Artist “Song Name” (** = number of appearances by artist on an ATHoM list)
1. Amen Dunes “Purple Land” (rookie) 1
2. Kendrick Lamar “Not Like Us” (*******) 2
3. Lola Young “Conceited” (rookie)
4. Charly Bliss “Nineteen” (**) 4
3. Lola Young “Conceited” (rookie)
4. Charly Bliss “Nineteen” (**) 4
5. Jon Muq “Shake Shake” (**) 5
1 Always have been a sucker for a good build. "so turn up the music loud / I think it's the kids / life goes by / but I / don't mind"
2 Doesn't quite top "Hit 'Em Up" or "No Vaseline" because Kendrick seems more bemused than angry. Nevertheless, definitely on the dis track Mt. Rushmore and unrivaled in terms of cover art.
4 "can I be honest?" Also, sax solo.
5 Nothing groundbreaking going on here but it's just so damned pleasant. Muq's Ugandan and American influences are on full display. Plus there is this.
6. Charli Lucas “money!” (rookie) 6
7. Waxahatchee “The Wolves” (******) 7
8. Father John Misty “I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All” (**) 8
9. Olivia Rodrigo “Obsessed” (rookie) 9
10. Kate Gavin “The Baton” (****, including MUNA) 10
6 "and I could make you love me / but fuck that / I'll take money"
7 The duet with MJ Lenderman gets all the love (and we like that song just fine) but we'll take this mysterious and evocative track as our top choice: "if I throw myself to the wolves / I did it all for the glory / not the fruit rotting in my shade / who's begging to get inside"
8 Far and away the best thing FJM has done since the first Fleet Foxes album. Propulsive and interesting, both lyrically and musically. I didn't know he had it in him.
9 While we've generally been cool to Olivia in the past, this GUTS bonus track channels classic 90's Garbage to great effect.
10 "but today I have no daughter / I only have a mother / and I know that my mother taught me / everything she knows / and I don't wanna leave her / but she is drawing nearer / she's coming round the corner / I can hear her yelling 'go' / go on, girl / it's out of my hands / I can't come where you're going / time unfurls / and you'll understand / the baton, it will be passed again"
11. Jack White “Archbishop Harold Holmes” (***) 11
12. Vampire Weekend “Hope” (******) 12
13. Phosphorescent “Revelator” (*****)
14. BADBADNOTGOOD “Take What's Given” (rookie)
14. BADBADNOTGOOD “Take What's Given” (rookie)
15. Charli XCX “Mean Girls” (**) 15
11 "by sundown Monday you who come will be blessed with the big money blessing"
12 "the bull has gored the matador / the U.S. Army won the war / the meaning died in metaphor "
15 A lot of great tracks to choose across the three Brat versions. Ultimately, the aggressive piano made "Mean Girls" stand out for us. Followed closely by "Von Dutch" and the remixed "Sympathy is a Knife".
16. Zach Bryan “Pink Skies” (rookie) 16
17. Taylor Swift “Down Bad” (******) 17
18. Johnny Blue Skies (Sturgill Simpson) “Right Kind of Dream” (****)
19. Kid Cudi “BLUE SKY” (*********) 19
20. Beyonce “TEXAS HOLD 'EM” (***)
17. Taylor Swift “Down Bad” (******) 17
18. Johnny Blue Skies (Sturgill Simpson) “Right Kind of Dream” (****)
19. Kid Cudi “BLUE SKY” (*********) 19
20. Beyonce “TEXAS HOLD 'EM” (***)
16 "Still very confused about who "tiptoed up to 4'1" back in '08".
17 ATHoM Jr (the younger) always gives a boost to pop songs with profanity, perhaps because it lets her belt them out with impunity. It may be no coincidence that since "Down Bad" her use of bad language has gone from amusing to problematic.
19 We unapologetically enjoy the era of Kid Cudi making music that could soundtrack the closing credits to a Sonic the Hedgehog movie (including the song a few years ago that did just that).
21. BENEE “Animal” (rookie)
22. Shaboozey “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (rookie)
23. Gracie Abrams “Let it Happen” (rookie) 23
24. Killer Mike “NOBODY KNOWS” (***** including Run the Jewels)
25. Holly Humberstone “Down Swinging” (rookie)
23. Gracie Abrams “Let it Happen” (rookie) 23
24. Killer Mike “NOBODY KNOWS” (***** including Run the Jewels)
25. Holly Humberstone “Down Swinging” (rookie)
23 Any prior accusations that the ATHoM lists are too indie/elitist should be put to bed with a 15-23 run that includes 4 pop lady powerhouses, some famous dudes and freaking "Bar Song". And the rest of the list has much more of the same. Have we gotten soft or has pop gotten better? We really want it to be the latter but the former is likely the culprit, if only because there is objectively more overlap here with Rolling Stone's top 100 than Pitchfork's. Maybe indie is just worse. Yes, let's go with that.
26. Childish Gambino “Real Love” (****)
27. Dasha “Austin (Boots Stop Working)” (rookie)
28. Lin-Manuel Miranda “Same Train Home” (rookie!) 28
29. annie hamilton “slut era” (rookie)
30. Nilüfer Yanya “Made Out of Memory” (rookie)
28 Technically this is Shenseea (who appears later in the list on her own) but the singer is not truly the artist behind LMM's Warriors project. We are more than a little surprised at how small a cultural footprint the de facto follow-up to Hamilton has had, especially considering how good it is. Maybe when it inevitably comes to Broadway that will change. Ah-she-ca!
31. Shakira “Cómo Dónde y Cuándo” (rookie) 31
32. SASAMI “Slugger” (rookie)
33. Remi Wolf “Soup” (****)
34. LL Cool J & Eminem “Murdergram Deux” (rookie for LL and **** for Em)
34. LL Cool J & Eminem “Murdergram Deux” (rookie for LL and **** for Em)
35. Shenseea “Neva Neva” (rookie)
31 Shakira has never made this list but her first two albums are among our favorite pop albums of the late 90's. This could have easily been an outtake from Donde Están Los Ladrones? and is a jolt of nostalgia from semester abroad.
36. This is Lorelei “Where's Your Love Now” (rookie)
37. Tunde Adembimpe “Rookie” (rookie, but **** as lead singer for TVotR) 37
38. WILLOW “run!” (rookie)
39. Autre Ne Veut “Become a Flower” (***)
40. Samara Cyn “Sinner” (rookie)
39. Autre Ne Veut “Become a Flower” (***)
40. Samara Cyn “Sinner” (rookie)
37 With three members placing solo efforts on this list over the years (Maximum Balloon, Rain Machine and now Tunde), TV on the Radio catches up to The Strokes (The Voidz / Julian Casablancas, Albert Hammond Jr, Little Joy). Here's hoping the current mini tour results in a new album.
41. Chappell Roan “Good Luck, Babe!” (**)
42. Halsey “Letter to God (1983)” (**) 42
43. Doeschii & JT “Alter Ego” (rookie x 2) 43
44. Amyl and the Sniffers “Jerkin” (rookie) 44
45. Maya Hawke “Missing Out” (rookie)
44. Amyl and the Sniffers “Jerkin” (rookie) 44
45. Maya Hawke “Missing Out” (rookie)
42 Love the fake live effect to make this sound even more like the Boss's "I'm on Fire" from Live/1975-85
43/44 Just when this was at risk of turning into a nice wholesome pop playlist.
46. Fontaines D.C. “Starburster” (rookie)
47. Rosali “Rewind” (rookie)
47. Rosali “Rewind” (rookie)
48. Meg McRee & Harper O'Neill “Thelma & Louise” (rookie x 2)
49. Christine and the Queens “That's Us / Wild Combination” (*******) 49
50. Jamie XX “All You Children” (** plus *** for The XX)
49. Christine and the Queens “That's Us / Wild Combination” (*******) 49
50. Jamie XX “All You Children” (** plus *** for The XX)
49 We did not realize until just now that this is a cover of a song by Arthur Russell (nearly a member of Talking Heads!) that has been buried without a second play in our iTunes music library since 2013. Both version are good.
51. Billie Eilish “Lunch” (****)
52. Yard Act “When the Laughter Stops” (rookie)
53. Girl in Red “I'm Back” (**) 53
54. Mk.gee “Alesis” (rookie)
55. Hinds “En Forma” (*****)
53. Girl in Red “I'm Back” (**) 53
54. Mk.gee “Alesis” (rookie)
55. Hinds “En Forma” (*****)
53 "Living life in grey / did something to my brain / but, hey, I took a shower today"
56. Paramore “Burning Down the House” (**) 56
57. Britti “There Ain't Nothing” (rookie)
58. Jelani Aryeh “I'm in Love” (rookie)
58. Jelani Aryeh “I'm in Love” (rookie)
59. The Voidz “When Will The Time of These Bastard's End” (***, excludes the Strokes) 59
60. Em Beihold “Maybe Life is Good” (rookie)
60. Em Beihold “Maybe Life is Good” (rookie)
56 We did in fact know this Talking Heads-related song was a cover.
59 Yes, this song is ridiculous. It was pretty consistently called out in the tepid reviews for Like All Before You. WFtEoS (a Cormac-related acronym you will never unpack) likened it to the Dracula song Jason Segal sings in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which, sadly, is spot on. And yet, we think it's strangely and stupidly awesome.
61. okaywill “High Riding Dooby” (rookie)
62. JADE “Angel of my Dreams” (rookie)
63. Conan Gray “Lonely Dancers” (rookie)
64. Noeline Hoffman “Lightning in July (Prairie Fire)” (rookie)
62. JADE “Angel of my Dreams” (rookie)
63. Conan Gray “Lonely Dancers” (rookie)
64. Noeline Hoffman “Lightning in July (Prairie Fire)” (rookie)
65. Lawrence “Something in the Water” (rookie) 65
65 We are impressed with Lawrence's embrace of 60's soul influences but often turned away by the whole Pitch Perfect vibe they can't help but throw off. The latter is at a minimum on this track.
66. Glass Animals “Tear in Space (Airlock)” (***)
67. Jordan Davis “I Ain't Sayin'” (rookie)
68. Nia Archives “Silence is Loud” (rookie)
69. Aliocha Schneider & Charlotte Cardin “Ensemble” (rookie and **)
70. Maude Latour “Too Slow” (rookie) 70
69. Aliocha Schneider & Charlotte Cardin “Ensemble” (rookie and **)
70. Maude Latour “Too Slow” (rookie) 70
70 Not every family has their own bespoke and completely accurate carpool anthem.
71. Royal Otis “Til the Morning” (**)
72. The Dare “All Night” (rookie) 72
73. SOPHIE & Kim Petras “Reason Why” (** x 2)
74. John Legend “Friendship” (rookie) 74
75. Chike & MohBad “Ugwe” (rookie x 2)
74. John Legend “Friendship” (rookie) 74
75. Chike & MohBad “Ugwe” (rookie x 2)
72 In just about every way possible, just a blatant rip off of LCD Soundsystem. And yet...
74 Mrs. ATHoM's office mate at Boston Consulting Group has never made this list. We liked his early Soul/Funk demos but the generic R&B crooning does nothing. However, we were excited for his new album of children songs because it was produced by Sufjan Stevens. Unfortunately, the album was a schmalzy slog (though we are very happy he loves his kids so much) without a distinct hand from the producer. And while the schmalz remained, the Sufjanity finally came to the fore on this bonus track (which is even more impressive because it is a reworking of an incredibly inane fisher price song).
76. Pip Bloom “Get Back (Maximum Security Remix)” (**)
77. San Fermin “Weird Environment” (*****)
78. Indigo De Souza “EVIL” (***)
79. Bnxn “Phenomena” (rookie)
80. Marcus King “Sucker” (rookie) 80
78. Indigo De Souza “EVIL” (***)
79. Bnxn “Phenomena” (rookie)
80. Marcus King “Sucker” (rookie) 80
80 Almost certainly an Arcane-related halo to this placement, though we are also, in fact, suckers for child choirs.
81. Artemas “i like the way you kiss me” (rookie)
82. Wet “Signs” (**) 82
83. Trace Mountains “In a Dream” (**) 83
84. Dagny “Strawberry Dream” (rookie)
85. Rui Gabriel “Target” (rookie) 85
83 Trace mountains has the #1 song on our playlist of the best 100 songs to have missed the annual list and the additional irony is we nearly missed "In a Dream" too.
85 While we spend much of our time tracking and listening to new music, little time is spent on the actual music scene. So when we load the playlist to Spotify it is often a surprise to see the monthly listener count for each artist. Some acts we feel must be little known are quire popular and vice versa (Lola Young has as many listeners as Charli XCX while Annie Hamilton has 0.1% as many). Rui Gabriel comes in with the fewest listeners (<5k), because someone has too. Let's give him a boost!
86. Kristen Wiig “Harper and Will Go West” (rookie) 86
87. MJ Lenderman “She's Leaving You” (rookie) 87
88. Elle King “Baby Daddy's Weekend” (*****) 88
89. 070 Shake “Vagabond” (****)
90. Sharon Van Etten “Afterlife” (**)
89. 070 Shake “Vagabond” (****)
90. Sharon Van Etten “Afterlife” (**)
86 Unclear how well this song works without the context from the movie, but full marks to Ms. Wiig on this lovely tune despite pretty impossible directions from the protagonists (including the "jazzy part").
87 We love all the elements of MJ Lenderman's music (except perhaps the tongue-too-in-cheek lyrics) but he leaves us inexplicably a little colder than he does the rest of the music listening world. The obvious Malkmus comparison are apt because we've always felt the same about Pavement.
88 Final nepo baby scorecard: the offspring of Will/Jada, Ethan/Uma, Rob Schneider, JJ Abrams and the CEO of Dow Jones Almar Latour. Kate Hudson actually didn't miss the cut by much either.
91. Sunset Rubdown “Candles” (****************, for all SK projects) 91
92. Parcel “Leave Your Love” (rookie)
93. Noah Kahan and Sam Fender “Homesick” (***** and **)
94. flowerovlove “erase u” (rookie)
95. Skegss “Stuck in Cheyenne” (rookie)
93. Noah Kahan and Sam Fender “Homesick” (***** and **)
94. flowerovlove “erase u” (rookie)
95. Skegss “Stuck in Cheyenne” (rookie)
91 In the early years of this list, Spencer Krug was the unabashed MVP. He hit #1 three times with three different bands (Wolf Parade, Swan Lake, Sunset Rubdown) before 2010. It's been a quiet last decade or so with his solo work underwhelming and even the Wolf Parade revival failing to wow. His first Sunset Rubdown album since 2009 was an improvement, though considering that album was our #8 album of the 2000-2009 decade (Wolf Parade was #1), it was admittedly a very high bar.
96. Phantom Youth “This Sacred Place” (rookie)
97. Madi Diaz and Kacey Musgraves “Don't Do Me Good” (rookie and ***)
98. Bright Eyes “Bells and Whistles” (******)
99. The Rubens “Liquid Gold” (rookie)
100.King Princess “Dirty Work” (***) 100
97. Madi Diaz and Kacey Musgraves “Don't Do Me Good” (rookie and ***)
98. Bright Eyes “Bells and Whistles” (******)
99. The Rubens “Liquid Gold” (rookie)
100.King Princess “Dirty Work” (***) 100
100 Never liked the original but Mikaela Straus didn't have to change a lot here to make it work.
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