Choice Cuts: Franklin Avenue's Favorite Tracks of 2016, Part 2

In no particular order, I've selected the favorite tracks from 2016's playlists for our fifteenth annual Choice Cuts end-of-year mix. Here are the next five:



6. "Conrad" -- SOHN
"I can feel it coming, we can never go back... we're dinosaurs living in denial." Powerful, catchy and thoughtful. A song that alludes to climate change, and one that should haunt you.



7. "Best to You" (feat. Empress Of) --  Blood Orange
Dev Hynes -- the artist known as Blood Orange -- has become a favorite, and he's landed past tracks on my end of year "Choice Cuts" compilation. This year, he hands most of the vocals to Empress Of, and comes back with the marvelous "Best to You."



8. "Mountain At My Gates" --  Foals
This song and video actually came out in 2015, but I only discovered it until 2016 -- and it was enough of a memorable experience to end the year here.


9. "Your Best American Girl" --  Mitski
One of my favorite moments in any of this year's Choice Cuts tracks is when Mitski lets it rip on the guitar, midway through this track. She doesn't need to conform to any of your closed-minded expectations!



10. "The Outsiders" --  Kweku Collins
Hailing from Evanston, Kweku Collins is a young talent to keep an eye on. A deeply personal track of discovery as he works his way up in the world -- and killer references to "The Outsiders," the novel. Stay golden.

The next five songs tomorrow!

Choice Cuts: Franklin Avenue's Favorite Tracks of 2014, Part 4

In no particular order, I've selected the favorite tracks from 2014's playlists for our thirteenth annual Choice Cuts end-of-year mix. I'm revealing them throughout the week. The next four:



13. Milkman -- Bully

You may have figured out over the years that I love female-fronted garage pop-punk, and Bully -- a new four-piece band out of Nashville -- fits the bill. "Milkman" is the lead track from their EP.



14. Artifice -- SOHN

SOHN is British musician Christopher Taylor, who has also worked with artists such as Banks (who also makes an appearance on this year's mix). "Artifice" was the lead single from SOHN's 2014 debut album, "Tremors."

15. On My Mind -- Liam Bailey

"On My Mind" is the lead single from British singer Liam Bailey's US debut album, "Definitely Now." Mother Jones calls Bailey and his unique mix of R&B, reggae and rock "sneakily addictive."



16. Looking Too Closely -- Fink

Per Wikipedia, "Buoyed by the radio success of the single 'Looking Too Closely,' the album charted in several territories, including a top 10 appearance in the Netherlands (number 8), number 25 in Germany, and at Top 30 slot on the Billboard Heatseekers album chart in the US."

Stay tuned for the final five tomorrrow!