Artist Feature
by Garland Harwood

Top Songs of 2013 by Region

Mandolin Orange - Photo by Briana Brough
Mandolin Orange – Photo by Briana Brough

For the second year in a row, I’m breaking down the top songs of the year by region. Location and love probably influence songwriting more than anything else and it’d be hard to make a list based on ex-lovers, so I just went with this. I’m always conflicted about this post because experiences at shows and with albums throughout the year tend to pull me in one direction over another. There are 41 songs total, which I broke out by region and then ranked based on the taste of this blog – regardless of general popularity.

You can hear every song on the Spotify playlist below. Also, check out a few other good lists from more legitimate sources than this one: Paste, NPR, American Songwriter, Music Savage, Timber & Steel and Rolling Stone.

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST: grass clippings Top Songs of 2013

SOUTHEAST

  1. Mandolin Orange – “Calvary”
  2. Jason Isbell – “Elephant”
  3. Valerie June – “Somebody to Love”
  4. Mipso – “Redeye to Raleigh”
  5. The Black Lillies – “The Fall”
  6. Escondido – “Black Roses”
  7. Caitlin Rose – “Only a Clown”
  8. Overmountain Men – “All Out of Diamonds”
  9. Toy Soldiers – “Heart in a Mousetrap”
  10. Rayland Baxter – “Ghost, Again”
  11. Tedeschi Trucks Band – “It’s So Heavy”
  12. The Last Bison – “Switzerland”
  13. The Avett Brothers – “Part from Me”
TYPHOON - Photo courtesy of the band.
TYPHOON – Photo courtesy of the band.

WEST/PACIFIC NORTHWEST

  1. Typhoon – “Artificial Light”
  2. The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers – “Little Light”
  3. Melody Walker & Jacob Groopman – “We Made It Home”
  4. The Milk Carton Kids – “Memphis”
  5. Steve Martin & Edie Brickell – “When You Get to Asheville”
  6. Jonathan Wilson – “Future Vision”
  7. Hey Marseilles – “Heart Beats”
  8. Dawes – “Most People”
Sarah Jarosz
Sarah Jarosz

NORTHEAST

  1. Sarah Jarosz – “Build Me Up from Bones”
  2. Joy Kills Sorrow – “Was it You”
  3. Phosphorescent – “Song for Zula”
  4. Aoife O’Donovan – “Thursday’s Child”
  5. Della Mae – “Hounds”
  6. Jus Post Bellum – “Gimme That Gun”
  7. Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer – “Willie of Winsbury (Child 100)”
  8. The Lone Bellow – “You Never Need Nobody”
  9. Deer Tick – “Just Friends”
  10. The Whiskey Collection – “Little Maggie”
  11. Cassandra Jenkins – “The Bird”
  12. Poor Old Shine – “Ghosts Next Door”
Elephant Revival
Elephant Revival

GREAT PLAINS

  1. Elephant Revival – “Down to the Sea”
  2. The Flannel Attractions – “Next September”
  3. Paper Bird – “As I Am”
Andrew Bird
Andrew Bird – Photo by Richard Kluver/grass clippings blog

MIDWEST

  1. Andrew Bird – “Pulaski At Night”
  2. Josh Ritter – “A Certain Light”
  3. Pokey LaFarge – “What Will the Rain Bring”
Okkervil River - Photo by Ben Sklar
Okkervil River – Photo by Ben Sklar

SOUTHWEST

  1. Okkervil River – “Down Down the Deep River”
  2. Patty Griffin – “Faithful Son”