The Top 200 Tracks of 2012
I invite you to partake in my painstakingly ranked (not really) 200 favorite tracks from the past twelve months. Some you will totally agree with. Others you will listen to, and then proceed to question why you even clicked on the link/why you’re my friend/etc. Such is the beauty of the subjective beast that is music.
Keep note that this is probably the least diverse track list I have ever made, and I’ve been doing this for a while. This year, due to an increasing indifference in “indie rock,” a busier schedule, a large bias towards general hedonism, and an overall “I don’t care anymore” attitude, this list is probably as close to a personal “favorites” of the year as I’ve ever come. In other words, no one likes this list as much as I do, at least at this point in time. You will find a lot of dance and hip hop here, as well as a large sampling of tracks from artists I’ve publicly proclaimed to be my all-time favorites. Having said all this, there’s plenty here to chew on, and I have always prided myself on my diversity, so I believe there is still something here for everyone.
Rock the Spotify playlist below. I’ve provided the text list below with YouTube/Soundcloud/Pitchfork links to tracks that aren’t available on Spotify. Enjoy!
200. El-P – The Full Retard
199. Divine Fits – Would That Not Be Nice
198. Chromatics – Lady
197. Bloc Party – Kettling
196. Hot Chip – Flutes
195. Ringo Deathstarr – Drain
194. Avicii – Silhouettes – Original Radio Edit
193. Vacationer – Trip
192. Killer Mike – Big Beast – feat. Bun B, T.I., and Trouble
191. Dr. Dog – Lonesome
190. Frankie Rose – Know Me
189. Lotus Plaza – Out of Touch
188. Ben Folds Five – Erase Me
187. Owl City – Good Time
186. †††(Crosses) – Prurienâ€
185. The Walkmen – We Can’t Be Beat
184. Escort – All Through the Night
183. Tyvek – Wayne County Roads
182. Eternal Summers – Wonder
181. Tame Impala – Feels Like We Only Go Backwards
180. Two Gallants – Halcyon Days
179. Menomena – Plumage
178. Ice Choir – A Vision of Hell, 1996
177. The Gaslight Anthem – Mulholland Drive
176. AlunaGeorge – Just A Touch
175. Jeff The Brotherhood – Sixpack
174. Ab-Soul – Nibiru
173. Garbage – Automatic Systematic Habit
172. Plants and Animals – Lightshow
171. Chiddy Bang – Out 2 Space – feat. Gordon Voidwell
170. Ke$ha – Wherever You Are
169. Candy Claws – Do You Ever Feel That Way
168. Schoolboy Q – There He Go
167. Deftones – Entombed
166. Cities Aviv – G A L L E R Y G U R L Z
165. Fang Island – Asunder
164. The Tallest Man On Earth – 1904
163. Evian Christ – Payo Rent
162. The xx – Angels
161. Bob Mould – Keep Believing
160. Star Slinger – Take This Up
159. Gorillaz featuring Andre 3000 and James Murphy – DoYaThing
158. Ceremony – Ordinary People
157. Icona Pop – Ready For The Weekend
156. Dent May – Parents
155. Saint Etienne – I’ve Got Your Music
154. Dwight Yoakam – Rock It All Away
153. MNDR – Fall in Love with the Enemy
152. The-Dream – AK47
151. Diamond Rings – Put Me On
150. Taylor Swift – We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
149. Dirty Projectors – About to Die
148. Passion Pit – Carried Away
147. Elliphant – Down On Life
146. Twin Shadow – Run My Heart
145. Purity Ring – Crawlersout
144. Wallpaper. – Shotgun
143. Beach House – The Hours
142. Jonn Hart – Who Booty
141. Alabama Shakes – Hold On
140. Royal Headache – Psychotic Episode
139. E-40 – Function (feat. YG, IAmSu & Problem)
138. Kendrick Lamar – Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe
137. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Swim and Sleep
136. Dana Buoy – Call to Be
135. Metz – Headache
134. Escort – Makeover
133. Tame Impala – Elephant
132. A*M*E – Play The Game Boy
131. Frank Ocean – Forrest Gump
130. Meek Mill – Amen – feat. Drake
129. The Walkmen – Song for Leigh
128. Cadence Weapon – Conditioning
127. The Gaslight Anthem – Keepsake
126. Cloud Nothings – Wasted Days
125. Death Grips – Hustle Bones
124. Holograms – Chasing My Mind
123. Angel Haze – Werkin’ Girls
122. Sohn – The Wheel
121. AlunaGeorge – You Know You Like It
120. Green Day – Wild One
119. Two Gallants – Song of Songs
118. French Montana – Pop That – Explicit Version
117. Chairlift – Amanaemonesia
116. Diamond Rugs – Call Girl Blues
115. Frankie Rose – Interstellar
114. Chiddy Bang – Talking to Myself
113. Schoolboy Q – Hands On The Wheel (feat. A$ap Rocky)
112. Katy Perry – Wide Awake
111. Santigold – The Keepers
110. Jack White – Sixteen Saltines
109. Star Slinger – Ladies In The Back
108. Ben Folds Five – Draw A Crowd
107. S-Type – Billboard
106. Colleen Green – Goldmine
105. Ceremony – Citizen
104. KATE BOY – NORTHERN LIGHTS
103. Dent May – Home Groan
102. Killer Mike – Butane – feat. El-P
101. Mr MFN eXquire – Huzzah – Explicit Version
100. David Byrne & St. Vincent – Weekend In The Dust
99. FIDLAR – Cheap Beer
98. Django Django – Default
97. Bob Mould – Star Machine
96. Japandroids – Fire’s Highway
95. Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
94. King L – Val Venis
93. Wallpaper. – #STUPiDFACEDD
92. Ke$ha – C’Mon
91. Mykki Blanco & Brenmar – Wavvy
90. Purity Ring – Obedear
89. Melody’s Echo Chamber – Endless Shore
88. Diamond Rings – All The Time
87. MNDR – #1 in Heaven
86. Childish Gambino – Shoulda Known {prod. Childish Gambino}
85. Fiona Apple – Every Single Night
84. Tanlines – All Of Me
83. KOOL A.D. – GIRLS AND WOMEN
82. Dwight Yoakam – Take Hold Of My Hand
81. Ice Choir – Teletrips
80. Juicy J feat. Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz – Bandz A Make Her Dance – Explicit Version
79. Escort – Cocaine Blues
78. Frank Ocean – Pyramids
77. Twin Shadow – Five Seconds
76. Holograms – ABC City
75. Death Grips – @deathgripz
74. Kreayshawn featuring 2 Chainz – Breakfast (Syrup)
73. Deftones – Leathers
72. The Walkmen – Line By Line
71. CHVRCHES – The Mother We Share
70. AlunaGeorge – Your Drums, Your Love
69. Saint Etienne – Tonight
68. Nicki Minaj – Beez In The Trap
67. Chairlift – I Belong In Your Arms
66. Pandr Eyez – Again and Again
65. Sleigh Bells – Comeback Kid
64. Green Day – Let Yourself Go
63. The Darkness – Nothin’s Gonna Stop Us
62. M.I.A. – Bad Girls
61. Dent May – Wedding Day
60. Passion Pit – I’ll Be Alright
59. Ben Folds Five – Sky High
58. Miguel – Adorn
57. Cloud Nothings – Fall In
56. Kanye West – Clique
55. The Gaslight Anthem – Biloxi Parish
54. Ceremony – Hysteria
53. School Of Seven Bells – Secret Days
52. The-Dream – Dope Bitch
51. Kendrick Lamar – Backseat Freestyle
50. Meek Mill – Flexin’ On ‘Em
49. Ruby Goe – Sq1
48. Sky Ferreira – Everything Is Embarrassing
47. Tyga – Faded
46. Wallpaper. – FUCKING BEST SONG EVERRR
45. Diamond Rings – Day & Night
44. MNDR – Faster Horses
43. Ke$ha – Die Young
42. Grimes – Oblivion
41. Torche – Kicking
40. Garbage – Blood For Poppies
39. Diplo feat. Lazerdisk Party Sex – Set It Off (feat. Lazerdisk Party Sex)
38. Outer Limitz – I Kontact
37. Eternal Summers – Millions
36. Mister Lies – Cleam
35. Psy – Gangnam Style (강남스타ì¼)
34. Diamond Rugs – Gimme A Beer
33. Twin Shadow – Be Mine Tonight
32. Jessie Ware – Wildest Moments
31. Star Slinger – Chain Dumbin’ (feat. Project Pat, Juicy J)
30. Childish Gambino – One Up (ft. Steve G. Lover)
29. Schoolboy Q – Sexting
28. Dwight Yoakam – Dim Lights, Thick Smoke
27. Chiddy Bang – Mind Your Manners – feat. Icona Pop
26. TNGHT (Hudson Mohawke x Lunice) – Higher Ground
25. How To Dress Well – & It Was U
24. Fun. – Some Nights
23. Saint Lou Lou – Maybe You
22. Danny Brown – Grown Up
21. Charli XCX – You’re the One
20. Deftones – Swerve City
19. Angel Haze – New York
18. Pinback – Proceed to Memory
17. Toadies – Summer of the Strange
16. Sleigh Bells – Born to Lose
15. Passion Pit – Take A Walk
14. Green Day – Dirty Rotten Bastards
13. Tourist – Placid Acid
12. Miguel – Use Me
11. Fiona Apple – Hot Knife
10. Tyga – Rack City
9. Purity Ring – Fineshrine
8. Kanye West – Mercy
7. Icona Pop – I Love It – feat. Charli XCX
6. Frank Ocean – Thinkin Bout You
5. Death Grips – I’ve Seen Footage
4. Japandroids – The House That Heaven Built
3. Bob Mould – The Descent
2. Cloud Nothings – Stay Useless
1. Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools (Drank)