It is most certainly that time of year again, folks. The time of year where I provide you a list of the very best in music these past 12 months. From the best songs, best albums, and best videos, what you see in the weeks to come is a true reflection of the music that stood out the most in 2012.
This year I bring you the Top 200 Songs, Top 100 Albums, and Top 20 Videos of the year. I'll kick off the countdown of the 200 greatest songs of 2012 today, and continue all the way until next Friday, the 21st. The Top 100 Albums list will start up this coming Saturday.
Top Songs
200 Lana Del Rey, "Off To the Races"
199 Foxygen, "Make It Known"
198 Kill Paris, "I Do Love You"
197 Kanye West, Big Sean, & Jay-Z, "Clique"
196 Porcelain Raft, "Drifting In and Out"
195 Yuna, "Live Your Life"
194 The xx, "Fiction"
193 Carousel, "Where Have You Gone"
192 Beach House, "Lazuli"
191 Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, "Kinski Assassin"
190 Alabama Shakes, "I Found You"
189 Jagwar Ma, "Come Save Me"
188 Divine Fits, "Civilian Stripes"
187 Lotus Plaza, "Black Buzz"
186 Summer Camp, "City"
185 Kindness, "House"
184 Mr Little Jeans, "Runaway"
183 Frank Ocean, "Sweet Life"
182 The xx, "Angels"
181 Purity Ring, "Obedear"
180 Air, "Sonic Armada"
179 Spiritualized, "Little Girl"
178 Sweet Lights, "Endless Town"
177 Ultraísta, "Smalltalk"
176 Big Boi feat. A$AP Rocky & Phantogram, "Lines"
175 Dan Deacon, "America IV: Manifest"
174 Father John Misty, "Now I'm Learning To Love the War"
173 Jessie Ware, "Sweet Talk"
172 Holly Herndon, "Fade"
171 Stumbleine feat. Steffaloo, "Fade Into You"
170 YUS, "Nowadays"
169 The Antlers, "Drift Drive"
168 Lost Animal, "Say No To Thugs"
167 TOPS, "Easy Friends"
166 Kendrick Lamar feat. Young Jeezy, "Westside, Right On Time"
165 Popstrangers, "Heaven"
164 Passion Pit, "Cry Like a Ghost"
163 Crystal Castles, "Plague"
162 Hot Chip, "Look at Where We Are"
161 Jack White, "Freedom at 21"
160 Andrew Bird, "Eyeoneye"
159 Miike Snow, "God Help This Divorce"
158 Sambassadeur, "Memories"
157 Conner Youngblood, "Gold"
156 ∆, "Tessellate"
155 The Tallest Man On Earth, "1904"
154 Autre Ne Veut, "Counting"
153 The xx, "Chained"
152 El-P, "The Full Retard"
151 Lana Del Rey, "Yayo"
150 Milo Green, "1957"
149 jj, "10"
148 GRiZ, "You Got to Change"
147 Bear In Heaven, "Sinful Nature"
146 Christopher Owens, "Here We Go"
145 Jamie Lidell, "What a Shame"
144 Crystal Castles, "Wrath of God"
143 Sleigh Bells, "Demons"
142 Miner, "Hey Love"
141 Flying Lotus feat. Erykah Badu, "See Thru To U"
140 Here We Go Magic, "How Do I Know"
139 Sweet Lights, "Here Comes the Son"
138 Nas feat. Amy Winehouse, "Cherry Wine"
137 Lotus Plaza, "Strangers"
136 Chromatics, "There's a Light Out On the Horizon"
135 Father John Misty, "This Is Sally Hatchet"
134 Hospitality, "Friends of Friends"
133 Solange, "Some Things Never Seem To ****ing Work"
132 Kendrick Lamar feat. Drake, "Poetic Justice"
131 Scissor Sisters, "San Luis Obispo"
130 Lianne La Havas, "Is Your Love Big Enough?"
129 The Maccabees, "Pelican"
128 Wye Oak, "Spiral"
127 The Weeknd, "Twenty-Eight"
126 Jim James, "Know Till Now"
125 Santigold, "Disparate Youth"
124 Divine Fits, "Flaggin' a Ride"
123 Tame Impala, "Why Won't They Talk To Me?"
122 Tegan and Sara, "Closer"
121 Yeasayer, "Longevity"
120 Blood Diamonds feat. Grimes, "Phone Sex"
119 Peaking Lights, "Beautiful Son"
118 Nicolas Jaar & Theatre Roosevelt, "The Ego"
117 Frank Ocean feat. Andre 3000, "Pink Matter"
116 Father John Misty, "Nancy From Now On"
115 Bear In Heaven, "The Reflection Of You"
114 Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, "Man on Fire"
113 Hot Chip, "Flutes"
112 Kendrick Lamar feat. Jay Rock, "Money Trees"
111 The Tallest Man On Earth, "There's No Leaving Now"
110 Matt Corby, "Brother"
109 Foxygen, "Waitin' 4 U"
108 Grimes, "Be a Body"
107 Grizzly Bear, "Speak In Rounds"
106 FIona Apple, "Every Single Night"
105 Jessie Ware, "Wildest Moments"
104 Eli Mardock, "Cut Me Open"
103 Octover, "Hurt"
102 The Walkmen, "Dreamboat"
101 Tame Impala, "Apocalypse Dreams"
100 Crystal Castles, "Transgender"
99 Perfume Genius, "Hood"
98 A$AP Rocky feat. 2 Chainz, Drake, & Kendrick Lamar, "****in' Problems"
97 Big Boi feat. Kelly Rowland, "Mama Told Me"
96 Solange, "Lovers In the Parking Lot"
95 Kanye West, "White Dress"
94 Fiona Apple, "Anything We Want"
93 Kendrick Lamar, "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe"
92 Pacific Air, "Float"
91 Tanlines, "Brothers"
90 Alabama Shakes, "Hold On"
89 The Helio Sequence, "Downward Spiral"
88 Animal Collective, "Applesauce"
87 Jessie Ware, "Night Light"
86 Frank Ocean feat. Earl Sweatshirt, "Super Rich Kids"
85 Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, "Only In My Dreams"
84 BenZel feat. Jessie Ware, "If You Love Me"
83 Beach House, "Irene"
82 Tame Impala, "Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control"
81 Frank Ocean, "Forrest Gump"
80 Divine Fits, "Shivers"
79 Chromatics, "Cherry"
78 Skream feat. Kelis, "Copycat"
77 Jessie Ware, "Running"
76 Sharon Van Etten, "Serpents"
75 Wild Nothing, "Paradise"
74 Kate Boy, "Northern Lights"
73 The Walkmen, "Southern Heart"
72 Sky Ferreira, "Everything Is Embarrassing"
71 Matthew Dear, "Her Fantasy"
70 2 Chainz feat. Kanye West, "Birthday Song"
69 Dirty Projectors, "Dance For You"
68 Grizzly Bear, "Sleeping Ute"
67 How To Dress Well, "& It Was U"
66 St. Lucia, "We Got It Wrong"
65 Menomena, "Heavy Is As Heavy Does"
64 Usher, "Climax"
63 Kendrick Lamar, "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst"
62 Frank Ocean, "Pyramids"
61 Swim Deep, "King City"
60 AlunaGeorge, "Watching Over You"
59 Animal Collective, "Today's Supernatural"
58 Elite Gymnastics, "Andreja 4-ever"
57 Bobby Womack, "Please Forgive My Heart"
56 Andy Stott, "Luxury Problems"
55 The Walkmen, "The Witch"
54 Porcelain Raft, "Unless You Speak From Your Heart"
53 Tame Impala, "Elephant"
52 Grizzly Bear, "Yet Again"
51 Yeasayer, "Henrietta"
50 Egyptian Hip Hop, "SYH"
49 Ty Segall Band, "Wave Goodbye"
48 Passion Pit, "Constant Conversations"
47 John Talabot feat. Pional, "Destiny"
46 Beach House, "Myth"
45 Majical Cloudz, "What That Was"
44 Scissor Sisters, "Let's Have a Kiki"
43 Crystal Castles, "Affection"
42 Nicolas Jaar & Scout Larue, "With Just One Glance"
41 Lotus Plaza, "Monoliths"
40 Solange, "Losing You"
39 Foxygen, "Shuggie"
38 Dan Deacon, "True Thrush"
37 Delicate Steve, "Two Lovers"
36 TNGHT, "Higher Ground"
35 Divine Fits, "Would That Not Be Nice"
34 Twin Shadow, "Five Seconds"
33 Actress, "N.E.W."
32 Porcelain Raft, "Shapeless & Gone"
31 CHVRCHES, "The Mother We Share"
30 Killer Mike, "Reagan"
29 Frank Ocean, "Bad Religion"
28 Japandroids, "The House That Heaven Built"
27 Gorillaz feat. James Murphy & Andre 3000, "DoYaThing"
26 alt-J, "Taro"
25 Dirty Projectors, "Gun Has No Trigger"
24 Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T, & 2 Chainz, "Mercy"
23 Schoolboy Q feat. A$AP Rocky, "Hands On the Wheel"
22 The Antlers, "Crest"
21 Angel Haze, "Werkin' Girls"
20 Chromatics, "Into the Black"
19 Danny Brown, "Grown Up"
18 Death Grips, "@deathgripz"
17 Purity Ring, "Fineshrine"
16 Kendrick Lamar, "Backseat Freestyle"
15 Father John Misty, "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings"
14 DIIV, "Doused"
13 THEESatisfaction, "QueenS"
12 FIDLAR, "Cheap Beer"
11 Spiritualized, "Hey Jane"
10 Jack White, "Sixteen Saltines"
9 Grimes, "Oblivion"
8 Jai Paul, "Jasmine (Demo)"
7 The Walkmen, "Heaven"
6 Jessie Ware, "110%"
5 Fiona Apple, "Werewolf"
4 AlunaGeorge, "Your Drums, Your Love"
3 Miguel, "Adorn"
2 Grizzly Bear, "Sun In Your Eyes"
1 Tame Impala, "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards"
Top Albums
50 Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Mature Themes
49 Sweet Lights, Sweet Lights
48 Animal Collective, Centipede Hz
47 Menomena, Moms
46 Slow Magic, Triangle
45 The xx, Coexist
44 Schoolboy Q, Habits & Contradictions
43 El-P, Cancer 4 Cure
42 ∆, An Awesome Wave
41 TNGHT, TNGHT EP
40 Death Grips, The Money Store
39 Perfume Genius, Put Ur Back In 2 It
38 Scissor Sisters, Magic Hour
37 Porcelain Raft, Strange Weekend
36 The Antlers, Undersea EP
35 Hot Chip, In Our Heads
34 Majical Cloudz, Turns Turns Turns EP
33 Jack White, Blunderbuss
32 Passion Pit, Gossamer
31 Spiritualized, Sweet Heart Sweet Light
30 Foxygen, Take The Kids Off Broadway
29 Matthew Dear, Beams
28 Dirty Projectors, Swing Lo, Magellan
27 Divine Fits, A Thing Called Divine Fits
26 Burial, Kindred
25 Purity Ring, Shrines
24 Wild Nothing, Nocturne
23 Killer Mike, R.A.P. Music
22 Pacific Air, Long Live KoKo EP
21 Lotus Plaza, Spooky Action At a Distance
20 John Talabot, ƒin
19 Solange, True EP
18 Japandroids, Celebration Rock
17 Dan Deacon, America
16 Flying Lotus, Until the Quiet Comes
15 Beach House, Bloom
14 Andy Stott, Luxury Problems
13 Crystal Castles, (III)
12 Father John Misty, Fear Fun
11 The Walkmen, Heaven
10 Ty Segall Band, Slaughterhouse
9 Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Chords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
8 Grimes, Visions
7 Jessie Ware, Devotion
6 Miguel, Kaleidoscope Dream
5 Tame Impala, Lonerism
4 Grizzly Bear, Shields
3 Frank Ocean, channel ORANGE
2 Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d. city
1 Chromatics, Kill For Love
To get a feel for this countdown, take a look back at the top 10s for the year-end countdown's of 2008, 2010, and 2011.
TOP SONGS
010 Adele "Chasing Pavements"
009 M.I.A. "Paper Planes"
008 Vampire Weekend "Oxford Comma"
007 Estelle featuring Kanye West "American Boy"
006 Kings of Leon "Sex on Fire"
005 Coldplay "Viva la Vida"
004 Lil Wayne "A Milli"
003 Bon Iver "Skinny Love"
002 Fleet Foxes "White Winter Hymnal"
001 MGMT "Kids"
TOP ALBUMS
010 Kings of Leon, Only By the Night
009 The Raconteurs, Consolers of the Lonely
008 Jack Johnson, Sleep Through the Static
007 Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III
006 Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
005 Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago
004 Kanye West, 808's and Heartbreak
003 Coldplay, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
002 MGMT, Oracular Spectacular
001 Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes
2009
TOP SONGS
10 Local Natives, "Airplanes"
9 Fever Ray, "If I Had a Heart"
8 The Antlers, "Kettering"
7 Alicia Keys, "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)"
6 Passion Pit, "Moth's Wings"
5 The xx, "Infinity"
4 Grizzly Bear, "Two Weeks"
3 Phoenix, "1901"
2 Dirty Projectors, "Stillness Is the Move"
1 Animal Collective, "My Girls"
TOP ALBUMS
10 Grizzly Bear, Vecktamist"
9 Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
8 Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz!
7 Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse, Dark Night of the Soul
6 Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca
5 The Dead Weather, Horehound
4 Franz Ferdinand, Tonight
3 Passion Pit, Manners
2 Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavillon
1 The xx, xx
TOP SONGS
10 Mark Ronson & the Business Intl featuring Boy George & Andrew Wyatt "Somebody to Love Me"
9 LCD Soundsystem "All I Want"
8 Arcade Fire "Ready to Start"
7 Cee Lo Green "**** You"
6 Big Boi featuring Cutty "Shutterbugg"
5 Kanye West "Power"
4 Kelis "4th of July (Fireworks)"
3 Arcade Fire "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
2 Janelle Monae featuring Big Boi "Tightrope"
1 Kanye West featuring Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj + Bon Iver "Monster"
TOP ALBUMS
10 Janelle Monae, The ArchAndroid
9 Gorillaz, Plastic Beach
8 Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Before Today
7 Beach House, Teen Dream
6 Big Boi, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
5 LCD Soundsystem, This Is Happening
4 Sufjan Stevens, The Age of Adz
3 Robert Plant, Band Of Joy
2 Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
1 Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
TOP SONGS
10 Cults "Go Outside"
9 Azealia Banks featuring Lazy Jay "212"
8 Wilco "Art Of Almost"
7 Metronomy "Everything Goes My Way"
6 Fleet Foxes "The Shrine / An Argument"
5 Jay-Z & Kanye West "*****s In Paris"
4 Lana Del Rey "Video Games"
3 M83 "Midnight City"
2 tUnE-yArDs "Powa"
1 The Weeknd "Wicked Games"
TOP ALBUMS
10. Let England Shake, PJ Harvey
9. House Of Balloons, The Weeknd
8. Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes
7. Skying, The Horrors
6. Father, Son, Holy Ghost, Girls
5. build a rocket boys!, Elbow
4. Cults, Cults
3. Slave Ambient, The War On Drugs
2. BOBBY, Bobby
1. W H O K I L L, tUnE-yArDs
2012
TOP SONGS
10 Jack White, "Sixteen Saltines"
9 Grimes, "Oblivion"
8 Jai Paul, "Jasmine (Demo)"
7 The Walkmen, "Heaven"
6 Jessie Ware, "110%"
5 Fiona Apple, "Werewolf"
4 AlunaGeorge, "Your Drums, Your Love"
3 Miguel, "Adorn"
2 Grizzly Bear, "Sun In Your Eyes"
1 Tame Impala, "Feels Like We Always Go Backwards"
TOP ALBUMS
10 Ty Segall Band, Slaughterhouse
9 Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheels Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Chords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
8 Grimes, Visions
7 Jessie Ware, Devotion
6 Miguel, Kaleidoscope Dream
5 Tame Impala, Lonerism
4 Grizzly Bear, Shields
3 Frank Ocean, channel ORANGE
2 Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d. city
1 Chromatics, Kill For Love
200 Lana Del Rey, "Off To the Races" POP This is Lana at her most bat-**** crazy, and our harlot scarlet has never sounded more at home. And we’re off to the races…
199 Foxygen, "Abandon My Toys" ROCK Taking the best parts of the 1960s and extrapolating them into a killer 2012 single is no easy feat, yet Foxygen mastered the art this year. “Abandon My Toys” sounds like a The Kinks/The Rolling Stones mash-up, and certainly puts Foxygen in a spot to be an artist to look out for in 2013.
198 Kill Paris, "I Do Love You" ELECTRONICA Kill Paris is at it again. The electronica DJ released this track over the summer, the perfect time to blast this gigantic dance track. The sampled vocal track repeatedly singing, “I do you love / but it’s alright,” is one of the most infectious moments in EDM this year, and puts Kill Paris on the same playing field as the big players Skrillex, Calvin Harris, and David Guetta.
197 Kanye West, Big Sean, & Jay-Z, "Clique" HIP-HOP/RAP
Cruel Summer’s best moments are admittedly the ones in which Big Sean and Kanye West share the stage, including the posse-cut “Mercy” as well as this jam featuring Jay-Z, who delivers a verse with more bravado than any of his since “Dirt Off My Shoulder.“
196 Porcelain Raft, "Drifting In and Out" ALTERNATIVE Porcelain Raft is Mauro Remiddi, which may shock listeners as Remiddi makes music that sounds so large in scope that it would be impossible for one man to create it all. But Porcelain Raft excels in the impossible, as on “Drifting In and Out” he creates a song that both lulls the listener to sleep while also sending a jolt of energy through the room. Impossible? Mauro Remiddi has never heard of the word.
195 Yuna, "Live Your Life" R&B/SOUL Malaysian singer-songwriter Yuna and American hip-hop producer Pharrell were an unlikely pair to get together to record music, but luckily for us the two artists aren’t into staying in the lanes we’ve designated to each genre. Yunalis Zarai’s vocals float gently over Pharrell’s production like satin sheets. On top of all that, Yuna’s lyrics are painstakingly simple yet full of wonderful insights: “Find your light / don’t hide from what you are / And rise before you fall / And hope for something more / Live if you really want to.”
194 The xx, "Fiction" ALTERNATIVE Jamie xx takes the lead vocal duties on this track off of Coexist. “Fiction” tells the story of lovers separated, and a world where the two not together is ultimately fiction. The song features that now distinctive guitar sound that only The xx seems to have mastered, but a faster drum pattern, which gives the moments where the drums drop out an added sense of time stopping. It’s a nice progression for a promising new act.
193 Carousel, "Where Have You Gone" POP This synth-pop juggernaut features an incredibly addictive synth line as well as a hooky chorus that is as light as air. If Passion Pit and Matt Costa collaborated on a track, it very well might sound something like this. Carousel is definitely on the rise, and 2013 could be their breaking out party.
192 Beach House, "Lazuli" ALTERNATIVE On 2010’s Teen Dream Beach House appeared to have mastered their brand of melodious guitar and synth driven pop music. Yet that was only an appetizer for 2012’s Bloom, which not only expanded on its predecessor, but put Beach House in the short list of best indie bands making music today. “Lazuli” is a stand out from the disc, with its dreamy synthesizers and its shimmering guitars, but with an added emphasis on a catchy vocal hook and some beautiful harmonies.
191 Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, "Kinski Assassin" ALTERNATIVE Anything less bizarre would have been a disappointment for those awaiting the return of Ariel Pink and his Haunted Graffiti. The opening track of Mature Themes, “Kinski Assassin” has Pink singing “Who sunk my battleship” more times than the actual Battleship movie says the line, along with references to masturbators and *****s. Death and taxes and the bizarre and beautiful mind of Ariel Pink: life’s three constants.
Tomorrow I will bring you the next 20 songs in the list, including a couple of GRAMMY nominees as well as an artist/group already making their second appearance on the countdown.
I only know Lana and The xx. Haven't listened to Cruel Summer or Beach House yet. Your descriptions sound good though, might check out some of those artists!
Looking at your previous lists, I think I'm going to like this countdown! The only song I recognize so far is "Off to the Races", which is one of Lana's best!