That Lana is rocking and is bat-**** crazy. The Kill Paris track is a killer to the ears. So good. Going in there and moving out. I agree with you about Jay-Z in Clique. I’m happy to see Yuna here with her signature song this year. So wonderful. One of my favs from Coexist. Man I didn't hear Beach House’s album this year after getting a late start to 2012 but I heard this song and it’s great like they are usually. So very good start to the race to the end.
I like "Fiction", but there are better songs on that album. "Clique" is pretty good, too. And then, of course, there's a lot of stuff that I'm not familiar with. But that's what Spotify links are for!
I like "Fiction", but there are better songs on that album. "Clique" is pretty good, too. And then, of course, there's a lot of stuff that I'm not familiar with. But that's what Spotify links are for!
Thanks! I'd be surprised if this was the last time we all saw The xx here.
Quote:
Originally posted by sumthintoxic82
The only song I can say that i TRUELY love is Off To The Races, its probably my favorite song off of Born To Die
Quote:
Originally posted by Delta
Off To the Races is my favorite song of BTD.
Spotify player buttons are classy
I know, right? They can spruce up even the most boring layouts! Haha, and I think I have to agree with you two on Off To the Races being BTD's best track...
Quote:
Originally posted by Owl
I love your taste, so I'll definitely be checking this out. So far so good!
Quote:
Originally posted by MP2K
You always had great-divers taste, excited to see the rest. Great writeups.
Meh, I don't like OTTR but I hope other Lana songs make it.
Clique is probably one of their better singles this year, their top 2 along with Mercy.
The Xx and Beach House
Quote:
Originally posted by @michael.
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!
Also, I'm loving how organized your posts look!
Quote:
Originally posted by thediscomonkey
Great descriptions, great graphics. And there are streaming links. Damn!
Quote:
Originally posted by Eric.
Ariel, Porcelain and Beach House.
Excellent graphics!
Thanks for the kind words, you guys! The songs will get even more eclectic as I get deeper into the countdown. And just wait for that top 10 this year. It's pretty epic.
Quote:
Originally posted by madonnas
Lazuli and Clique
Two of my faves from each of those albums There should be some more Beach House and G.O.O.D. Music crew later on...
Quote:
Originally posted by Flame Beat Z000
That Lana is rocking and is bat-**** crazy. The Kill Paris track is a killer to the ears. So good. Going in there and moving out. I agree with you about Jay-Z in Clique. I’m happy to see Yuna here with her signature song this year. So wonderful. One of my favs from Coexist. Man I didn't hear Beach House’s album this year after getting a late start to 2012 but I heard this song and it’s great like they are usually. So very good start to the race to the end.
That Kill Paris track always gets me on my feet! And so glad you're here for Yuna as well. I think you'll like today's update!
Quote:
Originally posted by DrogoBrush
Can't wait to see your list, nothing really catches my eye so far but I am curious.
Quote:
Originally posted by Evun
I'm excited to see what you choose.
Quote:
Originally posted by Drowned_World
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!
Quote:
Originally posted by Brandon
can't wait to see the rest of the list.
I'm sure you all will find something here in the next couple weeks to spark your interest. Anyone with an open mind to discovering new music will surely find their next musical addiction.
190 Alabama Shakes, "I Found You" ROCK This soulful jam courtesy of Alabama Shakes is a perfect showcase for what this band is all about. The classic rock sound is held together by lead singer Brittany Howard’s powerful vocals, building into a My Morning Jacket-style jam.
189 Jagwar Ma, "Come Save Me" ROCK Jagwar Ma released this surf jam at the beginning of the year, bringing enough warmth to make even the coldest winter night seem like a day at the beach.
188 Divine Fits, "Civilian Stripes" ROCK Super-group Divine Fits outstanding debut album features a lot of synths, guitar effects, and high octane songs that make 2012 rock & roll so intriguing. Yet it’s this acoustic track that stands out among the best, with Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs fame taking lead vocals, proving that sometimes an acoustic guitar is all you need to make breathtaking music.
187 Lotus Plaza, "Black Buzz" ALTERNATIVE Lockett Pundt is Lotus Plaza, and when he’s not performing under the Lotus Plaza moniker, he’s performing as a member of Deerhunter, his group with Bradford Cox, or Atlas Sound, whichever you like. On “Black Buzz” Pundt takes a page from Atlas Sound’s stunning 2011 album Parallax. The understated track features Pundt singing over an acoustic guitar and some atmospheric synths, with a melody that would make his Deerhunter partner envious. It’s a moment of breathtaking beauty and shows the extent of the talent involved in the Deerhunter project.
186 Summer Camp, "City" POP "City" features a bouncy, ready-made Top 40 beat, over lyrics about a lost love with Elizabeth Sankey singing, "The city / could have been ours." In another world, “City” by Summer Camp would be a #1 hit throughout the summer. Alas, we live in a world where Carly Rae Jepsen and Katy Perry rule the summer. And if both artists are smart, they will come running towards Summer Camp’s Jeremy Warmsley (producer) and Elizabeth Sankey (lyricist/vocalist).
185 Kindness, "House" ELECTRONICA “House” is a piano-based electronica song from Adam Bainbridge, better known by his stage name Kindness. The song’s pulsating synths and infectious piano line fit in perfectly with Bainbridge’s vocals, as he sings “I can’t give you all that you need / but I’ll give you all I can feel,” even being accompanied by some angelic background vocalists.
184 Mr Little Jeans, "Runaway" POP Norway’s own Monica Birkenes makes music under the Mr Little Jeans moniker, but there is nothing little about her music. “Runaway” is a catchy synth-pop delight about the joys of packing up and, well, running away to a place where anything is possible. The way Mr Little Jeans sings it, you might start packing your bags before the third chorus hits.
183 Frank Ocean, "Sweet Life" R&B/SOUL The man of the year makes his first appearance on this countdown with “Sweet Life,” one of the more laidback moments on channel ORANGE and features Frank Ocean at his most lounge singer-y, and it’s just as great as his many other personas. The breakdown at the end of the song is a great nod to “Neon” by John Mayer (one of his best songs), while his (rhetorical?) question of “Why see the world when you got the beach” has more than a hint of sarcasm to it, but with the sights and sounds on the beach so good, why would you want to be anywhere else?
182 The xx, "Angels" ALTERNATIVE This love song from The xx sounds like it was inspired by Sofia Coppola’s Lost In Translation, where love is no longer thought of as being something that happens instantly, but grows inside of each person until there are no other words except that one. “I think I’m ready as long as you’re with me,” Romy Madley Croft sings on the track with such delicateness you believe in every word she sings.
181 Purity Ring, "Obedear" ELECTRONICA Purity Ring couldn’t have had a much better 2012, and it all began with this track off their 2012 album. There is more than a hint of something sinister lurking in the song, but with Megan James’ angelic vocals, it’s hard not to be compelled to take the journey with Purity Ring into the abyss.
180 Air, "Sonic Armada" ELECTRONICA French electronica group Air has been making some of the best music in the genre this side of Daft Punk for years now, and “Sonic Armada” off of their 2012 album is undeniably the highlight of the set. So much happens over the course of the 5+ minute track compositionally it’s hard to keep track of, but with multiple listens come multiple rewards, the most notable being discovering one of the most outstanding moments in instrumental electronica music in 2012.
179 Spiritualized, "Little Girl" ROCK Spiritualized’s “Little Girl” starts off somber enough with lead singer Jason Pierce “Sometimes I wish that I were dead / ‘cause only the living feel the pain.” As the song wears on, his hopelessness begins to wan, leading to a joyous chorus about enjoying the things that are put in front of us, never worrying about what the future may or may not bring along with it.
178 Sweet Lights, "Endless Town" ALTERNATIVE Former The War On Drugs member Shai Halperin makes music as Sweet Lights, and on “Endless Town” he creates an outstanding single in the vein of Real Estate, albeit more interesting melodically.
177 Ultraísta, "Small Talk" ELECTRONICA Nigel Godrich, the man in the producer’s chair for many of Radiohead’s masterpieces started up his own band in 2012, Ultraista, with Joey Waronker and vocalist Laura Bettinson. “Smalltalk” was our first introduction to the band, and it made quite a statement, mixing the softness of The xx’s vocals with the type of production one would find on a Radiohead album.
176 Big Boi feat. A$AP Rocky & Phantogram, "Lines" HIP-HOP/RAP Big Boi teams up with the prettiest mother****er in Hip-Hop as well as indie darlings Phantogram to make this hypnotic track, complete with one of the best choruses in rap music this year.
175 Dan Deacon, "USA IV: Manifest" ELECTRONICA Dan Deacon’s 2012 album features a suite of songs at the end entitled “USA I-IV” that is as good as any moment of an LP this year. The finale of the lot, “USA IV: Manifest” builds to epic climax, complete with a beautiful string section that would make even Lana Del Rey envious.
174 Father John Misty, "Now I'm Learning To Love the War" ALTERNATIVE J. Tillman, former drummer of Fleet Foxes, struck out on his own in 2012 with Fear Fun, performing under the guise of Father John Misty. “Now I’m Learning To Love the War” is a stunning moment on his debut LP, and is one of his most gorgeous tracks melodically speaking. The song uses war as a metaphor for the recording process and the business that goes behind it, and Tillman’s ultimate decision to accept the evils of the industry as he sees the greater good that comes from his making music.
173 Jessie Ware, "Sweet Talk" R&B/SOUL “Sweet Talk” is a seductive R&B jam (then again, what Jessie Ware song isn’t seductive?) that is sold completely by the effectiveness of Ware’s vocals. One of 2012’s greatest surprises, Jessie Ware sings as if she’s falling in love for the first time, and the whole thing is brought together by some incredible production.
172 Holly Herndon, "Fade" ELECTRONICA When Holly Herndon is not in art school at Stanford she is making breathtaking music such as “Fade” off her 2012 album. Herndon’s chopped vocals give the electronica track a sense of humanity, and while the song does build slowly, the climb is so fascinating that before you know it, you’ve reached the top, unsure of how you got there, but fully aware of the beauty that surrounds you.
171 Stumbleine feat. Steffaloo, "Fade Into You" ALTERNATIVE Mazzy Star’s classic “Fade Into You” gets reworked on this version by electronica producer Stumbleine and vocalist Steffaloo. The original, recorded during the height of the grunge era in the early 1990s, gets updated in a way that makes it clear that this is 2012. Airy synths bleed together, creating an aural cacophony that works wonders next to Steffaloo’s breathy vocals.
For tomorrow's update, two artists that have previously made appearances on this chart have their last song chart in 2012, and I also deliver the first tracks from some of 2012's biggest names, including Passion Pit, Crystal Castles, Jack White, and Kendrick Lamar, to appear in the Top 200 Songs of 2012.