110 Matt Corby, “Brother” ALTERNATIVE Matt Corby delivers one of the best male vocal performances of the year on “Brother,” going from delicate singer-songwriter, to an Eddie Vedder-like howl.
109 Foxygen, “Waitin’ 4 U” ROCK Foxygen’s second song to be featured in this best of compilation is “Waitin’ 4 U,” and it’s another fantastic blend of various rock styles from The Rolling Stones to David Bowie.
108 Grimes, “Be a Body” ELECTRONICA Grimes excellent 2012 album features a whole slew of pop gems, and “Be a Body” is one of the best album tracks. Grimes airy vocals are a perfect compliment to her outstanding production.
107 Grizzly Bear, “Speak In Rounds” ALTERNATIVE “Speak In Rounds” is one of the best moments of Grizzly Bear’s 2012 album, featuring a sound similar to that of Arcade Fire but with Grizzly Bear’s innate sense of a pop melody.
106 Fiona Apple, “Every Single Night” POP This track begins as a lullaby before Fiona Apple powerfully sings “Every single night is a fight with my friends” that recalls the work of Florence Welch. Apple’s vocal performance is so much more powerful though, because she is able to contrast the bombast of the chorus with some of her most delicate vocals, sounding like she’s using as little air as possible to push the words from within her to live apart from her.
105 Jessie Ware, “Wildest Moments” R&B/SOUL Yeah, this song should totally be as big as “Bleeding Love” or “Someone Like You,” and knowing how late U.S. radio programmers are to the party, there is still hope for that to happen for “Wildest Moments.” Jessie Ware’s stunning ballad off her 2012 debut LP has Ware singing about the ups and downs of a romantic relationship, where in their wildest moments, they can either be the greatest or the worst of all. The roller coaster ride that is any relationship, and which are the source of this song, is a perfect theme to contrast Ware’s smooth-as-silk and extremely calm vocals.
104 Eli Mardock, “Cut Me Open” ALTERNATIVE When Eagle*Seagull disbanded a few years ago, there was little doubt that would stop Eli Mardock from letting his voice be heard. Now operating as a solo act, Mardock continues to create painstakingly beautiful indie pop music in the vein of Sufjan Stevens, but with a bit more structure. That is until the chorus hits, which while also being one of the best of the year, has Mardock belting in a way that recalls Thom Yorke’s pre-OK Computer days.
103 Octover, “Hurt” ELECTRONICA This duo from Singapore is set to drop their debut LP in 2013, but luckily for us, we already have this incredible single from the group. “Hurt” is a electro-dub-soul jam that recalls work from 2012 artists Purity Ring, Grimes, Jessie Ware, and AlunaGeorge. The main difference is the scope of the production, which is remarkable, and Vanessa Fernandez vocals that recall the 90s sensation Des’ree (“You Gotta Be”).
102 The Walkmen, “Dreamboat” ALTERNATIVE The closing track off of The Walkmen’s remarkable 2012 album, “Dreamboat,” Is just that, as it builds ever so slowly until we reach the ether. The mountain air lightness of the track can no doubt be attributed in part to the work of Phil Ek (who also produced Fleet Foxes’ 2011 album Helplessness Blues) as well as Robin Pecknold himself, the lead singer of Fleet Foxes, who contribute production and background vocals respectively to the song.
101 Tame Impala, “Apocalypse Dreams” ALTERNATIVE Tame Impala’s reintroduction to the world after their debut LP was “Apocalypse Dreams,” and what a return it was. The song built on the sound of their debut LP, providing more emotional depth and a little deeper digging into Kevin Parker’s instrument and lyrical tool bag. “Today could be the day that we break through,” he sings on the track. Who knew the apocalypse would sound this damn good?
One half down, another half to go. Join me tomorrow as I begin to countdown the 100 best songs of 2012.
The Top 100 Albums of 2012 countdown commences tomorrow as well. Be on the lookout!
100 Crystal Castles, “Transgender” ELECTRONICA Crystal Castles third song to be featured in this chart is also the first of the top 100. Full of the kinetic energy of their previous entries, Glass’ indecipherable vocals would normally be a turn off for me, but the whole song is packaged together so nicely, it’s impossible not to love.
99 Perfume Genius, “Hood” ALTERNATIVE There aren’t many other songs on this countdown that strike such an emotional chord as this song by Perfume Genius. “You would never call me baby / if you knew me truly” Perfume Genius sings on the way too short single. The song is enough to make even the loudest person in the room go speechless.
98 A$AP Rocky feat. 2 Chainz, Drake, & Kendrick Lamar, “****in’ Problems” HIP-HOP/RAP 2012 was supposed to be A$AP Rocky’s coming out party, and in some ways it was. No, he didn’t release a mixtape or a debut LP, but he did open the VMAs with Rihanna, as well as offering up “Goldie” in the summer, and being featured on Big Boi’s “Lines.” Yet it was this posse cut, inspired by similar ones such as “Clique,” “Mercy,” and “Forever,” that stood as Rocky’s crowning achievement of the year. The beat is reminiscent of Tyga’s “Rack City” and Drake’s “The Motto,” yet different enough to not be a total retread. And there are the guest appearances from 2 Chainz, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar. All three deliver in their own ways, with 2 Chainz acting as the perfect hype man, Drake trying to get in your pants, and Kendrick Lamar commanding you to show him respect.
97 Big Boi feat. Kelly Rowland, “Mama Told Me” HIP-HOP/RAP Last year we got “Party” and this year we get “Mama Told Me.” While a Beyonce-Andre 3000 pairing will always take the cake over a Big Boi-Kelly Rowland collaboration, these two knock it out of the park with this lighthearted, insanely catchy hip-hop single. The most similar OutKast track would have to be “Roses,” off of their critically acclaimed last studio album.
96 Solange, “Lovers In the Parking Lot” R&B/SOUL Where has this Solange been hiding? On her second (and certainly not last) appearance of 2012, Solange appears with this cut off her 2012 EP. While her big sister has carver herself out a niche in the breakup song department, where you’ll be the one that’s sorry, Solange flips that script, wherein she is the reason for the failed relationship. It makes for an even heartbreaking record, especially when Solange sings “I played around with your heart / Guess I played myself from the start.”
95 Kanye West, “White Dress” HIP-HOP/RAP This ode to being in love with most famous Kardashian was a sign that the Kanye West who released his first two solo albums wasn’t lost in a twisted fantasy world. The only difference is how much he has grown as a rapper, delivering an outstanding performance. There’s no telling what his next fantasy will look like.
94 Fiona Apple, “Anything We Want” POP “Anything We Want” is one of the best songs on Fiona’s excellent 2012 album, and is a perfect song to describe the joys of being in love. It’s a song about reliving ones teenage dream, when love is enough to make anyone feel invincible.
93 Kendrick Lamar, “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” HIP-HOP/RAP One of the best rap songs of the year, “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” is the type of records you think of when you think classic hip-hop songs. Lamar isn’t interested in the party life here, instead he’s happy with his drink and his music and nothing else. When most rappers are busy rapping about how much they have, it’s refreshing to hear one content with his solitude.
92 Pacific Air, “Float” POP The best use of whistling in a indie-pop song since Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks,” “Float” was made for the beach. The lighthearted song has some poignant lyrics, which are some of my favorites of the year, including “I don’t want to be young / But I don’t want to die / I can whisper in the wind / We can smoke out every night / I don’t want to live alone / I don’t want to stay inside / I can learn from my mistakes / In the morning I’ll be right.”
91 Tanlines, “Brothers” ALTERNATIVE The duo Tanlines 2012 album has some great moments, with “Brothers” being the highlight of the set. The song would be perfect for Zach Braff’s next directorial effort. The song builds effortlessly and will stay in your head for days, and it helps that there is some quality substance beneath the surface, as Eric Emm sings, “I’m just the same as I ever been / But I’m the only one that doesn’t notice it.”
90 Alabama Shakes, “Hold On” ROCK Long before GRAMMY voters nominated Alabama Shakes and “Hold On” for various awards, this song had a place on this countdown. Brittany Howard sounds incredible here, and lyrically, it’s the band’s strongest of the year, providing us all a glimpse into the insecurities and dreams of a 22 year old living in this 21st century America. “I don’t wanna wait” she wails on the track, only to calm down by reminding herself that she has to hold on.
89 The Helio Sequence, “Downward Spiral” ALTERNATIVE This moody masterpiece from The Helio Sequence features some great drumming, outstanding production, and fantastic vocals. It’s stadium sized music set in an underground club.
88 Animal Collective, “Applesauce” ALTERNATIVE On an otherwise challenging listen, Animal Collective’s 2012 album provided this track that will certainly be a fan favorite for years to come. The song features one of the strongest melodies of the album, and the various tempo changes are exactly what people have come to expect and love from this talented group of musicians.
87 Jessie Ware, “Night Light” R&B/SOUL This smooth jam has Jessie Ware singing about the safety love brings, and her vocals are absolutely stunning. The strings are a nice touch, providing some added emotional punch to the song while not making the song become melodramatic.
86 Frank Ocean feat. Earl Sweatshirt, “Super Rich Kids” HIP-HOP/RAP Interpolating Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets” into this song is utterly genius, and Frank Ocean’s rap/singing fits the atmosphere of the song really well. “Too many bottles of this wine we can’t pronounce / too many bowls of this green no lucky charms,” he raps during the chorus. And Earl Sweatshirt, who is quickly becoming one of the other standout acts in the Odd Future gang, delivers a fantastic guest verse.
85 Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, “Only In My Dreams” ALTERNATIVE There is a lot going on in the beautifully chaotic world of Ariel Pink. So much that many people are probably left wondering what does this guy think about. Well, it turns out, it’s a lot like our thoughts, where finding love is in the forefront: “Only in my dreams she’ll be right there next to me.”
84 BenZel feat. Jessie Ware, “If You Love Me” R&B/SOUL This cover is simply beautiful, and lands BenZel on the list of producers to watch out for in 2013. The Japanese teenagers landed Jessie Ware to provide vocals as well as bringing in a choir just for added effect.
83 Beach House, “Irene” ALTERNATIVE The closing track of Beach House’s album released earlier this year, “Irene,” is quite an experience to take in. The 6+ minute song features one of the most hypnotic guitar riffs I heard all year, as well as Victoria Legrand delivering heartwrenching vocals as she repeatedly sings towards the song’s end, “It’s a strange way to die.”
82 Tame Impala, “Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control” ALTERNATIVE Kevin Parker’s falsetto during the chorus of this song is so infectious chances are you’ll be humming this tune for the rest of year. The psychedelic influences’ of Tame Impala’s first album is most prevalent here, and with one of the strongest melodies on the album, this song’s inclusion here is a no-brainer.
81 Frank Ocean, “Forrest Gump” R&B/SOUL “It’s for you, forever” Frank Ocean sings at the end of “Forrest Gump,” the closing track on his excellent 2012 album. Ocean does a wonderful job of using the character Forrest Gump as a metaphor for the man he fell in love with, the same man he wrote about in his coming out letter posted during the summer. “You were running past the endzone,” Ocean notifies his love interest. “You’ve already got to where you need to be,” you can hear Ocean want to tell him. Yet it’s an empty plea, as Forrest, and whoever Forrest represents, continues to run in the opposite direction, leaving Ocean, and us, nothing more than this song.
Tomorrow we dive deeper into the Top 100 Songs of 2012, as we get closer to unveiling the #1 song of the year!