The Top 15 of 2012

These are not necessarily songs released in 2012, but rather they are tunes that I discovered this year, and they have all made the cut into the exclusive list of my top 15. They are in no particular order.

1.     Butch Walker – Synthesizers

Butch really got a strong foothold in the rotation this year, and this is the song that kicked it all off.  The kick ass video where Matthew McConaughey reprises his “Dazed and Confused” role fits the song perfectly.  If you haven’t seen the video, YouTube that shit already. 

2.     Alabama Shakes – Hold On

Listen to this tune and if you guessed that the lead singer is a large, black woman then you win a prize.  This song is easily one of the best of the year and easily fits into any playlist you make, unless of course you’re making a “Best of Beyonce” playlist, then, maybe not so much.

3.     The Lumineers – Stubborn Love

I could have gone with almost any song off of this record, but I chose this one because it’s not quite as shiny and overexposed as “Ho Hey” and it has a little more heart than “Big Parade”.  Plus, there’s a great line that goes “The opposite of love is indifference”.

4.     The Head and the Heart – Lost in My Mind

These guys are my pick for album of the year and this is the best song on that album.  Enough said.

5.     Ben Howard – Keep Your Head Up

A little wine, a fire and some Ben Howard and you’ll be closing deals like a car salesman at the end of the quarter.  He just has that voice that strikes a nerve with the XX chromosome crowd.

6.     Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros – Home

Of all the songs that rhyme Arkansas with Ma and Pa this is probably my favorite.  If you haven’t seen the documentary “Big Easy Express” put it into your Netflix queue or look for it on-demand.  It’s a great look at these guys, Mumford & Sons and Old Crow Medicine Show as they toured by train across the US.

7.     Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks

If you saw an overweight, middle-aged bearded guy in Northern Virginia losing his shit in the car, there’s a good chance that it was me listening to this song.  This tune makes me want to dance awkwardly like a 40-year-old white woman with no rhythm.

8.     Walk The Moon – Anna Sun

If you love songs about houses falling apart then this song is for you!  Upbeat, poppy alternative tune that will instantly add 10 MPH to whatever speed you’re driving at the time.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go rattle a ghost town.

9.     Jack White – Sixteen Saltines

Mr. White put out one of my favorite albums of 2012, and this track was a standout.  Personally, I would have called this song Sixteen Ritz, because I’m not a huge Saltines fan, but I guess that’s why he’s where he is and I am where I am.

10.  The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten

This probably won’t do a great job of selling the song, but it reminds me of a hybrid of The Goo Goo Dolls and Social Distortion.  They are like Bender in “The Breakfast Club”, bad boys on the outside, hearts of gold on the inside. 

11.  Manchester Orchestra – Pensacola

I discovered M.O. on an episode of the “Hoppus on Music” show.  They have a strong intensity to a lot of their music, but this song has bit more of a commercial vibe to it.  I wasn’t going to include it in my top 15, but the fact that I’m a little excited every time it comes on the iPod tells me it’s a keeper.

12.  Dawes – A Little Bit of Everything

These guys should pay me money for the way I fellate their egos with my praise.  This is a slower jam that has a Jackson Browne feel to me for some reason.  Next time I see these guys live I will proudly hoist my cell phone in the air when they play this tune.  “…so pile on those mashed potatoes and an extra chicken wing, I’m having a bit of everything.”

13.  Blitzen Trapper - Fletcher

This song has a jam band feel without all of the jam.  I pretty much dig any tune that references drinking whiskey from a jar, so this one makes the cut on that line alone.  

14.  Bronze Radio Return – Stone’s Throw Away

Such a sweet song.  If I were 15, I’d slow dance the shit out of this one with the girl du jour. 

15.  The Avett Brothers – Murder in the City(Live)

This is the “Rudy” of songs.  Even the manliest men might tear up a bit at the end.  “…make sure my daughter knows I loved her, make sure her mother knows the same, always remember there is nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name…”.  

December 2012

1.  Bruno Mars - Locked Out of Heaven
This new Police/James Brown mashup is awesome.  Wait, what?  It's not the Police or James Brown?  Well spank my ass and call me Charlie.  I have to admit I have a soft spot for Mr. Mars, but mainly because his silky, mocha skin makes me want to head to Starbucks.

2.  Brett Dennen - Comeback Kid (That's My Dog)
Who knew that a tall ginger kid could be so groovy? I've been on the Dennen train for about five years now, and he usually puts out quality tunes.  This record is a little more booty-shakin' than his other stuff, but I'm enjoying it, even if he doesn't have a soul.

3.  Trevor Hall - Good Rain
I came across this dude while picking through some Matisyahu stuff.   If you need a new artist to flesh out the "white guys who do reggae" section of your music collection, then look no further.  Think John Butler or Xavier Rudd, but less Australian.

4.  Tim McMorris - Made to Be Free
This cat had a jam called "Overwhelmed" in a Sam Adams commercial, which was originally what I was looking for, but this one spoke a little louder to me.  Upbeat, clap-along, windows down on a crisp, fall day kind of music.

5.  Gary Clark Jr. - Ain't Messing Around
A brother from Austin wailing away on the electric guitar, after one listen you'll be quoting Oliver Twist, "Please sir, I want some more.".

6.  Frank Turner - I Still Believe
First heard this guy while watching the Hurricane Festival 2012 concert on Palladia.  His English accent shines through in away that makes you want to eat some fish and chips while hoisting a pint.

7.  The Avett Brothers - Geraldine
I think these guys have been on every mix I've made this year.  This one is off the new record and if the Avetts are good enough for Dexter's, Michael C. Hall, they're good enough for me.

8.  The Killers - From Here on Out
They do their best Traveling Wilburys imitation on this track, except even the ugliest member of The Killers would be the best looking guy in the Wilburys by a mile.

9.  The Shins - It's Only Life
I couldn't resist this band because they were named after my favorite part of a woman, that's right people, I'm a shins man.  They are the masters of hypnotized head-nodding music and this jam is no exception.  Good stuff.

10.  The Head and the Heart - Heaven Go Easy on Me
Turn off all the lights, lay on the couch, put on your headphones and play this album from start to finish. You're welcome.

11.  Damien Jurado - Ohio
This song should be a track in an indie film as a pensive hipster travels on a bus across the midwest, contemplating living life in skinny jeans.  I have three songs by this guy and they are all completely different.

12.  Alabama Shakes - Hang Loose
If you were a rebellious white teenager in the deep south around 1952 and you snuck into the all black club in the middle of nowhere, this would be the house band that was playing in the background as you got your ass kicked.

13.  Mumford & Sons - Holland Road
Only one band sounds like M&S and this song sounds exactly like that band.

14.  Matthew Ryan - The Events at Dusk
I'm a sucker for a dark, moody singer-songwriter, so this Matthew Ryan tune is right up my alley.  If you suffer from depression or suicidal thoughts this song my just be the thing to finally get you to use the razor blade to cut vertically rather than horizontally.

15.  Melanie Martinez - Seven Nation Army
I'm not usually a fan of TV produced karaoke contests, because on any given night there is much better talent playing in small clubs across the country, but the arrangement they did for this song is pretty fantastic. 

November 2012

I wanted to do something that's never ever been done on the internet before, and then it hit me, a music blog.  Every month I create a playlist for my wife that contains 15 songs to help us stay up to speed with new music. This blog is a place where I will document the monthly 15 and give a brief description for each song.  It is primarily a place for me to keep track of what I am listening to, but it can also be used to help you find new music.

1.  Butch Walker - Bodegas and Blood
I got into Butch because of his amazing "Synthesizers" video, but upon deeper inspection this guy has quite the genre-jumping collection of recordings.  B&B got into the November mix after I saw him perform it with Daryl Hall on the show Live from Daryl's House.

2.  Bronze Radio Return - Blurry-Eyed Worries
After one listen if you're not singing along with the chorus you might not have a pulse.

3.  Ben Howard - The Fear
He might be my wife's new favorite Ben (Sorry Harper, Kweller and Folds).  He has a voice that just melts away the women's panties.

4.  The Killers - Runaways
First single off of the new album, and they aren't exactly breaking any new ground here.  Building rhythms, grandiose lyrics, explosive chorus.  All the things I love and simultaneously hate about them.

5.  Tegan and Sara - Back in Your Head
This song is 5 years old, but it's new to me.  They are opening for The Killers this year, so I decided to revisit their catalog and found this gem.

6.  Jack White - Hip (eponymous) Poor Boy
Dude is just Matchbox Twenty Money.  If you don't like Mr. White, then we probably shouldn't be friends.

7.  Of Monsters and Men - King and Lionheart
When I make lists like "My Top 5 Icelandic groups with 7 members", these guys are always at the top.  They have the male/female lead singer combination that seems to be so popular these days, and I do enjoy the contrasting vocals. If I am home alone and in no danger of getting caught, I will instantly break into my version of an Icelandic indigenous dance for my pretend audience of Bjork like people in large wooly coats.

8.  Ben Fold Five - Away When You Were Here
Ben's music has a familiarity that hugs you like an old friend.  

9.  The Gaslight Anthem - Here Comes My Man
These guys satisfy my need for straight forward anthemic rock.  I rarely drive the speed limit when GA is blaring out of my speakers, and it takes me back to the old days when rock groups actually played in arenas.

10. Dawes - Coming Back to a Man
I play Dawes like top 40 radio plays Katy Perry, they are a staple of the 2011/2012 Crawford music collection. This is probably my 12th favorite Dawes song, and it whips a goat's ass.

11. The Avett Brothers - The Once and Future Carpenter
The wife and I are road tripping to Greensboro, NC to see the Avetts on New year's Eve, so yeah we kind of like 'em.  Simple, sweet, easily digested, country-tinged ditties is their go-to sound, and this song fits that to a tee.  Moonshine and rocking chair music.

12. Mumford & Sons - Whispers in the Dark
If Timberlake brought sexy back, then these guys brought the banjo back.  I do get a wee bit excited when M&S come up on my mixes

13. Griffin House - Standing at the Station
He is one of those artists that probably should be bigger than he is, both in my music collection and in real life.  Thanks for the French lesson in this one Grif!  (I can call him Grif, because I've seen him live 3 times)

14. Sam Roberts - Twist the Knife
You can hardly tell that he's Canadian when he sings, his accent just kind of fades away.  This one's a toe-tapper.

15. Blind Pilot - Keep You Right
BP has a pretty solid following, but I can't help thinking their sound is a Frankenstein hybrid of some of my other favorite bands.  This is my second attempt at getting into them, but I'm not sure I'm ready to fly with them.