Red - Pop
Blue - Electronic
Green - Alternative
Orange - Hip hop
Pink - R&B
Pink - R&B
1. The House That Heaven Built
This choice for me was a no-brainer. From the first time I
heard this track I knew it would be my number one for 2012. Japandroids released
their second album, Celebration Rock, in 2012 with "The House that
Heaven Built" at the forefront. It sounds like a combination of
Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping" and Andrew WK's "Party Hard".
This song was written for someone with more of a vocal range than Brian King,
but it seems fitting that while he's rocking out as hard as he can, he's still
struggling to hit the notes. One of my favorite memories from 2012 was at
Pitchfork in the crowd during this song being surrounded by thousands of kids
yelling "You're not mine to die for anymore, so I must live" and
"If they try to slow you down/ tell them all to go to hell." Lyrics
like these remind us to be ourselves and pursue our goals no matter what. In
2012, "The House That Heaven Built" was any punk rocker's anthem.
2. Obedear - Purity Ring
Purity Ring understands what the brain wants to hear. Starting with their
syth pop hook followed by their deep bass and perfected with lead singer, Megan
James' ghostly voice. I love the lyrics "Oh but dear the sky is low"
being sung with the high pitched starlike syth pings in the background. Seeing
them live only ads to the endorphin rush with their floating shining orbs
changing colors with the beat. Purity Ring is one of 2012's breakout bands.
It's hard to put Obedear at number 2 without recognizing that the whole album
is pure ecstasy.
3. Pyramids - Frank Ocean
This song does not feel like it's actually 9 minutes long. So much is going on.
Divided into three movements, each of which explains Cleopatra in a new way:
first as a pharaoh, then as a stripper, and finally as a modern girl whom men
become powerless around. With all of this happening lyrically, the song goes
through different phases ranging from calming R&B to poppy hook to epic
dance party. Frank's ability to combine all of these elements so fluidly into
one track shows his greatness as an artist and the greatness of this track.
4. Lazuli - Beach House
Lazuli builds up from a calming sythpop bridge into a momentous burst of
power. A burst of power released over and over throughout the track. This
colorful track brings more life to Beach House than anything seen on their
previous album, Teen Dream. The intertwining lyrics at the end of the
song sounds like the perfect way to conclude a dreamy song like this. Like
Purity Ring, Beach House's whole album, Bloom, is amazing and if you
like Lazuli you must check out the rest.
5. Stay Useless - Cloud Nothings
Dylan Baldi has come a long way from his previously released EPs. 2012's Attach
on Memories is his best release to date and on the album, Stay Useless
stands out. Time goes by too fast and all Baldi wants to do is for it to slow
down so he can catch up. The fast punk rock pace of the song illustrates the
speed of time and Baldi's lyrics yearn for it to stop. It’s a perfect song for
any stressed out person who needs to blow off some steam.
6. Swimming Pool (Drank) - Kendrick Lamar
In the Hip-Hop world, 2012 was Kendrick Lamar's year. His album good
kid, m.A.A.d city is regarded by many as the best album of the year and
Swimming Pool (Drank) perfectly represents Kendrick's conflict. A conflict we
all share. Kendrick wonderfully raps about the relationship between drinking
and binge drinking from the perspective of a Compton native. I love the verse
where Kendrick acts as his conscious and his struggle to understand his limit.
7. Kill for Love - Chromatics
Whenever I hear Chromatics I feel like they should always be playing in a
small European nightclub. The band beautifully combines 80s synth pop
with modern rock. What especially gets me is the feeling behind the line
"I'd kill for love." It's a reminder of the power of love with a
poppy-electronic beat to make it not sound so scary. Also, what an amazing
album cover.
8. Serpents - Sharon Van Etten
“Serpents” is Sharon Von Etten's most unique track yet. Serpents begins
quietly singing about her troubles but builds into an angsty chorus about her
conflicting mind and her dislike for someone in her life. She shows tremendous
passion and angry unseen in her previous work and unseen by most others in
2012.
9. Grown Up - Danny Brown
Danny Brown showed a new side of himself in Grown Up. While we know it's
still him with his Adderall jokes and lines about sour patch kids; Danny Brown
sounds nostalgic of the 90s as seen through the beat of the song sounding like
something A Tribe Called Quest would use and his lines about Captain Crunch and
skipping out on homework. But at the same time, nostalgic because of his
gratitude to how his past in Detroit brought him to where he is today. The
point is very well articulated in the music video, which happens to be my
favorite of the year.
10. Hands on The Wheel (feat. A$AP Rocky) -
Schoolboy Q
Hands on The Wheel sounds like the best pregaming song of 2012. Not only is
its Kid Cudi based chorus incredibly catchy, but the A$AP and Schoolboy raps
about doing all the crazy things partiers have to deal with (drunk driving,
taking uppers and downers, and getting high just to name a few) tell us that
either these two are partying enough for the rest of us or we need to get on
their level. And most importantly, who can forget the awesome line "Got
the purple drink/ got the yellow drink/ and we mix it up/ Call it
Pikachu."
