Top 5 Songs Worth Learning To Listen To in 2018

       What an interesting year it has been for new music.  I must admit that I suspect that this thought is at least partially a product of my making myself even more aware of much of the new music that came out this year.  Perhaps it is a product of having made this list for a couple of years now and being motivated to introduce further diversity into it.  You will still notice a familiar face or two from past years, and perhaps familiar trends as well, including my appreciation for finding the beating (and often bleeding) heart buried beneath the shiny exterior of a diva, as the presence of Michelle Branch and Adele on the past two lists might have indicated.  Nonetheless, the process of selecting this year's top five acquainted with me a wide variety of very interesting new music from 2018.  While I could not include all of those that I found worthy of many repeated listens, and I did not want to simply have a much longer list of honorable mentions, you will notice some of the others mentioned in relation to the Top 5, under the heading "Echoes, Similarities, and Connections".  This new element made compiling this year's list a highly rewarding process for me, as it allows for a sense of dialogue between artists coming from diverse perspectives on a particular topic.  I hope you find it rewarding to read and that you discover some new and interesting music to add to your own playlists.

Honorable Mention: Burn and Fade 

by Anna Nalick

I don't recall how I stumbled on At Now, Anna Nalick's long-delayed third album, as I hadn't really listened to Anna since her first album.  But, I recall being intrigued then by how a simple listen to the lyrics of her breakout hit, "Breathe (2 AM)" gave a hint of who she truly is: an honest and vulnerable singer-songwriter hidden beneath the guise of a sparkling diva.  The rest of that album (Wreck of the Day) had moments which also revealed this deeper truth.  Looking back, it is interesting to see how her follow-up album offered the image of a discarded once-shiny thing, which lost its luster in the world's eyes, but now brings forward it's latest offerings, seemingly with a spirit of "in case anyone cares," as even the album title seems to communicate: Broken Doll & Odds & Ends.  Yet, as she now steps into the light again after all these years, even the album cover for At Now offers us the hint that she has willfully cast off the glittery exterior... and for that, she shines forth at last.  It's as if she just crawled out of bed to catch us up and let us know where she's "at now."  Many moments on this album are striking and beautiful, but one definite standout track, for me, is the opening track "Burn and Fade".  It's pretty self-explanatory, but deserves credit for the way she apparently parallels the notion of her former fame and the apparent relationship advice that resulted.  I suppose one of the reasons some of the beautiful laments on this album strike me is that they make me wonder if she still agrees with one of the most difficult lyrics to listen to (for me) from "Wreck of the Day," when she insisted that 'Love doesn't hurt.'  I always supposed she meant that authentic love (which is to will the good of the other) does not willfully hurt the other, but I suspect she knows by now that love (which always calls for a death to self, only to make us come fully alive) does indeed hurt.  If not, it would be cheap, and certainly not love. 

Echoes, Similarities and Connections: While "Burn and Fade" provides the negative advice of what not to do, you can find a fitting contrast in a couple of works that came out this year and tell the tale of relationships that last.  Earlier this year, The Hunts followed up their fantastic debut with the far simpler Darlin' Oh Darlin', which plays like a charming and beautiful little tribute to a couple who loved one another to the end, and perhaps a desire to emulate that example.  Meanwhile, NeedToBreathe's new four song EP, Forever On Your Side (Niles City Sound Sessions), seems to be a short little glimpse of a relationship drifting apart and apparently reaching a breaking point, only to end on the hopeful conclusion "Forever On Your Side."  One song from this year that does seem to depict a relationship that apparently exemplifies the quality described in "burn and fade," but stubbornly evolves into a lasting relationship is Paul Simon's recent revisiting of "Darling Loraine."

Honorable Mention: Real Life 

by Imagine Dragons

While playing rather upbeat and lighthearted, there is a climactic quality to this closing track from Imagine Dragon's brand new album, Origins.  The album has featured an exploration of the many ways in which we either try to avoid the pains of reality or to aggressively and determinedly define it for ourselves.  We cling to dysfunctional relationships that we cannot let go of, but are far different in our imagination.  We hide within phones and other glowing screens, which provide us a 'safe space' from which we make our entitled demands which fail to genuinely communicate with our neighbor - as "Digital" strikingly called out, "We don't want to change, we just want to change everything."  Meanwhile, reality around us keeps crumbling.  This closing track quite pointedly beckons us, "Hey, turn your phone off, won't you look me in my eye?  Can't we live that real life?"

Echoes, Similarities, and Connections: There are a number of connections between "Real Life." or other tracks on Origins, and some of the other songs on this list (especially numbers 5 and 2).  Meanwhile, even more striking is the struggle with faith, in light of the problem of evil in the world, depicted in the second verse of the song.  This struggle is very real and impacts those who do profess belief in God, and seek to follow Him, just as it does those who feel they cannot profess this belief.  Two albums released this year seem to depict very real and honest testimonies of believers struggling with a faith that is weakened by various difficulties, aggravated by the brokenness we see all around us.  In particular, I am thinking of Audrey Assad's Evergreen and Ike Ndolo's Shine.

5: Who Really Are the Monsters? 

by Lenny Kravitz

Lenny Kravitz seems particularly socially conscious throughout his new album, Raise Vibration.  While the style of "Who Really Are the Monsters?" makes one feel as if they have been transported straight into an 80's or 90's electronic pop song, the lyrics make clear that it was certainly written for today.  The notion of "learning to listen," upon which this list and really this entire blog is built, is very pertinent to this song.  An initial superficial listen might leave one with the wrong impression.  When the song opens "Who really are the monsters? Maybe it's time to stare, Straight into the mirror," one might think this song is simple enough and either expect little or think fondly of similar classics like Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror."  Ultimately, the beauty of this track is not in its being complicated, but in how it embraces the simplicity of its message in a way that has its finger so firmly on the pulse of our present society that I hope many people are listening.  Again, when we hear "The war won't stop as long as we keep dropping bombs," we might be quick to think he is simply advocating for strict pacifism or some other political stance on foreign policy, then quickly jump to whatever affirmation or opposition we have firmly established ourselves within.  But, then he continues into the apparent frustration of his intentionally repetitive post-chorus: "Start communicating."  And this is precisely the problem.  We don't know how to communicate.  As a society, we remain strongly divided, not because we disagree so strongly on so many things, but because in the midst of that disagreement, we don't know how to communicate.  We simply keep on "dropping bombs" on each other, in verbal, written or often typed form, without really make any effort to listen, understand and then respond.  We make very little real effort to actually communicate.  There is no one "side" that is more guilty of this: Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, Catholic or Protestant, Believer or Atheist.  We all have to start communicating.  That simple post-chorus gives voice to the frustration that so many of us carry, such that it becomes hard not to start singing along, and notice that our frustration has been placed within the sort of hopeful optimism of an upbeat track that makes us subtly notice that we have begun to dance to the seemingly impossible hope that our broken society may one day rediscover how to communicate and encounter one another.

Echoes, Similarities, and Connections: The cry for unity, peace and justice can be heard in the Imagine Dragons album we already discussed, as well as interesting tracks released within the past year, ranging from Audrey Assad and Propaganda's "River" to TobyMac and Aaron Cole's "Starts With Me," as well as Plumb's "Human."  But, perhaps even more significant is the new album from Ike Ndolo: Shine.  While the musical style might be a bit jarring for those of us who loved the more rustic sound of his Rivers, this honest album attempts to communicate his very real experience of injustice and discrimination, in a way that helps us to appreciate mercy, hope, and justice from a uniquely powerful lens, such as in "Deliver Us," which seems to echo the experience of God's people suffering under one oppressor after the other, as they awaited their Messiah.  This unique and powerful perspective shines a whole new light on faith, when we accept Ndolo's invitation to "try to empathize." 

4: Sober
by Demi Lovato

What do I love about "Sober"?  It's real.  In the live performance featured in the video above, you can see a real connection between Demi and the audience which reaches far deeper than the glitter of fame and fandom.  Her difficulty in keeping her composure after the strong crowd reaction when she sings "I'm sorry for the fans I lost," speaks for itself.  This is so much more than just the crowd reaction when a singer works the city name into their lyrics.  Essentially, what she has done is written an act of contrition from a very broken moment, shared with honesty and vulnerability.  And this is the beauty of genuine contrition, it lays the heart bare in a way that is not attention seeking, but seeks to recall in the moment that despite the lies of temptation that lure us down the darkest roads, we are - in fact - not alone.  She remembers that she is loved.  And to the ones she loves and the ones who love her, the ones in whom she finds a true sense of belonging, she is honestly and simply... sorry.  She does this out of a sense of accountability, but also out of an awareness of the fact that is precisely with their help and support that she rises to her feet again.  This sense of belonging is so important to recovery, as her acute understanding of the connection between her addiction and loneliness makes evident.  <For more on that, I recommend this.>  Still, in her closing on the apology to herself, she grounds herself in a way that follows well from the declaration of dependence that proceeded it.  

Echoes, Similarities, and Connections:  Paul McCartney's new album features the thought-provoking track "Happy With You," in which he recalls some of his old, self-destructive habits and celebrates the fact that he no longer feels the need for such nonsense, thanks to a relationship with another person, in which he is finding genuine happiness.  Meanwhile, the idea of our longing for relationship and genuine connection, while struggling with one's self-destructive habits seems to be one of the themes heavily explored in the latest album from Florence + The Machine, High as Hope, especially in the song "Hunger."  Her approach is quite different and interpreting her lyrics is often a challenge, but I have long been convinced she is worth learning to listen to.  "Sober" is also resonate with the Christian pop singer-songwriter Plumb, who spends her 2018 album exploring a theme which has been crucial to her entire career: Beautifully Broken.  In particular, I think of the songs "Crazy About You" and "Somebody Loves You," in which she sings of her hope that the subject of the song would know that they are loved unconditionally and fittingly, these songs are bridged by a song entitled "I Can Do This."  Lastly, the closing lyrics of "Sober" - "I'm sorry that I'm here again, I promise I'll get help; It wasn't my intention, I'm sorry to myself" - find an interesting compliment in the closing lyrics of TobyMac's "Hello Future" - "Hello Jesus, I hope You understand, My last departure was never planned, I came up empty with everyone and everywhere I been; Hello Jesus, I'm home again."

3: No Choir

by Florence + The Machine

This closing track to their very intriguing latest album is in line with many of the others, with lyrics that seem designed to startle, only to reveal as they unfold that the song is not what it appears.  The notion that "happiness is an extremely uneventful subject" is not an expression of pessimism or depression.  It is more a matter of repenting of one's previous preoccupation with drama.  Our need for excitement and stimulation can often be a deterrent from understanding and embracing true happiness.  This beautifully simple ballad turns its heart and ours toward the deeper happiness of "two people sitting doing nothing," totally free from the feverish need for excitement and stimulation.  It depicts happiness that is found by living in peace and in belonging to one another, with an apparent implication that the things we use to fill up our lives with excitement and stimulation are not the source of happiness, but might even be an obstacle to it.  This doesn't have to imply that their whole lives have been peaches and roses.  But, in the midst of whatever they have endured, they are simply at home with one another.

Echoes, Similarities and Connections: Many songs seek to capture the peace and contentment of people who freely choose to be satisfied in belonging to one another.  But, this one is unique.  I considered comparing it to some of the love ballads from the latest albums of Mumford and Sons, Imagine Dragons, Dave Matthews Band, or even Paul Simon's recent album of rewrites.  But, none have quite the unique quality that makes this track so special.  Even the latest Owl City album Cinematic, especially its title track, presents a somewhat similar concept of finding the "cinematic" quality hidden in the ordinary, and thus serves as almost a counterpoint to "No Choir."  The closest to a true comparison from this year might be in Paul Zach's "God is the Friend of Silence."
    

2: The Wild
by Mumford and Sons

The latest installment from Marcus Mumford and company is a continuation from their last album in more ways than one.  Musically, they continue to expand outward from their center in a direction that adamant fans of their earlier work might lament, while those of us interested in their exploration of different sounds enjoy the ride.  Lyrically and thematically, it's hard not to notice that the album tilted "Wilder Mind" is followed up by one which begins to explore "The Wild" close to its center piece, and then again, as it draws near to its conclusion, to declare that "It took a wild heart to tame mine."  The title track of Wilder Mind contrasted one who seems to adamantly guard his or her own idealistic fantasies with the one who is "blessed with a wilder mind," apparently implying that this wildness is the willingness to embrace reality, complete with all of its horrifyingly uncontrollable nature.  When we enter with them into "The Wild," we find the narrator amazed at the "sparkling mind" of another (perhaps daring, hopeful, or optimistic).  Meanwhile, he is faced with the wild, the reality outside of his control, and with a broken and humbled simplicity, declares that it "Puts the fear of God in me."  Whether intended or not, I cannot help but think of the Biblical understanding of the fear of God, which is not a fear of harm, but a humbled awe and wonder at the mystery of God's creation, design and wisdom.  It is the first stage of wisdom, which causes one to enter the wild, with a certain humility, which perhaps reinforces the lyrics of the previous track ("Beloved"): "She says the Lord has a plan, But admits it's pretty hard to understand."  This trek through "The Wild" progresses from it's haunting beginning into a hope that bubbles up and finally into something far more triumphal and glorious.  Still, there is a sense that "The Wild" is not a place that one dares enter alone, which is reinforced by its context within the album. The song comes at a turning point within an album that clearly tells the ever-evolving tale of a relationship.  Yet, while it clearly speaks of a relationship between a man and woman, the album is sprinkled with hints and glimpses of how such relationships, the trust that builds and breaks within, and the hope that rises and falls, impacts our hope of the possibility of a relationship with the Divine.

Echoes, Similarities, and Connections:  Earlier in this list, you may have noticed some similarities to the take on exploring reality, however dangerous and uncontrollable, from Imagine Dragons.  However, the theme of this song is also very resonate with the overall theme of the latest album from (at the risk of mentioning him three times already) TobyMac: The Elements, which explores how life wears away at us and seems to employ some similar images, especially in the title track.  

1: Wood and Nails 

by Porter's Gate (ft. Audrey Assad and Josh Garrels)

If you haven't discovered "Porter's Gate" yet, I cannot recommend it enough.  This new collective of artists of various Christian traditions takes its name from the idea of standing at the door of the Church, looking for others to invite inside.  They live this out in their songs by relating very concretely to the lived experience in a truly meaningful way.  Their debut album Work Songs: The Porter's Gate Worship Project Vol 1 is a collection of songs that very concretely demonstrates how our work can be a true act of worship.  The Catholic Church has produced numerous documents over the years to attempt to communicate the great dignity of human work.  Porter's Gate brings this to life with magnificent artistry and utter realism.  While many tracks stand out on this first project, "Wood and Nails" combines the imagery of Joseph's carpenter's shop with that of the cross in such a beautifully seamless manner that the reality of toil as an offering to be united to the perfect offering of Christ to the Father for our salvation comes across with great and stunning clarity.

Echoes, Similarities, and Connections:  I could reiterate the connection to the reality of beauty found in the ordinary, communicated in distinct but rather complimentary ways by Owl City's "Cinematic" and Florence + The Machine's "No Choir."  But, this last set of connections isn't as much about subject matter as collaborating artists.  Porter's Gate caught my attention because of the involvement of artists I'm already very familiar with, such as Audrey, Josh (both of whom have been on this list in past years), and David Gungor.  Thankfully, the collective also introduced to me a number of other artists who are very well worth looking up, to the point that I considered the possibility that this entire list could consist of Porter's Gate collaborators.  But, the icing on the cake is that nearly all of them released new music in 2018.  So, in addition to listening to Audrey's Evergreen, I also highly recommend Joy Ike's Bigger Than Your Box, Liz Vice's Save Me, Paul Zach's God is the Friend of Silence, and Madison Cunningham's Love, Lose, Remember, as well as the various singles she has released over the course of the year.

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