My 2019 Spotify List

2019 - the year where music came in pairs!

Don't feel like reading a blogpost like it is still 2013? You can listen to my 2019 list here. 

Like all previous years, in 2019 I built my list with favorite music following this structure: first you get one song from my Top5 Albums. Then you get all the songs I like.
Btw, did you know I've made this list now for 10 years in a row? A decade!

My top5 Albums:

1. MAGDALENA - FKA Twigs

Most inovative album. Futuristic and dark hiphop, with Miss Twigs' voice in a star-role. Also the album with the best pair of songs: sad day // holy terrain.

2. Big Thief

This band I had never heard of before. They came up with 2 albums in less than 6 months. Not sure if I'll still listen to them in 3 years time, but both albums are of great beauty. I couldn't decide between them. I hope to see them live in February. 

3. Ghosteen - Nick Cave

Maestro Cave came up with a double album in 2019, building further on his track towards a life's work that can only be described as an opus magnus. This album is again about his son who died a couple of years ago and you can feel the pain.

4. Nest - Brutus

This Belgian band has made such a big step from their first album. They mix rock and heavy up until post-rock, while the singers voice steers all the noize to safe places.

5. Norman Fucking Rockwell - Lana del Rey

La Lana does what's she's been doing for the last 10 years: nostalgic pop with a state-of-the-art production, singing about hedonistic 50´s California. And she's only getting better at it with each album.

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You can discover the rest of the list on Spotify. Som general thoughts:

• The list is probably the longest I've ever made. Probably a good indication on how rich 2019 was.
• I'm surprised how much commercial tunes have gotten into the list.
• I've added for the first time 2 tracks of the same album on here - Pairs!
• There's still a fair share of "country which isn't country" music, like my friends tend to call it.

Enjoy listening!

My 2018 Spotify List

At the last day of 2018, I’m proud to share with you my list of favorite albums and songs of 2018. Click link here to listen.

What a year it was, 2018, for music. I found it very exciting. Traditionally I make a list with the first 5 songs representing my favorite albums, and the rest are just songs I like. But this year, the first 16 songs all represent albums I really liked in 2018. So much albums that proved to be worth being in this list – that’s something that didn’t happen since 2012.

2018 might not have given us the albums that mark history, no albums that redefine the foundations of how music is made. But it was very broad and very high quality overall. As a result, I've created the longest year-end list since I started doing this in 2010.

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U.S. Girls goes first, helped by the best song of the year Rosebud. Credit to them. Serpentwithfeet is bizarre and brilliant, our Paris neighbor Marianne Faithfull made a timeless album, The Blaze provided the perfect summer soundtrack and last-minute entry 6LACK (cheers, Dalons) will be a rap album I’ll still listen to long into 2019.

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It surprises me how more and more of this list starts becoming Rap and R&B oriented and/or influenced. I used to be very rock, but here I only have Die Nerven in my list (first German album I include, I think).  

2018 gave me also a lot of Belgians worth including in the list (4), and some bands like SX didn’t even make my cut. The Belgian bands also provided the first French and (I think) Flemish songs I included in my list.

Listen on in 2019!

My 2017 Spotify List

Here is my traditional list of favourite albums and songs of 2017. (Click link to listen here)

Like every year, the first 5 songs of the list represent my preferred albums. Slowdive is all the way up there with their comeback album. Their nice concert on Rock en Seine added to making them the #1 this year.

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There are 3 funny things about this list:

1. From my Top 5 albums, I only knew Mount Eerie before 2017 started - it has been a year of discovering a lot of new bands.
2. I think this list is the least in line with what everybody else has in their list this year (No Kendrick, War on Drugs, Vince Staples or SZA for me).
3. Almost all my preferred music this year was released in the first half of the year.

What follows are my preferred songs of this years. Some lesser work from The XX, The National, Iron & Wine, Lana, Benjamin Clementine this year unfortunately.

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Many thanks to den Humo, Spotify's 'Discover Weekly' and Dalons for tips and discussions.

Hope you enjoy the 2017 list, and let me know what you think!

My 2016 Spotify List

Here is my list of favourite albums and songs of 2016.

2016 was a good year, I have to say. Not a brilliant year, but it was strong. We also saw some nice concerts of Gregory Porter, Yeasayer (a pitty about that album), Hot 8 Brass Band and Spain.

Beyond any doubt, my favorite album was 'Demain est une autre nuit' of Essaie Pas. Dark, ecclectic, stealing with proud until you get something original. Amazing.

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My list continues with a selection of songs from albums I liked, or just nice songs.

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Enjoy listening and let me know what you think!

My 2015 Spotify List

Here is my yearly list of songs of 2015. You can listen to it by clicking here: Lista 2015 Stefvanef

This year, I've changed the set-up of the list. It's not longer first my Top 5 Albums and then some nice songs. It's just nice songs this time.

It's been a bit of a funny musical year. I can't remember a year where everybody was so full of some albums (Kendrick, Courtney Barnett), except for me. Even the entire Sufjan album didn't move me the way he did when Illinois(e) came out.
But still enough to make a nice list for a nice year. Beginning with Jamie XX, who I've listened to over and over and over again. Best song was in my opinion Natalie Prass beautiful single.I haven't done much concerts this year, but Dawes with just a few here in Paris was great to see: a not-near perfect sound made for some anachronistic nostalgia. Very happy also that Ms. Lauryn Hill has finally returned to the studios, to make a tribute to Nina.

I'm looking forward to discovering new music newt year - especially hoping for new good stuff from Yeasayer and The National.

Enjoy listening and enjoy 2016.

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My 2014 Spotify List: new and newer.

Here is my traditional list of songs of 2014 I really like. You can listen to it by clicking here: Lista 2014 Stefvanef

The set-up of the list is as any year: first 5 songs come fgrom my favorite albums. Afterwards there are some songs I really enojoyed as well.

Maybe 2014 was not the best of years when it came to music, but there were still some fine new tunes. Besides Ed Harcourt and Mogwai, not so much great stuff from the oldies. So 2014 was the year of discovering new and newer things, with notable mentions to Strand of Oaks ans FKA Twigs. Hippie Sabotage provided for the perfect summer soundtrack, and I'll be listening to them again as soon as temperatures start rising again. There was also a very nice concert by Peter Broderick, which is more or less why he's in this list.

Enjoy listening.

Big thanks goes this year to Dalons from Burgetto for pointing in the right direction at times.

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My books in 2013

This is what I've read in 2013:

Adapt by Tim Harford (2011)
I'm Feeling Lucky by Douglas Edwards (2011)
Wie Gelooft die Coureurs Nog? by Hans Vandeweghe (2013)
De Man zonder Ziekte by Arnon Grunberg (2012)
Nothing to be Frightened Of by Julian Barnes (2008)
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (2008)
Black Hole by Charles Burns (2005)
Drive: The Surprising Thruth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink (2009)