This had to be one of the hands down toughest things to do and take note that these are my Top Ten tracks of 2012 so I apologize if you disagree that's okay but you're wrong and I hate you. I had an initial list of about 90 different songs and it took me a while to narrow them all down to a Top Ten and of course I had some honourable mentions which I'll start with:
Honourable Mentions: The City by Madeon // I'll Be Alright by Passion Pit // Lovers by Brothertiger //Sleep Alone by Two Door Cinema Club // Thinkin Bout You by Frank Ocean
#10 - I Belong In Your Arms - Chairlift
I first stumbled upon this song looking through artists from Young Turks (The xx, SBTRKT, and John Talabot's Record Label) and then suddenly this song immediately grabbed me. As if I stepped in a time machine right back into the 80's into the world of pop-rock love songs I was absolutely taken by this song. The year 2012 was a lot about new takes on old genres and Chairlift very much came through with this one.
#9 - Jasmine - Jai Paul
This man releases songs at a pace of about 1 song every two years but when he makes a song it's absolute gold. Last we heard from Jai was his hit BTSTU in 2010 and this is right on that level. Once again another genre is being brought back and twisted and Jai is bringing back his own take on Funk.
#8 - The House That Heaven Built - Japandroids
I'm glad I got to sneak a Canadian act in here (although Ryan Hemwsworth's Tinashe Remix was on my radar) without being biased. It's been a while since I've heard a punk rock song that I can really get into and Japandroids did just that with this surprisingly poetic jam.
"When they love you and they will / Tell them all they'll love in my shadow / Anything trying to slow you down / Tell them all to go to hell"
Pretty much the song is saying fuck what's holding you back from conquering your dreams/being happy and that's pretty awesome in my opinion, not to mention the melody is absolutely incredible.
2012 was a big year for the emergence of Chillwave and Blackbird Blackbird, Brothertiger, and Summer Heart all had some awesome releases. This out of all of the Chillwave this year is most definitely my favourite song. The hypnotic drowned out voice of this Swedish sensation gives somewhat of a nostalgic feel to the entire song.
The first really dancey song on the list (I can be biased to dancey songs) and who else it would it be from but Disclosure. If I had to give the breakout artist of 2012 award it would most definitely be to them and I'm not gonna say I called it but I called it (Just being modest). This sexually infused new garage banger gives you chills when played at high volume, not to mention this exact song blew up due to a certain Unofficial video. Hearing that bass drop at 3:53 when I saw them live this year was incredible and I don't think I've ever seen a crowd like it at a show.
#5 - Jet Out Of Tundra - Lotus Plaza
For those of you that don't know Lotus Plaza is a project of Deerhunter guitarist Lockett Pundt and if their's one thing I will say about Pundt is that he is fucking cool. His mesmerizing voice plus the repetitive but extremely well done riffs put you into somewhat of a trance. The song is almost dreamlike when it comes to this sense. Lotus Plaza has done a great job as one of the bands putting shoe gaze/dream pop back on the map.
#4 - Inspector Norse - Todd Terje
I won't lie the video of this song is originally what turned me onto it and there is actually an entire story behind this song which I would explain if I had more time so instead watch this. If you don't have a sudden urge to start dancing when you listen to this song then you should make drastic changes in your lifestyle. With the likes of Skrillex bursting onto the Electro scene in recent years it's been a while since we've heard simple electronic music and Todd Terje is bringing it back.
#3 - Waves - Joey Bada$$
As you can tell from my Top Ten so far is 2012 is the year of the comeback genres and I'm not saying rap has been missing for years but the ProEra crew is bringing back the Golden Years of Hip Hop and Joey Bada$$ is their frontrunner. With the emergence of young rappers turning to a more aggressive style such as members of Odd Future and Chief Keef , ProEra delivers laid back flows with a punch and most importantly all of them are incredibly talented rappers.
#2 - You Know You Like It (Bondax Remix) - AlunaGeorge
This song is my vote for Remix of the Year and it was a tough one because I easily would have thrown the original version in the number two spot as well so check it out. AlunaGeorge and Bondax are two breakout artists from 2012 and are helping front the prominent U.K Future Garage scene which is absolutely booming. The bassy future garage synths with the soothing R&B voice of Aluna Francis create a near perfect combination that has been bumped on dancefloors all over.
#1 - Bloom - Gypsy & The Cat
To me one of the main purposes of music is to give you extreme boosts of serotonin and there's not much I can say about this song apart from the fact that it makes you extremely happy. Gypsy and the Cat's new album Late Blue isn't even due out worldwide until this year, this was the sole single off of the album. This song screams summer, beaches, and road trips and I am more than excited to grab a copy of Late Blue.
