It’s October again, which means it’s time to update my favorite songs list.
This is my third year to make this list.
This year I really fell in love with electronic and ambient music. (Thus the ridiculous number of songs by Moby). But as always, Belle & Sebastian is the most represented band, with ten songs (or eleven, if you count “Acts of the Apostle I & II” as two songs).
Some great new bands that I encountered for the first time are Okkervil River, the bird & the bee, The Postmarks, Dr. Dog, and The Civil Wars.
But I would like to single out two songs that I first heard in October of last year. They’re both sad songs, dark songs.
The first is “Iscariot,” from the Virginia-based indie folk band The Last Bison.
The second is “Jamie,” by husband-and-wife duo Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors. A song of lamentation for a troubled but poetic young soul struggling to break free, it could just as easily have been titled “Jesse.”
Here’s the complete list.
Special mention:
The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot (read by Sir Alec Guinness)
Ones
1. Don’t Look Back in Anger Oasis
2. White Owl Josh Garrels
3. Waiting for the Moon to Rise Belle & Sebastian
4. Everybody’s Changing Keane
5. Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect The Decemberists
6. When You Were Young The Killers
7. Mr. Jones Counting Crows
8. Thunder Road Bruce Springsteen
9. The Boy with the Arab Strap Belle & Sebastian
10. We Were Set Up Canasta
Tens
11. Stop for a Minute Keane (with K’naan)
12. Extreme Ways (Bourne’s Anthem) Moby
13. Jamie Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors
14. Let There Be Love Oasis
15. Why Does It Always Rain on Me? Travis
16. The Scientist Coldplay
17. Belle & Sebastian Belle & Sebastian
18. Iscariot The Last Bison
19. We Are All Made of Stars Moby
20. Look What You’ve Done Jet
Twenties
21. Abbey Road Medley The Beatles
22. All These Things that I’ve Done The Killers
23. Such Great Heights Postal Service
24. Can’t Stop Now Keane
25. Fox in the Snow Belle & Sebastian
26. A Day in the Life The Beatles
27. The Blues Are Still Blue Belle & Sebastian
28. my love the bird & the bee
29. Get Away Dr. Dog
30. Natural Blues Moby
Thirties
31. My Wandering Days Are Over Belle & Sebastian
32. Driftwood Travis
33. The Man Who Sold the World David Bowie
34. Flesh & Bone The Killers
35. Back Streets Bruce Springsteen
36. This Ladder is Ours The Joy Formidable
37. Seventeen Jet
38. Ya Hey Vampire Weekend
39. Allemande Keane
40. Suzanne Leonard Cohen
Forties
41. Love Dr. Dog
42. El Paso Marty Robbins
43. Crazy Gnarls Barkley
44. Black Danger Mouse (with Norah Jones)
45. Birmingham Snow Machine
46. It Was My Season Okkervil River
47. Cattail Down mewithoutYou
48. Westfall Okkervil River
49. Slip Away Josh Garrels
50. Fixing a Hole The Beatles
Fifties
51. Death to Everyone but Us Felix
52. Blue Skies Jaymay
53. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue Bob Dylan
54. Late Night Drama Queen Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors
55. There Were Roses Jimmy Keane
56. A Rush of Blood to the Head Coldplay
57. You’d Rather Run Jaymay
58. If You’re Feeling Sinister Belle & Sebastian
59. One of These Mornings Moby
60. So Long, Marianne Leonard Cohen
Sixties
61. Falling The Civil Wars
62. The Card Cheat The Clash
63. Dry the Rain Beta Band
64. Switzerland The Last Bison
65. Singer Songwriter Okkervil River
66. Weight of the World Lauren Mann & the Fairly Odd Folk
67. The Rabbit, the Bat, and the Reindeer Dr. Dog
68. Time of the Season The Zombies
69. Your Mother Should Know The Beatles
70. Flowers in the Window Travis
Seventies
71. Barton Hollow The Civil Wars
72. Casimir Pulaski Day Sufjan Stevens
73. Drops of Jupiter Train
74. All Will Be Well The Gabe Dixon Band
75. When I Look at the World U2
76. New Kid in Town The Eagles
77. Champagne Supernova Oasis
78. You’re Beautiful James Blunt
79. Famous Last Words Jars of Clay
80. One of These Things First Nick Drake
Eighties
81. Goodbye The Postmarks
82. Goodbye, I! mewithoutYou
83. Band on the Run Paul McCartney
84. Stars of Track & Field Belle & Sebastian
85. Seattle Travis Jeffords ‘07
86. The Unforgettable Fire U2
87. Smile like You Mean It The Killers
88. No One Said this Would Be Easy The Postmarks
89. Desolation Row Bob Dylan
90. Eleanor Rigby The Beatles
Nineties
91. The Window Leonard Cohen
92. Fruit Tree Nick Drake
93. Wake Up Pas Neos
94. Acts of the Apostles I & II Belle & Sebastian
95. Seeing Other People Belle & Sebastian
96. diamond dave the bird & the bee
97. Collide Jars of Clay
98. The Boxer Simon & Garfunkel
99. Sunday Morning Coming Down Johnny Cash
100. You Found Me The Fray
101. One U2
Sketches By Boze 
Nice list. I don’t know if I could ever finish a list like that…great job!
Thanks, friend. I’ve been slowly pulling it together for weeks!
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