Best Songs of 2012

In my annual tradition of collection my favorite songs of the year, check out this year's Top 10. Here are the lists from 2009, 2010 and 2011 for a look back in time.

My favorite album of the year is actually a cover album of Fleetwood Mac hits.  But on to the individual songs.

10. The Mountain Goats - This Year

I debated on whether I wanted to put this on the list at all... but I heard it on XM over the holidays in a time when I was down and needed a good laugh. "I'm going to make it through this year if it kills me." Very true.


9. Kanye West ft. Big Sean & Jay-Z - Clique

Kanye and Jay-Z never cease to get my head bopping.


8. Atlas Genius - Trojans

I think this band is on the up and up.


7. Tim McMorris - Overwhelmed

I first heard this song on a Sam Adams commercial.


6. Fun. - Some Nights

This song definitely got overplayed on the radio, but it's still pretty good. They had a really strong first album.


5. Phillip Phillips - Home

I'm not an American Idol fan, but this former contestant is really good. At first I thought it was a Mumford & Sons song.


4. Walk The Moon - Anna Sun

Very interesting music video, but another new band that I hope turns out more music.


3. Of Monsters And Men - Little Talks

This is their debut song and they've had a little radio exposure of a few since then. Little Talks is still my favorite.


2. Imagine Dragons - It's Time

The studio version is great but I like this one even better.


1. The Lumineers - Ho Hey

I used to text my ex some of the lyrics ("I belong with you," etc...) and I really considered it 'our song'... the things that made me happy from it now make me sad, but it's just as powerful. It mentions places in New York that I am near and I still find myself humming it when I am in New York City. I'd really like to see this band live in the coming year.

Best Songs of 2011

I've gone through quite a few music posts throughout the year and it's time to compile a list of the best.  Take a look back at my previous posts for 2009 and 2010 (the 2010 post happens to be my #1 post of all time on this blog).

Honorable Mentions

• Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks
  I know, I know, I know.  Everyone is sick of this song by now. I first blogged about it back in April, before you could hear it on every pop radio station in the country.  They're still a good band though, and this song has logged 52 million + views on YouTube.
  
• Drake ft. Lil Wayne - The Motto
  A lot of people don't like Drake but this collaboration makes me bob my head.
  
• Kings of Leon - Back Down South
  Hopefully this band hasn't broken up for good after they canceled their tour.  I've had a lot of good times cruising to their music over the years.  This song reminds me of my old Kentucky home.
  
• Childish Gambino - Freaks and Geeks
  Half of the time I can't tell if he's serious, but he's also a comedian so I guess that makes sense.  His metaphors are pretty clever.
  
• Katie Herzig - Lost and Found
  You're just starting to hear this song in TV shows and on movie previews.  Expect it to make its way to radio soon.
  
• Chris Brown ft. Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne - Look At Me Now
  I was tempted to post Karmin's cover version, but I'll stick with the original.  I'm still dedicated to memorizing this and pulling it out on a karaoke night.

Top 10

10. Madi Diaz - Let's Go
I heard about this artist via NoiseTrade.  It's a great place to legally get free music.



9. TV On The Radio - Will Do
This band can put out some weird music, but I can listen to this song on repeat.



8. Jay-Z and Kanye West ft. TI - Niggas in Paris Remix
The original is good but I think that TI's verse makes it even better.  I heard that they rap this song 5 or more times in the Watch the Throne concert.  It's a good song, but really guys?



7. Josh Garrels - Ulysses
This is another artist I heard about on NoiseTrade.  The whole album is good... the song says that it was recorded in 2010, but it didn't come out until this year.  So it still qualifies for this list.



6. Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
This local Atlanta band has made it big and they're great to see live.



Click here to see the Top 5!

That S%$& Cray

Loving this song, I can't get enough of it. They even mixed a little dubstep in at the end.

7 Cover Songs > Originals

One of my favorite websites to waste time on (and get free music) is CoverMeSongs.com. Artists can't sell these songs without giving royalties to the original artists, so we get them for free! I started collecting covers I came across and I have enough for a post. Cover songs often don't live up to the originals. These do... and maybe surpass them.

Birdy - Skinny Love (Bon Iver cover)


Dred Scott - Purple Rain (Prince cover)


Bon Iver - Your Love (The Outfield cover)


Ellie Goulding - Heartbeats (The Knife cover)


Matthew Mayfield - Fix You (Coldplay cover)


Jodi King - Street Lights (Kanye West cover)


The Avett Brothers - The Prettiest Thing (David Childers cover)


Have a cover you like? Let me know.