In January 2018 I resolved to listen to an album a day for the year, an earnest attempt at listening to more artists which lasted until mid June when it started to feel less like music appreciation and more like low-level hoarding.

As with all repeat practices though, spending the first 6 months of the year on such a strict regimen put me in the habit of pursuing new music, and making time and clearing headspace for it. And so – even after I stopped listening this way – I still ended up digging a lot of music this year!!

My grandma has one of those needlepoint canvases hanging on her wall, which is seared in my childhood memory and endeared with its Hallmark wisdom: “make new friends but keep the old…one is silver, the other gold”. Aww…aside from being probably one of the first things I remember reading as a literate human bean, this is my new mantra for listening to music. Find balance. Ebb with new musical discovery and flow with continued appreciation for what what you know and love and what has shaped you into a better bean.

So in a break with my resolution, and in turning a new leaf into a better and brighter 2019 (if we’re going to quantify these things) my year-end diatribe is not Ye Olde Albums of the Year list, but rather, SONGS from 2018 that I LOVE LOVE LOVE. And in another twist- since I am releasing this (barely) in time for the holidays – I have organized them into some kind of Christmas gift guide for You and Yours. So enjoy, and don’t forget to check out the playlist at the end which features all 9 songs and like 40 bonus tunes as well.