Friday, October 12, 2012

20 Best Songs of 2012..... SO FAR

This is Ryan's top 20 of 2012, so far. The order sequence does not reflect a ranking system. I have not gone so far as to order them from best to worst, or vice versa. For instance Gotye's Somebody I used to know is number one, but that does not mean I think it's the best song of 2012.

Here's a quick list of the songs;

1) Gotye - Somebody I used to Know
2) Band of Skulls - Patterns
3) Monsters of Men - Little Talks
4) Mother Mother - Let's Fall in Love
5) Japandroids - The House That Heaven Built
6) The Shins - Simple Song
7) Imagine Dragons - It's time
8) Fun - We are Young
9) The Gaslight Anthem - 45
10) The Lumineers - Ho Hey
11) Mumford and Sons - I Will Wait
12) Walk the Moon - Anna Sun
13) Fun - Some Nights
14) Young Empires - White Doves
15) Alabama Shakes - Hold On
16) Deadmau5 feat. Chris James - The Veldt
17) Mumford and Sons - The boxer
18) The Black Keys - Little Black Submarines
19) Metric - Breathing Underwater
20) Muse - Madness



 Here's some meat on the bones as to why I selected these songs;

1) Gotye - Somebody I used to Know

Gotye was considered to be the breakout artist of 2012, however I haven't really clicked with his other songs. I think this song will probably be a top contender for song of the year for 2012, however I am the point where I can't listen to this song anymore. Gotye seems like a really great guy and is taking his so called "one hit wonder" in stride, but his song is overplayed to death. I feel like I might be interested in listening to this song in a couple years, which sucks because it really is a great song and an overall creative music video.

2) Band of Skulls - Patterns

This song is catchy and overall pleasing. What is about songs that list numbers that really get me into them? I'm blaming Feist on this one. This song is a cue for my head to bob.

3) Monsters of Men - Little Talks

I'm a huge ska fan and even though this band isn't necessarily ska, this song really has some great elements of ska. It's got a great upbeat feeling, followed by some phenomenal contrasting lyrics that par off like a duet. Solid lyrics, solid sound, solid band.

4) Mother Mother - Let's Fall in Love

Another great example of a successful collaboration from female and male vocalists. This might sound like another relationship punching bag song, but it's got depth. This is a great example of quality independent Canadian music.

5) Japandroids - The House That Heaven Built

Japandorids deliver in this song, it easily the best song on their album Celebration Rock. They go hard, and it's greatly appreciated. This really is one of my top 5 songs of 2012, even though I promised not to mention a ranking system. This is the kind of song you want to sing (cough, shout) along with live at one of their shows. If they try to slow you down, tell them all to go to hell! Great words of wisdom.

6) The Shins - Simple Song

This is a wicked cruising song. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person guilty of rolling down the windows while listening to this blare on the highway. This song barely made it into the 2012 cutoff, being released January 10th. If you dig the song check out Port of Morrow, the album features other great songs like It's Only Life and The Rifle's Spiral. The Shins get +1 for creating a music video that gave me the impression that it was directed by Wes Anderson.

7) Imagine Dragons - It's Time

At this moment, this is currently my favorite song. I've literally raped the replay button on YouTube. I'd suggest purchasing this song, and checking out their debut album Night Visions.

8) Fun - We are Young

Fun in my mind is anthem rock, they make music similar to Queen. I want to be clear this though, I'm not saying Fun is on the same level as Queen. Fun is one of those bands that grabs you and holds onto you, which is what Queen does. We can all sing along to their songs in large groups, which is what they're all about. Some Nights really was an amazing record, they're not just a band with a one-off song. I expect some great tunes from this band in the future!

9) The Gaslight Anthem - 45

I listen to this song and think "wow I would have really dug this song when I was sixteen", but the fact is I'm not sixteen and I still do really dig this song! They're song has some great elements of a solid punk-rock song. It might not be a hardcore punk song, but it's still really good.

10) The Lumineers - Ho Hey

Got to love the use of the Mandolins in this song. This is the kind of song the indie kids would jam to. Their music video for this song also has an excessive amounts of fedoras in it.

11) Mumford and Sons - I Will Wait

We all waited for Babel, after being blown away by Sigh No More.  I'm barely scratching the surface of Mumford's new CD. It took me awhile to fully immerse myself into Sigh No More, but have been better off since. Babel has some good tunes, sure, but I'm uncertain it will stand on par with Sigh No More. It's important to note that this band's first album was a breakout hit that garnished the band immediate success. The band has proven that with Babel, they are capable, and will continue to be a highly successful band. Mumford is full of great musicians, and I'm personally thrilled that they have only begun their career.

12) Walk the Moon - Anna Sun

I heard this song at a Young the Giant concert in downtown Toronto, and thought to myself "wow, this was the only good song of the night". I digress, but only slightly. This song is really catchy, from a rather new indie band. I implore everyone to YouTube their music video for this song and see what our creative generation can accomplish. "We got no money, but we got hear-t-t-t!". This video is also a reminder of how hipster our generation is.

13) Fun - Some Nights

Like I previously stated, great band, and great album. I originally saw the music video before listening to the song on the radio. I would suggest checking out the video, it's really well done. Nothing wrong with the song on it's own though, it's all around solid. If I had to make one criticism about this song, it'd have to be about the voice auto tuning..... Not necessary, sir.

14) Young Empires - White Doves

Young Empires is fantastic new band that plays some catchy down right awesome indie rock. One of their other tracks, We Don't Sleep Tonight came very close to making it on this top 20 list. What's surprising to me is that this band is amazing, yet they haven't blown up yet. Fantastic work guys!

15) Alabama Shakes - Hold On

The pipes on this lady! Seriously listen to this song and try not to be shocked at the talent this band has. Alabama Shakes is currently on my radar for new content.

16) Deadmau5 feat. Chris James - The Veldt

Deadmau5 is Deadmau5. His music is perfect for those long pauses in movies where a person is sitting on a bus looking out a window. I dare you to prove me wrong.

17) Mumford and Sons - The boxer

The second best song on Babel, in my opinion is a cover. Hate away. This is a great song, and Mumford did a great job of covering it.

18) The Black Keys - Little Black Submarines

This duo can really pump out some good tunes. Little Black Submarines sounds like music from another generation. It's weird listening to Modern Rock that sounds distinctly like Classic Rock. It's a great song, and I'll give it up to The Black Keys for making two solid back-to-back records. Those being of course Brothers and El Camino.

19) Metric - Breathing Underwater

I was skeptical about Synthetica, as I had trouble finding songs that really sparked my interest. I'm a fan of Metric and own all their albums, but was slightly disappointed with this album. Breathing Underwater is a great track, and there is some good tracks on Synthetica, but this is probably my least favorite record by Metric.

20) Muse - Madness

Muse has proven to be one of the most successful and versatile bands in the past couple years. I still regard Black Holes and Revelations as one of my favorite albums. Madness isn't one of my favorite Muse songs, but it's still pretty good.The song really grows on you, I will say that about it.