Burn Your Hits: Gina Uriarte

I’m not sure why I stopped (pandemic? laziness?). Truth is, I love putting these together. Not because I think anyone actually reads them or cares what some rando has to say about their very specific taste in music. But because it serves as a way to reflect on a year as told through music.

So I took the opportunity to look back at some of my prior lists and they are each a perfect time capsule of that year for me.

2019, the year I spent five months abroad, has more international influences and an overall summery, beachy vibe, reflective of the time of year I was traveling and the coastal cities I inhabited.

2013 features “Rage” in the top spot. A song that most people probably don’t know or care for if they do (trust me, I tried unsuccessfully to turn a lot of people on to “Rage”) but became my anthem for that year. Back when (most) of my friends were still living in the city, we had jobs that paid us well enough but didn’t stress us out, and I was regularly spending my nights at the Fillmore, Independent, Fox and Regency. (Sidenote, why is “Grammy” by Purity Ring still not on Spotify? An injustice.)

2014 made me chuckle because I wrote, “I was worried that my list would basically just be Taylor Swift's 1989, but with the songs in a different order than they actually appear on the album…So here are, in no particular order, 25 songs that I loved this year almost as much as "Blank Space." Which is very similar to an earlier draft of my opening for this year, “When I considered submitting a list this year, I thought what can I offer? I’ve spent the entire past year listening to “Cruel Summer” on loop. Does anyone really need a list full of Taylor Swift songs? ... And so this list is all about the other tracks that were king of my heart this year.” Which proves that either I am incredibly unoriginal or time is, in fact, a flat circle.

Looking back at the songs I listened to or enjoyed the most this year I wondered what theme would emerge. How will 2023 stand the test of time? And one thing became incredibly clear. My music was, overall, more subdued this year. Here’s the thing. I like music that makes me feel good. Music that makes me want to dance awkwardly or sing off-key (and likely to the wrong lyrics). People listen to music for all sorts of reasons and there is, of course, no right or wrong way to consume music. And all of my past lists have one major thing in common: they are full of dance, poppy, upbeat, energetic songs. Simply put, there are 1989 and Reputation girlies and there are Folklore and Evermore girlies. I am firmly the former, though I can certainly appreciate the latter.

But this year’s list just … hits different. And it makes sense. 2023 was a rough year. I lost my father. His passing was expected yet sudden. He had been diagnosed with cancer and didn’t have a good prognosis. On the night of Christmas 2022, he was rushed to the hospital. He spent his final two months in the hospital. When we were being told that he had more time and to start making plans for in-home care or a full time facility, I went home for a few days. I had plans to go back to the Bay Area on Friday and mom called me on Wednesday to tell me he passed. Expected yet sudden.

I didn’t seek out music to help me cope with my grief. It was just there for me every day as it always is and always has been. I start each morning by turning on my speaker in the living room and launching Spotify. I have music playing all day, whether listening to it intentionally or as background noise.

And while this year’s list is still overtly poppy and catchy. Even the very on the nose “The Day My Father Died” is incredibly upbeat. I found myself turning more and more to songs like “The Roads,” “A Lot More Free,” “Loneliness,” “Free” and “The Sweet Sound of You.” Alongside more pop-dance songs like “Flowers,” “Psychedelic Switch,” “One That Got Away” and “Say Don’t Go.”

Ultimately, this mix of songs gave me what I needed this year. And whether the lyrics or themes are dealing with personal loss, the end of a relationship or reflecting on how you can come out on the other side, uptempo or downtempo, they were there with me each day. A reminder that no matter what, we carry on.

*Making it into my Wrapped means a lot of those songs came out last year. But the first rule of Guest Lists is there are no rules. Still, in addition to mining my Wrapped, I reflected on all new music I added to Spotify this year and tried to prioritize songs that were released in 2023. This list is a combination of my most listened to tunes as well as favorite new discoveries from this year.

Songs I Felt Compelled To Write About

(But in no particular ranking order. In fact, “U & I” and “Free” were two of my favorite songs this year, but I couldn’t articulate why, so they are included with Best of the Rest …)

Miley Cyrus - “Flowers”

Big Miley fan (since “Party in the USA”). Anyone calling this Miley's comeback album just makes me think they haven't been listening. While some may have missed the memo (Plastic Hearts), I'm just thrilled she's “back.”

In the Top 100: “Flowers,” “Jaded,” “Rose Colored Lenses,” “River,” “Violet Chemistry,” “Plastic Hearts,” “Angels Like You,” “Prisoner, High,” and “Never Be Me”
Added in 2023: “Flowers,” “River,” and “Violet Chemistry”

Jonah Kagen - “This Life Ain’t Easy”

I get Jonah Kagen and Noah Kahan mixed up a lot. Not only are their names similar, but if you're into Noah, you'll likely like Jonah. I stumbled upon Jonah on TikTok a few years back when he was just fooling around with a snippet of what would become his song “Broken.” Fast forward, and he’s put out several songs that I simply adore.

In the Top 100: “This Life Ain’t Easy,” “The Roads,” “Graveyard Shift.” and “Broken”
Added in 2023: “This Life Ain’t Easy,” The Roads,” “Save My Soul,” “18” and “Pollution”

Noah Kahan - “Homesick”

Speaking of Noah … I haven't been to Outside Lands in a while (after singing my off-key heart out in the fog from 2008-2018). As I've watched Noah (and his ticket prices) blow up, I’ve been slightly bitter that I didn't catch him back in 2019. Or better yet, being one of 12 people in attendance for his show at Bottom of the Hill in 2015. Instead, I settled for a front-row seat via livestream to his Outside Lands performance this summer, drowning in a sea of FOMO. I was, truly, Homesick.

In the Top 100: “Homesick,” “Stick Season,” “Northern Attitude,” and “Growing Sideways, Dial Drunk
Added in 2023: “Everywhere, Everything” (with Gracie Abrams), “Dial Drunk”

Carly Rae Jepsen - “Psychedelic Switch”

Carly had the misfortune of releasing her album, The Loneliest Time, the same day as Taylor Swift's Midnights. Then, the day after my birthday this year, Carly gifted me (and the world) with a companion album of B-sides, The Loveliest Time.

In the Top 100: “Talking to Yourself,” “Western Wind,” “Beach House,” and “Surrender My Heart”
Added in 2023: “Psychedelic Switch,” “Kamikaze,” “Shy Boy,” “Shadow,” “So Right,” and “Come Over”

MUNA - “One That Got Away”

I have Aaron to thank for introducing me to MUNA via his 2017 list and I never looked back. So whenever I get a notification about new music from MUNA, I listen.

In the Top 100: “Home by Now,” “Pink Light”
Added in 2023: “One That Got Away”

Gracie Abrams - “I Know It Won’t Work”

Is slipping a Gracie Abrams track into the mix a subtle way to share that I caught her live opening up at The Eras Tour – you know, the one where snagging tickets felt like winning the golden ticket? Guilty as charged. But here's the kicker: I miraculously scored face value tickets through Ticketmaster. Call it luck or call it fate, but I gotta flex.

In the Top 100: “I Know It Won’t Work”
Added in 2023: “I Know It Won’t Work,” “The Bottom”

BANNERS - “Tell You I Love You”

Every time the first notes of "Tell You I Love You" hit, my mind goes to Stars Hollow. Is it just me, or does the intro to this track conjure up vibes from the opening of the Gilmore Girls pilot ("There She Goes" by The La’s)? Maybe it's not a direct sample, but they've gotta be low-key fans of the show.

In the Top 100: “Someone To You,” “Keeps Me Going,” and “Where The Shadow Ends”
Added in 2023: “Broken Hearted,” “Tell You I Love You”

CHVRCHES - “Over”

The sheer fact that this song was written during the pandemic and dropped in Feb 2023 is a timestamp in itself. As fate would have it, I finally had my first bout with COVID later in the year. Seriously, wake me up when it’s over.

In the Top 100: “Over”
Added in 2023: “Over,” “Talking in My Sleep”

Grouplove - “Hello”

Grouplove was my jam in 2011 and this song, more than any of their other songs from this year, catapults me straight back to those days of running wild through the streets of San Francisco.

Added in 2023: “Hello,” “Francine”

Moon Taxi, Molly Tuttle - “Evergreen”

“Lay Low,” “Set Yourself Free” and “Classics” are the songs from the album Set Yourself Free that I probably enjoyed the most. They are catchy, upbeat, and pleasant. Everything I want from Moon Taxi. “Evergreen” feels a bit out of place, and maybe that’s why I like it.

In the Top 100: “Classics”
Added in 2023: “Classics,” “Lay Low,” “Set Yourself Free,” “Evergreen,” and “Step Into The Light”

SYML - “The Day My Father Died”

I shazamed “You and I” by SYML at some point this year. I don’t recall what I was watching, but it led me to the album The Day My Father Died.

Added in 2023: “You & I,” “Laughing at the Storm,” “The Day My Father Died,” and Believer”

Taylor Swift - “Is It Over Now?” (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)

I couldn’t really get through this list without including a Taylor Swift song. It’s a vault track released this year, so it counts.

In the Top 100: Too many to list
Added in 2023: Replaced all stolen versions of Speak Now and 1989 with Taylor’s Versions + new vault tracks

The Best of the Rest …

The Paper Kites - “The Sweet Sound of You”

Bear’s Den - “Loneliness”

Michael Kiwanuka - Beautiful Life”

Joel Culpepper - “Free” (feat. Tom Misch)

Milky Chance - “Colorado”

Baby Queen - “Dover Beach”

Zinadelphia - “Love Language”

Dagny - “Same Again (For Love)”

Noah Kahan - “Everything, Everywhere” (feat. Gracie Abrams)

Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness - “Stars”

Caroline Polachek - “Smoke”

Freedom Fry - “Rescue”

The Aces - “Solo”

Max McNown - “A Lot More Free”

Metric - “Who Would You Be For Me”

Beach Weather - “Pineapple Sunrise”

FKJ, Darius, Wayne Snow, Crayon, The Nightbirds - “U & I”

Lord Huron, Ben Schneider - “Ace Up My Sleeve”

Zach Bryan - “East Side of Sorrow”

Some Repeat Artists

(because I had a hard time picking one song)

SYML - “Laughing at the Storm”

Moon Taxi - “Classics”

BANNERS, Young Bombs - “Where the Shadow Ends”

Jonah Kagen - “The Roads”

Miley Cyrus - “Violet Chemistry”

Taylor Swift - “Say Don’t Go” (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)

Thursday, December 26, 2019

GLW 010: Gina Uriarte

GUEST LIST WEEK

100 SONGS: Aaron Bergstrom

GLW 001: Ilana Bergstrom

GLW 002: Curt Trnka

GLW 003: Remko Van Knippenberg

GLW 004: Saskia Warwick

GLW 005: Ben Evangelista

GLW 006: Marisa Plaice

GLW 007: Megan Swidler

GLW 008: Erik Kristjanson

GLW 009: Desa Warner

GLW 010: GINA URIARTE

GLW 011: Lukas Brooks

GLW 012: Chris Macdonald

GLW 013: Tom Morgan

GLW 014: Shay Corbett

GLW 015: Ryan Joyce

GLW 016: Drew Ginther

***

In years past I've always approached this list by examining my Spotify "Songs I'm digging Right Now" list, perusing anything added during the year, pulling out the ones that got the most airplay and thinking about what drew me to each song. This year, I was fortunate to travel the globe (a literal trip around the world) for five months. And as I began sifting through songs I kept finding myself taken back to where I was during that journey. The end result is more of a travel log which will be of interest to pretty much no one beyond me. But hey, I'm a millennial (me! me! me!) ... this is what we do, right? So here's a look at what I was listening to on airplanes, beach/pool side and while working late nights as I traveled from San Francisco to Croatia to Portugal to Spain to Turkey to South Africa to Bali and back home again.

1. "Superposition" - Young the Giant

I added this song to my playlist in early 2019, started listening to it heavily when flying to Croatia and never stopped during my travels. Originally released in 2018, I'm letting it in on a technicality since YTG was releasing remixes of this song well into 2019.

2. "Walk Across the Water" - The Black Keys

This song gets the distinction of being the first song I added to Spotify while abroad. I don't recall where or how I heard it, but it was just after the 4th of July and quickly became one of my favorite songs to listen to on the balcony while watching the sun set over the Adriatic Sea.

3. "Money" - Michael Kiwanuka with Tom Misch

This song serves as a two-fold memory from Croatia. Part one: I went on a boat tour and met an amazing couple who live in Europe and work in some type of theater environment. I don't recall what but we'll just pretend something along the lines of Cirque du Soleil. As the boat tour divulged into a full on booze cruise/dance party they insisted we play Tom Misch's "South of the River" repeatedly. After one listen I was a Tom Misch fan. Part two: I discovered there was a Michael Kiwanuka concert in Zagreb (a bit of a ways from where I was living but still doable) at a fortress. Because, of course. Sadly at this same time I discovered that the show was sold out and Croatia does not have a reliable ticket resell service of any kind thus killing my dreams of singing my cold little heart out in the middle of a fortress.

4. "See the End" - Above & Beyond, Seven Lions, Opposite the Other

I happened to be in Croatia during Yacht Week which coincides with Ultra Europe. Basically all of Split and the surrounding islands become a giant dance party and it's amazing. And for one night that dance party descended on Park Mladezj, which was about a 30 cent Uber ride from where I was staying. The lineup consisted of Swedish House Mafia, Above & Beyond, Afrojack, Alesso, Carl Cox and more. We wore neon. We got glittered up. We danced. Have I been to better festivals with better lineups before? Yes. Was there an obscene amount of cigarette smoke and an odd absence of weed clouds? Yes. Did I love it anyway? Absolutely.

5. "Cruel Summer" - Taylor Swift

Taylor's album dropped while I was in Lisbon and as soon as it was available I immediately began playing it on loop. Somewhere amongst my travel photos I have an Insta story pic captioned: "Rosé and the new Taylor Swift album in case there was ever a question about my level of basic-ness."

6. "The Summer" - Freedom Fry

This aptly named song is just so summery. Best enjoyed while sipping on a Porto Tonico or Agua de Valencia.

7. "Piece of Your Heart" - MEDUZA, Goodboys

Not sure if it was the same elsewhere but this was the song of the summer across Europe. You could not escape it. And frankly, why would you want to?

8. "What Would I Know" - Jeremy Loops

I was introduced to Jeremy Loops during a road trip around the Western Cape. Every time "Down South," "Waves" or "Gold" came on, I would say, who is this? I love them! I now find myself obsessively checking his concert schedule because this is an artist I need to see live.

9. "Alright" - Majozi

Another find from that same road trip. Hat tip to Blaine and former Remote Ashely for putting together an awesome playlist of South African artists.

10. "Dance Monkey" - Tones and I

For five months I basically had three forms of media entertainment: Netflix, illegal NFL streams and music television (either MTV or Music Choice, of which "Dance Monkey" was a prominent feature) that I would put on to have have ambient background noise and make the space feel less empty (especially at our "mansion" in Cape Town). So love it or hate, this song was an integral part of my experience.

11. "Nono" - Ntando

The best part of being in a city for a month is being able to (or at least start to) get a real feel for the city outside of a tourist's eyes. And being in Cape Town for five weeks meant I got to experience Rands First Sunday not once, but twice. It was one of the first and one of the last things I did and the perfect bookend to my South African experience. Rands is a community space within Khayelitsha, a township located on the Cape Flats. And on the first Sunday of the month it becomes the place to drink with friends, eat unbelievable bbq (I still dream about those chicken wings) and dance to afrobeats. The first time I went this song "Nono" played and the crowd went crazy singing and dancing along. I would soon learn it was inspired by a stadium anthem which doesn't surprise me because it really does make you want to sing along and I can attest that it sounds even better with a crowd. My favorite part, though, was multiple people coming up to me during the song to give me their interpretation. As I listened to the song throughout the month a funny thing would happen. South African's would seemingly come out of nowhere, grab my arm and say, "Do you know what this song is about?" before offering me their version. I'm still not entirely clear on the meaning, but one thing is for sure, Rands is a vibe and "Nono" perfectly captures that vibe.

12. "Dear Future Me" - Goodluck

If only we could just rewind, amirite?

13. "Make You Mine" - Public

Every year there's a dark horse song that comes out in December and earworms it's way onto my list. This year's entry is "Make You Mine." It's everything I love in a dance-poppy song. And it makes me happy while I'm sitting here back in gloomy San Francisco reminiscing on the past five months and daydreaming of warmer days ahead.

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

GLW 007: Gina Uriarte

GUEST LIST WEEK

GLW 001: Ilana Bergstrom

GLW 002: Curt Trnka

GLW 003: Marisa Plaice

GLW 004: Megan Swidler

GLW 005: Dionicio Solano

GLW 006: Erik Kristjanson

GLW 007: GINA URIARTE

GLW 008: Jamie Pfeifer (coming tomorrow)

GLW 009: Mike Brand (coming Thursday)

GLW 010: Saskia Warwick (coming Friday)

I could be mistaken, but was 2008 the start of "100 Songs For"? Maybe that's just when it entered my world, but either way, props to Aaron for keeping something up for (at least) a decade. And I truly look forward to this list - and guest week - each year. It's so much fun to hear some new songs I wouldn't have found otherwise and I personally love taking the time to reflect on my own favorites each year. Honestly, though, I don't know that I would do it without the promise of internet immortality and the chance to reach 10s of people. So thank you, Aaron. As long as you keep it up, I'll keep sending along my favorites.

This year is another collection of poppy, dancy, upbeat songs. Essentially, all the tunes I found myself dancing to around the apartment, reaching for mid-traffic to keep the road rage at bay, singing along to when no one was around and generally using as a shield to protect me from the world. Presented in no particular order, except that I chose to close the list out with "Light On," because it's just feels like the perfect note to end on. Here's to more dancing in 2019.

18 Songs for 2018

Song Listened to Most on Repeat

1. The Wombats, Dagny - "Turn"

The original version of this song is fine. It's pretty good, in fact. But the version with Dagny takes it to the next level. I must have sung the following lyrics 1,000 times this year. And I'll sing them 1,000 more times. It doesn't get better than this.

I want to get college girl drunk tonight

No morning fears, no mountains to climb

They say the best memories are the ones that we forget

Like listening to Drake at your best friend's swimming pool

Floating anti-clockwise in a red mushroom

Maybe it's the crazy that I'd miss

It won't get better than this

Album Listened to Most on Repeat

2. Lady Gaga - "Always Remember Us This Way"

Ally! Ally! Ally! I have a tendency to crush hard on songs. If a song really grabs me I'll listen to it on repeat for days, weeks, months. But not in recent memory can I recall an album doing this to me. The A Star is Born soundtrack did just that. For about a solid month if I walked out of my apartment my airbuds were in and Spotify was queued up to this soundtrack. And the song I found myself reaching for first more often than not was "Always Remember Us This Way."

3. Mumford & Sons - "Guiding Light"

Recently my brother was ripping on me for liking Mumford & Sons because "all their songs sound the same." This guy is a fan of Jack Johnson, by the way. But as someone who has no problem listening to songs on repeat that argument doesn't hold water for me. Who cares if all their songs sound the same if you like the song?

4. Chvrches - "Get Out"

Had a hard time deciding between "Get Out," "Miracle," "Graffiti" and "Never Say Die," which speaks to how much I enjoyed the Love is Dead album, but ultimately if I have to pick just one tune to represent this year it's going to be "Get Out."

5. Marshmello, Bastille - "Happier"

See Mumford & Sons - "Guiding Light." Same holds true here. Also, Dan Smith is hot and I once touched his butt. I love any excuse to tell that story.

6. Robyn - "Missing U"

She's baaaaaaaaaaack!

7. Arizona - "Freaking Out"

Whenever I hear this song I'm transported to the Twin Peaks stage at Outside Land and the experience is so real I'm pretty sure it happened and it was magical, but *checks 2018 lineup* nope, they weren't there. Perhaps it's a premonition for 2019.

8. St. Vincent - "Fast Slow Disco"

There's a lot of really wonderful slow music in the world. I am just someone who 87% of the time prefers something upbeat. So take a great song like "Slow Disco," amp it up, and I. am. sold.

9. Charli XCX, Troye Sivan - "1999"

1999 will always evoke happy memories for me. It's the year I graduated high school and the year I went off to college. And yes, adulting has its perks, but I sure would like to go back to 1999. Bonus: The music video is so full of late 90s/Y2K references it may just make you run out and get frosted tips.

10. I Don't Know How But They Found Me - "Choke"*

This band's name is a quote from Back to the Future. Need I say more? Plus their album is named after my birth year. And they got me to go to Rickshaw this year. So yeah, no brainer.

*Technically came out in 2017 but was rereleased in 2018 so it counts

11. CVBZ - "2 Gone"

Whenever this song comes up in my Spotify queue I start jamming out and then I think, ugh...Chainsmokers...I hate how much I love Chainsmokers. Then I remember that this is actually CVBZ and I feel a little bit better.

12. NOTD, Tove Stryke - "Been There Done That"

This song is so fun you just can't help going back for more.

13. Capital Cities - "Venus & River"

There was a time in my life when I'm pretty sure I saw Capital Cities live at least once a month (except for that New Year's show where I had to bail early and I missed out on meeting them and I lived in regret until I ran into Ryan Merchant at Smuggler's Cove and word vomited all over him and realized it was probably a good thing that I didn't meet them that previous New Year's). To this day they can pretty much put out alphabet soup and it makes me happy because it reminds me of the good times had that year. In fact, they literally put out a song about vowels and as lame as it was, I still dug it.

14. LANY - "I Don't Wanna Love You Anymore"

There are break up songs and then there are break up songs that speak to you on a visceral level. This is one of those songs.

15. Selena Gomez - "Back To You"

A peppier version of "I Don't Wanna Love You Anymore."

16. Moon Taxi - "Not Too Late"*

Rolling Stone referred to Moon Taxi earlier this year as "a little indie, a little proggy, kinda poppy." So yeah, right up my alley.

*Was tempted to use the Sofi Tukker remix of "Two High" as a cheat to get the song on my 2018 list since it should have been included last year but I somehow omitted it. Anyway, I'm sure we've all heard it a million times by now and don't need me to share it again even though I still really love it. Also, why do songs I like always end up on car commercials?

17. Carly Rae Jepsen - "Party for One"

I wish I had the psychic powers of Aaron and Ilana because by the time I found out about CRJ's show at the Independent, approx. 30 seconds after tix went on sale, I was 30 seconds too late to the party.

18. Maggie Rogers - "Light On"

All anyone can hope for is to still be dancing at the end of the day.