This year's collaborative, fronted by the all powerful Kanye West, was entitled "G.O.O.D. Music", and it was exactly what you'd think. Good music. Not bad, and not incredible, just good. They were songs that you could ride too, and songs that were great for background music. But also, at the same time, there was an aspect about Cruel Summer that had this undeniable abrasiveness to it. I think this is because of the roster on some of the standout tracks. Of course there's the big hit this summer "Mercy", and Kanye's solo track "Cold". But easily, the most memorable, and most promising track definitely was "Clique". Yes, the chorus is a little half-baked, but the verses on this thing are something similar to the track "Monster" that came out two years ago on Kanye's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Clique is great because it's the perfect song that rappers like Kanye and Jay-Z could make at this point in time. Nothing too over-the-top, and nothing amateur.
29. "Bad Girls" - M.I.A M.I.A has had a very interesting career thus far. She's notably known for being an electronic artist from Sri Lanka, but is also pointed out to be a political voice, beef starter, and controversial finger flipper on the most televised event of the year. Her last album received very mixed reviews, which is something almost unheard of with her previous two albums before that. So now Maya, in 2012, is pregnant with her second child (the child may or may not have already been delivered, i'm too lazy to check). She promised an album this year but that failed to meet everyone's expectations. But what we did get was her nearly-radio hit single Bad Girls which is exactly the song you'd want to hear from her. The very eastern beat is another added spice to this treat of a track. Sadly, this song lost a lot of momentum when it was released, but I definitely didn't forget about it. 
28. "Younger Us" - JapandroidsJapandroids never cease to amaze me. When they made their first debut Post-Nothing, I was instantly a fan. Japandroids are a perfect example of an indie/emo crossover that crank out rock anthems like there's no tomorrow. This year's follow up to their previously mentioned album, which was entitled Celebration Rock was a very fitting title for the collection of songs. The one track that really stuck out to me was "Younger Us" which is everything I want from a Japandroids song; Ambitious, nostalgic, but yet absent of pretentiousness. "Younger Us" had an undeniable sense of awareness, which to me came across as charming, with lyrics like, "Remember saying things like 'we'll sleep when we're dead' and thinking this feeling was never gonna end." What's not to love about this song which is fueled by it.
27. "Yet Again" - Grizzly Bear
Grizzly Bear is a very interesting band, almost unlike any band I've heard. They tend to write some of the most structurally complex songs I've heard. And that's what is so attractive about Grizzly Bear, to me. Each song is like a puzzle to unravel. Their 2009 album Veckatimest had some songs that were a perfect example of this, with tracks like "Southern Point" and "Ready, Able". But one other aspect of Grizzly Bear that is equally attractive is that whenever they write a song that is meant to be as direct and straight forward as possible, it's breathtaking. "Yet Again" is one of those songs. The track consists of a very persistent drum beat with rolling guitar chords, and Ed Droste's voice melting over all of this. At first, it may seem a lot to digest, but at the same time, it's so simple that it's brilliant.
26. "Gem" - The Act of Estimating as Worthless
This band is definitely something that went unnoticed in 2012, and I find that really disappointing. I thoroughly enjoyed their release Amongst These Splintered Minds//Leaden Thoughts Sing Softly mostly because of the unique instrumentation used throughout and it's striking resemblance to artists like Kimya Dawson. But easily the one track that left me with goosebumps was the last track on the album, "Gem". Zoe and Matt may not have an aurally striking voice, but the main effect comes from how genuine their presence is. It's enough to be more moved than anything by someone by the likes of Adele or whoever else is popular at the moment. Please do these guys a favor and check them out, it will definitely be worth it.
25. "Trilogy 6 (Forgetting)" - Loma PrietaI had the pleasure of seeing Loma Prieta in a venue only a few miles from my house for a measly $5, and I can definitely say it was one of the best five dollars I've spent. They played alongside Punch, whom they were touring with at the time. Loma Prieta's set was nothing but pure chaos and intensity. There was so much power and so much energy in their songs that it filled the entire room and could swing the venue's doors open off its hinges. Off of their full length they released this year, I.V., which was released on Death Wish, yields three songs that were a part of a trilogy. The last of which, is the song I chose as one of my top songs; mostly because it captures everything I love about the band, and also has one of my favorite riffs whilst the screaming of "SO STAY THE FUCK AWAY" was being drilled into your ears, it was barely audible through the crushing distortion and raw energy.
24. "Seven Stars" - Air
Air has always been a very interesting group to me. I'm not an avid listener of them but I get excited whenever I see their name, because I know it will be difficult for them to disappoint. The album that this track comes off serves as a soundtrack for the legendary silent film Le Voyage dans la lune which was filmed in 1902. The album itself was without its charm when played without the film, but the single "Seven Stars" was something special. The track opens with really eerie and dark timpani, and then slowly making way for a very machine-like drum pattern. Then halfway through the song, a man's voice starts making a countdown to liftoff, and once he hits zero, for a split second I swore that time stopped the first time I heard the track. Then the last half of the song features vocals from Beach House's Victoria Legrand. The track encompasses the sound of something that is enticing to all; adventure.
23. "Whippoorwill Lane" - Suns
The Connecticut scene is something that is brewing and about to get big. Some acts that tie into the scene are along the lines of The World Is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die, Midi & the Modern Dance, Fugue (both of which have lately ceased to exist), and ofcourse Suns. The band recently added the great guitarist Peter Katz from Fugue which I mentioned earlier. Suns released their first proper album this year titled The Engine Room which didn't click with me until I saw them live, and then it all fit into place. "Whippoorwill Lane" is a track off that album that I think can stand on its own. The track opens with a melody reminiscent of the vocal line of "Pink Triangle" by Weezer, but played in a single note melody on the guitar. This melody acts as a motive in the structure of the song. Just give it a listen yourself and you can see what i'm trying to say, and also see why it's one of the best tracks this year.
22. "Only in My Dreams" - Ariel Pink's Haunted GraffitiI'm going to say this right away if you don't already know, I'm a sucker for pop songs. And I know the instant I hear a pop song, I can tell if it is great or not. "Only in My Dreams" is great. It's a song that the Beach Boys would hit themselves for not writing. Unfortunately for me, the rest of Mature Themes did not math the same caliber as the songwriting on this track, but most people just play that off as, "Oh it's still cool bcuz it's ariel pink lol". But anyways, "Only in My Dreams" is one of those songs that come along and can consume your whole life for a week. It's something like an exorcism when all you can do is just play the song over and over. Is it an infection? A psychological disorder? No, it's just a perfect pop song.
21. "Push Up Bra" - Literature
So, we live in a time where independent music is currently obsessed about living in the past. Every indie song I hear now is that same old nostalgic, wishing things were like the old days type stuff. How can we move forward as a culture if that's our mentallity? Luckily, Literature cured my worries with their release of Arab Spring. This is exactly what I want your typical indie band to sound like. Fun and immediate. The best track off the album, "Push Up Bra", is a perfect example. Take today's typical indie song. It's some slow, two-chord progression with unimportant and indecipherable vocals that are drenched in reverb...Ew. But now, take "Push Up Bra" which the song's only direction is forward and never looking back. Sounds like progress to me.
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