12 Favorite Songs of 2012 (thus far...)

The year is more than half way over, which means... well, it actually means very little. However, today it means I will post my favorite 12 songs from this year. Hope you enjoy!

Beach House -- "The Hours"
Bobby Womack -- "Please Forgive My Heart"
Father John Misty -- "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" 
Fiona Apple -- "Werewolf"
Jack White -- "Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy"
Japandroids -- "Fire's Highway"
John Talabot -- "Destiny" feat. Pional
Kishi Bashi -- "Bright Whites"
Punch Brothers -- "Movement and Location"
Regina Spektor -- "Small Town Moon"
The Shins -- "Simple Song"
The Walkmen -- "We Can't Be Beat"

Fionna Apple // The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do

Fiona Apple is so cool. That's truly the only way I can put it. Everything she has ever done is just so inherently badass and awesome that I can't think of a single person who doesn't at least admire Fiona's attitude towards her art. However, this isn't to say that Fiona hasn't had her moments. From sporadic meltdowns to dating David Blaine, her personal life has often gotten in the way of her absolutely stunning songwriting. Fortunately, what is evident on this new album, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do, is that Fiona has done some serious maturing an growing up since Extraordinary Machine (2005).

I am sure that for those music nerds out there, you either have already listened to this album or at least heard of its' brilliance, but for those of you who haven't: LISTEN TO IT NOW! It is easily the album of the year thus far. It blows away just about everything I have heard since Kanye's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and like that album, The Idler Wheel.. also feels timeless and instantaneously classic in many ways. Its' words are so fascinating and beautiful. The production is stunning. Each song takes you on a beautiful little journey. I can go on and on about what makes this album so amazing, but you should figure it out on your own. I didn't post the whole album obviously but I did post some of my favorites off the album below.

I suggest checking all these songs out to get a feel for the album, but honestly your better off just getting a copy of the album, putting on excellent headphones, and listen to it from beginning to end... over and over again... you will not be disappointed.

Fiona Apple -- "Every Single Night"
Fiona Apple -- "Valentine"
Fiona Apple -- "Anything We Want" 
Fiona Apple -- "Hot Knife"

Songs of the Summer: Kishi Bashi -- "Bright Whites"

Kishi Bashi is the solo project of K Ishibashi, founder of the group Jupiter One and touring member of both Regina Spektor and Of Montreal. With that background the sound coming through your speakers should come as no surprise. This song is nothing short of a perfectly crafted pop song in my book. I challenge anyone to listen to this song and not feel great about life. I also normally don't really care much about lyrics; however, with this song I will also post the lyrics, which I think are so beautiful and imagniative.



"keya keya sorya douse ne,
keya keya sorya douse dame da.
yamerarenai yamerarenai.
douse damedakedo yamerarenai ne"
"keya keya sorya douse ne,
keya keya sorya douse dame da.
taerarenai taerarenai,
douse dame da kedo taerarenai ne"
(in Japanese,
"douse dame da" means "probably impossible"
"yamerarenai" means "can't stop" and
"taerarenai" means "can't take it anymore")

you and me at the edge of the world
with a pretty little smile for me to see
new bright whites and a cage full of ice
and a naked little canopy to feed my disease

and if you're to smile at me
I could cry by land or sea

after you said that you like Big Red
I opened up my mind and skipped a beat
cufflinks and hands in wrong places and faces
and creepy little movies made me weep

and if you're to say to me
what is mine is yours to keep

well you know, I'll have to see
if all the stars aligned we could've solved the mystery
it's a partial fantasy
we're living in a land that went astray from history

you and me at the edge of the bed
looking at the faded pictures for you to see and me to see
murder and colonies, land without rivers
raging in the middle of some sad destiny

take one look to find my eyes
safety's in your inner thigh

 well you know, I'll have to see,
if all the stars aligned we could have solved the mystery
it's a partial fantasy
we're living in a land that went astray from history

Japandroids -- "Fire's Highway"

Japandroids are a Vancouver duo  made up of Brian King on guitar and David Prowse on drums. Like other rock duos with the same instrumentation (i.e. The White Stripes of old and The Black Keys), this band packs quite a hefty punch. Celebration Rock, the band's sophomore LP, may be their best yet. The band certainly isn't reinventing the wheel, but who gives a shit... it's rock n' roll! Celebration Rock is certainly the most aptly named album of the year. From The Who, to BRUCE, to some Hold Steady, this album takes just a bit from some of Rocks great forerunners and adds the spice of some serious punk. "Fire's Highway" is the song that most certainly embodies this notion. To quote Dylan before playing "Like a Rolling Stone" on the No Direction Home Soundtrack, "PLAY IT FUCKING LOUD!"

Japandroids -- "Fire's Highway"

The 90s Weren't All That Bad...

I got started with this group of songs when my favorite bar started playing a series of 90s songs along with the standard mix of bar classics and modern pop hits. The problem was that these 90s songs absolutely sucked. From Britney Spears to the Backstreet Boys my ears were literally bleeding when I turned to a friend and asked, "were the 90s this bad?" Sure, I grew up in the 90s but the problem is that the nostalgia for crappy boy bands like 'N Sync and mega pop stars like (it's) Britney (bitch!) completely overshadow the great pop music that came out in the 90s. In particular, the great pop hits of the 90s that weren't by boy bands or the Spice Girls. So... these songs go out to the children of 90s who hopefully didn't forget the pure joy the good music brought them... this is my childhood right here.

The La's -- "There She Goes"
Duncan Sheik -- "Barely Breathing"
Gin Blossoms -- "Hey Jealousy"
The Verve -- "Bittersweet Symphony"
The Smashing Pumpkins -- "1979"
The Proclaimers -- "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)"
Alanis Morissette -- "You Oughta Know"
Matchbox Twenty -- "3 A.M."
The Presidents of the United States of America -- "Peaches"
The Cranberries -- "Linger"

.... and of course...

Hootie and The Blowfish -- "Only Wanna Be With You"

... and you thought I was gonna forget that one

Regina Spektor -- "Don't Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)"

I feel that many, if not most, of the albums that I have enjoyed from this year have most certainly been growers. There is only a short list (midget list perhaps) of albums that I have really dug on first listen. Regina Spektor's What We Saw From The Cheap Seats is the newest addition to that short list. I will admit that Spektor is often hit or miss to me, but this new album has absolutely floured me. Every song is just so incredibly catchy and inventive. Unlike the first single to be released from the album, "All The Rowboats," (a pretty dark track) this newest single paints an unbelievably happy picture (I think of running through a sea of daffodils... too much..... yeah). If the unbelievably catchy synth intro doesn't get you (anyone else hear the Vampire Weekend influence there??), the end of the song, in which Spektor belts out "I Love Paris In The Rain," will most certainly make you love this song. SO CATHCY!!

Regina Spektor -- "Don't Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)"

Father John Misty -- "Writing a Novel" & "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings"

Ah, Josh Tillman... you sir are as sly as a fox... For those of you who may have not followed this whole falling out of Fleet Foxes gig (I certainly have not), Josh Tillman parted ways with the Seattle indie darlings a little while back to work on a new album. To be honest, once I heard that Tillman had parted way with Fleet Foxes, I just figured I wouldn't listen to him anymore. However, because he has put out this newest album under the moniker Father John Misty, I got this new record without knowing it was by Tillman. I immediately adored the album and once a friend pointed out that it was Josh Tillman my mind was blown. I wasn't sure how to feel; however, the music is just too good to not listen to because of petty disagreements. As it turns out, a friend of mine at one of Tillman's shows mentioned that Tillman still loves the guys of Fleet Foxes and there are no hard feelings at all.

In regards to the album, Fear Fun, I simply can't get enough. There is an absolutely fantastic combination of instrumental ingenuity and lyrical genius that winds its' way through every track. For me, this album is just purely fun without trying to be outwardly rambunctious. I personally love "Writing a Novel," which is absolutely hysterical, as well as "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" ... which is well... um.... I will just have you listen to the lyrics and create your own understanding.