Top 25 Songs of 2012

25. AC Newman - I'm Not Talking

Coming in at 25, is AC Newman's "I'm Not Talking." A true stunner, INT is immediately enjoyable with its lovely melody and wide arrangements. Also, love the way the vocals repeat on the chorus, "Until then... (UNTIL THEN!)

24. Wild Nothing - Shadow

Following 2010's wonderful and excellent debut Gemini, Wild Nothing continue to wow with Nocturne. Everything, from the gorgeous cover art (anyone thinking Talk Talk?) to the dreamy, pop goodness that lies within is near perfect. Shadow is such a great opener, and has been in just about every mixtape/playist I've made this year. Definitely worth checking out.

23. Caleb Stone - Kenny G Is Dead

I have to thank Friendzone for this one or I would have never known. Caleb Stone's Sleepy Bitches is just something you need to experience. I'm telling you, start this album in the early morning, just before the sun rises, even more specific, while driving alone. If you can time it right to where the sun rises right around where "'s Mom" comes in, your fucking golden. "Kenny G Is Dead" tho, is something I can't put down. I really didn't know what a beat tape was, or rather supposed to be, until this one.

22. Menomena - Baton

I honestly feel like I'm one of the few who really enjoyed Moms. Sure, Knopf is gone. You gonna cry about it? The other members didn't, in fact they made a great album instead. I would say "Baton" is the standout here.

21. The Walkmen - Heaven

Heaven is overall, a much simpler album than that of Lisbon or You And Me, one of my all time favorites. But I need to stress this, simple does not mean bad, not at all. The first single off Heaven is classic Walkmen, with its driving drum and bass, and that unmistakable clean-picked guitar I've grown to love.

20. Liars - His And Mine Sensations

Compared to Kid A by some jerkoff, Liars find themselves jumping on the electronic bandwagon with WIXIW. But I have to say I really enjoyed this album, from the electro-pop of "No. 1 Against The Rush," to the mind-fuckery of the album title, WIXIW moves along at a decent pace. It's mostly dark and grim, but I keep coming back to it. "His And Mine Sensations" is utterly hypnotic, with that pulsing beat, especially near the end of the track when he sings, "La-ih-ah-ih-ah-ih-ahhh..." Yeah, that one will get burned into your skull.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhbYzc4VPls

19. Pop 1280 - New Electronix

The Horror is my first introduction to Pop 1280, and I think it's pretty great. I may be slightly biased tho, as I'll eat up anything Sacred Bones Records throws at me. "New Electronix" fucking destroys. The guitars on this one are like "extra" noisy and dissonant. Not for the faint of heart.

18. Friendzone - I Miss Ya'll

Real quick, TECHNICALLY, this was released in 2011, featuring Squadda B of Main Attrakionz. However, I missed it. Friendzone released the amazing Collection 1 earlier this year, followed by a remastering in September. 808's and Dark Grapes II was my favorite album of 2011, and Friendzone produced the beats on my favorite tracks on that album. The remarkable thing about Collection 1 is how well the tracks hold up w/o vocals. I mean these are downright gorgeous. I haven't heard something so meaningful in a LONG time. "I Miss Ya'll" is one of the quieter tracks, in which Friendzone show their sweeter side. This is the kind of music everyone should be excited about. A must listen.

17. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Only In My Dreams

APHG is one of those bands that I think you either love or hate. You can talk all day about how Mature Themes didn't meet your expectations, wasn't as good as Before Today, blah blah, etc. I for one, loved it, and I applaud Mr. Rosenberg for not giving us exactly what we wanted. But that is the beauty of Haunted Graffiti, we get the good with the (somewhat) bad. The way I always looked at it was he throws a bunch of shit at a wall and whatever sticks, sticks, even though there is still a mess everywhere (I'll-be-it a wondrous, glorious mess.) Do you really hate "Schnitzel Boogie" that much? It's really not that bad. Anyways, while he is L.A. based, I think Mature Themes is SO New York (i'm basing this on nothing except for a feeling.) For instance, when I hear "Is This The Best Spot?" I think of sewers with gas (steam?) spewing out from them and roller skating gangs from Joel Schumacher's terrible 1997 film Batman and Robin, and yes, tons of graffiti! Ok, maybe it's just that song, but I'm realizing that just talking about this album has made me like it that much more. Also, I've become sidetracked. Ariel Pink may have just wrote the best song of his career with "Only In my Dreams." It is a beautiful pop song, and one that only Pink could have written.

16. The Very Best - Rumbae

The Very Best just keep getting better. With MTMTMTK, they have, I'm convinced, secured their place as global pop stars. They have to be. The beats are bigger, the music is louder... Everything is in its right place. Esau Myamwaya has never sounded so comfortable and confident; Radioclit's beats primed for the dancefloor. There is something here for everyone, and yes I believe it has more mainstream appeal than any of their previous offerings (which are my favorite.) Rumbae is incredibly catchy and I would even say, much to my dismay, slightly "dub-steppy." Anyways, just one of my favorites from this wonderful followup to Warm Heart Of Africa.

15. Japandroids - The House That Heaven Built

Japandroids are back for another anthem-fueled album. They haven't changed a bit since their debut Post-Nothing, which you might recall was one of my favorite albums of 2009. Celebration Rock has the same heart-on-your-sleeve songwriting, the same relentless guitar strumming, the same "play air drums to" drums, and the same 'shout it at the top of your lungs" vocals that we all know and love. And it's great. I didn't really want anything to change. Enjoy the seminal "The House That Heaven Built," with its incredible chorus, "When they love you, and they will, Tell them all there's love in your/my shadow. And if they try to slow you down, Tell 'em all to go to hell." Oh, and enjoy the fireworks.

14. Tame Impala - Apocalypse Dreams

Tame Impala's Lonerism is truly stellar. It is much more focused than Innerspeaker, (which is not to be missed or forgotten) and is one of the better sophomore releases I've heard. "Apocalypse Dreams" is just so good, the way they take that driving opener and break it down to the point of disintegration, and then put it all back together to finally build into this epic of an outro, all the while hearing echoes of, "Everything is changing..." This one did a number on me.

13. Frank Ocean - Super Rich Kids

Last year I wrote about how much I loved Odd Future. It was premature, again, I was caught up in it. The more I looked at their rise and success, especially what they've done with it (see Loiter Squad,) I began to question my love, especially of Tyler. But there has been one undisputed factor in Odd Future, and that has been Frank Ocean. I'm not even sure if he still is a member or claims to be. What I do know is that he has been the most endearing, whether it be his Nostalgia mixtape or more recently his appearance on Kanye's Watch The Throne (I still think it was more of a Kanye album than a Jay-Z album.) And this is due largely to the fact that this guy can SING. With Channel Orange, Frank Ocean has risen above all of Odd Future, let alone most current (I'm saying "current" and can't think of any others) R and B artists. This album, I guarantee, will be on everyone's year end lists, and for good reason too. Simply, it's fucking great music. "Super Rich Kids" is just one of the many bangers (I know, I hated the use of the word "banger" here too) on this album. I love the start/stop beat, especially the piano on this one, as he paints a picture of a life I've never been familiar with. This also features the first long-anticipated return of Earl Sweatshirt, who delivers a pretty solid verse towards the end.

12. Swans - A Piece Of The Sky

Swans devastating and magnificent The Seer is the only album I'm afraid to write about, as just about nothing I can say can truly match the sheer awesome power of this album. Believe me, I have more to say about this, but for now bask in the terror/beauty of "A Piece Of The Sky." The first ten minutes is something I've honestly never heard before, the gentle whisper of raindrops (which honestly sounds like it could be piss, knowing Swans' love of fucking with you,) as it warps into this low chant, that swirls into this dissonant bells hammering your brain centers, and then this big epic guitar "DUH, TE DUH, DUH..." and finally asking the question, if you are still alive, "Are you there?"

11. Chromatics - Kill For Love

Good God in Heaven, I fucking love this song. I love the synthesizers, I love the guitar work, I love Ruth's (and that her name is Ruth) sweet, seductive vocals... Oh, I could go on... Did you see Drive? I thought it was terrible but I went out and got the soundtrack, because of Chromatics.

10. Lambchop - Gone Tomorrow

On honestly, my favorite Lambchop album since How I Quit Smoking, Lambchop deliver some of the finest songs of their career. Mr. M is staggeringly beautiful. "Gone Tomorrow" at first is this simple acoustic ballad, but then it drops away, and becomes something else entirely, showcasing some of the most gorgeous string arrangements I've heard all year. I am not usually an advocate of music videos, but you just have to see this one, as, for as long as I have enjoyed this track this year, I was just recently introduced to the music video, and it is so vastly different from what I imagined. Again, all this just makes me like Kurt Wagner more.

9. Kendrick Lamar - Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe

Kendrick Lamar released the best hip hop album of 2012, says everyone. I'm not here to argue with any of them. It's storytelling at its best. "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" just has this sultry jazz guitar hook, I just keep coming back for more. "I got my drink, I got my music..." He said it best.

8. Julia Holter - In The Same Room

Julia Holter's Exstasis is lovely. I think she has this beautiful voice, and I love the way she loops her vocals. "In The Same Room" is truly special, from the moment those drums kick off, to around the two minute mark where everything just fades away, and those synths just kind of float around. In love.

7. Kindness - House

On the most surprising release, from hands down the best new artist of 2012, Kindness' World, You Need A Change of Mind is the best pop album of the year. "House" is the centerpiece, with its simple piano beat, building into that chorus, "I can't give you all all that you need, but I'll give you all I can feel." Believe me, we feel it.

6. Spiritualized - Hey Jane

I think I've probably listened to "Hey Jane" about a thousand times since Sweet Heart Sweet Light came out in April. The music is so great, and contrasted by some pretty dark lyrics (and an even darker music video.) But I can't help every time when it speeds up at the end joining along with, "Sweet heart, sweet light, Sweet heart and love of my life." It's really moving, and did I mention it rocks?

5. Cloud Nothings - Wasted Days

Cloud Nothing's Attack On Memory abandons the light-hearted pop punk of their earlier releases with more emphasis on a "harder" sound. And there is no better track to showcase this, than "Wasted Days," the nine minute epic of epics. There is a point in the song where you think it cannot get any crazier, and then it, well, it does. I was lucky enough to see them live earlier this year, and they played the HELL out of this song. It was a really memorable performance, and "Wasted Days" has been my favorite ever since.

4. Schoolboy Q - There He Go

"There He Go" is a mission statement, no it's THE mission statement. This is the coolest of the coolest, the swag(gest?) of the swag... (I could go on but I feel I am embarrassing myself...) Enter Schoolboy Q, with the sickest beat, (I believe I read it was built on a Menomena sample) as he GOES... The greatest line, when he's sleeping with this girl who her, "Boyfriend's got me paranoid..." "But what I failed (felt?) to understand, I'm the muthafuckin man, ran into him he's a fan, goddamn."

3. .L.W.H. - Monument

On an album that is so different from 2011's Tape Hiss Hooligan, comes a closer that is so different from the rest of the album. And yet, it MAKES CIA TV. "Monument" is a huge standout track, with its pounding drum beat, those pretty synths, the melancholy words and the standout production only .L.W.H. could give us. You have to hear this album. http://lwhmusic.bandcamp.com/album/cia-tv

2. Pop Winds - Earth To Friend

The album closer and title track "Earth To Friend" is probably my most listened to track all year. I love Pop Winds, and if this is the last we ever hear from them, what a high note to leave on.

1. Nap Eyes - White Disciple

"White Disciple" is a parable of sorts. I don't fully understand what it's about, but I know the feeling I get from listening to it. Built around the chorus, "Said the White Disciple when he sent for me, It doesn't matter what anyone is born to be. See your life is pointless, unless it sets you free. Won't you set me free? Won't you set me free?" "White Disciple" chugs along, only briefly straying from the main riff. So what is it about this song? Why is it so utterly mesmerizing? Why am I obsessing over it? Why do I keep playing it, and then play it again, and then think about listening to it when I'm away? Why, after all the incredible music this year, am I completely stumped on this one? Tell me I'm crazy, that I've lost all credibility. Or maybe, just maybe, this one will get a hold of you, and you too might believe. http://napeyes.bandcamp.com/album/four-more-songs-by