Wednesday 26 December 2012

The Top 30 Tracks Of 2012

Chosen by kev@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk

Hopefully you've had the chance to peruse The Top 20 Albums Of 2012, and now here are the 30 best tunes of the year. You might agree with some, disagree with others or even find some great songs you've yet to hear. If this isn't enough top music for you then have a look at what our Scottish correspondent has chosen too! Happy listening!


30) The Ice Choir - I Want You Now And Always


IN BRIEF: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart man tackles 80s synth-pop with a great chorus.



The Ice Choir's website

Buy the track





29) Cassolette - Stay Heavy


IN BRIEF: Wonderfully irresistible and melodic, lo-fi indiepop.



Cassolette's website

Buy the single





28) Trailer Trash Tracys - You Wish You Were Red


IN BRIEF: Dark dreampop meets Twin Peaks and creeps up on the nation's consciousness.



Trailer Trash Tracys' website

Buy the single





27) Kodaline - Lose Your Mind


IN BRIEF: A lump of modern psychedelia from potential next big things.



Kodaline's website

Buy the track





26) Shonen Knife - Pop Tune


IN BRIEF: Superb powerpop from the ever youthful Japanese legends.



Shonen Knife's website

Buy the track





25) Tender Trap - Train From King's Cross Station


IN BRIEF: Vintage indiepop highlight from a splendid album.



Tender Trap's website

Buy the track





24) Hospitality - Betty Wang


IN BRIEF: Super-addictive jangly guitar goodness.



Hospitality's website

Buy the single





23) Shonen Knife - Move On


IN BRIEF: Sentimental, melody-soaked loveliness. Impossible to hate.



Shonen Knife's website

Buy the track





22) Spiritualized - Little Girl


IN BRIEF: Gospel-infused brilliance and one of J. Spaceman's most accessible tunes to date.



Spiritualized's website

Buy the single





21) jj - Beautiful Life


IN BRIEF: Balearic sounds meet dreampop with highly unique results.



jj's website

Buy the track





20) The See See - Gold And Honey 


IN BRIEF: Sunkissed, Byrds-influenced psych-folk.



The See See's website

Buy the single





19) Yeti Lane - Warning Sensations


IN BRIEF: Psych masterpiece that channels Grandaddy's 'The Sophtware Slump'.



Yeti Lane's website

Buy the single





18) Island Twins - Lying In State


IN BRIEF: Noisy, lo-fi indiepop at its best.


Island Twins' website





17) Perfume Genius - Take me Home


IN BRIEF: Mike Hadreas reinvents the piano ballad with added emotion.



Perfume Genius' website

Buy the track





16) Future Islands - Cotton Flower


IN BRIEF: Post-punk weirdness from one of the most underrated bands around.


Future Islands' website

Buy the single





15) Allo Darlin' - Northern Lights


IN BRIEF: Jangly indiepop from ever-improving London-based Aussie songwriter and co.



Allo Darlin''s website

Buy the single





14) Tennis - It All Feels The Same


IN BRIEF: What second album syndrome? More perfect pop with beautiful vocals.



Tennis' website

Buy the track





13) Moon Duo - Sleepwalker


IN BRIEF: Psychedelic drone-rock wizardry from Wooden Shjips side-project.



Moon Duo's website

Buy the single





12) The Raveonettes - Downtown


IN BRIEF: 60s girl groups collide with punk on this fuzz-coated peach.



The Raveonettes' website

Buy the track





11) Two Wounded Birds - To be Young


IN BRIEF: Surfy, indie perfection. Why call it quits guys? You were great.



Two Wounded Birds' website

Buy the track





10) Line & Circle - Roman Ruins


IN BRIEF: A great find, 80s indie gets an anthemic makeover, like The Gaslight Anthem covering The Cure.



Line & Circle's website

Buy the single





9) Beach House - Myth


IN BRIEF: Perfect dreampop done like no one else with spellbinding vocals.
 

Beach House's website

Buy the single





8) Crocodiles - Endless Flowers


IN BRIEF: San Diego band stake their claim to the be crowned current fuzz-rock kings.



Crocodiles' website

Buy the single





7) Ren Harvieu - Open Up You Arms


IN BRIEF: Sweeping, orchestral pop that should have ruled the airwaves in 2012.



Ren Harvieu's website

Buy the single





6) Yeti Lane - Analog Wheel


IN BRIEF: Krautrock, psychedelia, shoegaze and space-rock swirl together brilliantly.



Yeti Lane's website

Buy the track





5) Tennis - My Better Self


IN BRIEF: Album highlight from a band who never put a foot wrong. Gorgeous pop.



Tennis' website

Buy the single





4) Spiritualized - So Long You Pretty Thing


IN BRIEF: No one does grand better than these guys. The biggest and best chorus of the year.



Spiritualized's website

Buy the track





3) Chains Of Love - In Between


IN BRIEF: The Ronettes go 60s garage. Musical heaven ensues.


Chains Of Love's website

Buy the single





2) Allo Darlin' - Capricornia


IN BRIEF: Indiepop song of the year in an amazing year for indiepop.



Allo Darlin''s website

Buy the single





OBLIGATORY RECORD OF THE YEAR

Spiritualized - Hey Jane


Our original review is included below, but NPR summed this song up perfectly in their own tracks of the year list with this quote:  "Only Jason Pierce can turn a Lou Reed-y rocker about a "troubled" love into a musical car crash halfway through before soaring way above the heavens on a Krautrock cloud."



Review from February 27th:

"It's been a long time coming but Jason Pierce has announced that the new Spiritualized album 'Sweet Heart, Sweet Light' will be out on April 16th. Was he throwing us a massive curveball by saying it would be a pop album? An initial glance at 9 minute long first single 'Hey Jane', which starts of as a fairy familiar Spiritualized-do-garage tune would suggest otherwise. But, blimey, this is a grower. Flipping itself on it's head halfway through, it builds and builds, powered by the repetitive bass and motorik beat, into a crescendo of horns, choir and melody, and then you realise he wasn't lying. J. Spaceman does pop in a suitably hymnal fashion. 'Hey Jane' is Spiritualized in a nutshell, combining all the phases of their career, at first purely very good, but ultimately as addictive as the demons that appear in their songs. Single of the year so far."

Spiritualized's website

Buy the single





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