#3: “All We Ever Knew” by The Head and The Heart
Seattle is hotbed of musical talent, The Head and the Heart is just another success story from the Emerald Story. That said, The Head and the Heart do not all originate from Seattle; instead, many of the band’s members are Seattle transplants who found a home performing at a local open mic. The band quickly took off from there, and have come a long way from selling handmade denim sleeves of self-burned copies of its first album at local shows. Now, the band has toured extensively with several Indie outlets like Vampire Weekend, Iron & Wine, and Death Cab for Cutie. The year 2016 saw the release of the band’s third LP Signs of Light and the title track is the #3 song of 2016.
It is no surprise that “All We Ever Knew” found immediate alt/rock chart success. It’s anthemic, featuring strong percussion, jubilant vocal harmonies, diverse keys, and a string-laden bridge. The song features the same melodic structure, but it transforms several times with instrumental and rhythm. It is the upper echelon of alt/rock and representative of a band at the top of its game.
#2: “Genghis Khan” by Miike Snow
“Genghis Khan” by Swedish Indie Pop trio Miike Snow was officially released as a single in December of 2015, but found its way on the band’s third studio album, iii, which was released in March of this year. Thus, the #2 song of 2016 is the aforementioned “Genghis Khan,” and if not for an impassioned release from Radiohead, the song would be #1
Miike Snow, a three piece made up of a duo of childhood friends who became consummate producers and a strong session vocalist from the U.S., came to prominence in 2009 with the release of “Animal,” a tremendously catchy song that demonstrated the skill of the band.
“Genghis Khan” just indicates the continued musical maturity of the band. The song is almost unspeakably infectious and dance-inducing. A true ear-worm, the song is carried by swinging synth and percussion and a vocal riff that sticks to a listener’s vocal cords; try listening to the song and not at least humming along to the riff. There is a bit of an insatiable quality to the song, a craving to listen to it on repeat. That is the mark of a successful producing. Paired with a video that is a twist on a classic James Bond scene, the song is a marvel.
#1: “Daydreaming” by Radiohead
I mean this as no disrespect to the other bands on the 2016 list, but Radiohead is in a class of its own. “Daydreaming,” the Music Court’s choice for best song of 2016, was released on the band’s ninth studio album A Moon Shaped Pool, the first release from the band in five years. In a few words A Moon Shaped Pool depicts Radiohead’s malleable adeptness and Thom Yorke’s lyrical sophistication. “Daydreaming” evidences why Radiohead is one of the best bands releasing music today; while most bands find a niche and stick to it intransigently, Radiohead is constantly finding ways to push the boundaries of music.
The song is like modern art. There is so much to it even though one only ostensibly hears an ambient, melancholic piano motif. And when I mention complexity I am not even talking about the behind-the-scenes electronic elements, spooky vocal effects, and bookended pitch-warping. There is pain in the lyric, Yorke’s effortless voice tinged with inherent sadness and eerie airiness. The video, which was directed by renowned film director Paul Thomas Anderson, features Yorke walking through several doors to disconnected areas, seems to suggest the inevitable passing of time, and the somewhat desultory rhythm of the progression of one’s life. At around the four minute mark, the song begins to crescendo, each element becoming crisper and more defined. Yorke’s vocal becomes more strained and fragmented until the song concludes with Yorke, in the video, walking through snow to a cave and then lying by a fire while low-tuned cellos growl and Yorke repeats an incoherent, warped vocal, which is a apt; in the end, does anything make sense?
The Music Court 