Unfortunately, 2012 was another hard ass year after a hard year before. Fortunately, I was a better music listener this past year, so it’s time to announce my picks for the best songs of 2012, albeit very late as it is now well into 2013.
I listen to and critique about half of the albums that appear on my two sources of rock/indie/rap music reviews: the A.V. Club music reviews and the Sound Opinions podcast. Anything on local radio is also game. I don’t read music sites other than that, except occasionally Pitchfork and The Reader, so I don’t know any obscure/underground shit. Out of that, I have to say that I also get too busy due to work assignments or research requirements to listen to new music on a regular basis, so take this list for what it is.
Last year I tried to identify one song per week that I thought was fabulous, but I failed to keep vigilant on my list-making duties, and there were also a lot of weeks this year where I thought nothing particularly good was released, so I only ended up with 43 finalists. Note: I considered songs released starting in November 2011 provided I haven’t heard them until the year under consideration.
I picked 15 songs. Without further justifications, here they are (my list also available via Spotify):
15. “Thread” – Now, Now [listen]
14. “Myth” – Beach House [listen]
13. “Dog Days” – Arms [listen]
12. “The Full Retard” – El-P [listen]
11. “I Bought My Eyes” – Ty Segall Band [listen]
10. “No Future/No Past” – Cloud Nothings [listen]
9. “Hey Jane” – Spiritualized [listen]
8. “About to Die” – Dirty Projectors [listen]
7. “Midnight City” – M83 [listen]
6. “Tiny Arrows” – The Jayhawks [listen]
5. “My Eating Disorder” – Titus Andronicus [listen – sort of]
4. “Endors Toi” and “Apocalypse Dreams” – Tame Impala [listen and listen]
3. “My Revolutionary Mind” – Jay Farrar, et al. [listen]
2. “Younger Us” – Japandroids [listen]
1. “Gun Has No Trigger” – Dirty Projectors [listen and look]
Not selected, but my honorable mentions:
* “Around My Way [Freedom Ain’t Free]” – Lupe Fiasco [listen]
* “We Can’t Have Nice Things” – Kelly Hogan [listen]
* “Might Find It Cheap” – Blitzen Trapper [listen]