My Best Tracks of 2012

This is a list, in alphabetic order, of the best tracks that I found this year. Doesn't mean they were released in 2012, though many of them were, just that I listened to them for the first time in 2012. Hope you like em'.


I made a youtube playlist with all of these songs if you don't feel like clickin all them links.

* Enjoy Music's Best of 2012 Playlist *

Alabama Shakes - Goin' To The Party

Alt-J - Breazeblocks

Alt-J - Something Good

AntiBalas - Che Che Cole

The Avett Brothers- Pretty Girl From Chile

Ben Howard - The Wolves

Big Boi - In The A

Blitzen Trapper- Texaco

Breakbot - One out of Two

Breakbot -The Mayfly and The Light

Breakbot - Programme

Breakbot- Another Dawn

Capital Cities - Center Stage

The Cave Singers - At The Cut

Chromatics - Into The Black

Chromatics - Lady

Chrome Sparks - Doubt, No

Deer Tick - The Bump

Deer Tick - These Old Shoes

Divine Fits - Shivers

Devotchka - Transliterator

Django Django - Default

Django Django - Firewater

Emeliana Torrini - Me and Armani

Fang Island - Dooney Rock

Fitz and The Tantrums - Rich Girls

Foals - Miami

Fool's Gold - Narrow Sun

Fool's Gold - Bark and Bite

French Kiwi Juice - Lying Together

G. Love and The Avett Brothers - Fixin To Die

Gardens & Villa - Black Hills

General Elektriks - Take You Out Tonight

Grimes - Oblivian

Grimes - Genesis

Hanni El Khatib - Dead Wrong

The Head and The Heart - Sounds like Hallelujah

Hot Chip - Motion Sickness

Is Tropical - Land of the Nod

Jaill - Stone Froze Mascot

Joey Bada$$- World Domination

Kids These Days - A Man's Melody

Let's Wrestle - We Are The Men You'll Grow To Love Soon

Man Man - Life Fantastic

Menomena - Plumage

Metric - The Wanderlust

Mister Heavenly - Bronx Sniper

Mister Heavenly - I Am A Hologram

Mock and Toof - Farewell to Wendo (Nova Edit)

Mumford And Sons - The Boxer

Parallel Dance Ensemble - Shopping Cart

Phosphorescent - Hard To Be Humble (When You're From Alabama)

Plaid - Ralome

Purity Ring - Obedear

Santigold - Disparate Youth

Santigold- This Isn't Our Parade

SBTRKT - Wildfire

The Shoes - Baby

The Souljazz Orchestra - Insurrection

The Tallest Man On Earth - 1904

Tom and Jerry O - Soul Lover

Toro Y Moi - Cola

Tourist - Placid Acid

We Have Band - Watertight

Yeasayer - Reagan's Skeleton

You Won't - Three Car Garage

You Won't - Who Knew

I can't get enough of this kind of music

Nu Disco is just too good. I know it's cheesy and I'm sometimes embarrassed to play it, but I do anyway. Listen to these and tell me what you think.


This is French Kiwi Juice



This is Breakbot:




and of course:

Some Great World Music for you

I've been listening to a lot of Paris based Radio Nova lately: http://www.novaplanet.com/ (easier to navigate if you know French) which plays a ton of awesome world music mixed with some indie essentials and everything else that too hip to be hipsters love.

Anyway, they introduced me to Amadou and Mariam a BLIND musical duo from Mali. This introduction was not fully appreciated until a Friend who saw them at Montreal Music Festival "Osheaga" told me I had to listen to them again. He was right, they are awesome. Check out some songs below:

and for good measure, a Miike Snow Remix:

Joey Bada$$

Joey Bada$$ uses old school beats to match his old school flow. He's 17. He's from Brooklyn, he seems wise beyond his years. He's got beats produced by Hip Hop legends MF DOOM and J Dilla. All this means that he's gonna be big. Give it time.

"It's been a minute since they've seen style with no gimmicks"

Listen to "World Domination" and "Waves" first.

Tourist-- too good

Placid Acid is freakin addicting.

Ms Mr

I first heard about these guys when they released an excellent mix- 

and introduced me to Alt-J.

Now they just released this super catchy song on Yours Truly. Something about this reminds me of something that would win a Grammy. I dunno why.  There's a little Alanis Morissette in there I think

http://vimeo.com/45383151

Debo Band

Excellent Ethiopian influenced jazz/funk. Can't get enough of "And Lay" and the rest of it. I love Subpop records, they keep putting out music I love.

ALT J An Awesome Wave

Listen to Tessellate and Breezeblocks especially.



An Awesome Wave

G. Love and The Avett Brothers

Back in the Seventh Grade, that awkward time when you really don't have much about yourself pinned down , I had older brothers who got me into G. Love and Special Sauce. They were my favorite band at the time. I loved G. Love's mixture of blues, jam and hip hop. It was very eclectic but fun and easy at the same time. My music taste has evolved since those times when I was trying to find myself (not saying I've found myself yet) and I haven't stayed up on G. Love and his music.

Well I almost messed up and let this one slip through the cracks. G. Love's album "Fixing to Die" featuring and produced by The Avett Brothers is really something special. It's "rootsy" and bluesy. It is a mix of blue grass, blues and folk. Although the Avett Brothers clearly make their mark on the album, see "Walk On", this is definitely a G. Love album, and it is exactly what I wanted.

This is the quintessential title blues track "Fixin to die"

This is the bluegrassy "walk on."  Optimistic lyrics too.

 This classic G. Love, with the rapping and whatnot,  but it seems more polished and complete.

Here he is covering Paul Simon.

OKAY got a lot to share.

This is an awesome music video and a pretty cool song. Delta Heavy - Get By

I haven't watched this whole video but I love this song.   Grimes - Oblivion

Another good one, but in a completely different way.   Fools Gold - Narrow Sun

Listen to this on a decent set of speakers or headphones - bass is necessary.  Purity Ring - Obedear

Yes.  Fitz and the Tantrums - Rich Girls

Finally, Santigold. Nothing to say about her -- she's awesome. This is my favorite song on the new album - 

Santigold - This isn't our Parade.

All of these songs (with the exception of Obedear and Get By) come on albums that are excellent. All highly recommended bands and artists to check out. I can hardly wait for Purity Ring's new album to come out July  24th; I can only imagine that it will be released to glowing reviews and increased popularity 

Listen to this song - be happy.

I like how is voice is contrasted by the music. This band is real good.

New Music New Muic

Listen to Polica:


They're/ She's like a chick version of Bon Iver (Echo-y Vocals) with a more prominent bass + drummer. Really  good.

Listen to You Won't

You will like it.

Wilco Keeps Doing Cool Stuff

Watch this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2WmlUXsjSv8#!\

That's Wilco, Mavis Staples, and Nick Lowe preforming The Weight originally by The Band.

thanks to Buzzfeed for showing me this

Jazz Hiphop fusion

I'm starting to see a wonderful trend in music in which artists are starting to put jazz behind their rhymes or in the case of BADBADNOTGOOD making jazz versions of hip hop songs. Check out these songs and tell me what you think.


Kids These Days are a huge group with a bunch of musicians, some vocalists and some rappers. Check them out for sure as I expect they will get some more attention in 2012

 Darling by Kids These Days Band

 Kids These Days by Cody Kazarian

BADBADNOTGOOD are a jazz group that does covers/re imaginings of hip songs in addition to some more original stuff. This is them covering NAS' "The World is Yours" and ODB's "Brooklyn Zoo". They are also known for doing some ODD Future covers. Big up to my man Savestheday for hippin' me to them.

 Bad Bad Not Good - The World Is Yours/Brooklyn Zoo by silenciador

 Bad Bad Not Good - Mass Appeal / Transmission by GrafikWar