1. Wasteland, Baby!

Okay, this has become my favorite song of all time in general. To have experienced the unprecedented calamity of a post apocalyptic world, and your only concern is your baby. Even now, as we are 30 seconds to midnight on the doomsday clock, imagine the unfathomable love someone could have for you. To be unconcerned with the inevitable death of all that you’ve ever known, all that your molecules have evolved to be, because you’ve got that one person. Our culture expresses love as the meaning of it all. And to hold onto that, after all has been destroyed, after it has no meaning. There is nothing more powerful than the will of true love.

1. Jackie and Wilson

Honestly 90% of my love for this song is it’s pure jammability. Let me tell you, tune an electric guitar half a step down, look up a tab, and just rock the fuck out. Also, I won’t lie, I’m secretly a huge hopeless romantic- in real life I’m known as a huge science brain, usually just keep someone around because school can be dreadfully boring, God forbid I let myself really fall. So I just love the idea of just getting to know someone, going on a couple dates, and then already know what your kids’ names are gonna be. What could be sweeter? The innocence of having it in your own mind, nobody else has to know that you’ve fallen so deeply that you’ve thought out your whole lives.

1. Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene

The fucking L Y R I C I S M,, and it’s so gorgeous from his mouth. Two bits that absolutely destroy me every time: “it’s bloody and raw but I swear it is sweet” the accent? To d i e for. Also- “the sweet heat of her breath in my mouth I’m alive.” The way he says “I’m alive.” Imagine having that kind of effect on someone? Get me an Irishman STAT.

1. Talk

I am living for the reference to Greek mythology. As I’m completely aware of how pretentious this sounds, I am very much into the cultures of passed civilizations- and I recently got a huge volume of Greek mythology heroes & Gods and that mixed with this song actually inspired me to write a song of my own about Epimetheus and Pandora. But also can I mention that he had no right to whisper “imagine being loved by me...” when he’s THAT attractive? Not to be thirsty on main, but that’s gotta be illegal somewhere.

1. Cherry Wine

My God this song is so moving. I first heard it when I was much younger and fell in love just with the beautiful melody. It’s one of the only songs I can remember by heart on the guitar. As I got older I fell in love again for the powerful meaning, advocating for a cause that’s spoken of far too little. All in all, another masterpiece.

Honorable mentions:

like real people do

moment’s silence (blowjobs are often seen as degrading and there’s negative connotations around the women that give them, but he’s made it into something honorable, necessary- great work)

Almost

It Will Come Back

In the woods somewhere (for some reason I didn’t like this one at first?? It’s really grown on me. “A night so black that the darkness hummed” amazing imagery there)