As a frontperson and songwriter myself, I judge how great a song is by two things:1) How relentlessly a song gets played on my stereo after I stumble across it2) How seethingly jealous I am that I didn't write the song myself.With that in mind, here are the top eight singles of 2013 that made me rage with jealousy and sparked a healthy competition in my psychotic brain.8. WAXAHATCHEE “COAST TO COAST”I’ve said enough nice things about Katie Crutchfield on the Internet. (And for that matter, her sister Allison too.) I don’t know what it is, but the Crutchfield’s now how to write hooks. They write infectious pop-punk hooks that are so hooky you could almost puke your guts out, but instead of puking you end up loving it, so wholesomely it freaks you out completely. (Sometimes sincerity is scary when you are used to be a dumb cynic.) I argued why Waxahatchee’s sophomore record Cerulean Salt was important, so I won’t repeat myself, but for me the single “Coast to Coast” rang out the loudest.7. LIL UGLY MANE “ON DOING AN EVIL DEED BLUES”I recently reviewed this single for The Talkhouse and after the review came up, someone on Twitter pointed out to me that when Lil Ugly Mane played Chaos in Tejas this year he said, “I ain’t even got no DJ right now. I’m using Windows Media Player,” which, of course, made me fall that much more in love with him. The Prelude to the Panopticon “On Doing An Evil Deed Blues” hits about 50% on my jealousy scale. I know I will never, ever be a rapper, so I can’t be too jealous. However, this song is so good it makes me want to crawl into Lil Ugly Mane’s brain, make a nest, and burrow for about eight minutes.6. LOUISE BURNS “EMERALDS SHATTER”Louise Burns is one of the most underrated pop writers of our generation. This song is one of her best yet.5. KELELA “CUT 4 ME”“Cut 4 Me” is the title track from Kelela’s LP and the entire record is great, but there is something about this song. It’s nonsensical and playful, yet it drives dull and hard. Her voice is incredible. It’s just… hard. This song is hard. Very few people could pull this off.4. MAJICAL CLOUDZ “SILVER RINGS”If I wasn’t a heartless bitch with a rock for a brain this song would bring me to tears every time. Devon Welsh reminded the world that less is always more.3. MERCHANDISE “I’LL BE GONE”When I first heard this song, I was sitting in the back of our tour van. I believe my band was on tour with Merchandise, in fact. I remember actually shaking my head, fucking pissed off, because “I’ll Be Gone” was so beautiful. A few weeks later, Dave (who plays guitar in Merchandise) revealed to me that he actually wrote “I’ll Be Gone.” He told me about how he lived in Atlanta and worked a shitty office job (which he eventually dropped to come back to Tampa to help Carson pursue Merchandise). Every time I hear the line, “I’m going to plant myself in the sun just to be free from all you motherfuckers/To walk in the day time amidst the hundred burning computers,” I think Dave must be really happy he took a chance on this band and ditched the safe bet of a desk job.2. DANNY BROWN “ODB”Danny Brown is the biggest Pisces I ever met. He’s got Kurt Cobain syndrome, but enough ego keep at least five shitty indie bands in perpetual delusion for two years apiece (which means Brown will keep going until he gets so old his dick starts to invert.) Danny’s voice is so weirdly unique he practically creates his own vernacular and, for me, “ODB” is his dictionary. I really think his self-awareness is a turn-on. “But in the end I’m just a dirty old man / With a pill in my mouth and a dick in my hand.”1. LOWER “SOMEONE’S GOT IT IN FOR ME”Technically this song was released in November of 2012, however since Lower didn't actually make it out of their home of Copenhagen and into North America on tour until 2013, I’m including “Someone’s Got It in for Me”. It's perfect—cold, militant, and driving without being grossly forceful. The song controls itself, never giving in to any kind of spastic release. It frays on edge of explosion through the entire track, rising up only through the clock-like drums and Ady’s boyishly intelligent lyrics, which are the most effective I have heard in years. I'm actually not even jealous of this one. Instead, I'm just glad Lower exist and continue to make music. They are perfect.Mish Way sings in White Lung and tweets on Twitter - @myszkaway
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