50. Selena Gomez “Come & Get It”
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Number 50 is always the editors pick and never has one song more embodied a guilty pleasure than Selena Gomez‘ “Come & Get It.” The first time I heard the track was Gomez’ lackluster performance of it at the MTV Movie Awards. At that time, I did not see A torrid love affair coming. As the song received more and more airplay and it became a greater part of the American consciousness something clicked. The Bollywood themes and electropop production give “Come & Get It” a slightly esoteric feel for a pop song. Couple that with Ester Dean’s song writing transforming Gomez into a more mature performer before our eyes and there was just something inescapable about that. So it is with little pride and no irony that I present “Come & Get It” as the 50th best song of 2013. – Adam Morgan
49. Miley Cyrus “Wrecking Ball”
Say what you will about Miley Cyrus. Attention Whore? Yeah, absolutely. Over Exposed (both figuratively and literally)? No argument here. Clinically insane? Probably. But dammit can she make some good music. “Wrecking Ball” is a prime example of this. Obviously this song’s video inspired a hysterical internet parody phenomenon with a pedophile’s dream of a music video, which alone is enough to put this song on the list for me. But if you get over all of the Miley-Hate perpetuated by just about everyone, “Wrecking Ball” is actually a good song. Miley’s vocals are incredibly strong and powerful. “Wrecking Ball” is dripping with emotion and the minimalist piano to lead into the it’s the signature crescendo accent Miss Cyrus’ vocal tone wonderfully. Embrace Miley, because if she keeps putting out music this good, she won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. – Andrew Garrison
48. Zomes “Time Was”
Ok, so my dark horse pick may have you scratching your head. Who the hell are Zomes? It doesn’t matter, trust me. All you need to know is that the music on “Time Was” will be unlike anything else you’ve listened to in 2013. Ok, you’re not convinced? Will you promise to run out and buy this album if I tell you that Zomes is Asa Osborne from the legendary post-hardcore Lungfish? Don’t know them either? Well then consider yourself doubly blessed for reading this review. ps-don’t expect any vocals on Zomes albums prior to “Time Was” in case you want to run out and buy their discography – Greg Scranton
47. Earl Sweatshirt “Hive”
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Confession time: “Hive” is my alarm. And has been for the last four months. Nothing makes getting up at 6:30 AM more palatable than Earl Sweatshirt rasping “Promise Heron I’ll put my fist up after I get my dick sucked,” with that heavy, low bpm bass. Seriously, try it. Thank me later. While I am handing out advice, if you haven’t yet, you need to see the creepy/awesome and excellent video OF made for “Hive”. Earl has some of the best flow in hip-hop current and puts it on display in “Hive” effortlessly while being in complete control of every verse. Often times I use a metric I made up that I call “Skipablity”, which, as you can surmise is how likely I am to skip a song when it comes on shuffle. Most songs have some element of skipabilty due to situation, my general mood, when the last time I heard it, etc etc. “Hive” does not have a shred of skipablity. I could be in the car with my grandmother and I would still listen to the whole thing. The glaring lack of skipablity in “Hive” comes from Vince Staples outstanding verse at the end of the track, in which he subtly nods to his signing on Def Jam. “Hive” is maybe the strongest song on Doris, and does it like it’s nothing. Because it’s nothing. Bitch. – Andrew Garrison
46. Eels “Bombs Away”
The tenth studio album from the Eels opens with a punch. “Bombs Away” begins on drums and slowly adds guitars, fuzz bass and eventually Mark Oliver Everett, aka E, gravely vocals. His worn voice is used to his benefit. The vocals are aggressive right from the get go, in both content and delivery, leading up to E’s all out signature howl. Drummer Knuckles drives the song along on toms and can be heard tapping out rhythms on ladders and whatever else he could find. The grittiness of the vocals is mirrored by The Chet’s distorted guitar lead. There is so much going on musically, it takes several close listens to appreciate it all. – Audra May
45. Kanye West “New Slaves”
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To be honest, none of the songs on Kanye West‘s Yeezus make sense but “New Slaves” is perhaps the closest to being an actual social statement. His first verse tries to outline the evolution of racism in the country from the racism his mother encountered to the racism he encounters. The coherence goes severely downhill in the second verse which is essentially a rant against corporate America and including conspiracy theories that the government is in cahoots with privately owned prison system to imprison drug offenders. But the real sparkle of the track is Kanye’s audacity to project the video of the track on buildings for promotion of his album. He put anti-corporate propaganda up on skyscrapers across the world and people applauded. Maybe Kanye really is a genius. – Adam Morgan
44. CHVRCHES “The Mother We Share”
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CHVRCHES came out of the gate swinging on this one. You barely have time to get comfortable with a round of hand claps before being hit with a grandiose wash of synths. It’s only a matter of time before Lauren Mayberry is breaking the bad news, “the mother we share will never keep your proud head from falling,” in her distinct angelic tone. There has perhaps never been as much comfort in such sad sentiment. But that’s the gift Mayberry and CHVRCHES have. Even if your support system is failing, it’s the mother we share. You’re never in it alone. – Grady O’Brien
43. On An On “The Hunter”
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Some of the best pop songs are the ones who are truly disturbing at their core. In a year that saw three women released from a home where they were held captive for nearly 15 years, On an On have the audacity to sing “I am the hunter; I know how to find you/I’ve taken your picture and I’ve taken my time” and a chorus of “they’ll pray for you to come back.” All of this would seem to be some sick perverted shit except its encapsulated in a perfect electropop-tinged rock song. – Adam Morgan
42. Quasi “You Can Stay But You Gotta Go”
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Indie rock veterans Sam Coomes (Heatmiser, Elliot Smith, Built to Spill) and Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Wild Flag) don’t disappoint with their 9th studio album “Mole City”. Although the sprawling 24 track album didn’t make my year end best of list, “You Can Stay But You Gotta Go” is an undeniable fuzzed out gem of lyrical lunacy and catchy riffs and beats. I will also say their cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” is fucking epic! – Greg Scranton
41. The Strokes “One Way Trigger”
“One Way Trigger” is without a doubt my favorite song on the Strokes much anticipated 2013 release of Comedown Machine. First posted for download back in January, which is like 1975 in Internet years, “One Way Trigger” has a fast paced guitars, and heavy drums we would expect from The Strokes. While it could be viewed to be a tad on the jittery side, I am personally a big fan of the higher pitched Casablanaca vocals on this track and love when they drop the pitch down throughout the song to create variety. Also, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the smart and snazzy guitar solo towards he beginning. While providing a new wave- type sound, “One Way Trigger” still has a very distinct Strokes vibe, which we all love. – Andrew Garrison
