Top 10 Songs of 2012
It's time again for my annual countdown of the top ten songs that worked their way into my ears this past year. 2012 was an interesting year, as unlike past years, there were not a lot of new albums by my old standbys. So much of the songs on this list are by new artists, or artists I've just discovered. Even though I love nothing more than one of my longtime favorite bands putting out new music, I also recognize that I should make a conscious effort to embrace new music, and I think I've done a lot of that this year.
10. "Live While We're Young" - One Direction
I think I first saw One Direction on Saturday Night Live and I thought they were pretty good. I've always had a soft spot for boy bands, although none of them have ever really entered my upper echelon as far as favorite bands go. I like 1D's sound, style and look, but it wasn't until I went to England this fall that I really started to appreciate them. Their single "Live While We're Young" was one that I heard several times while in the UK and I saw the video on TV in my hotel room. It's pretty catchy and I included it on my London mix CD when I got home.
9. "Now or Never" - Bananarama
They just keep on going, kinda like the energizer bunny. If you had told me back in the summer of '86 that I would be including Bananarama on a top 10 list of songs in the year 2012 on my blog, well, I would have been very confused. What's a blog? Ha ha. Anyway. I wasn't a huge fan back in the day but I admire the fact that they keep going and I have really enjoyed their later dance hits, including this one. I was lucky enough to see them perform live for the first time this year at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood, and I must say, it was probably the most fun concert I went to all this year.
8. "(Out Of) The Neighborhood" - Belle Ghoul
Belle Ghoul is a new project from Tait Nucleus of Electric Six, aka my keyboard God of the 2000's. I've been a huge fan of Tait's ever since I first saw him perform with E6 at the Glass House in Pomona. I really loved his previous project, Ghost City, which put out one amazing album right before they broke up. In Belle Ghoul, his collaborator is Jesse Paris Smith, daughter of Patti Smith, and a great partner for Tait. Their sound is kind of retro, motown-pop inspired and they have a great aesthetic. This track is a slice of sing-a-long pop-rock that makes you want to snap your fingers along with it.
7. "Truth Will Set You Free" - 1 LOVE featuring Corey Hart
I had something of a Corey Hart revival this year, having fallen in love all over again with his music and videos, and even covering his classic "Sunglasses at Night" with my own band. I had always liked him, and especially his first album, but I dug a lot deeper and got into the rest of his catalog over the year. So it was brilliant timing when he decided to collaborate on a new dance version of "Truth Will Set You Free," originally included on his 1988 album "Young Man Running. He admitted that the song was about his gay friends, and performed the song at Toronto Gay Pride.
6. "Somebody" - Niki & The Dove
I bought this record kind of on a whim, I had only listened to it on Spotify and hadn't been able to really give it much attention, and I must admit it was something of a grower. The vocals are sort of like Stevie Nicks mixed with Kate Bush, and the electronic soundscape is very lush and atmospheric. This particular song is actually pretty poppy and dance-floor ready, however, making it one of the standouts of the album as well as the live set (I got to see them perform an exclusive gig at the SoHo House in Beverly Hills).
5. "Runaway Love" - Diamond Rings
When Diamond Rings first came out, I had seen pictures on blogs and such and had a preconceived notion of what he sounded like. Hearing him for the first time on Logo's New Now Next, I was pleasantly surprised to find that he actually had a much deeper voice, and his music was more in the vein of Joy Division than whatever I thought it would be. He released his second album Free Dimensional this year and I fell in love with it, especially this jaunty little number, which was the second single. The music is very up-beat and although it's not all that deep, it's a lot of fun. I got to see him perform at Amoeba and Dylan was able to do the meet and greet with him.
4. "Born to Die" - Lana Del Rey
Ms. Del Rey (aka Elizabeth Grant) made quite the splash this year, proving the power of a good publicity agent and a well-manufactured back story and mystique. I had only heard a little about her from the blog Hipster Runoff before suddenly she made her much-maligned debut television appearance on SNL. While most criticized her performance, I was intrigued by her voice and presence. I watched the video for this song time and time again, and was fortunate to see her perform at Amoeba and meet her afterward. Despite all the bad publicity, I found her to be very warm, friendly and genuine in person.
3. "Blood For Poppies" - Garbage
Garbage is back!!! One of the few bands that I came to love during my college years, Garbage was like EVERYTHING to me for a few years at the turn of the millennium. Their debut album is a classic, as was the follow-up. The successive albums have all been solid, but the 2012 effort, Not Your Kind of People, really returned to their initial sound, with all sorts of gritty, distorted guitars mashed with cutting-edge keyboard sounds, and of course those hooks that are to die for. This single is an earworm that is best played LOUD! I was also very fond of the album opener, "Automatic Systematic Habit."
2. "Shell" - Father Tiger
Getting to know Father Tiger and enjoy their music was one of the highlights of my year, no doubt. From a chance run-in at Trader Joes, to seeing the band open for Information Society, to being a part of the video for this song (you can see me, my cat Bootsy, and my cat friend Simone if you look closely), this is a band that I am very excited to watch as they continue to grow and have success. Made up of the handsome Greg Delson with an amazing voice and style, and his partner, John Russell, who is one of the nicest guys I've ever met, this band makes delicious synth-pop music with hooks and all kinds of great keyboard sounds, but they incorporate a lot of other influences. They are definitely one to watch in 2013!
1. "Let's Have a Kiki" - Scissor Sisters
I don't think there's any denying that this was THE song of 2012. If you don't agree, then you probably had an extremely different year than what I experienced! From the first rumblings of my friends talking about it, to the initial confusion over what a "kiki" was (not to be confused with a Kai Kai, as so many were), to hearing it everywhere we went over the summer, this song took on a life of its own. It's so different from what the Scissor Sisters have done before, yet sits perfectly in their repertoire. It's fun, silly, addictive, and I think it elevated the Sisters into a whole new stratosphere. Just when I thought it was going away, those crazy kids from Glee covered it with a special guest - Sarah Jessica Parker! Let's have a Kiki indeed!
10. "Live While We're Young" - One DirectionI think I first saw One Direction on Saturday Night Live and I thought they were pretty good. I've always had a soft spot for boy bands, although none of them have ever really entered my upper echelon as far as favorite bands go. I like 1D's sound, style and look, but it wasn't until I went to England this fall that I really started to appreciate them. Their single "Live While We're Young" was one that I heard several times while in the UK and I saw the video on TV in my hotel room. It's pretty catchy and I included it on my London mix CD when I got home.
They just keep on going, kinda like the energizer bunny. If you had told me back in the summer of '86 that I would be including Bananarama on a top 10 list of songs in the year 2012 on my blog, well, I would have been very confused. What's a blog? Ha ha. Anyway. I wasn't a huge fan back in the day but I admire the fact that they keep going and I have really enjoyed their later dance hits, including this one. I was lucky enough to see them perform live for the first time this year at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood, and I must say, it was probably the most fun concert I went to all this year.
8. "(Out Of) The Neighborhood" - Belle GhoulBelle Ghoul is a new project from Tait Nucleus of Electric Six, aka my keyboard God of the 2000's. I've been a huge fan of Tait's ever since I first saw him perform with E6 at the Glass House in Pomona. I really loved his previous project, Ghost City, which put out one amazing album right before they broke up. In Belle Ghoul, his collaborator is Jesse Paris Smith, daughter of Patti Smith, and a great partner for Tait. Their sound is kind of retro, motown-pop inspired and they have a great aesthetic. This track is a slice of sing-a-long pop-rock that makes you want to snap your fingers along with it.
I had something of a Corey Hart revival this year, having fallen in love all over again with his music and videos, and even covering his classic "Sunglasses at Night" with my own band. I had always liked him, and especially his first album, but I dug a lot deeper and got into the rest of his catalog over the year. So it was brilliant timing when he decided to collaborate on a new dance version of "Truth Will Set You Free," originally included on his 1988 album "Young Man Running. He admitted that the song was about his gay friends, and performed the song at Toronto Gay Pride.
6. "Somebody" - Niki & The DoveI bought this record kind of on a whim, I had only listened to it on Spotify and hadn't been able to really give it much attention, and I must admit it was something of a grower. The vocals are sort of like Stevie Nicks mixed with Kate Bush, and the electronic soundscape is very lush and atmospheric. This particular song is actually pretty poppy and dance-floor ready, however, making it one of the standouts of the album as well as the live set (I got to see them perform an exclusive gig at the SoHo House in Beverly Hills).
5. "Runaway Love" - Diamond RingsWhen Diamond Rings first came out, I had seen pictures on blogs and such and had a preconceived notion of what he sounded like. Hearing him for the first time on Logo's New Now Next, I was pleasantly surprised to find that he actually had a much deeper voice, and his music was more in the vein of Joy Division than whatever I thought it would be. He released his second album Free Dimensional this year and I fell in love with it, especially this jaunty little number, which was the second single. The music is very up-beat and although it's not all that deep, it's a lot of fun. I got to see him perform at Amoeba and Dylan was able to do the meet and greet with him.
4. "Born to Die" - Lana Del ReyMs. Del Rey (aka Elizabeth Grant) made quite the splash this year, proving the power of a good publicity agent and a well-manufactured back story and mystique. I had only heard a little about her from the blog Hipster Runoff before suddenly she made her much-maligned debut television appearance on SNL. While most criticized her performance, I was intrigued by her voice and presence. I watched the video for this song time and time again, and was fortunate to see her perform at Amoeba and meet her afterward. Despite all the bad publicity, I found her to be very warm, friendly and genuine in person.
3. "Blood For Poppies" - GarbageGarbage is back!!! One of the few bands that I came to love during my college years, Garbage was like EVERYTHING to me for a few years at the turn of the millennium. Their debut album is a classic, as was the follow-up. The successive albums have all been solid, but the 2012 effort, Not Your Kind of People, really returned to their initial sound, with all sorts of gritty, distorted guitars mashed with cutting-edge keyboard sounds, and of course those hooks that are to die for. This single is an earworm that is best played LOUD! I was also very fond of the album opener, "Automatic Systematic Habit."
2. "Shell" - Father TigerGetting to know Father Tiger and enjoy their music was one of the highlights of my year, no doubt. From a chance run-in at Trader Joes, to seeing the band open for Information Society, to being a part of the video for this song (you can see me, my cat Bootsy, and my cat friend Simone if you look closely), this is a band that I am very excited to watch as they continue to grow and have success. Made up of the handsome Greg Delson with an amazing voice and style, and his partner, John Russell, who is one of the nicest guys I've ever met, this band makes delicious synth-pop music with hooks and all kinds of great keyboard sounds, but they incorporate a lot of other influences. They are definitely one to watch in 2013!
I don't think there's any denying that this was THE song of 2012. If you don't agree, then you probably had an extremely different year than what I experienced! From the first rumblings of my friends talking about it, to the initial confusion over what a "kiki" was (not to be confused with a Kai Kai, as so many were), to hearing it everywhere we went over the summer, this song took on a life of its own. It's so different from what the Scissor Sisters have done before, yet sits perfectly in their repertoire. It's fun, silly, addictive, and I think it elevated the Sisters into a whole new stratosphere. Just when I thought it was going away, those crazy kids from Glee covered it with a special guest - Sarah Jessica Parker! Let's have a Kiki indeed!
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