Top 12 of 2012!

Welcome back, Terriers. I hope you had a wonderful break, just as I did. Let me tell you, I downloaded a large amount of music so I can make some great posts this semester. However, seeing as we have passed into a new year, a new semester, and a new blog post, I would bring together a list of my top 12 favorite tracks from 2012. Some may have shown up on my posts before–which is a good thing, since, you know, I “approve” or whatever–and some are from artists that I didn’t even know I liked. Not all of them were produced (if any) in 2012, but I came across them in the past 12 months. Enjoy the count down, some great music, and a brand new semester for brand new things.

12. Addicted by Amy Winehouse, Back to Black

Amy Winehouse is great. Of course, she was notorious, infamous even, for her drug use and “fuck-it-all” attitude. And that is all fine and good, except her music… is excellent. I love Amy Winehouse more than many other artists because she lived. She did what she wanted to, made the music she wanted to, and lived a (relatively) happy life. This is really superficial and a terrible explanation. This song is great because it may or may not be about weed.

11. Always On Time (Ja Rule & Ashanti Cover) by Town Hall, Town Hall Plays the Hits 

This is a cover, obviously, but it is by this awesome band called Town Hall. They are pretty flippin’ great–I mean listen to their voices and the harmonies and the aaaaaaaaaaah. It’s great! When I first heard the song, I quickly listened to the original and picked my favorite (as you can see, Town Hall won.) The way they move the lyrics to their own melody is pretty spectacular, and see how the artists spit raps back at us!

10. Big Machine by Mark Duplass, Safety Not Guaranteed

I’ve posted about Mark Duplass before here. There isn’t much to say, other than sometimes you get unexpected sounds from unexpected people.

9. Halcyon by Ellie Goulding, Halcyon

Sick.

8. Come Into My Head by Kimbra, Vows

Read more about Kimbra here.

7. Turn It Around by Lucius, Lucius EP

Lucius is so good, it is on this list twice. Turn It Around confirmed my admiration for this girl duo and boy band after seeing them at the Middle East a few weeks ago in Cambridge. They were awesome live, and it turns out, comparably amazing recorded.

6. Happiest Times by Little Big Adventure, The Hateful Eye

This track lurked in my library for some time before I actually listened to it. As soon as I did, I felt calm, collected, and inspired.

5. Shake Hands by Birthmark, Shaking Hands

Much like Happiest Times, this kicked around in my iTunes after countless skips because I simply never took the time to listen to it. Eventually, I did, and as you can see it is pretty high on this list. It is a great track by a great band.

4. 2nd Gun by Volcano, I’m Still Excited!, Volcano, I’m Still Excited!

Read more about Volcano, I’m Still Excited! here.

3. Seven Swans by Sufjan Stevens, Seven Swans

Sufjan always has a special place in my heart. Always.

2. Shenandoah by Lucius, Songs From the Bromley House

Lucius came out with a (hard to locate) album before their EP, which brings us to number 2 with Shenandoah. Amazing.

1. 40k by Pearl and the Beard, Killing the Darlings

Read more about Pearl and the Beard here. Pearl and the Beard will always be number one in my heart, though 40k definitely deserves this spot on our top 12.

You know those songs you listen to so often you get sick of them?

These four songs are songs that I’ve listened to on repeat for the past few weeks (along with some others, mind you), and I have yet to get sick of them! Three of them are by artists that I was introduced to just this summer, but all four songs are relatively new to me (am I making sense?). They’re all songs that you can kind of listen to in any situation, whether you’re walking to class, studying for class, hanging with friends, or just spending some quality time by yourself! Just to quickly introduce myself, I’m Emily and I’m new to the BU Central team! I’m a freshman in CAS and I’m studying biology/pre-med.

• Coconut Records/Nighttiming: Coconut Records was created by Jason Schwartzman (you may have seen him in The Darjeeling Limited, Marie Antoinette, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, etc.) and it’s an indie pop musical solo project, although his albums have had contributions from other artists. The opening of Nighttiming reminds me, somewhat, of the music that plays every time Kramer enters Jerry’s apartment in Seinfeld. If any of you listen to and like Best Coast, Coconut Records may be right for you.

• Real Estate/Out of Tune: Real Estate is an indie rock band, and I would liken it to other bands like Vampire Weekend and Best Coast (again). I really love listening to Real Estate when I’m relaxing or studying because even though it’s not like listening to soothing, classical music, there’s something about Real Estate and the composition of their music that’s incredibly tranquil and it makes me feel like I’m lying on a beach in California.

• Robyn/Hang With Me: So, I guess I’m really late with Robyn, but she’s a Swedish pop artist who’s been singing since the ’90s. I definitely recommend listening to her whole album, Body Talk, because, for me personally, it’s been quite a while since I found a new album that I fully enjoyed–of course, there are a few individual tracks in Body Talk that I’m not the biggest fan of, but as a whole, the album is really fantastic. Other tracks I recommend are Call Your Girlfriend, Fembot, Dancing On My Own, Dancehall Queen, the list goes on. Really, just listen to the whole album.

• Sufjan Stevens/The Henney Buggy Band: Sufjan Stevens is an American singer and songwriter, and I’ll be honest, I don’t know much more about him. I haven’t listened to any of his other songs, but they’re mostly indie folk and indie pop, and I have heard good things about his music from other people. I don’t really know what it is I like about this song, but when I listen to it, it kind of makes me feel like I’m watching a Wes Anderson movie.

Anyways, I guess it all depends on the type of music that you enjoy, but I urge you all to give these artists/songs a listen. I haven’t gotten sick of them yet, and I’m not sure if I ever will, but I’m quite content with keeping them on my Spotify playlist for at least another month.

Enjoy!

Emily