20 Favorite Songs of 2012

Instead of a Top 10 and Bottom 10, I am pooling my 2012 Tops into a list of my favorite 20 tracks of the year. Note I said "favorite" and not "best." Here goes.

"Get Free" Major Lazer Featuring Amber Coffman
This lush, breezy Diplo production is a timely treat for us broke-ass bitches. Bonus points for being the least annoying thing related to Dirty Projectors.

"Spiral" Wye Oak
Up-and-coming Baltimore duo Wye Oak kick up a storm and level up with this one-off single for Adult Swim. What a tangled, beautiful web they weave.

"I Love It" Icona Pop
These brash Brit bitches update "We're Not Gonna Take It" for the dubstep generation. Girl power!

"Be a Body" Grimes
The only Claire Boucher song to truly live up to the hype of indie pop savant is a layered, kinetic celebration of the senses.

"Losing You" Solange
I really appreciate how the Knowles sister's can remain relevant without ever being vulgar. Solange returns with a bittersweet break-up jam dipped in Eighties afterglow.

"Bad Girls" M.I.A
The verses are gibberish but that killer, exotic beat, and the simple, effective refrain of, "Live fast, die young, bad girls do it well," is totally relevant in this Honey Boo Boo age.

"The Keepers" Santigold
While it can be argued that this song and the new album are a bit heavy-handed, this new wave/hip-hop hybrid is an infectious celebration of how the worst situations bring out the best in people.

"No. 1 Against the Rush" Liars
My favorite fibbers out-Radiohead Thom Yorke and company with a subtle, dread-drenched danse macabre.

"Like Ice Cream" Divine Fits
A Spoon-full of Britt Daniel helps the summer go down in the most delightful way. Extra sprinkles to any song that repeats a certain phrase through the entirety. I thought I'd put this live video up rather than just the song. Enjoy.

"Half Twain the Jesse" Jessica Pratt
Discovering Jessica Pratt, the love child of Joanna Newsom and Vashti Bunyan, was such a welcome respite from the hyper-stylized music of today. Check out this elegant, timeless highlight from her debut.

"Seaqz" Mouse on Mars
Under-appreciated German electronica duo returned this year to play with dubstep tropes like kittens with a ball of yarn. Of all their fabulous new stuff this year, this pulsing heart attack on ecstasy provided me with the most fun.

"Andrew in Drag" Magnetic Fields
After the dainty wisp of an album that was Realism, this muscular, clever love ditty was a welcome return to form for Merritt and crew.

"Mario's Flaming Whiskers" Deerhoof
Try not to smile when you take this insane, fractured mustache ride through Candyland.

"Take Me Home" Perfume Genius
Mike Hadreas, my kindred spirit, is just a fucked-up boy looking for his own peace of mind. This haunting, gospel ballad perfectly encapsulates the loneliness of the modern homo.

"Nocturne" Wild Nothing
Jack Tatum gives his heart away in a swooning, twee Cure homage. Good luck trying to claw the irresistible chorus out of your skull.

"All Your Gold" Bat for Lashes
Someone sailed away, sailed away, sailed away with Natasha Kahn's treasure, and she's running up that hill to get it back. Get it, girl.

"Her Fantasy" Matthew Dear
This weird, sexy jam to slut strut to is like a sleazy "Staying Alive."

"Crystalized" Melody's Echo Chamber
Tame Impala dude Kevin Parker and Melody Prochet host a seance for Broadcast's Trish Keenan with gorgeously produced results.

"Lost in My Bedroom" Sky Ferreira
I could not get this buzzy, sugary ode to dancing with myself out of my head this year.

"Sifters" Andrew Bird
Mr. Bird presents this lush lullaby to leave by featuring perhaps the best lyrics of any song this year. "If sound is a wave like a wave on the ocean, the moon plays the ocean like a violin." Poetic genius.