My Top 50 Songs of the Last 5 Years

Back in June, I began a project where I was going to recap my 50 favorite local tunes released since the blog began.  Each day, I would reveal a new song on the countdown until today, where I would reveal the number one song.  Unfortunately, I was not able to keep up with the project as I would have liked.  But today would be the perfect day to catch up, right?  So here is the complete Top 50 list, with comments beginning at number 8.

50. "Who's That Girl", PPT
51. "Same Old, Same Old", Hello Lover
52. "All Inside", The Felons
53. "German Chocolate Cake", Bravo, Max!
54. "The Message", Dem Southernfolkz
55. "Nip/Tuck", The Orange
56. "Icarus", Arielle
57. "We Will All Be Changed", Seryn
58. "Virtue And Vice", The Virgin Wolves
59. "Little Bear", Elkhart
60. "Love Bomb", Rude King
61. "The Great Escape", Damaged Good$
62. "Need a Release", the cut*off
63. "Were Her", The Orbans
64. "Young & Reckless", The Roomsounds
65. "Three", The Timeline Post
66. "Dalton the Prophet", Nicholas Altobelli
67. "You Pressed the Crash Button", Novaak
68. "Paper Girl", Katie Carroll
69. "Move Along", Blue Petal
70. "Pastel Lights", Ishi
71. "Seven", Ducado Vega
72. "Love That Leaves", Somebody's Darling
73. "Black Light", Macon Greyson
74. "Aim High", Chris Holt
75. "Set Me Free", The Red 100's
76. "Truth on Tape", Smile Smile
77. "Mindreader", Lovie
78. "Wire to the Walls", RTB2
79. "All Because You're Mine", Air Review
80. "Just Wanna Try", Luna Matto
81. "Burning Pictures", The Monco Poncho
82. "Hang On", Salim Nourallah
83. "Swelling", Sarah Jaffe
84. "Try Try Try", Spector 45
85. "Bleeder", True Widow
86. "For Keeps", Iris Leu
87. "What Turns Inside", Dove Hunter
88. "I Still Wait", The O's
89. "Gypsy Woman", Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights
90. "Indian Melody", Pale Horse
91. "You're No Good", Pale Horse
92. "Where the Light Is", Emmeline
Back in the summer of 2009 when I was booking shows at Lakewood Bar & Grill, assistant manager John Keener recommend I come out one night to watch Emmeline play.  My first impression was quite positive, but over the years, I have watched her develop into one of the best entertainers in the metroplex.  Emmeline always manages to balance the humor with the heartbreak, although this track is firmly in the heartbreak camp.

93. "Slow Southern Home", Doug Burr
Mr. Burr's On Promenade was released almost at the same time as the blog.  It was as if my blog was created to gush about how wonderful an album Doug released.  Not really, but it'd be an easy argument to make.  It's hard to select just one track from the album, but "Slow Southern Home" is such a perfectly paced song that slowly and steadily worms its way into your consciousness.  While the word pop seems a weird choice to describe this song, it's catchy, melodic, and memorable.  So in a sense, Mr. Burr has created a great pop song with "Slow Southern Home".

94. "Red in the Morning", Menkena
Who would've thought that my favorite shoegaze band in Dallas would have been formed by a punk rocker?  And yet Jimmy Menkena, former lead singer of NYC punk band INDK, has created some of the most gorgeous sonic landscapes I've heard these past five years.  Even more impressive is his ability to write heartfelt and thought provoking lyrics to these songs.  Most shoegaze acts tend to neglect the lyrical aspect, but Jimmy embraces it 110%.

95. "Afraid of the Dark", Sorta
It's interesting that Sorta, a band that primarily existed before the birth of Ghost of Blind Lemon, made it into the Top 5.  But Sorta's final eponymous album ranks as one of their strongest works, with no song stronger in my opinion that this one.  This songs breaks my heart a little each time I listen to it.  And the ending line, "Oh, it's over" sends chills every time.  In fact, the part of the song where the background vocalists sing that line was recorded shortly after Carter Albrecht's death.  That only makes the line more chilling.

96. "Fat Girls", THe BAcksliders
It's a shame that THe BAcksliders broke up just weeks ago.  The band was arguably the best, most consistent live band over these five years.  Between Kim Bonner's soulful vocals and Chris Bonner's underrated work on guitar, the shows were always electric.  Plus, having Taylor Young recording with the band in the early days (including this track), you can't go wrong.

97. "Rivers Into Rum", Carter Albrecht
One can't help but wonder what music would have come out of Mr. Albrecht over these years if he was still with us.  If this song is any indication, we've missed out on a goldmine of potential material.  I'm not sure what else to say, except that I never tire of this song.
98. "Supernatural", Rahim Quazi
If this list was about the top 50 artists over the past five years, Rahim would for me take the top spot.  His performances are ever evolving, and his lyrics are always spot on.  I've included him on countless Ghost of Blind Lemon showcases, and have loved every time he has graced the stage with his presence.  And while the title track of his 2008 CD only takes the silver, it is nevertheless one of the best written songs I've heard, local or otherwise.  Personally, I believe that this track could have even been a true hit single given the right chance.  Even had I not known Mr. Quazi personally, I can tell you that the opening hook would have grabbed me and forced me to take notice.

99. "Echo and the Pass", Hendrick
I knew Gregory Pierce from performing with Iris Leu (see song #14).  When his other project, Hendrick, released Exhale, he sent me a copy.  I sampled the album, liking all the songs, but when it came to this track, I knew this song would be my favorite from the CD.  Only a week after hearing this track, I predicted that it would likely be by number one track of 2009.  Sometimes songs that are defining for a year eventually get dated, but that has yet to be the case for me with this song.  Every time I listen to "Echo and the Pass", it is a deeply moving personal experience.  There's something almost symphonic in the structure of the song, and once the song reaches its climax, words cannot do justice.  I must, however, give props to Hans Grumbein and his phenomenal guitar work in this song.  And Joshua Hendrick's vocal performance is so perfect and chilling, I believe that the heartbreak in his voice translates, no matter what language you speak.  This is one of my all time favorite songs, local or otherwise.  Simply put, the best of the best.

And that concludes the countdown.  For those who want to listen, I've included all the songs in this below playlist, starting with song 50 and ending with "Echo and the Pass".  Listen, and enjoy.