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The 100 best songs of 2019

The 100 best songs of 2019

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10.

Nilufer Yanya

Tears

Nilüfer Yanya - Tears (Official Audio)

Our highlight from Yanya’s Miss Universe is a pop song through and through. Verses propped up with warped synth stabs and choruses rich with melody and overdriven guitars. Yanya is able to tackle mental fortitude and fragile masculinity in a nuanced, thoughtful way while adhering to the pop verse-chorus-verse-chorus formula.

9.

FKA Twigs

Cellophane

FKA twigs - cellophane

Devastating. Intimate. Revealing.

8.

James Blake

Mile High feat. Travis Scott & Metro Boomin’

Mile High feat. Travis Scott and Metro Boomin (Official Video)

A tune to live inside.

7.

Park Hye Jin & Baltra

Ahead Of Time

Baltra & 박혜진 park hye jin - Ahead Of Time

“Now I’m so glad you’re here,” sings Korean singer Park Hye Jin and the heart, it melts in the club.

6.

Marie Davidson

Work (Soulwax remix)

Marie Davidson - 'Work It (Soulwax Remix)'

If you saw a Nialler9 DJ set this year, you heard this one.

5.

Solange

Stay Flo

Solange - Stay Flo (Official Audio)

Singling out one song from Solange’s album When I Get Home is tough as the album’s mood hangs together across 19 tracks that are smudged together like a hazy reverie. While the album works best as a whole, ‘Stay Flo’ is one of the few tracks on the album that works for a single play and that I’ve come back to for that reason on its own.

4.

Julia Jacklin

Don’t Know How To Keep Loving You

Julia Jacklin - Don't Know How To Keep Loving You (Official Audio)

A beautiful cut from Julia Jacklin’s excellent second album Crushing, ‘Don’t Know How To Keep Loving You’ is a delicately unfolding, guitar-led summation of knowing you need to leave a relationship. Jacklin’s delivery is submerged in quiet turmoil and sincerity and siphons audience empathy by the bucketload.

3.

Big Thief

Not

Big Thief -  Not (Official Audio)

This moody, wailing guitar jam is the sound of a band at their creative peak. The best guitar solo of the year follows Adrienne Lenker’s impassioned crackling vocals delivered as if her life depends on it.

2.

Kindness

Sibambaneni / Raise Up

Kindness - Raise Up (Single Version)

Euphoric and uplifting, Kindness’ ‘Raise Up’ is an invigorating gospel outing that centres around jazzy pianos, a driving beat and very sweet messaging. More like a jam session between friends than a straight-forward single, listening to ‘Raise Up’ always makes the day a little bit brighter. Pair it with Something Like A War album intro ‘Sibambaneni’ for full emotional life.

1.

Bon Iver

U (Man Like)

Bon Iver - U (Man Like) - Official Video

A standout track from Justin Vernon’s i,i. ‘U (Man Like)’ is an arm around the shoulder held aloft by a stunning piano sound carrying a sweet gospel harmony. Bruce Hornsby, Jen Wassner, Elsa Jensen and Moses Sumney add backing vocals, as does an actual honest to goodness choir.


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2019 Best of | Best international albums | Best Songs | Best Irish albums | Best Irish songs | Guest selections


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