Top 100 Songs of 2012

I listened to a lot of music this year. I listen to a lot of music every year, but I really listened to a lot of music this year. The interesting thing, admittedly, is that usually the 100 song list gets a bit watered down after about 60 or 70. Sequencing is always an over thought exercise subject to endless scrutiny even well after the fact, but in many years the last twenty tracks have sometimes felt like a stretch. Not in 2012.

There was a lot of great music released over the past twelve months. A lot of folks said they had not heard many of the records in my recent Top 100 Albums of 2012 post. On one hand it's odd, because to me my lists feel pretty safe and almost mainstream compared to a lot of stuff I've seen out there. On the other hand though, it's cool if it means people are getting introduced to interesting music they either don't have time to find on their own.

Regardless of what people like or how they view the tracks on this list, the approach I always take is to let the strength of a song stand on its own. I don't purposely go looking for kitschy pop to mix in with pretentious Brit noise pop, nor do I avoid fun radio friendly type songs if they are well written and sincere in their intent. I was chatting with a friend tonight, and we were saying it's not cool to like Hall & Oates because they're funny or kitschy. It's cool because they wrote really solid legitimate songs. You can't fake good songwriting and regardless of whether everything on this list works for everyone, there is at least a common vibe of these artists putting together some pretty great melodies and clever words.

Anyway here's the list. Hoping to break out the Top 10 with a seperate written detail post in the next little while.

Here is also a link to the Playlist for this on Rdio
(with six replacement tracks tacked on the end to make 100 - for the ones missing/unavailable in rdio currently)

http://rd.io/x/QV5AJjNUz_s

100	Band of Horses	Knock Knock
99	Santigold	Disparate Youth
98	Neon Trees	Everybody Talks
97	Chiddy Bang	Ray Charles
96	Tribes	We Were Children
95	The Twilight Sad	Don't Look At Me
94	Spector	Grey Shirt & Tie
93	Frank Ocean	Pyramids
92	Liars	His and Mine Sensations
91	Keane	Silenced By The Night
90	The Maccabees	Pelican
89	Lightships	Sweetness in Her Spark
88	Yukon Blonde	Radio
87	Big Boi	Shoes For Running
86	Lower Dens	Candy
85	Two Door Cinema Club	Sleep Alone
84	Shearwater	You As You Were
83	Wintersleep	In Came The Flood
82	Saint Etienne	I've Got Your Music
81	Melody's Echo Chamber	You Won't Be Missing That Part of Me
80	Tame Impala	Feels Like We Only Go Backwards
79	Light Asylum	Heart of Dust
78	Miike  Snow	The Wave
77	Cat Power	Cherokee
76	Nas	You Wouldn't Understand
75	Rufus Wainwright	Out Of The Game
74	The Temper Trap	Need Your Love
73	Soul Asylum	Gravity
72	Camouflage Nights	Five Five Minutes
71	Django Django	Storm
70	Animal Collective	Applesauce
69	Of Mosters and Men	Mountain Sound
68	Grizzly Bear	Yet Again
67	Pet Shop Boys	Leaving
66	Muse	Madness
65	Amos The Transparent	Says The Spark
64	Cadence Weapon	Conditioning
63	Jon K. Sampson	When I Write My Masters Thesis
62	Ultravox	Live
61	Smashing Pumpkins	Inkless
60	Seapony	Outside
59	Richard Hawley	She Brings The Sunlight
58	Chromatics	Lady
57	The Helio Sequence	October
56	Sleighbells	Comeback Kid
55	Young Rival	Two Reasons
54	Brothertiger	Lovers
53	Deerhoof	Fete D'Adieu
52	Paul Banks	Young Again
51	Dragonette	Live In This City
50	Electric Guest	This Head I Hold
49	Alt-J	Breezeblocks
48	Minus The Bear	Steel and Blood
47	Best Coast	The Only Place
46	Memoryhouse	The Kids Were Wrong
45	Joel Plaskett Emergency	You're Mine
44	Dinosaur Jr.	Watch The Corners
43	White Rabbits	Heavy Metal
42	Van She	Idea Of Happiness
41	Cloud Nothings	Stay Useless
40	Eight and A Half	Go Ego
39	Lotus Plaza	Strangers
38	Ben Browning	I Can't Stay
37	Delta Spirit	California
36	Matt & Kim	Let's Go
35	Bahamas	Caught Me Thinking
34	Mike O'Neill	Colin
33	Crocodiles	Endless Flowers
32	The Shins	No Way Down
31	Tegan & Sara	Closer
30	Grimes	Oblivion
29	fun.	Why Am I The One
28	The xx	Sunset
27	Frankie Rose	Know Me
26	Field Music	Guillotine
25	Brendan Benson	What Kind of World
24	Jaill	Everyone's A Bitch
23	Diamond Rings	Runaway Love
22	Citizens!	True Romance
21	Imperial Teen	Out From The Inside
20	Japandroids	Adrenaline Nightshift
19	Bear In Heaven	The Reflection of You
18	School Of Seven Bells	The Night
17	Tanlines	All Of Me
16	Wild Nothing	Shadow
15	Beach House	Myth
14	Of Montreal	Spiteful Intervention
13	Ladyhawke	Black White & Blue
12	Diiv	Sometime
11	Kylie Minogue	Timebomb
10	Gypsy & The Cat	Bloom
9	The Presets	Youth In Trouble
8	Bob Mould	The Descent
7	Yeasayer	Reagan's Skeleton
6	Purity Ring	Fineshrine
5	Redd Kross	Stay Away From Downtown
4	The Walkmen	Heaven
3	Divine Fits	Would That Not Be Nice
2	Twin Shadow	Five Seconds
1	Hot Chip	Don't Deny Your Heart

Top 100 Albums of 2012

Weird year. Cool year, but weird. For these ears, my favourite records this year didn't so much push boundaries, but rather borrowed from the past really really well. Records that sound heavily influenced by another era are a delicate matter. A lot of those types of albums this year sounded like 2012 wrapped nicely in 1980's or 1960's bows and ribbons, rather than the shameful gimmicky type of homage that happens far too frequently.

So for as many year end lists that will see the likes of Animal Collective and Godspeed You! Black Emperor on top (much respect to both - they're in here), it would be pretty disingenuous if my top picks didn't showcase the tremendous sincere pop music that made it into my headphones most often throughout 2012. My lists will almost always default to clever, genuine, heartfelt melodies and lyrics, and brevity. Hopefully this one is representative of that.

As with any major list undertaking, and similar to previous years, I have a reckoning that sequencing gets inherently dodgy after about the top 50. Also no amount of additional tinkering is going to make me more okay with it, and within 15 minutes of posting, I'll regret 75% of this, but here goes.......

100	Clinic	Free Reign
99	Kid Koala	12 Bit Blues
98	Orbital	Wonky
97	Spiritualized	Sweet Heart Sweet Light
96	Ceremony	Zoo
95	And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead	Lost Songs
94	Camouflage Nights	Camouflage Nights
93	Electric Guest	Mondo
92	Actress	R.I.P.
91	The Maccabees	Given To The Wild
90	Dirty Projectors	Swing Lo Magellan
89	Sleigh Bells	Reign of Terror
88	Cloud Nothings	Attack on Memory
87	Lotus Plaza	Spooky Action at A Distance
86	The Raveonettes	Observator
85	Bahamas	Barchords
84	Tribes	Baby
83	Light Asylum	Light Asylum
82	Lower Dens	Nootropics
81	Howler	America Give Up
80	Gypsy & The Cat	The Late Blue
79	Dead Can Dance	Anastasis
78	Nas	Life Is Good
77	Melody's Echo Chamber	Melody's Echo Chamber
76	Seapony	Falling
75	Richard Hawley	Standing At The Sky's Edge
74	John K. Samson	Provincial
73	Spector	Enjoy It While It Lasts
72	Menomena	Moms
71	The Evens	The Odds
70	Missions Of Burma	Unsound
69	Crystal Castles	Crystal Castles (III)
68	Young Rival	Stay Young
67	A.C. Newman	Shut Down The Streets
66	Wintersleep	Hello Hum
65	Errors	Have Some Faith in Magic
64	Cat Power	Sun
63	Joel Plaskett Emergency	Scrappy Happiness
62	Humans	Traps
61	Citizens!	Here We Are
60	Grizzly Bear	Shields
59	Bats For Lashes	The Haunted Man
58	Deerhoof	Breakup Song
57	Jaill	Traps
56	Japandroids	Celebration Rock
55	Eight and A Half	Eight and A Half
54	Lightships	Electric Cables
53	Cadence Weapon	Hope In Dirt City
52	Matt & Kim	Lightning
51	Best Coast	The Only Place
50	Sigur Ros	Valtari
49	The Walkmen	Heaven
48	Animal Collective	Centipede Hz
47	Dinosaur Jr.	I Bet On Sky
46	Pet Shop Boys	Elysium
45	Liars	WIXIW
44	Vcmg	SSSS
43	The Shins	Port of Morrow
42	Saint Etienne	Words and Music by Saint Etienne
41	White Rabbits	Milk Famous
40	Paul Banks	Banks
39	Mike O'Neill	Wild Lines
38	Yukon Blonde	Tiger Talk
37	New Build	Yesterday Was Lived and Lost
36	Shearwater	Animal Joy
35	Mystery Jets	Radlands
34	The Helio Sequence	Negotiations
33	Brendan Benson	What Kind of World
32	Ultravox	Brilliant
31	Crocodiles	Endless Flowers
30	Godspeed You! Black Emperor	Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!
29	Tame Impala	Lonerism
28	Van She	Idea of Happiness
27	Brothertiger	Golden Years
26	Bob Mould	Silver Age
25	Two Door Cinema Club	Beacon
24	Of Montreal	Paralytic Stalks
23	Frankie Rose	Interstellar
22	Imperial Teen	Feel The Sound
21	Django Django	Django Django
20	Ladyhawke	Anxiety
19	Field Music	Plumb
18	Chromatics	Kill For Love
17	Yeasayer	Fragrant World
16	Grimes	Visions
15	Alt-J	An Awesome Wave
14	The xx	Coexist
13	Diiv	Oshin
12	Diamond Rings	Free Dimensional
11	Beach House	Bloom
10	The Presets	Pacifica
9	Purity Ring	Shrines
8	Bear In Heaven	I Love You, It's Cool
7	Tanlines	Mixed Emotions
6	Wild Nothing	Nocturne
5	Hot Chip	In Our Heads
4	School Of Seven Bells	Ghostory
3	Divine Fits	A Thing Called Divine Fits
2	Twin Shadow	Confess
1	Redd Kross	Researching The Blues