What individual moments (recorded or live) are defining moments for you of 2016? It's a really loose definition, but I feel these are the things that people take most with them. Some of my favorites... "Pillar of Truth" by Lucy Dacus - The way she shrieks "my soul screams OUT TO YOU" at the end of the bridge sounds like she's breaking through the veil of death. "Me & My Dog" by boygenius - Phoebe Bridgers yelling the shit out of the high harmonies in the bridge (especially live) is f**king awesome. Definitely want her to explore that more. "Son of a Highway Daughter" by Ruston Kelly - The outro of this weird Bon Iver country song turns into this rumbling mantra of "that town kept calling me", like a car picking up speed until it breaks the horizon line. "The Opener" by Camp Cope - Every bite and snarl of this song's lyrics. "God's Favorite Customer" by Father John Misty - How the Wurlitzer sounds like a late night in Manhattan. "Everything I Need" by Field Report - The climax of the final verse. "Love It If We Made It" by The 1975 - The harmonies on "MADE IT" that arise in the back half of the song and the mechanical squeal that follows. "I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)" by The 1975 - "Concrete shoes" and swirling guitars. So many 1975 ones that I want to leave them for other folks.
My top ten (no order): “Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore” by mewithoutYou - Aaron’s emotional breakdown after the 2 min mark. Feels like a moment their entire career has built up to. “Andavanay!!! Andavanay!!!” “Drowned in Living Waters” by Valleyheart - The guitar breakdown followed by the line “I know there’s something to be said of all this noise inside my head”. It’s the first sliver of light after a particularly punishing batch of songs and it ends me every time. “Slow Burn” by Kacey Musgraves - Just the whole thing. What an opening to an album. It’s like the word “comfort” summed up in a song. “Marjorie” by Andrew Osenga - “You’ll be ready when the good days come. And they will come.” Breathtaking. “Grand Paradise” by Foxing - The bridge. One of the most unique, intense, and addicting melodies I’ve ever heard. When I listen to this song, I go back and play from this part at least twice every time. “Summer Years” by Death Cab - That chorus sums up all the reasons I love this band. “Jumpsuit” & “Levitate” by twenty one pilots - The seamless transition between these two entirely different songs is so flipping cool I can’t take it. “Feel Alive” by Tiny Moving Parts - That entire end section from “Reflective monologue!” onward is perfect. “Our Love is a Painted Picture” by Mae - That post-rock crescendo a little over halfway through the song. Bliss. “Is He Worthy?” by Andrew Peterson - Whole thing, but especially hearing it live at the beginning of this year before the album dropped. It blew up in a ton of churches and it’s the best liturgical song I’ve heard in a long time (and favorite song of the year alongside “Michael”).