One day i’ll get my ‘End of year’ list done at the actual end of the year, but this isn’t that day, so please enjoy the 21st edition of the Music Like Dirt top tracks of the year.
Two hundred incredible tunes from the last 12 months – although I’m sure I’ve missed many a future classic.
If you’d rather stream than scroll there are playlists for most of the major streamers, including Qobuz.
50.
BARBICAN
‘GREYSCALE/HEAVY WATER’
49.
Dijon
‘HIGHER!’
48.
Amina Claudine Myers
‘African Blues’
47.
ROSALÍA
‘Berghain (feat. Björk & Yves Tumor)’
46.
Dawuna
‘Love Jaunt’
45.
Getdown Services
‘James Bay’s Hat’
James Bay’s hat’s on the buffet and you’re sucking it
George Ezra’s got his nob out
And he’s f***ing it
44.
The Hidden Cameras
‘How do you love? (Pet Shop Boys Remix)’ / ‘Undertow – Vince Clarke Remix’
43.
Andy Bell
‘Don’t Cha Know’
42.
MOLIY, Shenseea, Skillibeng, Silent Addy
‘Shake It To The Max (Fly) (Remix)’
41.
Richard Dawson
‘More than real’
Now do we begin to heal / Wounds forever revealed.
Words are the foundations of the world – What we’ve made is more than real.
40.
Kasst 8
‘Land Of The Scousers’ / ‘Subliminals (with Saint Ludo)’
Every single word I come out with is gonna hit different the way I pronounce it
Cause I live by the Mersey, straight from Liverpool, land of the Scouse kids
39.
Adebisi Shank
‘Start A Band’
38.
Bambu
‘Their Problem, Not Mine’
37.
Lorde
‘What Was That’
36.
Joshua Idehen
‘It Always Was’
My losses have taught me how to win
35.
Jonny Fritz
‘Polished Turd’
34.
Billy Nomates
‘Nothin Worth Winnin’ / ‘The Test’
33.
Half Man Half Biscuit
‘Falmouth Electrics’
32.
Gabriel Jacoby
‘dirty south baby’
31.
Open Mike Eagle
‘rejoinder (burning the last puzzle piece) / contraband (the plug has bags of me) / Shame (with Queen Herawin)’
Yes we’ve met, how time flew
We look for what we lost before
We know you
30.
KABEAUSHÉ
‘I DON’T NEED YOU, SO YOU COULD TELL ME IF I’M GUD’
29.
Backxwash
‘History Of Violence’ / ‘9th Heaven’ / ‘Only Dust Remains’
28.
Self Esteem
‘Focus Is Power’
And every time I fall
I crawl back like an animal
My focus is powerful
27.
Brighde Chaimbeul
‘She Went Astray’ / ‘Bog an Lochan’
26.
Traxman
‘I Want U To Ghost’
25.
Dead Pioneers
‘PO$T AMERICAN’ / ‘Mythical Cowboys’
Criminalize being broke
Chalk it up to being woke
24.
For Those I Love
‘Of The Sorrows’
Stay here in Ireland
Cause you’ve been here all your life
What’s another night inside this building site
23.
keiyaA
‘stupid prizes’
22.
Tracey
‘Sex Life (feat. Riko Dan)’
21.
SANAM
‘Harik’
20.
Frankie Archer
‘The Demon Lover’
I do not weep for my gold, she said, My houses, my land or my store
But I do weep for my wee poor babe, That I never shall see anymore
19.
Lippard Arkbro Lindwall
‘The long goodbye’
Bye, have a great day
18.
Lizzo / YKNIECE
‘YITTY ON YO TITTYS (FREESTYLE)’ / ‘WHIM WHAMIEE (feat. PLUTO)’
17.
RÓIS X hhH
‘Did ye ever get The Ride at The Wake House?’
16.
Yeza x Rorystonelove
‘Road Runner’
Yeza come fi lock it
Riddim like a semi-automatic don’t stop it
15.
Stick in the Wheel
‘Dark Streets of London (feat. Spider Stacy)’
I’m buggered to damnation, I ain’t got a penny
To wander the dark streets of London
14.
Mavis Staples
‘Sad and Beautiful World’
Sometimes I get so sad
Sometimes you just make me mad
13.
Viagra Boys
‘You N33d Me’
I can make a girl stop what she’s doing
And turn around and watch me do my little dance
12.
Lynx Cane
‘Family Table’/ ‘Veal’ / ‘Fool’
11.
Cleo Reed
‘I Been Out Here Hustlin’ / ‘Women At War’
10.
De La Soul
‘The Package’ / ‘Day In The Sun (Gettin’ wit U) (feat. Q-Tip & Yummy Bingham)’
Those who wanna try us, play it right here
Step to us with a Goliath, got a David right here
9.
Doechii
‘Nosebleeds’
Stepped out the swamp to the motherf***in’ stage
Cut my mic’ off ’cause I’m ’bout to misbehave
8.
Robyn
‘Dopamine’
I know it’s just dopamine
But it feels so real to me
7.
Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals
‘Everyone I Love is Depressed’ / ‘The Iron Wall’
Fatima was a dreamer, and then they blew her bones apart
She said, “don’t wear black to my funeral, wear red just like my heart”
6.
David Byrne
‘Everybody Laughs (feat. Ghost Train Orchestra)’
Everybody laughs and everybody cries
Everybody lives and everybody dies
5.
Clipse
‘Chains & Whips (feat. Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell Williams, Pusha T & Malice)’ / ‘Ace Trumpets’ / ‘So Be It’
Ballerinas doin’ pirouettes inside of my snow globe
Shoppin’ sprees in SoHo
4.
Jim Legxacy
‘father’ / ‘stick’
I’m tryna come up off the roads on my own two
I never had a (father)
3.
Kate Nash
‘GERM’
Women are facing serious dangers, not during boxing matches or from trans people needing a piss
2.
The Divine Comedy
‘Invisible Thread’
I used to think that no one
Could keep you safe but me
1.
Kae Tempest
‘Statue In The Square’ / ‘Know Yourself’ / ‘Diagnoses’
They never wanted people like me round here
But when I’m dead, they’ll put my statue in the square
