Happy New Year!!! Hope it brings you everything you want and that you can leave behind all the stuff that sucked in 2012.
Of course there was plenty of stuff that didn't suck in 2012, most notably the following tunes which represented my stand alone high points of the year. The full albums list will follow in due course (along with the key 'not feeling it' countdown) but for the moment I'm going to concentrate on the songs that provided me with the biggest knee jerk thrills of the year, the tunes that made me stop in my tracks and say OOOOH YEAH THAT'S SOME GOOD SHIT RIGHT THERE. These songs made me alternatively shake my ass, bang my head, weep with joy or babble nonsensically in sheer excitement at various points over the last twelve months and consequently deserve their own special congratulatory countdown.
The Crocs' third album 'Endless Flowers' was one of the records I was most looking forward to in 2012 but ultimately proved to be one of the year's biggest disappointments, a lacklustre mishmash of tired ideas and disinterested muttering. The album would have merited a total snub were it not for its storming lead single 'Sunday', a relentless rush of bulldozer rhythms and throbbing distortion. The cheeky German count-off at the start cues up one of the year's biggest guitar buzzes as the track's main riff thunders in with a distorted kickback that makes it sounds like it's been left out in the sun all afternoon and you just have to crank the volume all the way up for three minutes of glorious fuzz pedal madness. It's not exactly the most original thing they've ever done and the band manage to look so bored in the video that you'd be hard pressed to believe that they were busting out one of the surprise dancefloor hits of the year. No matter, 'Sunday' is a marvellous pop droplet and well worth your full attention.
Yeah I know these guys look like pussies and that their record probably embodies everything you hate about British music at the moment. I was all ready and raring to hate on these dudes too but I had to admit that I thought their record wasn't all that bad once I'd given it a fair listen. They keep it relatively hemmed in and reserved throughout which is probably one of the biggest criticisms you could throw at them but standout cut 'Dissolve Me' is the closest thing they have to a floor-filler, cruising in on a euphoric wave of skylined synths and navigating the energy peaks and lulls across the track in the style of your more restrained dancefloor maestro - they could just blow your head off but like well brought up young gents they elect to tease and tweak the hands in the air synth riff on show here to craft somewhat of an understated gem. The rest of the record is perhaps indefensible against accusations of tweeness and bedwetting but this tune will win over even the most hardened cynic.
Another killer lead single from a slightly disappointing long player, 'Know Me' ushered in Frankie's 'Interstellar' LP in early 2012 which came in on a promise of crossover gold with potential radio hits stacked from front to back. Sadly repeated listens left most of the album as pleasant filler but 'Know Me' was pretty much the only track that stood a chance of notching any real mainstream success. Frankie keeps it twee on here in the vein of Cocteau Twins at their most poppy and the track is an infectious blast of lightweight dream pop that will creep onto your playlists without you even noticing - like fellow dreamsters Wild Nothing she whips up a dry-ice atmosphere of mid 1980s radio pop without slipping into wanton nostalgia and you can't help but feel that there's an alternative reality out there where this would be number one all over the world. Wild Nothing's second LP 'Nocturne' managed to adapt this blueprint to a full lengther with greater consistency but it was Frankie that nailed the classic single this time round and 'Know Me' was stuck on my headphones for much of this year.
Toy's bitchin' self titled debut was one of the biggest thrills of the year in my book and this track in particular made me stop what I was doing when I heard it (chopping vegetables if memory serves) to marvel at how totally badass it was before promptly heading to E-music to download the full album. 'My Heart Skips a Beat' isn't exactly typical of the whole record and is perhaps the gimmick track of the set, ushering in some Burt Bacharach style strings to set up a smooth, gorgeous glide through five minutes' soundtrack to the most dizzying crush you've ever had. They spend the rest of the album riffin' and rockin' in neo-psychedelic style to great effect but I reckon this track shows that they're not just one trick ponies and that they can fiddle around in the studio to produce some gems of their own. There's one particular spot in my long distance weekend runs where I can practically take off and fly if I cue up the right list of songs and this track found itself right in that spot as soon as I got hold of a copy. Totally lush, smooth as silk and perfectly crafted to take you to the next level, this is pure gold.
A spot of cheese for you here, but real appealable cheese at that. 'Euphoria' romped home to victory in 2012's Eurovision Song Contest as the Swedish entry, further proof that those irritatingly perfect blond bastards can crank out classic pop with so little effort that it's surprising anyone else even gets a look in. The track mines the sort of explosive synth territory that you'll hear on top 40 radio hits but falls just short of the ham-fisted bosh pop of part-timers like Example and N-Dubz for a slightly slicker, calculated take on proceedings and manages to simultaneously ape and improve the blueprint for chart pop better than anyone has managed in Eurovision since Gina G's 'Ooh Aah just a little bit' underachieved in the mid 1990s (yes, contrary to popular belief it didn't actually win). Only the fact that nobody bothers buying singles any more prevented this from becoming a massive global hit but even in the face of such trying times Loreen could at least lean back on her triumph in Europe's annual Cheesefest with a track that was actually halfway decent - they should rename it the Eurovision TUNE Contest in her honour in the hope that subsequent contenders follow her lead and crank out some decent material for a change.
10. Crocodiles - Sunday
The Crocs' third album 'Endless Flowers' was one of the records I was most looking forward to in 2012 but ultimately proved to be one of the year's biggest disappointments, a lacklustre mishmash of tired ideas and disinterested muttering. The album would have merited a total snub were it not for its storming lead single 'Sunday', a relentless rush of bulldozer rhythms and throbbing distortion. The cheeky German count-off at the start cues up one of the year's biggest guitar buzzes as the track's main riff thunders in with a distorted kickback that makes it sounds like it's been left out in the sun all afternoon and you just have to crank the volume all the way up for three minutes of glorious fuzz pedal madness. It's not exactly the most original thing they've ever done and the band manage to look so bored in the video that you'd be hard pressed to believe that they were busting out one of the surprise dancefloor hits of the year. No matter, 'Sunday' is a marvellous pop droplet and well worth your full attention.
9. Alt-J - 'Dissolve Me'
Yeah I know these guys look like pussies and that their record probably embodies everything you hate about British music at the moment. I was all ready and raring to hate on these dudes too but I had to admit that I thought their record wasn't all that bad once I'd given it a fair listen. They keep it relatively hemmed in and reserved throughout which is probably one of the biggest criticisms you could throw at them but standout cut 'Dissolve Me' is the closest thing they have to a floor-filler, cruising in on a euphoric wave of skylined synths and navigating the energy peaks and lulls across the track in the style of your more restrained dancefloor maestro - they could just blow your head off but like well brought up young gents they elect to tease and tweak the hands in the air synth riff on show here to craft somewhat of an understated gem. The rest of the record is perhaps indefensible against accusations of tweeness and bedwetting but this tune will win over even the most hardened cynic.
8. Frankie Rose - 'Know Me'
Another killer lead single from a slightly disappointing long player, 'Know Me' ushered in Frankie's 'Interstellar' LP in early 2012 which came in on a promise of crossover gold with potential radio hits stacked from front to back. Sadly repeated listens left most of the album as pleasant filler but 'Know Me' was pretty much the only track that stood a chance of notching any real mainstream success. Frankie keeps it twee on here in the vein of Cocteau Twins at their most poppy and the track is an infectious blast of lightweight dream pop that will creep onto your playlists without you even noticing - like fellow dreamsters Wild Nothing she whips up a dry-ice atmosphere of mid 1980s radio pop without slipping into wanton nostalgia and you can't help but feel that there's an alternative reality out there where this would be number one all over the world. Wild Nothing's second LP 'Nocturne' managed to adapt this blueprint to a full lengther with greater consistency but it was Frankie that nailed the classic single this time round and 'Know Me' was stuck on my headphones for much of this year.
7. Toy - 'My Heart Skips a Beat'
Toy's bitchin' self titled debut was one of the biggest thrills of the year in my book and this track in particular made me stop what I was doing when I heard it (chopping vegetables if memory serves) to marvel at how totally badass it was before promptly heading to E-music to download the full album. 'My Heart Skips a Beat' isn't exactly typical of the whole record and is perhaps the gimmick track of the set, ushering in some Burt Bacharach style strings to set up a smooth, gorgeous glide through five minutes' soundtrack to the most dizzying crush you've ever had. They spend the rest of the album riffin' and rockin' in neo-psychedelic style to great effect but I reckon this track shows that they're not just one trick ponies and that they can fiddle around in the studio to produce some gems of their own. There's one particular spot in my long distance weekend runs where I can practically take off and fly if I cue up the right list of songs and this track found itself right in that spot as soon as I got hold of a copy. Totally lush, smooth as silk and perfectly crafted to take you to the next level, this is pure gold.
6. Loreen - 'Euphoria'
A spot of cheese for you here, but real appealable cheese at that. 'Euphoria' romped home to victory in 2012's Eurovision Song Contest as the Swedish entry, further proof that those irritatingly perfect blond bastards can crank out classic pop with so little effort that it's surprising anyone else even gets a look in. The track mines the sort of explosive synth territory that you'll hear on top 40 radio hits but falls just short of the ham-fisted bosh pop of part-timers like Example and N-Dubz for a slightly slicker, calculated take on proceedings and manages to simultaneously ape and improve the blueprint for chart pop better than anyone has managed in Eurovision since Gina G's 'Ooh Aah just a little bit' underachieved in the mid 1990s (yes, contrary to popular belief it didn't actually win). Only the fact that nobody bothers buying singles any more prevented this from becoming a massive global hit but even in the face of such trying times Loreen could at least lean back on her triumph in Europe's annual Cheesefest with a track that was actually halfway decent - they should rename it the Eurovision TUNE Contest in her honour in the hope that subsequent contenders follow her lead and crank out some decent material for a change.
5. The Vaccines - 'Teenage Icon'
The Vaccines were always going to come back with something special, their debut having triumphed with a string of catchy indie guitar gems at a time when such material seemed frightfully out of fashion. When a band flings out such a self-assured, competent debut then you just know that they've got a whole stockpile of new material waiting in the wings for drip-feed release over B-sides and limited edition standalones and 'Teenage Icon' was the reassuring proof that they could still pen killer singles. Choppy, melodic and catchy as fuck, it continued their faultless run of singles whilst nonetheless heralding a new album full of material in a very different vein to their debut - 'Come of Age' wasn't the carbon copy of their first record that many expected but it hardly suffered for it, mixing in a wider range of influences and exploring structures outside the three minute indie floor filler. It was comforting to know that the band could vary the template without getting lost but 'Teenage Icon' was still the most satisfying blast of noise on their second album and only further strengthened the robust setlist for their bonkers live gigs to cement their reputation as indie's biggest movers and shakers.
4. Grimes ft Majical Clouds - 'Nightmusic'
Grimes rose out of industry obscurity over the course of the year to become 2012's answer to Zola Jesus and St Vincent; oddball solo chicks beloved of NME and the hipster blogosphere and poised to move into the broadsheet end of the mainstream press. This of course is no bad thing - brush aside all the bollocks being spouted by trend-chasing journalists and there's an infectious glimpse into a new and fascinating universe on offer here, an almost dreamlike frolic in fantasy and electronic eclecticism that comes across best on 'Nightmusic'. Her album 'Visions' ranked high in the press round ups of 2012's best records and whilst it's a riveting listen I wouldn't go as far as picking it as one of the cherries of the year - this single however is a one shot fall in love type affair, all twinkling synths and whispered vocals that sound like a three year old conspiring with her Barbies to overthrow the household. This has the potential to blow up like M83's 'Midnight City' did in 2011 only it might be a spot too bonkers to truly appeal to the advertising types (which is probably for the best so the rest of us get to continue enjoying it in moderation). The video is worth checking out too for some seriously weird forest frolics - you could dance to this or alternatively creep off to the bottom of the garden and talk to the fairies to it, either way it's a pretty intoxicating mix.
3. Tribes - 'Sappho'
Indie. Lesbians. Big Ass choruses. This was always going to work. Tribes' debut 'Baby' yielded an almost embarrassingly strong crop of potential singles which should have gone some way to making them almost as unavoidable as the Vaccines were in 2011. The peripheral importance of chart positions and perhaps more importantly the absence of a widely-televised Glastonbury festival to ply their trade at left them well appreciated yet chronically undervalued by large sections of the press in favour of the considerably less immediate likes of Django Django but Tribes still had the material more likely to win over the casual listener. You could throw their debut on at random and land on a massive anthem; 'We were Children', 'Halfway Home', 'Until My Day Comes', 'Corner of an English Field'....ultimately 'Sappho' just edges ahead as my favourite of the bunch, a ramshackle cocktail of the anthemic stomp of glammed up 90s indie outfits like Mansun, Supergrass and Heavy Stereo alongside the cheeky lyrical wit of noughties scribes like Alex Turner and Ricky Wilson. Had they dropped a record this strong five years earlier they'd have probably made enough cash to retire by now - as things stand they'll have to make do with a rack of massive indie anthems and the adoration of a guitar-starved public. I suppose that's not too bad a swap.
2. Lone - 'Raindance'
If I were basing this list purely on the strength of my initial reaction to each individual tune then the Cheshire Cat grin that planted itself on my face when I first heard 'Raindance' would probably justify its inclusion at the very top of the countdown. As things stand it only bags the silver medal but this is still one of the biggest headrushes of the year - essentially it's nothing too clever or even that new, a retroactive rave-up of effervescent breakbeats and euphoric synth swirls that wouldn't have sounded out of place on one of my early 90s Kaos Theory cassette compilations. Lone even stays true to the Liam Howlett-endorsed technique of 'the drop', leaving a gracious pause to be filled with air horns and whistles as the track's intro gives way to a full frontal love rush of breakneck space rave. It's refreshingly euphoric stuff, sparkling and light but all built on a foundation of frenetic breakbeats and video game synth effects - this is the sort of tune to pop up in a DJ set as someone's secret weapon and take the floor by storm. Lone probably grew up at the same time as me as he seems forever drawn to the underground rave sounds of 1991 and is happy enough to explore different ways to warp the period effects into new packages under his own navigation. 'Raindance' will either sound like another unwarranted exercise in synth nostalgia or a mind-blowing explosion of sound and colour depending on your worldview - I know what side of the fence I'm on.
1. Jesca Hoop - Hospital (To Win Your Love)
It wasn't particularly easy picking an outright winner this year, particularly as there were more than a few tracks that fell short of the hit single status I felt they so deserved and therefore merited the accolade to set things straight. In the end I plumped for 'Hospital' simply because it's the best sort of pop song, one that crafts something joyous and clever out of the unpredictable nature of human emotion. Put simply, Jesca's singing about how an impromptu trip to the hospital tends to win you everyone's affection, undivided attention and if you're lucky maybe even a bit of sympathy booty for being brave. She sings it much in the style of the petulant kid inside all of us who can recognise the symptoms (if they're being totally honest that is) and manages to craft a dazzlingly catchy song around it that I was genuinely surprised didn't summarily turn into a global super smash. I suppose the industry is probably more interested in nu-soul smoothies like Adele and Amy Winehouse lamenting their latest dumping experience rather than the hyperactive squeals of a perplexing kook like Hoop - their loss and our gain then. 'Hospital' made my year and still makes me deliriously happy every time I hear it. Spread the word!
No comments:
Post a Comment