All things considered, 2012 has been a pretty alright year for music. Spotify is still free… the compact disc hasn't completely disappeared yet… vinyl sales are still on the rise. Granted, Radiohead hasn't put out a new album this year, so how great could it possibly be? But Bloc Party, Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear all came back with new music this year. Jack White went solo. Amanda Palmer raised $1 million on Kickstarter. Best of all? Lana Del Rey is already thinking about quitting music. See? Ignore that whole One Direction, Carly Rae Jepsen, Taylor Swift side of the equation and 2012 hasn't really been all that bad.
Previously...
The 10 Best Indie/Alternative Albums Of 2012 (Halfway Edition)
Anyways, summer is just about officially over, which means pumpkins spice lattes, the return of the hoodie and, of course, fall new releases. In honor of us being just about ¾ finished with 2012, I've compiled the definitive list (no, seriously, this is the only absolutely correct best of list out there… I doubt-checked with myself) of the 12 best indie/alternative songs of the year thus far. Never mind my recent essay on why we've already killed the best of list… I'm bringing it back. Timbaland yeah. Check it out in no particular order below. (Using Spotify? Hit up the entire playlist right here.)
Frank Ocean
"Bad Religion"
channel ORANGE
Already I can tell you're thinking, "What the hell, dude?" No, Odd Future crooner Frank Ocean isn't technically indie or alternative… but tell that to your ears. The crown jewel of his rightfully acclaimed debut album channel ORANGE, "Bad Religion" finds Ocean ruminating on the spiritual toll of unrequited love in the backseat of a taxicab while the sweeping gospel swell of an aching string quartet seeps through the gashes of his torn out heart. Don't let the fact that your local Best Buy ran out of it in approximately two seconds fool you—channel ORANGE is still the album to beat this year, indie/alternative or otherwise.
Animal Collective
"Today's Supernatural"
Centipede Hz
There's not much I can tell you about Animal Collective and their new album that your local Brooklyn hipster can't explain more obtusely. Suffice to say, this Avey Tare-lead rave-up is a raucous, relentless psychedelic swirl of carnival keyboards, grinding guitars and the zaniest set of lyrics this side of MGMT night at the local poetry club. Admit it, you've been muttering, "Come on, let let let let let let let let go!" ever since you first heard it.
Orbital feat. Zola Jesus
"New France"
Wonky
Even without its sniffle-inducing music video, Orbital's gorgeous team-up with icy songstress Zola Jesus is an absolute stunner—a slow-burn of shimmering post-Kate Bush synths, tumbling beats and grinding post-punk bass that blossoms into a soaring anthem on the wings of Nika Danilova's wordless wailing. The easy highlight off the legendary techno duo's first new album in eight years, "New France" has my vote (not to play favorites) for Song of the Year. No joke. The fact that the aforementioned video features an adorable teddy bear who runs away from home may or many not have factored into this decision…
Blur
"Under The Westway"
Single
"There were blue skies in my city today…" Written specifically for Blur's Oympics-closing Hyde Park concert last month, "Under The Westway" is a classically blue Britpop ballad—a malaise-soaked tour of London peppered with Graham Coxon's spacious guitars and Damon Albarn's funereal piano chords. An unofficial sequel to the (much) more boisterous "For Tomorrow," the band's latest but hopefully not final single is a stirring, endearing new classic and, as it so happens, one of their all-time best.
Bear In Heaven
"The Reflection Of You"
I Love You, It's Cool
My pick for Crance (that's "crying" and "dancing"… look it up) Single of the Year, Brooklyn synth-rockers Bear In Heaven's "The Reflection Of You" is a dense haze of analogue synthesizers and aching vocals ("Here I am, there you are / Just inches away / But still too far…") that always seems to soundtrack the imaginary John Hughes-style prom I keep attending and re-attending in my dreams. For all you dreamers out there who have also said, "If you get next to me, I think you will like my moves" in earnest.
Regina Spektor
"Small Town Moon"
What We Saw From The Cheap Seats
Both Regina Spektor and Fiona Apple released new albums this year, and while I'm still working out the latter's with my therapist, my other favorite piano songstress (not named Tori or Amanda) can take credit for my favorite piano/rock tune of 2012: this deceptively sweet ode to small town cabin fever ("How can I leave without hurting everyone who made me?") with lyrics every bit as bittersweet as its major-minor chorus melody. Will be humming its "everybody not so nice" bridge whilst reading the comments section responses to this list…
Jack White
"Sixteen Saltines"
Blunderbuss
The biggest problem with Jack White's debut solo album? None of the other 12 songs come even close to matching this song's brand of brutal, confrontation, in your face garage punk rave-up energy. Want to hear the sound of one man demolishing an electric guitar in his hands? Look no further. I'm convinced that, in a few hundred years, future scientists will look back and wonder what the hell was wrong with us that we could make music this awesome. The White Stripes might be done for good, but so long as Jack White can spit out one of these every so often, there's hope yet for rock 'n' roll.
David Byrne & St. Vincent
"Weekend In The Dust"
Love This Giant
Here's everything you need to know to appreciate this song: it's on David Byrne and St. Vincent's new collaborative album Love This Giant, out today… it features Miss Annie Clark on lead vocals… it's got a bitching horn section… and it sounds like every "go get 'em, girl" nineties R&B jam all rolled up into one. Oh, and it's scientifically proven to cause bobble head. Dare you to try it and see.
Lana Del Rey
"Blue Jeans"
Born To Die
Okay, okay, confession time… I may or may not have spent the better part of 2012 toggling the Private Session setting on my Spotify account to listen to this song on a pretty serious loop. Whether you hate her or simply can't stand her, there's not much use in denying that Del Rey's "don't hurt me, mister" voice paired with that '60s spy guitar riff and sweeping orchestral backdrop made for an enthralling, mesmerizing three and a half minutes of "come hither" guilty pleasure pop bliss. Don't judge, we all know there's at least one song on her album you secretly like too.
Grizzly Bear
"Sleeping Ute"
Shields
The first taste of Grizzly Bear's highly anticipated (to say the least) follow-up to 2009's Veckatimest is… you guessed it… an emotionally devastating, aching bit of brittle indie folk rock business doused in glorious harmonies, shimmering reverb and the yelp-cry sound of Daniel Rossen's voice—responsible for more heavy sighs and borderline sniffles than I'd care to admit just now. Be sure to provide your own ill-fated romance (lively and fun in the beginning, awkward and destructive towards the end, preferably) for maximum impact.
Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra
"The Bed Song"
Theatre Is Evil
A sort of "grab some Kleenex" hybrid of Billy Joel's "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" (the Brenda and Eddie bit) and the first 15 minutes of Pixar's Up, the easy highlight from Amanda Palmer's Kickstarter-fueled new album (out today) is a devastating look at the distance (literal and figurative) between a communication broke-down couple throughout their lonely life together. I'm not going to come right out and say that this song will make you cry… mostly because I'm listening to it now and don't want to get any more eyeball rain on my keyboard.
Bruce Springsteen
"Death To My Hometown"
Wrecking Ball
Again, sort of a cheat… The Boss hasn't really been indie or alternative since, well, ever… but he's played this with Tom Morello, so that sort of counts, right? If you hadn't already noticed, it's an election year, and for us working stiffs with mountains of debt and little economic optimism on the horizon, the bitter, righteous stomp of Bruce Springsteen's "grab a musket, me boys" seems to sum it all up better than most. We haven't quite sent the robber barons straight to hell, but until we do, I'll be throwing a fist in the air with this blaring in the background. Cue the cannon fire!
End Note:
As always when discussing independent music, it's important to remember that the best way to support your favorite indie bands and artists is by buying their music… preferably at a local, independently owned, old fashioned brick and mortar record store. You can find a pretty comprehensive list of them all over at RecordStoreDay.com.
Okay, end speech. What were some of your favorite songs (indie, alternative or otherwise) this year? Share your picks in the comments section below.
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