The Best Songs of 2012

Before travel, I worked in music, and still to this day, at the end of the year, I trawl the music mags, critics and blogs for the tracks I might have missed.  I'm on the hunt for those songs that you hear once and think "my life is a better place because someone took the time to write, record and distribute this amazing piece of music."  Songs you didn't know existed and yet immediately feel like they've always been there.  
Last night I began my search on the two big music mags.  Rolling Stone's Best Songs of 2012 and Spin Magazine's Best Songs of 2012.  I listened to over 100 songs, and was left mostly bewildered.  Taylor Swift?  Carly Rae Jepson?  Seriously?  Interspersed between this Stepford Cheerleader Pop were tuneless, faddish indie scensters so heavy on style and so light on melody I've heard mating coyotes dish out more rhythm. And then there's this year's Macarena, courtesy of South Korea.  Just a handful made my own list, which made me feel like I'm finally moving up the ladder to the generation that can only shake our heads, recalling the glory days that never were. ​

Without further ado, here's a list of the eclectic songs that soundtracked my 2012.  Note: Not all of these songs were actually released in 2012, but this is the year I discovered them, rocked out and drowned in them.   Let the music play. 

1. Hey Ho - The Lumineers
2. Lippy Kids - Elbow
3. The Rifle's Spiral - The Shins
4. All of Me - Tanlines
5. Take a Walk - Passion Pit
6. Fingers Never Bleed - Yeasayer
7. Nancy Lee - Vintage Trouble
8. Collect Call - Metric (Adventure Club Remix)
9. The Veldt - Deadmau5 featuring Chris James)
10. Strangeness and Charm - Florence & the Machine
11. Summer Home - Typhoon
12. The Keepers - Santigold
13. Dougou Badia - Amadou & Mariam
14. Acolyte - Delphic
15. Jump in the Pool - Friendly Fires 
16. Destiny - John Talabot (featuring Pional)
17. Love on a Real Train - Steven Garcia Uptown Express Mix
18. Houdini - Foster the People
19. One Lovely Day - Citizen Cope
20. Real Talk - Bloc Party

Hopefully I'll have a dozen more by the end of the month, but there go, an odd mix to be sure, including one track released in 2008 (Jump in the Pool) and Love on a Train, remixed from Risky Business (when Tom Cruise hit puberty).   

Feel free to share the soundtrack of your lives. ​