So far this year, we’ve had some pretty amazing developments in the world of indie music. The meteoric rise of rookies Purity Ring, Alt-J (more so in the UK), and The Neighbourhood, matched equally by the return of Passion Pit, The Shins, fun., and Hot Chip, have already ensured that 2012 won’t be a dud. Below, we’ve listed in order our top 50 songs so far of this fine year.
CLICK HERE FOR OUR TOP 15 ALBUMS OF 2012 (SO FAR)
Artwork courtesy of the very talented Adam Kesner. He is an illustrator and graphic designer who works here in NYC. He is also a platinum member of the clean plate club. You can find more of his work here.
Because I feel like I’m the only person using iTunes anymore, here’s a Spotify playlist of these tracks, in order.
(click any track below to listen)
50. “These Days” – Dr. Dog // Buy
49. “Take a Walk” – Passion Pit // Buy
48. “Generals” - The Mynabirds // Buy
47. “It’s My Part” – Jonquil // Buy
46. “The Match” – The Eastern Sea (pictured above) // Buy
45. “Remembrance of Things to Come” – Princeton // Buy
44. “Hurt So Bad” – Weird Dreams // Buy
43. “They Hate Me” – Laurel Collective // Buy
42. “Dour Percentage” – of Montreal // Free Download (right-click, “download”)
41. “Remote and Dark Years” – Maps & Atlases // Buy
(click any track below to listen)
40. “Sweater Weather” – The Neighbourhood // Buy
39. “Spore” - Ramona Falls // Buy
38. “Fantasy II” – Fenster // Buy
37. “Shiny Things” – Fanfarlo // Buy
36. “Body Weather” – Sunless ’97 // Buy
35. “Must Land Running” – Stepdad (pictured above) // Free Download (right-click, “download”)
34. “Origins” – Tennis // Buy
33. “Take Me with You When You Go” – Jack White // Buy
32. “Find The Reason” – Rioux feat. Thurmon Green // Free Download (right-click, “download”)
31. “Dirty Paws” – Of Monsters and Men // Buy
(click any track below to listen)
30. “Nunca” – Trails & Ways // Buy
29. “Late Night Bikes” - Capybara // Buy
28. “Backwords” – Porcelain Raft // Buy
27. “Hood” – Perfume Genius // Buy
26. “Beating Hearts” – King Charles (pictured above) // Buy
25. “Wasted Days” – Cloud Nothings // Buy
24. “Caught Me Thinking” - Bahamas // Buy
23. “Good As New” - Vacationer // Buy
22. “Sixteen Saltines” – Jack White // Buy
21. “Genesis” – Grimes // Buy
(click any track below to listen)
20. “Carry On” - fun. // Buy
19. “Breezeblocks” - Alt-J
18. “Ken Caryl” – Mesita // Free Download (right-click, “download”)
17. “Bill Dabbler, Lorn Line” - Capybara // Buy
16. “Getaway” – Dr. John // Buy
15. “Fineshrine” – Purity Ring // Buy
14. “The Line” – The Eastern Sea // Free Download (right-click, “download”)
13. “Motion Sickness” - Hot Chip // Buy
12. “Orifice Origami” - Reptar // Buy
11. “Youth” – Daughter (pictured above) // Buy
(click any track below to listen)
10. “Before The Dive” – St. Lucia // Buy
9. “Every Single Night” – Fiona Apple // Buy
8. “Simple Song” – The Shins // Buy
7. “Oblivion” – Grimes // Free Download (right-click, “download”)
6. “Lazuli” – Beach House // Buy
5. “Bright Whites” – Kishi Bashi // Buy
4. “Leonard” – Sharon Van Etten // Buy
3. “The House That Heaven Built” – Japandroids // Buy
2. “Matilda” – Alt-J
1. “Manchester” – Kishi Bashi (pictured above) // Buy