Left to my own devices

For the uninitiated, I've been keeping a ranked, running tally of the concerts I've been to over the years. The most recent one was from May and, during the intervening months, I've gone to three more live music events (plus, Ashley reminded me after reading the last published list that'd completely forgotten the Culture Club/B-52s/Thompson Twins concert we went to in 2018, so that's thrown in here, too). With that, here is the newest edition of Matt Ranks the Concerts He's Been To .

We're late - later than we've ever been - in putting out a 'top 10 songs of the year' list. Of course, that's usage of the royal we. It's me - I'm late. Music has been an important part of my life for nearly four decades. As long as I've had this blog, I've shared what my favorite songs of each year have been. So why am I dragging my feet on doing it now? I dunno, reader. It's been a weird year, hasn't it? Sometimes, not even the music can help. But, I don't want to lose a tradition, so, here goes... 

We're counting down my 100 favorite songs of the 2010-19 decade, ten at a time. You know the drill by now....

We're back with the third installment of Matt's favorite songs of the 2010s! It's beginning to become a little bit difficult start ranking these (something I didn't think would happen 'til the Top 50), so here they are, the next ten...

We're down to the final two, and today's entry in the Top 10 Albums list is so good, aside from being rather nostalgic for yours truly. #2 - New Order / Republic (1993) 1993 opened the floodgates for me when it came to music as an late-teen/young adult. A lot of great music was released that year, and I was paying attention to it. I devotedly listened to the radio, watched MTV, VH1, Friday Night Videos on NBC, and even recorded a sort of countdown show with a friend, of our favorite songs of the week. Friday Night Videos is where I first became aware of  Regret , the lead single off of New Order's Republic album. I came late to New Order. They rose from the ashes of Joy Division in the early 1980s, after Ian Curtis' suicide, and Bernard Sumner took over lead vocals. The group evolved over the years and I have, in retrospect, enjoyed most of their work.

Long time readers of this blog, as well as those who know me personally, are fully aware that I love music. Along with music, I'm also partial to the odd music video (whenever one comes along these days). They're a dying art form, but one that, if done well, can be just as exquisite as a painting. What better way to celebrate the music video than to present my 10 favorite ones? Note: another list of truth is to follow. Here we go!

To be perfectly honest, 2015 wasn't a year that particularly moved me, musically-speaking. And that's important to note, as the prime reason I listen to and enjoy music is to be moved. The emotional catharsis or introspection that results from a great song or bit of music is unlike anything else. I just wanted to get that out of the way, before providing my annual rundown of top tracks from the past year. I don't wish to diminish these songs by any means, only to note that not all Top 10 lists are made of the same stuff. And so....

Only recently I had bemoaned the death of the album. No doubt, the album is still (in my opinion) a dying art form, but leave it to fate to see the release of the latest New Order and ELO albums during the interim to try and prove me wrong. Both of the aforementioned releases are simply wonderful. New Order has a return-to-form with its beat-stomping synths and clever lyrics, while ELO (aka Jeff Lynne) is full of soothing mellow rock tunes. The latter album, in fact, has been something of a revelation for me. It can be difficult to described what compels us to gravitate toward certain music. Sure, we may enjoy some genres more than others, but why and how is it that certain songs can, for lack of a better term, touch our soul? The newest offering from ELO, Alone In the Universe , manages to be the musical equivalent of a soul mate. It's not necessarily easy to describe such a connection, but I will endeavor to do so here.

Well, folks, it's been....  a year. Music-wise, I can't say that 2011 has been a sterling effort, but it's been ok (certainly no 1993 or 1997, the two best years for music during the past 20 years). While I'm still trying to determine whether there are even five consistently solid albums for my 'Top 5 Albums' list, I do have a fair amount of songs that were in the running for 'Top 10 Songs of the Year.' And here they are: