on a Hotel Bed.”
Born in the U.S.A. (1984) – Bruce Springsteen
I have to shout out Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark,” which has meant a lot to me throughout this rough year. Hot Chip’s synth-cover of “Dancing in the Dark/All My Friends” has been on repeat since January. There’s some comfor in hearing Springsteen’s rough voice.
I always feel something whenever he sings,
You sit around getting older
There’s a joke here somewhere and it’s on me
I’ll shake this world off my shoulders
Come on, baby, the laugh’s on me.
They’re perfect words to keep in mind for the end of the year.