Best Songs of 2012

Hey,
It's almost 2013! Seriously, I cannot believe how quickly this year has flown by. As quickly as it has gone, we've had some incredible music come out this year. At the risk of sounding cheeky, can I say it may have been one of alternative music's best years? Granted, the crap on the radio was still crap ("Whistle", anyone?) but I think the alternative scene is improving and spreading into popular culture, maybe even just a little bit. I think fun. wins the award for best out-of-nowhere hit single and follow-up single with "We Are Young" and "Some Nights." I love seeing bands getting some validation, even it means I have to put up with obnoxious 12 year olds tweeting "OMG!!!! We R Young!" Yes, you are. You're 12.
Anyways, my intent was to do a 12 best songs of 2012 list, but there's just too many good ones, so I'm doing 15 best songs; I couldn't narrow it down!
Here is my list of the 15 Best Songs of 2012:

15."Relax My Beloved" by Alex Clare
14. "All Alone" by fun.
13. "Little Black Submarines" by The Black Keys
12. "Empty Party Rooms" by Minus the Bear
11. "Run Boy Run" by Woodkid
10."No Diggity" by Chet Faker
9."Body Electric" by Lana Del Rey
8. "Speak Up" by POP ETC.
7."Before the Dive" by St. Lucia
6."Holiday" by Electric Guest
5."Because I Know That I Can" by Andy Burrows
4."Demons" by Imagine Dragons
3."American Daydream" by Electric Guest
2."Handshake" by Two Door Cinema Club
1. "This Head I Hold" by Electric Guest

15. "Relax My Beloved" by Alex Clare. Alex Clare gained notoriety for his song "Too Close," which blended blues and dub step seamlessly. However, I think it's safe to say that "Relax My Beloved" is a million times better. It combines his soulful vocals with that Sonny Moore-influenced sound in the background and sounds absolutely beautiful and almost raw in a strange way. The lyrics have captured my heart with such lines as "then maybe again/ we will weep like we've done a thousand time before," and many others. Great song.

14. "All Alone" by fun. I reviewed fun.'s album a while back, and I still am in love with "All Alone." Between the gentle instrumental intro, that ridiculously creative percussion line, one of the best lines of the year: "how do you cry/ with inanimate eyes," and Nate's powerful vocals, this remains one of the best songs off their album and another reason why I am proud to support these guys! They're awesome! :)

13. "Little Black Submarines" by the Black Keys. Ah, the Black Keys. I was angry with them at first for not putting their newest album on Spotify, but after actually listening to it; I understand why. It's too good to put on Spotify. I realize how pretentious that sounds, but seriously, listen to it and you'll see why. The Black Keys specialize in polished blues/ R&B and that perfectly describes track 13 on my list. "Little Black Submarines" showcases their dirty guitar licks, gravely vocals, and their talent of reviving music of the past (and doing an excellent job, if I say so myself).

12. "Empty Party Rooms" by Minus The Bear. I first listened to this band a few years ago when their label, Dangerbird, offered a free sampler off Amazon.com. The song was amazing and I keep coming back for more. And this band never disappoints. "Empty Party Rooms" has a very mellow tinge to it. Certainly, it is more laid-back than most of their usual stuff and I like it for that very reason. Critics tend to criticize (hence their title "critic") bands for experimenting and trying new stuff. I call bull. This song belongs on the album as much as the others and I love the chill sound. Still, it is a very complex song with beautiful guitar lines, heavenly background vocals, and Jake's capable voice carrying the song.

11. "Run Boy Run" by Woodkid. Woodkid is the musical alias of Yoann Lemoine, a French director. This is definitely a different track; I like different. :)  I like the strong lyrics, beautiful vocals, manic percussion, and the string section.

10. "No Diggity" by Chet Faker. "No Diggity" was super big back in the 1990's and Chet Faker put a really cool, grungy, emotional spin on it. Where the original feels sexy and all like "make it rain," this rendition is more vulnerable and honestly, more convincing. I believe him when he says he likes the way I "work it." Whatever that means. Additionally, his raspy, convincing vocals have won me over.

9. "Body Electric" by Lana Del Rey. I realize Lana is a slightly controversial choice, considering she is somewhat mainstream, but I think she is still holding onto her indie roots. This song is too intricate to get played on the radio and the lyrics area sickeningly deep, which means the song would get pushed aside so Lil Wayne and every other pop princess can sing about how much they like butts and sex. Mini rant aside, this song builds and climaxes perfectly, and Lana Del Rey's vocals are absolutely electric.

8. "Speak Up" by POP ETC. Formerly known as the Morning Benders, POP ETC is what would result if The Ready Set and Panic! At the Disco had a lovechild together. And a beautiful lovechild it is. I love the dreamy string section, slightly distorted vocals, and floating sensation of the verses that directly contrasts with the steadier bridge into the chorus. Very cool song.

7. "Before the Dive" by St Lucia. I remember highlighting this song about a month ago and I've yet to get it out of my head. Which, in my book, is the mark of a good song. St. Lucia's incredible talent really shines through the track, boasting a stunning orchestral section, a dangerously catchy intro, and poetic lyrics. Love it.

6."Holiday" by Electric Guest. The introduction of the song alone warrants getting placed on the list, but because of the creative guitars in the background and the line "she's a painted face," they earned spot number six. :)

5."Because I Know That I Can" by Andy Burrows- I love Andy Burrows.Based on how often I've reviewed him, I suppose that's fairly obvious. :) He has a convincing voice and is a talented songwriter. This song has a very "Condor El Pasa" by Simon and Garfunkel vibe and paired with Andy's voice it has won me over.

4."Demons" by Imagine Dragons. This song begins slowly and about 45 seconds into it, it just all goes "KAPOOOF!" I don't think that's a word. Regardless, the track is a beautiful concoction of forbidden love and the best use of a bass drum I've heard for quite some time.

3 ."American Daydream" by Electric Guest. I know this is the second song by the same band, but it's so good I felt like I had to highlight this one as well. The percussion gives the song a sort of monotonous feeling which enforces the lyrics "we keep going/don't stop running" and the distortion on Asas vocals also increases the dragging feeling. Still, I think it's one of the best songs on the album, simply because they dared to be different.

2."Handshake" by Two Door Cinema Club. I love these British bands. They bring something interesting to the music scene, not that American/European bands don't. Don't get me wrong. But, like a lot of other British bands, TDCC fits into their own little genre. They're not quite solid Alt rock, nor are they pop, but a strangely delicious blend of the two. As well, TDCC writes some of the best lyrics: "She said the devil will want you back/ And you'll never find love in an open hand/ Shut your eyes, so you see I'm there/ And know you'll always have this if you stay this mad." So good.

1. "This Head I Hold" by Electric Guest- Yes, another Electric Guest song. They are one of my favorite bands and their album Mondo maybe one of the best debut albums ever. This song earns the number one spot for five reasons 1) Asa's falsetto is incredible the way it soars and makes the song really distinct, 2) That drum line at the beginning...that's the kind of stuff that made Darren King, the drummer of MuteMath, a legend, 3) the keyboard the complements the other instrumentation,4) the infectious melody, and 5) The lyrics! The lyrics make the song. A truly fantastic track.

Thank you for reading this and every other post. You guys rock and I can't wait to see what the next year brings.

Until then,
Bella

We Are Hunted Is Amazing

Hey,

I am really sorry that this post is two days late. It would have been up on Friday, like usual, but I had a school-related activity both days, so I did not have time to write a post. Here is my belated post!

Like I promised, I am getting back to actually reviewing music, not just making crappy playlists. J

Here are five new-ish tracks I have recently discovered on one of my favorite Spotify apps, We Are Hunted. What is We Are Hunted? Well, in essence, it is an invaluable app on Spotify that features various emerging artists and mainstream artists. It allows you to discover new artists and new tracks and is an incredible resource for people, like me, who are always looking for new music. :)

As always, in no particular order,

5. Before the Dive by St. Lucia- I love the electronica influences, the vocal editing that adds, instead of subtracts, from the song, serving as another instrument, of sorts, in the vein of fun., and the 1980’s inspired sound; the song almost reminds me of something Genesis might have put out. The lyrics are beautiful and the melodies are infectious, resulting in a solid track.

4. Ariel by Antonio Paul- This is one of the first tracks that I discovered on We Are Hunted. Antonio Paul is two comprised of two Australian guys that truly embody what the music industry in missing. Their songs never quit, going full force to the end, each song is a unique piece of art, and the vocals and instrumentals literally meld together, as opposed to entering a sort of battle that some Alt/indie bands are guilty of. I really like the amount of energy and effort Antonio Paul puts into their music. Keep up the great work guys!

3. Stranded On (The Wrong Beach) by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying birds- This track is the one exception; I did not find this song on We Are Hunted. Instead, I heard another one of his songs over a year ago on Alt Nation, on SiriusXM. Noel Gallagher was, as I’m sure many of you know, a member of Oasis, though they have since split. Usually, I am sad when a band breaks up, but I think NGHFB’s music is 100x better than the stuff Oasis did. Truly. Anyways, I have included this song on my list because this week I was looking for some different music to listen to and decided to pay a visit to Noel’s album again. I am so glad I did. Back when I used to listen to the album nearly every day—I was slightly obsessed—I somehow managed to skip over this track. Now, looking back, I can’t believe I missing out on this song! This is easily the best song on the CD. I love the dark instrumentation, including the wine glasses which add an extra layer of creepy, the equally dark lyrics, the steady, very retro guitar line, and the steady percussion.  Amazing song. Even if you disregard everything else I suggest tonight, check out this song. J   

2. Holiday by Electric Guest- One of my favorite bands, as you all know, has put on another fantastic track. Asa and Matthew have a certain knack for coming out with perfect songs, that’s really the best way I can think to describe their talent. The melody has been stuck in my head all week—that’s a major compliment— the lyrics are stunning and I love the solid drum-lines. They always add just the right amount of eclectic instruments so they complement Asa’s vocals and Matthew’s drumming. Congrats on another hit! J

1. No Diggity by Chet Faker- Yes, this is indeed a cover of Blackstreet and Dr. Dre’s song and it is so much better than the original. I love the slowed, mellow spin Chet put on it. Whereas the other song seems to be ridiculously impressed with a girl for less than honorable reasons J, Chet’s cover appears to make the fluffy lyrics feel like they actually carry some substance. Lyrics aside, I love the simple instrumentation he utilizes, along with his very gravely vocals. A remarkable rendering.

Well, that concludes it for this week. J  Hopefully you discovered a new artist or re-discovered a song through this post!

Let me know via twitter, comment, or shoot me e-mail at thesoundtrackofmylife2012@gmail.com

and let me know what you thought. 

Until next week,

Bella

Electric Guest Floored Me... In a Good Way

Hey,

Before I get to the interesting stuff, I mentioned this last week, but I have a twitter…check me out here. I don’t tweet a lot, but it’s a good way to see when I have a new blog post up or something like that. J

Tonight’s blog post is about Electric Guest’s new album, Mondo. In case you missed my first post about them last week, they are comprised of Asa Taccone (younger brother of Jorma Taccone, of The Lonely Island/SNL Digital Shorts fame) and Matthew Compton . They met in this house that they were both living in California, and one thing led to another, and Jorma hooked Asa up with Danger Mouse—who is a fantastic producer—and Electric Guest was born.

      Like last week, I’m rating this album on a scale of ten.

Here we go…

1. Holes: 9/10
A very nice introductory track, as I like the synthesizers at the beginning and how the vocals kind of trickle in. The melody is simple, but its beauty comes through. This is one of my favorite songs on the CD (can we even say CD now? I'm technically listening to it on Spotify...maybe I should say album...). I pretty much love everything about this track.

2. This Head I Hold. 10/10.
Best song on the album/CD (you pick which one you like...I really couldn't care less. Something I should care more about, however, is my overuse of {...}) Every time I listen to it, it reminds me of the first time I heard it--I think I've told this story before--when I was sitting in my minivan, waiting for my sister. I was just chilling and then this came on, I cranked it up, and wrote the title down so I could look them up. Amazing track because of three key things: Asa's memorable vocals, because, quite honestly, you don't hear voices this special every day, the piano line, and the drums at the beginning--it sounds like something Darren King--of MuteMath--would have written.

3. Under The Gun. 9/10
I like the storytelling lyrics; God knows Ke$ha could not write something this good ("Oh, my Gawd, I got sooo drunk last night."Thank goodness that these lyrics are like, a gazillion times better) The piano is absolutely stunning. It melds nicely with the rest of the instruments and of course Asa's vocals. That guy's voice just keeps getting better with each track, I think.

4. Awake 9/10
The steady beat of this one caught my attention instantly. I like the background vocals as they blend seamlessly with Asa's. And Matthew's bass is really nice too. This has a very soundtrack-ready feeling to it, which is cool. For some reason, I keep wanting to compare EG to a bunch of bands, but I'm stopping myself. If I did some comparisons, I'd end up comparing them to pretty much every band I listen to; they are a perfect mix of my Alt Playlist on Spotify. That is a compliment. :)
5. Amber 9/10
The drum line is incredible on this track! It's crazy good. The synthesizers just...wow! I used to kind of skip over this track, but not any more. I love this one almost as much as This Head I Hold. Coolness...

6. The Bait 10/10
Jazzy, kind of funk-based little thing, this track has made its way to the top of my running playlist. I love everything about this song. The lyrics are creative, the vocal/effects work perfectly, the drums totally rock, and it all comes together like a jigsaw puzzle, like, it all fits together, almost without effort. Love it.

7. Waves 10/10
I really do hate to make comparisons because I either feel like I'm snubbing the original artist, or the artist that reminds me of another artist, but I'm swallowing that notion for a moment. This reminds me of Foster the People, except EG is 1000x better than FTP. I'm not trying to be rude; I really do think this song is golden. It's perfect. I love that "go," but it kind of freaked me out a little...I was like, whoa! Who said "go"?
I'm dead serious about this, Asa, just record all your songs in falsetto from now on. It's gorgeous. He has power, force, its slightly sweet, and downright lovable. I'm impressed. Some guys, they just fail at falsetto. Not him, though. Kudos.

8. Troubleman 10/10
This is a loooooooong song. Clocking it at 8:49, I nearly did a double take when this came on earlier. That's a long song. Anyways, I love it. The lyrics, for one thing, are creative. I love unusual synatx. I like the line: "girl of the bohemian kind," because of the wording. Next, the drums are a key ingredient in this song--if you ask me, a song is like a recipe and I'll explain that in another blog post, maybe next week--as well as the organs and synthesizers.

9. American Daydream 10/10
If I could, along with This Head I Hold, I would give this song 20/10, but that's not exactly mathematically correct. Oh, well. I love this song, as well as the music video. The first time that I watched it, I was like, "Why is he tackling that poor girl?" then I was like, "Oh, it's artistic," and finally, I was like, "Hahahahahaha. That's funny." But, I digress. This song is great because of the guitars and drums which play central roles, and the backing vocals help give strength to this brilliant song. Only weakness: I wish it was longer! It's kind of funny that the song before it is 8 minutes, and this one is 2:49. I like the placement. :)

10. Control 10/10
Great song. Asa and Matthew: you guys rock. I think this is the first album where I haven't had a single negative comment about any of the songs. Nicely done! I love how solemn this song is, the weight of it, and the power behind it. It's the best track to end a CD/album with that "Oh." It has a haunting quality to it.
Conclusion: Mondo is probably my favorite album I've heard in a long time--almost better than Panic! At the Disco's latest album and Fun.'s too. Asa Taccone + Matthew Compton + Danger Mouse = A power trio. Seriously. I love these guys, their talents amaze me, and I am looking forward to even bigger and brighter things.  They have made a fan out of me.
Now, it would be super chill if these guys would come to Des Moines, Iowa, so I can see them in concert. :)

Follow me on Twitter or leave me a comment, and let me know your thoughts on Electric Guest.
Until next week,
Bella
Edit: After I wrote this, I started thinking about it and I wanted to make sure to mention that Danger Mouse, Brian Burton, was the producer and he played a bunch of instruments on the album, but he doesn't tour with the band. I kind of realized that it sounded like I was implying that he goes around with the band, but that's not what I was trying to say.

Crazy Good Vocals + Creativity = Electric Guest

Hey,

          Because I’m a nice person, I’m giving you two blog posts tonight. The first one will be short, just a quick, brief, little thing detailing what I’ve been listening to this week.

1.      This head I Hold by Electric Guest

Incredible band. The lead singer, Asa Taccone, is the younger brother of Jorma Taccone, 1/3 of The Lonely Island. Yes, those guys with “**** in a box” and “I Just Had Sex.” Anyways, Asa is a fantastic vocalist. He has a strong falsetto, beautiful range, and one of the best voices I can think of besides Paul Meany, lead singer of MuteMath, and Brendon Urie, of Panic! At the Disco, two incredible bands. The track is goose-bump-inducingly beautiful. Absolutely stunning. I like the keyboard intro in the beginning—reminds me of Keane, the drum solo—reminds me of MuteMath—and the vocal effects—reminds me of Fun. P.S. Check out the music video, the long one directed by a Keith something, it’s so weird and creative. It goes perfectly with the song. (Not to mention, Asa’s super cute. :D)

2.      American Dream by Electric Guest

Yep, another song from my new favorite band—I wish they would come to Iowa…

*insert fangirl sighs here*. I love this song because, frankly, I love Asa, but I also like the choir-like vocals at the beginning, amongst other amazing elements. A little history, Asa got a record deal because he was living in this house with these other guys, he met this one other dude, they started playing together, Asa used to play his music for Jorma and Jorma knows Danger Mouse (Danger Mouse produced groups like Gnarles Barkley and the cool compilation Rome, a spaghetti western and is ½ of Broken Bells) and he had Asa play for Danger Mouse and kaboom! A fantastic explosion of musical genius was born!  So, I like this song because I can hear the definite, detectable Danger Mouse sounds that I’ve come to know and love. As well, I like the  well, fader-like effect on Asa’s vocals. The lyrics are cool. From what I’m been able to deduce through my own brains and YouTube, the lyrics are about the crumbling American Dream. It’s not my place to say what I think, but I like the way he presents the lyrics; I had no idea what it was about until I studied the lyrics. I appreciate that, considering most other semi-political lyrics are very upfront and in your face. Nicely done, Asa. J

So, that’s it for this post, but next week, I’m going to do a full review of Mondo, Electric Guest’s debut album. Look forward to it!

 

Until next week,
Bella