Nothing will stop me in my tracks as fast as a song that speaks to me. I’ve been known to pull over to the side of the road to listen more closely, or to ask people to stop talking so that I could hear something better. I really love music. I know, I know; who doesn’t?
Of everyone I know who reads this blog, I can think of one, maybe two, that this list might be of interest to. And so I write it for them, and also for myself to refer back to, and also just on the off chance that it interests anyone else too. I’m linking as many of the videos as I can, if you are really interested.
You could call this the year of Pandora. As much as I love my own collection of music, I became far closer friends with Pandora this year. I like not having to create my own playlist, but to simply pick an artist I enjoy and then Pandora makes the best possible playlist for me. I’ve discovered a lot of new artists and songs I enjoy through this process.
Pandora stations of 2013, in no particular order (chosen based on whatever mood I’m in at the time):
The Civil Wars
Brandi Carlile
Damien Rice
Mumford and Sons
Rarely-to-never did I venture from one of these stations, because they never failed to meet my current musical need. I like that each of these artists will appear on the others’ stations, which you would think makes them sound all the same but actually they are just the right amount of different.
A sampling of the songs and artists I discovered I really liked simply by playing Pandora:
One More Dollar, Wailin’ Jennys
Set The Fire To the Third Bar, Snow Patrol featuring Martha Wainwright (I’ve been a fan of both Snow Patrol and Martha Wainwright for a while-no idea they had a song together until it popped up on Pandora)
Wherever You Will Go, Charlene Soraia
If I was to make a soundtrack of 2013, it would contain the above songs and the following two sets of songs.
Songs I liked and was always happy when they were on the radio:
Highway Don’t Care, Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw
We Were Us, by Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert
Don’t Let Me Be Lonely, by The Band Perry
Angel Eyes, by Love and Theft (I can’t find a good video of this one, so how about a picture of these two not so shabby looking guys instead):
Cruise by Florida Georgia Line (NOT the pop remix-also I don’t really care for the video, I just really like signing along to the song)
Drunk Last Night by the Eli Young Band
Wrecking Ball, Miley Cyrus (don’t judge me, it’s a catchy song! and no, I am not linking to that video)
Need Your Love, Ellie Goulding and Calvin Harris
Final category, meaning my top favorites of the year, also known as songs that I love so much I will not get out of the car when they are playing even if I am late for a meeting:
Cups, Anna Kendrick from Pitch Perfect
All in all, I think 2013 had some pretty great music.
