Top 50 Songs of 2013 (30-21)

We're getting closer and closer! Hope you all are having a happy holiday break. Now, let's keep on going...

 30. Earl Sweatshirt - "Hive (ft. Vince Staples and Casey Veggies)"

Who is Earl Sweatshirt? Once Odd Future creeped their way into a more mainstream audience, Earl Sweatshirt, who by that time became of household name, seemed to have vanished in thin air. His absence was truly something that encouraged a lot of people to keep listening to the rap group.  Last year marked the return of the near mythical prodigy of a young rapper, and people couldn't have been more in awe. Earl dropped his debut album this year Doris, and it's all-around lurky, shadow-dwelling persona couldn't have been better captured on his single "Hive". Vince Staples also surprised listeners with one of the best guest verses all year. On "Hive", both Earl and Vince completely rap circles around each other, which has now become one of Earl's staples. Doris wasn't ground breaking in any means, but it sure shows promise in the dark, prolific MC.




 29. Disclosure - "White Noise (ft. AlunaGeorge)"

I have a pretty funny story to go with this song. Earlier this year, I lived in a dorm at the university I currently attend. Our dorm typically held events for students to get to know each other, and one event we held was a blacklight party. Our floor's community adviser asked me to DJ a little bit of the party, and I somewhat reluctantly accepted. As I was trying to put together a mix, I found the song "White Noise" by Disclosure. Listening to it a few times, I decided to put it on the mix as well. Once I went to the party, they were already blasting some of Taylor Swift's most recent radio hits of the time. I came in to set up my laptop and started playing the mix, and "White Noise" was the first song on the mix. There was a sudden sense of unfamiliarity when the song came on, but everyone quickly just kept dancing without missing a beat. It was a pretty rewarding experience. And it further proves the craft and genius of Disclosure; if you don't know the song the first time listening to it, you definitely will the next time around




 28. Haim - "Falling"

The pop sensibility that this year showed was astounding. It's almost like people finally realized we can expand our familiarity and cognitive response to music while still having a hook you can't get out of your head. Haim is no different in this case. There has been a lot of hype over this band, I remember watching a Nardwaur interview with this band without hearing anything by them. Once I finally gave them a chance, I listened to "Falling" and was blown away. The production professionalism shown in this single is show stopping. It's definitely a type of sound a lot of older listeners can relate to acts like Fleetwood Mac and maybe even a little Peter Gabriel. "Don't stop, no, I'll never give up" leading Haim sister sings with such percussive vocal expression you'll forever sing it with a really funny looking facial expression. Then after that hook is introduced again, the song explodes into a chorus to end all choruses. Overall, it's a very familiar message to live by: "Never look back and never give up."




 27. Foxygen - "On Blue Mountain"

California's own Foxygen has had a very interesting past couple years. Last year, they quietly released an amazing American rock album titled Take The Kids Off Broadway that did not gather them a lot of attention. However, this year they released a less solid release titled We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic. While they did win best album title of the year, the standout tracks weren't exactly matched by some tracks that acted a lot like filler songs. But, those tracks that did stand out, were amazing. On Blue Mountain was the first Foxygen song I simply couldn't get enough of. It floats through different movements without any second guessing while singer Sam France perfectly emulates your favorite art rock singers of the late 60's. To conclude the song, they go on a two minute drone-like refrain of "On Blue Mountain God will save us, put the pieces back together." It's all an encryption, or a mystery of sorts, but it's also unavoidable. Though they may not have changed rock music in any way, they proved that the rock 'n' roll blood flows through all their veins.




 26. The Replacements - "I'm Not Sayin"

This took me by complete surprise. The prolific American rock band The Replacements released an EP this year to benefit their guitarist Slim Dunlap who suffered from a stroke last year. The EP may not have been the return that Replacements fans were asking for, but one song stood out to me as one of their strongest statements yet. "I'm Not Sayin" is an original song by Nico, who is mostly well known for her iconic vocal collaboration with The Velvet Underground on their debut release (RIP Lou Reed). The Replacements added to the list of times where bands cover songs and knock the original arrangement out of the ballpark. It just further shows that this great American band has still got it after all these years.




 25. James Blake - "Take a Fall for Me (ft. RZA)"

To me, James Blake seems to have this small, cult-like following, similar to the Grateful Dead effect. I will ask people if they're into James Blake and they either respond with not really, or a ten minute long manifesto on the greatness of the British electronic producer. With his 2013 release of Overgrown, he has matured more as a song writer and has become less experimental. Many people might be turned off by this, but to me it shows growth, or as you could say, Overgrowth. "Take a Fall for Me" was the track that really showed the true talent and ear that James Blake has for his songs. Featuring RZA on this track was truly a stroke of genius as well, or as RZA would put it, "a stroke of life".





 24. CHVRCHES - "Gun"

2013 saw a wave of many electro-pop acts, and it's really easy to fall in the mix of everyone else. CHVRCHES followed suite of many different acts like The Knife, Kate Boy, Passion Pit, and many others. But something stuck out for the group to me, and I think it's the pitch perfect vocal delivery of Lauren Mayberry. The band gained some attention this year for the female vocalist attacking back some of the male oppressors and sexual harassment she received over the internet, and listening to the lyrics of "Gun", it starts to make a lot of sense. "I will be a gun, and it's you I'll come for", Lauren sings during the chorus that is so huge, it's hard not to take her seriously. So watch out guys, because you're picking up some crosshairs.




 23. Waxahatchee - "Peace and Quiet"

Singer song-writer Katie Crutchfield has gained a lot of attention over the past couple years. And I think it's pretty obvious. I recently saw her live performance at Pitchfork music festival in Chicago, and considering the crowd that gathered to see her live band perform, there was definitely more on her plate than she desired to bite. Obviously, Katie is more used to the setting of playing safe and sound basement or garage shows in an acoustic setting, and that's partially the beauty of "Peace and Quiet", it can more or less be a commentary of her own status. "But you can run, you can hide, you're a giant", Crutchfield sings triumphantly in the chorus. Now she's the giant, trying to run and hide in a more familiar spotlight.




 22. Daft Punk - "Doin' it Right (ft. Panda Bear)"

Daft Punk's 2013 release Random Access Memories feels huge. I mean huge. And it most certainly was huge. As everyone knows, their biggest single ever, "Get Lucky", fit nice and snug in the middle of this huge album. But nothing prepared us for that extra level of hugeness that is showcased on "Doin' it Right". On paper, it's the simplest song ever. There are only three different melodies in the entire song. But they flawlessly flow from each melody into the other, changing its form and color in different shades of light. It's instantly classic and instantly engraved in your memory. The astonishing thing about the track is how less is more. This is definitely the most minimal track on the album, but easily has the biggest payoff. Daft Punk shows how easy it is, and proves that they always and forever will be doin' it right.

Top 50 Songs of 2013 (40-31)

40. Classixx - "All You're Waiting For (ft. Nancy Whang)

It's difficult to explain what makes this song so good. There's really not much to it, but I think that's really the key. "All You're Waiting For" is definitely a song that you've probably heard while shopping at any "higher" end clothing store. As the main focus of the track, Nancy Whang, whom you may know from a little band called LCD Soundsystem, has quite a few worthy features on some different standout tracks of the year, but nothing was quite as relevant as being featured on this. It's been a couple years since the dance-punk pioneers threw in the towel, but they're spirit still lives on through this single.





 39. Melt-Banana - "Candy Gun"

Japan is a very wondrous place with a very booming pop-culture society. The music that gets cranked out from the country never ceases to amaze me. In my opinion, this year's most notable Japanese release comes from two-piece outfit Melt-Banana, simply titled Fetch. "Candy Gun" is the first track on the album, and it's a high-octane, chinese fire drill of a song that might just turn your brain to mush by the end. Melt-Banana is unrelenting. Yasuko Onuki's vocal performance, although very alien at first, match perfectly with the band's surreal layers of skull crushing goodness. Fetch was definitely the band's most acclaimed and recognized record, we can only imagine where that will take them next.




 38. 2 Chainz - "Feds Watching (ft. Pharrell)

"It's that category 5 when I walk up in the strip club" Tauheed Epps, aka Georgia's own 2 Chainz, raps on his breakthrough single of the year "Feds Watching". Now, you may have felt what I have felt when I heard that line, and that's confusion. What the hell does 2 Chainz mean? What makes the track so great is that you don't have to know what he means. In fact, that's what makes it all the more fun. Soon enough it might even be an idiom we use with our friends. On a side note, props to Pharrell Williams. He must have struck gold in 2013 while being featured on some of the biggest songs of the year. "Feds Watching" will be overlooked in regards to his other works, but to me it stands as mainstream rap gold.




 37. Todd Terje - "Strandbar"

When you ask people what kind of dance music they like, you more than likely won't here a response of Todd Terje. Well to be fair, he only has one album and a few original singles under his belt. I stumbled across this track near the beginning of the summer, and from then on it cemented itself in my subconscious soundtrack of the season. Every little touch of production on this song is completely perfect, almost like putting together a puzzle. Each build up and come down is perfectly structured, and those piano chords are instantly unforgettable. Apparently, Terje made this song after a radio executive said his only suitable venue was a strandbar, or beach bar. Well, wherever this guy is, he got served.




 36. Daft Punk - "Give Life Back to Music"

Never have I thought this would happen. Daft Punk's newest album is the most sold album in stores, their hit single is everywhere you turn, and it's also the most streamed song on Spotify. Ever. That's huge. Needless to say I was as excited as everyone else to get my hands on the new Daft Punk album, and as soon as I hit play on "Give Life Back to Music", I believed Daft Punk would change mainstream music forever (even though every proceeding song made my skin crawl). The track starts with a whirlwind of shimmery guitars and an intention to blast off. The same lyrics are repeated over and over again, but with each repeated time it's even sweeter. And when that intro is reintroduced, "Give Life Back to Music" is no longer a catchy lyric, but a mission statement.



 35. King Krule - "Neptune Estate"

Easily the most underrated album of the year, Krule's debut album 6 Feet Beneath the Moon emerged so silently in 2013 that it could have crept right by you. But that's how Archy Marshall does things around here. He doesn't wish to make a fuss with his statements, and that's shown through his stunningly soft spoken track "Neptune Estate". Musically, the half trip-hop, half Bing Crosby crooner of a track stays in the shadows and asks the listener to join whenever they're ready. "I can lay inside" Krule continues to say in between the soft and sweet melody of "can you bare just one more night". It may be hard, but being six feet beneath the moon couldn't sound more peaceful.





 34. Run The Jewels - "Get It"

Macaroni and cheese. Peanut butter and jelly. Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. Great matchups can yield some of the greatest results.  Last year, Killer Mike released one of my favorite rap albums R.A.P. Music that El P produced, and instantly I knew they couldn't make this a one time thing. To my extremely pleasant surprise, they surpassed my expectations and decided to go ahead and make your new favorite rap group since Outkast. Run The Jewels was an amazing rap release and it was very difficult to choose a single song off it, but "Get It" impresses me with every listen and shows strengths from both MC's. Especially around this time of year, Run The Jewels seems like "A Christmas Fucking Miracle".
   



 33. Toro Y Moi - "Say That"

It's interesting to see the transformation that Chazwick Bundick, aka Toro Y Moi, has taken over the course of his career. If you remember a few years back, this really annoying term called "Chillwave" was taking over the summer's indie jams. Bundick was easily one of the bigger names of the questionable genre, but unlike most of his colleagues, he wanted to expand his sound in a different direction. With Anything in Return, he focused more on dance music, which is always alright in my book. "Say That" has the potential to be one of those songs that makes you scream "OH HELL NAH" and head directly to the dance floor as soon as you hear those first chords. So what are you waiting for? See you on the dance floor.




 32. Kanye West - "On Sight"

Yeezus further proves the one and only Yeezy can make anything *leans in and whispers* (even if it's complete garbage) and people will lose their shit. Let's be honest, Yeezus is a total mess from start to finish. But that's obviously what makes it so attractive. People love watching celebrities self-destruct, and this year more than ever Kanye seemed more like a celebrity than an artist (or maybe even a god). As soon as I started listening to the first track of the most hyped album of the year, I thought to myself, maybe this will compete with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It didn't, but never did I fully experience the true meaning of Yeezus than listening to his perfect album opener "On Sight".

Top 50 Songs of 2013 (50-41)

So I know I hardly ever post on this, but every end of the year I love joining in on end of the year lists for my favorite stuff that's come out. Looking back on this year, there has been a lot, i mean a lot, of good music that has just been floating around. Here's a list of my top 50 songs that I had the pleasure of hearing this year.


 50. Queens of the Stone Age - "If I Had a Tail"

Queens of the Stone Age are one of those prolific American rock bands of the 21st Century that easily put their name among the likes of many legendary rock outfits of the 00's. But like all untouchable rockstar-status quality artists, their relevance usually diminishes like an hourglass as the years go by. The Killers may be headlining Lollapalooza music festival, but for new material, no one can recall a single later than "When You Were Young". However, QOTSA come out of nowhere in 2013 and release one of their best records to date. The record's set of songs contains that smooth, sleek, sexy, and dark rock ballad material you could ever imagine of what QOTSA sounds like now. "If I Had a Tail" was a perfect example of this, including one of the years best dance-rock songs with one of the most powerful choruses of 2013. Who knows what Josh Homme & co. will go next, but let's rejoice for ...Like Clockwork together now.



 49. Touche Amore - "Non Fiction"

Earlier this year, I went to a show in Iowa City with some of the biggest names in hardcore/post-hardcore currently. My main reason to go was to see Code Orange Kids, whom I was satisfied with the performance. Touche Amore was the next band to play, and then Defeater.  I can't really explain why, but I was really urked by Touche Amore's performance, and left before they even finished. Maybe it had something to do with the annoying ass post-scene kids screaming and throwing punches during the set. Since then, I stopped listening to the band. However, I thought I would entertain myself and listen to their new 2013 release Is Survived By just for shits and giggles. There were neither shits, nor giggles. I was genuinely impressed with the maturity and advancement in song-writing capabilities that the LA band showcased with their latest effort. When I got to the track "Non Fiction", I was entranced. Yes, TA goes through a very tiredly exercised approach in this track with some predictable and generic lyrics, but it all just feels too genuine to ignore. And it's because of this realization that I also came to terms with this. This is how Touche Amore is too, in general: familiar, but yet too emotionally demanding to pass as trite.



 48. Pity Sex - "Wind-Up"

When I look back on this year, one specific phenomenon stood out for me. The "blurred lines" (heh heh) between emo music and indie music as genres grew and grew. Pitchfork reviewed Dads, Japandroids are still surfing the wave of success of their last year release while still being deemed an "Indie" rock band, and articles from blog sites like Spin and Buzzfeed surface everywhere about an apparent "Midwest Emo Revival" that has already spent years in the making. A lot of emo fans of the true form really don't know how to handle this. As for me? I'm excited. I'm excited that this amazing and supportive music scene is finally getting some national recognition. Pity Sex's "Wind-Up" was a prime example of how easy it really is to cross that barrier. Listeners who are familiar with the band's earlier material are satisfied to see they are still angsty as ever, while Indie listeners are also satisfied by the Pains of Being Pure at Heart pop mentality and guitar tones you wouldn't hear far from a Hum record. Would it be safe to say that Pity Sex broke free into the more "mainstream" indie music community? As of now it's really hard to tell, but keep an eye out for this band, as they may be the first to do so.




 47. Iceage - "Ecstacy"

This track is a beast of true form. It starts with nauseating and directionless guitar tones hovering in front of you, and then seconds later, disco-from-hell fueled drums relentlessly enter to take the song down a very steep hill with the brakes out. As the listener, you feel like you're eavesdropping on the band's vocalist Elias Ronnenfelt pacing back and forth and having a fueled argument with himself. "Ecstacy" is the soundtrack to enduring hellish amounts of anxiety and then losing yourself to the hope of the blissful moment of release. Iceage impeccably portray this very dark place through the music of the track. As Elias screams "Pressure! Pressure! Oh god no!" you can't help but empathetically fill yourself with anxiety, and the violent yet looming musicality of the song really puts you in that position. This was my first introduction to the band's work, and with the feverish chills I feel from listening to the track, "Ecstacy" will keep me begging for more.




 46. Darkside - "The Only Shrine I've Seen"

Not too long ago, electronic artist Nicholas Jaar and multi-instrumentalist Dave Harrington came together to create one of 2013's best duo performance. The band released their first proper album Psychic with critical acclaim across the board, and they completely deserved it. A standout moment on the atmospherically dark world of Psychic was "The Only Shrine I've Seen" which stands at about eight minutes long and slowly transforms its shape with each second. One segment flows graciously into the next while hardly ever looking back. With moments in this piece that contain guitar work that puts Nile Rodger's fidgety fret handling on this year's international hit "Get Lucky" to shame, Darkside embrace the unknown and explore soundscapes of different worlds with "The Only Shrine I've Seen", and it's just simply stunning.




 45. Speedy Ortiz - "MKVI"

Speedy Ortiz really came out of nowhere this year and snuck up and bit us all in the asses, in a good way. On the surface, it is really easy to look over this band, but to me Speedy made a statement with their 2013 release that must not be ignored. The incredible ending track "MKVI" showcases everything that separated Speedy Ortiz with the rest of the crowd. Major Arcana was a release I was told to check out a while back this year and haven't gotten around to it until just a few days ago. And damn, I'm really glad I did. Fuzz driven, half grunge half pop, and 90's confused, Speedy Ortiz create a sound so many bands have tried to create before but have failed. Sadie Dupuis, pissed yet determined, sings the line "Medicate me, now I'm something, cause I've got nothing." and it's hard not to think that this is what Liz Phair's pretend high school grunge band would sound similar to. Speedy's sound doesn't live in the 90's, it breathes a fresh breath of air into its recycled ideologies, and it's totally bad ass.





 44. Savages - "She Will"

One of the most talked about rock bands of 2013, Savages entered this year with sight so determined it's scary. They quickly became the go to all girl punk band to end all girl punk bands. Nothing off of Silence Yourself, however, was as strikingly bad ass in terms of embracing their female roots as "She Will". Singer Jehnny Beth creates a character similar to Rae in Black Snake Moan. Overcome with desire and lust, the character must learn not to soil love and passion, and someone or something will be "forcing the slut out". Silence Yourself reached number 13 on the UK Albums Chart. This is proof that big rock bands still exist and still can shake up unprepared listeners, which coming from an all female punk group in 2013, a year with plenty of focus on gender equality, is a pretty hefty feat. And did I mention how instantly classic that guitar line in the beginning is?




 43. Phoenix - "Entertainment"

It's kind of hard to believe the road that french indie legends Phoenix took to finally be in the position they're in now. They cranked out solid album after solid album, until they became a household name with the release of their outstanding single "1901" that somehow everyone instantly knew the words too (even if they were singing gibberish). With their release of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, it was really difficult to extrapolate where their next release will take them. The insane amount of hype didn't really help their position either. But when they released Bankrupt!'s first single "Entertainment", I didn't quite know how to receive it. However, with time and patience and many many listens, the song came together full circle with the sounds and production of a million bucks, and the exuberance of an adrenaline junkie. "Entertainment" is a song that truly sounds bigger than our planet, and it is a song that will stay that way for a long time.




 42. Rustie - "Triadzz"

If you haven't been living under a rock, you'd know that the 2010's are all about EDM, or electronic dance music. With pop culture phenomenons associated with EDM breaking into the mainstream, like dubstep or popping-a-molly-and-sweating, this movement of electric dance music becomes a sizeable wave that engulfs the ears of attention deficit teenagers who live for the bass drop. But with this, it becomes really easy to blend in with the rest. But if you think all bleeps and bloops sound the same, I reckon you take a listen to Rustie. He's a Scottish electronic music producer and he adds a signature to his music that is undeniably Rustie-esque. "Triadzz" is a banger of a track that never lets up, with the sweetest ear candy of synths and beats that demand the best MC's to take a turn with their meanest freestyle (particularly the beat at the very end, seriously someone needs to sample this). Rustie is easily one of the most underrated producers out there right now, but let's hope 2014 brings the credit he's deserved.

Radio Playlist (9/6/13)

Playlist (2/23/13)

Top Songs of 2012 (10-1)

10. "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" - Tame Impala
If you're like me, you got on the Tame Impala train this year, and for the longest time, I definitely underestimated their song-writing abilities. Their 2012 sophomore album Lonerism was an extravagant trip through psychedelic pop music that left my brain in a cloud of pink mist. The single from their album "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" has some of the smoothest transitions between chorus and verse that I've heard, and sometimes you can't even notice them if you aren't paying too much attention to it. On the surface, it seems like a very simple pop song, but delving deeper into the track, you start to notice more subtle details that make the track so great. The track has the lightness to make you feel floating, but yet the density to make you feel grounded at the same time, and that's what is so attractive about this song.

9. "M.A.A.D City (Feat. MC Eiht)" - Kendrick Lamar
Imagine how you would feel if people were proclaiming you to be the next Tupac. These proclamations are what Kendrick Lamar has to face all the time. But honestly, I think that's really stupid to say an up and coming rapper is the next whoever. They represent themselves, not previous rappers. Although these proclamations are kind of flawed to begin with, he does deserve these types of proclamations. He'd definitely proved himself to be the best rapper out there with his 2012 release of good kid, m.A.A.d city. The album itself is a modern rap masterpiece. Good kid documents Kendrick's life while growing up in the most dangerous city in America; Compton. But the self titled track on the album was the most striking to me. The track starts with the haunting lines of "If Pirus and Crips all got along, they'd probably gun me down by the end of the song". And then Kendrick continues to confess who he thought murdered his cousin, describe an instant where he saw someone get shot in the head, and how his mother would tell him and his family to duck whenever they were in a public place. Then for the second half of the song, the beat switches to a total west side beat, while Kendrick says Compton made "me an Angel on Angel Dust" (m.A.A.d). This in reference to his first blunt being laced with cocaine. Wow, if you're looking for a real MC, look no further. Kendrick really is "Compton's human sacrifice".

8. "Flowermouth (The Leech)" - Code Orange Kids
America is a great place for aggressive music. There are a lot of things to be pissed off about for one, and there's also a great community for the scene to flourish in. Code Orange Kids are four recently high-school graduated Pittsburghians that have been together for a few years. What's really interesting about the band, is that they blew up. This summer, my band played with the Ohio screamo band CityCop and we all got to know each other pretty well. They told us about how there was a high school graduation party that they played, and that an unknown band called Code Orange Kids were to open the show. This was probably two years ago. Now flash forward to 2012. Code Orange Kids just released their first full length which was recorded by Kurt Ballou of Converge and was released on Deathwish Records (one of the biggest modern hardcore label in America), they just finished up a huge tour with Gaza and Full of Hell, and their name is about everywhere on tumblr. All this, while at the age of 19. That's impressive. But I've had a soft spot for the band because they were originally the band that got me into hardcore, and their first track off their album Love is Love // Return to Dust further reminded me why I fell in love with the band to begin with.

7. "Midwest Living" - Dowsing
What's not to love about the band Dowsing? They're all the coolest dudes (and girl), They crank out club bangers like none other, and they originate from one of my favorite cities, Chicago. They've only been a band  for about two years, and since then they've released an EP and a full length on the midwestern emo label Count Your Lucky Stars. The full length, It's Still Pretty Terrible, was one of my favorite albums of the years, combining elements of modern emo and 90's pop-rock and produced by none other than Chris French (formally the guitarist of Joie De Vivre who also released an amazing album this year). Fun fact, French joined Dowsing for about a month and then quit, but it's alright, Dowsing seemed like a better four piece band anyway. The lead single off their album, "Midwest Living", quite possibly is the catchiest song of the year; with everything from Marcus killing it on the drums, to Delia's mad keyboard skills, to Erik's shout-a-long chorus.

6. "You Have to Ride the Wave f/ Danny Brown, Mr. Muthafuckin Exquire" - Heems
Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love Danny Brown. Anything he touches is gold. Literally anything! It was really hard to choose from his 2012 singles that he came out with, but I went with my gut and picked the song that stuck with me the entire year. This track comes off of Heems solo mixtape (as you may have heard, Das Racist has called it quits, but both Heems and Kool A.D. released solo mixtapes this year, so I don't think they will be slowing down anytime soon). It starts with a 30 second, nearly incomprehensible sound clip of a foreign woman explaining how to survive in the place she's native to, and then the beat drops and Danny Brown lays down the best verse I've ever heard from him (which is really impressive). His raps about an asian orgy, Louis C.K., Mortal Kombat, and watching Teen Titans while receiving a bj. Then the baton is handed off to Mr. Muthafuckin Exquire who has one of the craziest word play this year. "Some rotten chicken to insert enemas to my friends, makin' my inner enemy into my insecurities."...yeah. And then to cap it all off, Heems gives the final blow with his verse. A great example of a great rap collaborative.

5. "Northern Lights" - Kate Boy
Since when did dance music become so soulless, so shallow, so watered-down, and so dumb? Our obsession with technology has taken over and desensitized everyone in order to get immediate enjoyment. This whole new fad of immediate enjoyment is quite annoying, because nothing is sacred anymore. And now every dance song that plays on the radio has a pulse, but no heart behind it. Luckily, once in a blue moon, a dance song comes along to reassure me that the whole genre hasn't gone to shit. "Northern Lights" by the Swedish/Australian band Kate Boy was the first song anyone has ever heard by the group, and everyone instantly fell in love with it. For one, the song makes it really easy to fall in love with. The production on this track is like gold, the darkness of the track itself is quite attractive, and the vocalist has a voice that shows obvious strength and longing. With their very first single, Kate Boy show a promising future, but hopefully it's not a beginner's luck sort of deal. "Northern Lights" is a song from the future, with alien synth sounds and melancholic feels to it, but also with this song, Kate Boy assures us that even though the future is surrounded by technology, they want us to know that the future is still human.

4. "Climax" - Usher
I think we can safely say that Usher has one of the best voices in American pop music history. He once was the king of R&B, with songs like "Confessions" and "Burn". There was a little bump in his career where he released songs like "OMG" that kinda made me want to throw up or stab my ears. But earlier this year, I was surprised when I happened to listen to this track, and upon my first listen, I played it over again at least seven more times. The song definitely wouldn't be what it is without the amazing production provided by Diplo, who creates somewhat of a post-dubstep instrumental, that focuses on building through the verse and then immediately dropping back down in the chorus to let Usher's falsetto shine through. One thing I love about this track, is that it's basically an open letter to mainstream music telling them to get their shit together. It proves that in this day and age where all popular music is made through a computer, that you can still have an amazing love song with a sound that even Skrillex fans can appeal to. Unluckily, Usher's other material that was released this year wasn't nearly as impressive as "Climax". But nonetheless, if 2012 had a metaphorical time-capsule of things to remember the year by, no doubt in my mind "Climax" would be a perfect candidate.

3. "Laura" - Bat For Lashes
The song "Laura" is based on a true story, and true stories make the best songs. It describes the life of a party girl, appropriately named Laura. She lives a life of glamour and good times, but is crushed by the live fast die young lifestyle. Laura eventually pours her heart out to Natasha after a long night of partying. I think there are a lot of people in the world, specifically America, who can relate this. Living in a college town, all I hear about constantly is how "we should get fucked up tonight". This is the thing that upsets me the most about this mindset. Don't get me wrong, it's fun and exciting to party, but people are completely missing the point of it. The point isn't to get so drunk you can hardly speak, but to bring people together and meet new people and share each other's stories. Laura is a person who has these motives mixed up, and I feel Natasha wrote this song to let her know there's more to all of this ("you're more than a superstar"). "Laura" is like the one special moment in the night you have with another person that you remember for the rest of your life. Almost like a turn of fate or a rite of passage. It's one heart going out to another, not to mention one hell of a piano ballad.

2. "Thinkin' Bout You" - Frank Ocean
Channel Orange is a modern day masterpiece. I'm just going to get that out of the way. Frank Ocean slowly became one of my all time favorite song writer over the year. The first time I listened to it, I was very underwhelmed and didn't find what was so special about the album. But then I listened to it every night before I went to sleep over the summer, and with every time I listen to the album now, I love it more and more. "Thinkin' Bout You" is the prologue to this masterpiece; with it's heart-stopping string opening and beautiful falsetto chorus. Earlier this year, Ocean got a lot of buzz for posting on the internet about how his first love was a man. And just now when I Googled an image of him, one of the first results is "Frank Ocean gay". I was also talking to one of my brother's friends about Frank Ocean and he said he doesn't listen to him, insinuating, but not ever saying, it was because he had relations with a man. This really needs to stop. To not listen to a person's art because of their sexual orientation? Who gives a fuck! The music is fucking beautiful! Homophobia is a very real thing in America, and slowly it's starting to become a better handled problem. But "Thinkin' Bout You" breaks barriers. I'm assuming he wrote the song about the man he fell in love with, but I wasn't even able to tell when I listened. It's a song about anyone's universal lover, and it's stronger than any force imaginable.

Top Songs of 2012 (20-11)

20. "Fineshrine" - Purity Ring
Purity Ring was one of the most mysterious acts to come out this year to me. At first, I just assumed they were some indie-pop act that fell in with the rest. But then I actually downloaded their album, and realized how heavily hip-hop influenced (and even a little dubstep) the album is. Also, there were songs with titles like "Crawlersout" and "Belispeak", but the way the singer delivers these abstract lyrics so easily and comfortably, it's almost like these songs titles are common nomenclature in Purity Ring world. I also saw a video of these guys performing at Pitchfork Fest and their stage set up and instrumentation was almost like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. The one stand out track from the break out album was "Fineshrine" where the song explains loving someone so much that you physically make room in their chest cavity to move in with their heart...brutal.




19. "Don't Die" - Killer Mike
"Fuck the Police." It's a saying that gets thrown around a lot, and was made popular by none other than Public Enemy. But lately, there really hasn't been much say to police brutality in the past years. The Police (not the band) have a history of abusing their badge, and no one objects to it; out of fear. Luckily, Atlanta's very own Killer Mike comes along and has a bone to pick with the men in uniform. "Don't Die" consists of a beginning audio clip of an african american woman explaining how the media only cares about police brutality when it pertains to white victims. Then once Killer Mike get's on the track, the song is part narration of Killer Mike's experience with police brutality, while the last third of the song, he ties everything together and shares his true feelings towards cops. This song couldn't have been pulled off without Mike's brilliant match up with producer/MC El-P. Give the song a listen, and think twice about the people that society points out as "heroes".




18. "Heavy to the Touch (think about tonight, forget about tomorrow)" - Dads
Dads had an amazing year this year. They had an amazing full length debut, which many people have pointed out to be one of the best albums of the year (including me), they had some 70 day long tour across the country, including tour mates Have Mercy and Koji, and they have been pointed out to be one of the leading acts in the emo revival scene. If you haven't heard of them I strongly suggest checking them out. The most striking song on the album was the last track "Heavy to the Touch" which was nothing short of an anthem. The song weaves in and out through an opening guitar lick that feels physically heavy. My personal favorite moments were when John sings falsetto. The track is definitely evidence that Dads have a very promising future.




17. "Every Single Night" - Fiona Apple
There are two kinds of spaces in art; positive and negative, or foreground and background. Most music focuses on the first of the two, mostly because it's just easy to do. It takes a great deal of talent to focus and zone in on the latter. "Every Single Night" will probably be the closest to achieving that. On the surface, there is almost nothing happening in the song. The only voice in the foreground is that of Fiona's, which covers all ranges of pitch and emotion ("I just want to feel everything"). The instruments in the background try to be as minimal as possible. And there is little to no percussion. The result? One of the biggest payoffs your senses will ever thank you with. Us as humans now are so used to experiencing everything at once that it's rare to stumble upon a song like "Every Single Night" that is so close to nothing, it's breathtaking.




16. "Pineal Gland" - Ab-Soul
The rap game right now is so vast that it may seem impossible to stand out. The rappers out there right now are also really good, and this is because the increase in caliber from producers encouraged MC's to also step up their game. An aspect that really helps you stand out in the crowd is mysteriousness, and Ab-Soul is the primary candidate. Soul's greatest track this year "Pineal Gland" perfectly mixes brag-adociousness and paranoia. Going from "Play the fool, you jealous dudes are just a plate of food. Tell the truth i'm the coldest cat, sabortooth" almost directly to "Enjoy your mind trip but don't trip on your mind, no man is safe from the war going on outside". There's definitely something important that Ab-Soul wants us to take from this track. Never underestimate how powerful the brain is, because remember; you have three eyes.




15. "Movie Star" - Swearin'
Sometimes, things are just too complicated, and you just need a call out to something simple, something to just forget everything and enjoy being in the moment. Swearin', from New York, are the answer to your call. Now, i'm not saying simple in a negative connotation. Simple is most definitely better in most cases, and Swearin' have it down to an art. Plus the self-titled release they had this year had the best guitar tones I've heard all year. The last track, "Movie Star", is definitely the most charming of all on the release. The song starts with loud and abrasive guitars that definitely could be heard in the whole Brooklyn neighborhood when the song was recorded. Then, at the chorus, the volume control gets turned down quite a bit so that Allison's voice can get the spotlight. To me, Swearin' will go down in my books as one of the unnoticed greats that were around in the wrong time period. I think they match bands like Weezer and The Lemonheads in terms of song-writing, but sadly won't get the same attention. Hopefully I'm wrong about that, but for the mean time, we can all jam together.




14. "Love in Vain" - Drop Out Venus
There's kind of a reoccurring theme going on here, and that's simplicity. I want to reiterate that we live in a time (at least in american culture) where everything has to be oversized, over the top, and unnecessary. But whenever something comes along that feels completely genuine, striped down, and simple, it's a breath of fresh air. This is where "Love in Vain" comes in. The track is extremely simple, about as simple as you can make a song. It only has about four chords at the most, and not very mentally exhausting lyrics. The track is very special, it's almost like when you come across the things in life that are so beautiful it makes you want to cry (or maybe that's just me). The song features definitely out of tune guitars, and poorly mixed drums. But right at the center, is the female vocalist's piercing-yet-calming beautiful voice cutting through all of it, even as everything around her is spiraling into insanity.




13. "Dead as Dreams" - Radiator Hospital
Being a teenager is a point in everyone's life that is the most intriguing. You have the knowledge that most adults have, but yet aren't taken seriously at all. This frustration, along with obvious changes in hormones, causes what can be called as "angst", and this thing called angst is the source of some of the greatest songs ever. Take "Dead as Dreams" for example. Every line in this song could come from a wide-eyed, ambitious teenager who acknowledges their naive nature and embrace it, with lines like, "I wanna be the poster boy hanging on your wall" and "I wanna die in your arms". This song is fueled by an unstoppable force caused by heartache, pain, and also love, if I could be anymore trite. But that's the thing when it comes to "Dead as Dreams", It's okay to be trite, as long as it's how you feel.




12. "Y'all Boots Hats? (Die Angry)" - Glocca Morra
"Glocca Morra saved twinkle", read one of the reviews of the bands first full length debut. I find this statement to be pretty funny, because sadly it's true. The music that has been termed "twinkle" is doomed to not progress ever outside what has been laid out in front of modern "twinkle" bands, from bands who originated it like American Football and Cap'n Jazz. Even the term "twinkle" was started as a joke, the origins of the term didn't even take it seriously. But there is no doubt that "twinkle" has captivated bands across the midwest to make half-baked, passive-aggressive lyrics about girls with a complex guitar melody over it. So in a sense, Glocca Morra did save twinkle. I really like their take on the emo genre, it's much less pretentious and more...fun! The first track off their full length Just Married is the best way they could've started off the album; aggressive, loud, and a little drunk.