I’m Sam, WTMD’s Baltimore Music Coordinator. I hope you like my list.
For me, the best Baltimore songs of the year are the ones I keep coming back to – weeks and months after I’ve first heard them.
Aside from J. Roddy Walston and the Business, it was a quiet year for the heavyweights — no new albums from Dan Deacon, Beach House, Wye Oak or Future Islands — but there was still plenty of exciting new music.
Here are my 10 favorite Baltimore tracks from 2013.
Honorable mentions:
“Kill the Lights” by June Star
“Big Boy” by the Snails
“Come On” by Thee Lexington Arrows
10. “Very Large Green Triangles” by Matmos
Listening to this is like looking at a painting — it’s demanding but also rewarding. Has a pretty sick beat, too.
9. “Rising Tide” by Letitia VanSant
The chorus stays with you, and VanSant’s lyrics deliver a poignant personal statement.
8. “New Humans” by Weekends
The excitement is palpable. What better way to start an album?
7. “Waiting in Line” by Jaabs
There’s an urgency like a riptide which pulls you right through this song.
6. “Heavy Bells” by J. Roddy Walston and the Business
Finally, other people are noticing the band we’ve known and loved for years.
5. “Drive You Crazy” by Dungeonesse
If you grew up listening to ’90s pop, this feels like home.
4. “Weird” by Roomrunner
If you grew up listening to ’90s rock, this feels like home.
3. “Find You” by Super City
The guitars are having a conversation, and you can’t help but get caught up in it.
2. “Soft Shoulder” by Other Colors
Tiptoeing the line between affection and creepiness, this unfolds a bit more with each listen.
1. “Tomorrow’s Here Today” by Celebration
Almost 10 years as a band and this might be their best song yet.
