156 Songs we Liked in 2015
Of the many annual year-end NadaMucho.com lists, “Favorite Songs” is created with the simplest formula: 1) we ask our writers and photographers to tell us a few of their favorite songs of the year, 2) I alphabetize them and pick a few to embed, and 3) we’re off to the races. That’s it. Submissions do not have to be performed by an artist that also makes an appearance on our forthcoming lists of albums and local bands, and contributors do not need to include an explanation or justification for their selections. No complicated formulas. No spirited debate.
The resulting list is predictably odd and wonderful. As you read through the selections and listen along on our Spotify playlist, please remember: when it comes to music there aren’t any “guilty pleasures,” only pleasures.
Adele – “Hello” / “When We Were Young (Live at The Church Studios)”
Alabama Shakes – “The Greatest”
Aly & Fila with Aruna – “The Other Shore” (Solarstone Pure Mix)
An Autumn for Crippled Children – “Endless Skies”
Bell Witch – Suffocation, A Drowning: II Somniloquy (The Distance of Forever”
Best Coast – “Fine Without You”
Big Man – “Rapping on my Break”
Big Sean – “Blessings” (feat. Drake & Kanye West)
Blackheart Honeymoon – “Bodies”
BØRNS – “10,000 Emerald Pools”
Brand New – “Mene”
Brenda Xu – “Trumpet Song”
Briana Marela – “Follow It”
Bryan Adams – “You Belong to Me”
Built To Spill – “All Our Songs” / “Some Other Song”
Chastity Belt – “Time to Go Home”
Chvrches – “Clearest Blue”
Cindy Lee – “Last Train’s Come and Gone”
Clutch – “Firebirds”
Cold Beat – “Cracks”
Colleen Green – “Deeper Than Love” / “TV”
Corrections House – “Crossing My One Good Finger”
Courtney Barnett – “Depreston” / “Elevator Operator”
Crazy Eyes – “WWIII in Hiii-Fiii” (#41for2015)
Dan Deacon – “When I Was Done Dying”
Daniel Knox – “Don’t Touch Me”
David Bowie – “Blackstar”
David Ramirez – “Harder to Lie”
Dead Weather – “I Feel Love”
Deap Vally – “Royal Jelly”
Death Cab for Cutie – “Black Sun”
Denver Broncos UK – “The Red Cross is Giving Out”
Detective Agency – “Daggers” (#41for2015)
Django Django – “First Light”
Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment – “Sunday Candy”
Downtown Boys – “Wave Of History”
Drake – “Hotline Bling”
Drenge – “We Do What We Want”
Empress Of – “Kitty Kat”
Ever so Android – “Leash” (#41for2015)
Ezra Furman – “Lousy Connection”
Faith No More – “Matador”
Father John Misty – “Bored in the U.S.A.” / “The Night Josh Tillman Came to our Apartment”
Fernando – “Save Me”
Fetty Wap – “Trap Queen”
FIDLAR – “40 oz On Repeat”
FFS (Franz Ferdinand & Sparks) – “Johnny Delusional”
Great Grandpa – “Cheetoh Lust”
Grave Babies – “Something Awful”
Georgia – “Kombine”
G.L.O.S.S. – “G.L.O.S.S (We’re From the Future)”
Grace Love and the True Loves – “Fire”
Grimes – “Flesh without Blood”
Halsey – “Drive”
Heartless Bastards – “Eastern Wind”
Howlin’ Rain – “Mansion Songs”
Idlewild – “Every Little Means Trust”
Iron and Wine/Ben Bridwell – “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)”
James Bay – “Hold Back the River” / “Let it Go”
Jamie xx – “Gosh” / “Loud Places”
Jarryd James – “Do You Remember?”
Jason Isbell – “How to Forget” / “Something More than Free”
Jason Derulo – “Want to Want Me”
Joey Bada$$ (feat. Kiesza) – “Teach Me”
Kamasi Washington – “Final Thought”
Kanye West – “All Day”
Kurt Vile – “Pretty Pimpin”
Kate Tempest – “Bad Place for a Good Time”
Keith Richards – “Trouble”
Kendrick Lamar – “The Blacker the Berry” / “King Kunta”
Kid Wave – “Honey”
Kinski – “Drink Up and Be Somebody”
La Luz – “With Davey”
Lady Leshurr – “Queen’s Speech”
Lana Del Rey – “High By the Beach”
Langhorne Slim – “Changes”
Laura Stevenson – “Tom Sawyer / You Know Where You Can Find Me”
Leon Bridges – “Coming Home”
Lord Huron – “Meet Me In The Woods”
Mac Demarco – “The Way You’d Love Her”
Mark Ronson – “Uptown Funk”
Maszer – “Fatah Mirage”
Missy Elliott – “WTF”
Misterwives – “Reflections”
Motopony – “Daylights Gone”
My Morning Jacket – “In It’s Infancy” / “Tropics (Erase Traces)”
Napalm Death – “How the Year’s Condemn” / “Tropics (Erase Traces)”
Natalie Prass – “Your Fool”
Odesza – “Say My Name”
Palehound – “Molly”
Pampers – “Right Tonight”
Patrick Galactic – “Futures Come and Go”
Patrick Watson – “Hearts”
Potty Mouth – “Long Haul”
Prefuse 73 – “Still Pretending”
Protomartyr – “Why Does It Shake?”
Puddles Pity Party – “Team”
RedRumsey –”Life and Times”
Rhett Miller – “Most in the Summertime”
Ryn Weaver – “Octa Hate”
Same K – “For You (Above & Beyond Edit)”
Screens – “Machine” (#41for2015)
Shamir – “On the Regular”
Silento – “Watch Me Whip”
Sleater-Kinney – “A New Wave” / “No Cities to Love”
Soko – “Who Wears the Pants??”
Singapore Sling – “Glitter” / “Overdriver”
Sleaford Mods – “In Quiet Streets” / “No Ones Bothered”
Speedy Ortiz – “Raising the Skate”
Stiff Spirit – “A Pair of Shoes” (#41for2015)
Sweatshop Boys – “Slow Dive”
Talla 2XLC & RAM (ft Kim Kiona) – “Until the End”
Tame Impala – “Cause I’m a Man”
Teach Me Equals – “So Much for Subtlety”
Terence Blanchard (ft PJ Morton) – “Compared to What”
This Blinding Light – “Mars”
Thunderpussy – “Welcome To The Disco”
TORRES – “Strange Hellos”
Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe – “German Tangerine”
The Coathangers – “Watch Your Back”
The Decemberists – “East Come, Easy Go”
The Fame Riot – “Heart Stray”
The Spider Ferns – “The Pressure” (#41for2015)
The Staves – “Blood I Bled”
The Weeknd – “Can’t Feel My Face” / “The Hills”
The World Record – “Candy”
Titus Andronicus – “Dimed Out”
Tracks / Jason Anderson – “Moonlight”
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone”
Vetiver – “Current Carry”
Viet Cong – “Continental Shelf”
Viet Cong – “Death”
Vince Staples – “Norf Norf”
Wavves – “Heavy Metal Detox”
Waxahatchee – “Grey Hair”
Wimps – “Old Guy” / “Suitcase”
Woods of Desolation – “This Autumn Light”
Years and Years – “Desire”
Zun Zun Egui – “African Tree” / “I Want You to Know”
For a fun game, listen to any three songs on this list and send us an email with your thoughts on any of these three songs and we will publish it. Post your own favorite songs of 2015 in the comments section below.
More Best of 2015 Coverage:
- Top Talent From Tacoma
- 24 Albums We Really Liked
- Our 37 Most Favorite Seattle Bands
- 21 Shows We Enjoyed Very Much
- 17 Movies We Enjoyed