After running through most of the best songs of the past two years on Facebook, here's a recap, and some notes on my Top 5. Hope you find one or two that you like...
30. "Stars" - Skillet
29. "Geeks" - Hailey Knox
28. "Pieces" - Rob Thomas
27. "Are You the Answer" - Collective Soul
26. "Meet Me There" - J.Antonette
25. "Aeroplane" - Look Park
24. "I Can't Stop Thinking About You" - Sting
23. "Hold On" - Bob Mould
22. "My Worst Enemy" - Hailey Knox
21. "The Girl That's Not in Love With You" - The Damnwells
20. "Bulletproof Picasso" - Train
19. "Painkiller" - Three Days Grace
18. "We Belong" - Def Leppard
17. "Yoko" - Dan Wilson
16. "Daughters" - Lissie
15. "Hurricane" - Lifehouse
14. "Still Breathing" - Green Day
13. "Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning" - Bon Jovi
12. "Here I Am" - Asking Alexandria
11. "The End of Things" - Bob Mould
10. "Don't You Give Up on Me" - Lissie
9. "Eye of the Storm" - Scorpions
8. "Moth Into Flame" - Metallica
7. "Scars on This Guitar" - Bon Jovi
6. "Academic" - New Order
5. "Ojai" - Lissie
Again, one of my favorite singer/songwriters of the past few years. The only artist to appear three times on this list, and deservedly so. Unsurprisingly, pop radio has not found a home for Lissie, but I strongly recommend checking her out. This track is an emotional farewell to a hometown she left behind for the farmland of Iowa.
4. "Two" - Heart
Typically when you go see an artist live four decades into their career, you're not especially excited to hear "the new stuff." This song stood out for me when I saw them in Mountainview, CA this past Summer. Originally written and recorded by R&B star, Ne-Yo, Heart masterfully annexed it for their latest album, and pulled it off in classic fashion. Nancy Wilson steps into the lead vocal position for this ballad about a couple shunning other peoples' ignorant opinions about their relationship.
3. "The Light" - Disturbed
A hard rock band that defies the odds in a music industry dominated by rhythmic pop and R&B/Hip-hop, Disturbed churned out one of their best albums, Immortalized, in 2015. This is one of the best tracks on the record. The message here should resonate particularly well with everyone in current times, regardless of your ideological leanings. "Don't let hope become a memory."
2. "Lost" - The Damnwells
A Brooklyn band that never hit the big time, but cranked out five exceptional albums over the course of 13 years. The final single off their self-titled swan song represents their best work. I was very fortunate to catch them live in NYC shortly before they decided to part ways as a band.
1. "The Sound of Silence" - Disturbed
If you were wondering how you do the perfect cover song, Disturbed is prepared to take you to school. I thought they had mastered the art with their blistering take on Genesis' "Land of Confusion" back in 2006. With this Simon and Garfunkel track, they've outdone themselves. Perfectly evoking the darkness of the original lyrics, singer David Draiman brings his unique vocal texture to this 60's classic. Also making it unique is the fact that this is actually a rare occurrence of my musical preferences being in line with the masses, as this single shockingly became the biggest hit of the band's career.
