Top 20+ Songs of 2020

Another round up with my fave songs of the year – the music that kept me somewhat sane during a very trying year – listed not by preference but how best to order them.  Listen as a Spotify playlist here. 

1. "Friday" – Real Estate

2. "You're Not Alone" – Semisonic

3. "Through the Trees" – Phantom Planet

4. "Become a Mountain" – Dan Deacon

5. "Is it True" – Tame Impala

6. "Cut it Loose" – Maxband

7. "Olympik" – EOB

8. "Love Is the King" – Jeff Tweedy

9. "The Great Divide" – The Shins

10. "Fear of Heights" – Wye Oak

11. "For Sure" – Future Islands

12. "Too Late" – Washed Out

13. "One More Second" – Matt Berninger

14. "You and I" – Caribou

15. "Videostores" – Quivers

16. "Wildfires" – SAULT

17. "Prisoners" – Doves

18. "Dear Stranger" – STRFKR

19. "Feel You" – My Morning Jacket

20. "Will You Return/When You Come Down" – The Flaming Lips

21. "All Visible Objects" – Moby

Fall 2020 New Music Playlist

 Listen on Spotify, enjoy!

1. "Music Makes Me High" – The Avalanches

2. "I Just Want to Dance" – SAULT

3. "Be a Rebel" – New Order

4. "Guess Again" – Jeff Tweedy

5. "Moonlight" – Future Islands

6. "The Great Divide" – The Shins

7. "Cut it Loose" – Maxband

8. "Monolithic" – Cults

9. "Rainzow" – STRFKR

10. "Midnight Moment" – Woods

11. "Emily" – Declan McKenna

12. "One More Second" – Matt Berninger

13. "Aguas Frescas" – LNZNDRF

14. "Stories Going 'Round" – Nada Surf

15. "Future Lover" – Local Natives

16. "Apes & Children" – Lane 8

Romantic Songs Playlist for Valentine's Day 2018

Compiling this year's Romantic Songs Playlist for Valentine's Day was an easy task, considering all the great new music lately from fave bands. Here are tunes that pull at the heartstrings by LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, The National, Beck, Spoon, Washed Out, Mew and more. And check out the gender-balanced cover of Interpol's "PDA" by Daywave and Hazel English. Whether coupled up or single at the moment, it's all music to feed the soul.

Listen to my Romantic Songs Playlist for Valentine's Day 2018 on Spotify here.  For further inspiration, visit my posts from past years: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012.

1. "oh baby" – LCD Soundsystem

2. "All Disco" – Elbow

3. "Do I Have to Talk You Into It" – Spoon

4. "Seventh Heaven" – Beck

5. "Dark Side of the Gym" – The National

6. "We Don't Deserve Love" – Arcade Fire

7. "Come Break My Heart Again" – The Lone Below

8. "Hard to Say Goodbye" – Washed Out

9. "To Hold and Have" – The Dears

10.  "Love Is Love (Sun on Time)" – Woods

11. "Call It Dreaming" – Iron & Wine

12. "Carry Me To Safety" – Mew

13. "PDA" – Daywave, Hazel English

14. "Up All Night" – The War on Drugs

15. "Girl Like You" – Toro Y Moi

16. "The Fear" – The Shins

17. "We a Famly" – The Flaming Lips

Top 20+ Songs of 2017 with Spotify and YouTube Playlist

So I broke my own rule here – I usually run over the total of twenty songs to represent the year but this time I allowed a double helping of two of my very fave bands Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem. (And keeping the choices down to just two songs was not easy to do!) But beyond songs from my  Top Ten Releases of 2017 heard on repeat, there are some singles on the list that became instant ear worms in a very good way. The upbeat approach of Phoenix's "J-Boy" along with the optimism of Woods' "Love Is Love" and Poolside's "Everything Goes" were just the antidote needed during this calamity of a year under the Trump Administration. Here's to weathering another year ahead with another soundtrack of sanity.

Listen on Spotify or as a YouTube Playlist below (except "Wave Is Not the Water" by Wye Oak).

1. "Andromeda" (featuring DRAM) – Gorillaz
2. "Hot Thoughts" – Spoon
3. "Everything Now" – Arcade Fire
4. "Put Your Money on Me" – Arcade Fire
5. "Dreams" – Beck
6. "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness" – The National
7. "call the police" – LCD Soundsystem
8. "american dream" – LCD Soundsystem
9. "Mourning Sound" – Grizzly Bear
10. "Wave Is Not the Water" – Wye Oak
11. "All About Waiting" (featuring Camila Grey) – Dhani Harrison
12. "How It Feels" – Ages and Ages
13. "Everything Goes" (Instrumental) – Poolside
14. "J-Boy" – Phoenix
15. "Hard to Say Goodbye" – Washed Out
16. "Noise Pollution" (featuring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Zoe Manville) – Portugal. The Man.
17. "Love Is Love (Sun On Time)" – Woods
18. "Shine" – Mondo Cozmo
19. "Magnificent (She Says)" – Elbow
20. "Name for You" – The Shins
21. "Call It Dreaming" – Iron & Wine
22. "Carry Me to Safety" – Mew
23. "Leven" – The Octopus Project

Winter 2017 New Music Playlist

Here’s a playlist to get caught up on recent releases as well as others on the horizon. Check out new tunes from The Shins, Elbow, the xx, and Animal Collective along with up and coming bands like Day Wave and the latest collab of artists called LIV. There are also tunes from new musical projects by Michael Nau, Peter Silberman and Joshua Ostrander plus a cover by Nada Surf. Listen up on Spotify or as a YouTubePlaylist.

1. “Name For You” – The Shins

Songwriter James Mercer confidently returns to earlier Shins form with this swinging single “Name for You” appearing on an upcoming album, Heartworms.  This is the fifth album for the Albuquerque band since 1996.

2. “Here in Spirit” – Jim James

“Here in Spirit” features the plaintive vocal stylings of Jim James, the primary songwriter of Louisville band My Morning Jacket.  The song is off his second solo album since 2010, Eternally Even.

3. “Wasting Time” – Day Wave

Day Wave is the musical project of Jackson Phillips in Oakland, California, enlisting touring musicians as needed. “Wasting Time” is a lush indie pop tune off his second EP, Headcase.

4. “Follow the Leader” – Foxygen

“Follow the Leader” is another overblown but irresistible song by L.A. band Foxygen, created by Sam France and Jonathan Rado in 2005. It serves as the single for their third album of psych pop, Hang.

5. “On Hold” – the xx

London band the xx is back with a third album since 2009. It veers away from what The New York Times once called "miserabilist," thanks to band member/producer Jamie xx’s infusion of beats to up the mood. Co-members Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft coo the lyrics back and forth in this single “On Hold” from the new release Trio.

6. “Noise Pollution (featuring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Zoe Manville)” – Portugal. The Man.

Portland based band Portugal. The Man. is ready with its eighth album since 2004, Gloomin + Doomin, with Mike D of the Beastie Boys producing.  This explains the new sound for the group, as a gritty dance groove permeates the single “Noise Pollution.”

7. “Sweep Me Off My Feet” – Pond

Australian psych rock band Pond, a collaborative music project, shares members with fellow Aussies Tame Impala. This stand alone single, “Sweep Me Off My Feet,” begins in a buzz of synths to expand into a meandering sonic journey of wavering melodies over a percussive landline.

8. “Shine” – Mondo Cozmo

Mondo Cozmo (a.k.a. Joshua Ostrander) is an L.A. based musician, visual artist and human rights activist who has released a series of songs. This cathartic single “Shine” imagines a worry-free world, complete with an uplifting sing along chorus.

9. “Dream Awake” – liv

Liv is the Swedish word for life, and this supergroup of musicians from the country (Lykke Li, Bjorn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John, and Pontus Winnberg, along with Andrew Wyatt, of Miike Snow) churn out a grand vision for pop songs like “Dream Awake.” Li has described the vibe as a lovechild of ABBA and Fleetwood Mac.

10. “Love Survive” – Michael Nau

Guitarist Michael Nau, formerly of the Cumberland, Maryland, indie folk outfit Cotton Jones, has embarked on a new solo project writing songs like the lilting “Love Survive.”

11. “One Eye Open” – Trentemøller

Trentemøller is the musical moniker of Danish producer and multi-instrumentalist Anders Trentmøller, based in Copenhagen. “One Eye Open” showcases the haunting vocals of singer Marie Fisker – the first track Trentemøller worked on for the fourth album since 2006, Fixion.

12. “Mountain Game” – Animal Collective

Animal Collective was formed in Baltimore as an experimental pop quartet that would eagerly crisscross genres and bend many rules. After ten albums since 2003, the atmospheric “Mountain Game” was released as a single after somehow being rejected for a video game.

13. “Laura Lee” ­– The Besnard Lakes

Montreal’s six-piece The Besnard Lakes recently released its sixth studio album since 2003, when it was formed by the husband and wife musical team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas. “Laura Lee” is a prime example of the ambitious sound of the band’s expansive songs.

14. “Magnificent (She Says)” – Elbow

English alt rock band Elbow will soon release its seventh studio album since 1997, Little Fiction. The elegant comfort of Guy Garvey’s vocals return in full force for the single “Magnificent (She Says).”

15. “Distant Shore” – Porcelain Raft

NYC- based Italian musician and producer Mauro Remiddi is releasing the third album of his solo career, Microclimate. The gauzy sonic structure of “Distant Shore” is emblematic of Remiddi’s alluring compositions.

16. “Where Is My Mind” ­– Nada Surf

Nada Surf singer Matthew Caws brings an enigmatic yet casual take on this cover of The Pixie’s “Where Is My Mind,” which was recently snagged to soundtrack a Samsung ad. The NYC indie band has released eight albums since 1992.

17. “Slips Away” – Peter Silberman
Peter Silberman of The Antlers has a new solo project with a debut album called Impermanence. He has brought the same restraint to songwriting after dealing with severe hearing problems, displayed here in the single "Slips Away."

Here's to 2017 -- New Releases Ahead by Favorite Bands

Out with the old and in with the new please! I'm getting another playlist ready for publication while drooling over this list of anticipated releases by some of my very favorite bands. Strange how only two announce a solid drop date: The Flaming Lips', Oczy Mlody, set to arrive next week on January 13 (just in time for my birthday weekend) and Elbow's Little Fictions is due February 3. Add in TBD albums from Spoon, Arcade Fire, Beck, Gorillaz, The National plus LCD Soundsystem, and that's more than half of "My Essential Music – Fave Band Playlists" post, an awesome lineup to be sure.

So here's to the clean slate of a new year with all the promise it holds and the days ahead complimented by a great soundtrack of new tunes – music from bands I love along with songs by ones I've yet to discover.  Follow me as newmusicmatters on Spotify as I add these albums to a dedicated playlist and more.

UPCOMING NEW RELEASES IN 2017:
January 13 – The Flaming Lips, Oczy Mlody (Warner Brothers)
February 3 – Elbow, Little Fiction (Universal Music)
Spoon, TBD
Arcade Fire, TBD
Beck, TBD
Gorillaz, TBD
LCD Soundsystem, TBD
The National, TBD
Grizzly Bear, TBD
Father John Misty, TBD
The Shins, TBD
Real Estate, TBD
The War on Drugs, TBD
Vampire Weekend, TBD
Wolf Parade, TBD
The xx, TBD
Phosphorescent, TBD
My Morning Jacket, TBD
Spiritualized, TBD
Broken Social Scene, TBD
Strand of Oaks, TBD

YouTube Playlist of Late Summer 2014 New Music Playlist Songs

The videos found on YouTube for my Late Summer 2014 New Music Playlist are a mix of the straight forward audio, filmed footage and showing the band playing the song, which is my favorite type. I plugged in live performances from my favorite online music stations and new tunes sources, KCRW (Vacationer's "Paradise") and KEXP (Eels' "Where I'm From"), as it's always a treat to experience live sessions.  The Orwells and Interpol videos present the groups in action, while Strand of Oaks is stripped down to just Timothy Showalter and his acoustic guitar. Britt Daniel of Spoon is seen driving along in an eery, apocalyptic world with a twist, Avigdor Zahner-Isenber of Avi Buffalo washes up on a beach only to be forced into office drudgery and Ex Hex chooses to rock along to some wacky food obsessions (deviled eggs!)

I did have to insert another song by Christopher Owens, "Nothing More Than Everything To Me." It's a more upbeat tune than "It Comes Back To You," but I do love the video. Owens revisits his youth and the sweet discovery of love. Enjoy it all here or on YouTube.

Late Summer 2014 New Music Playlist

Here’s another collection of music culled from recent releases to help keep the summer vibe going. Check out new songs from indie veterans Spoon, Interpol, The New Pornographers and The Shins along with new bands such as Jungle and The Orwells. Vacationer, Parquet Courts and Ex Hex bring the party atmosphere while Christopher Owens, Stand of Oaks and Tweedy (Jeff Tweedy of Wilco) craft a mellow musical vein. Click to listen here.

**EXTRA CREDIT IF YOU CAN NAME EVERY BAND WITH FAMILY MEMBERS IN THE LINEUP (ANSWER AT THE END OF THIS POST!)

1. “Can’t Do Without You” – Caribou

Canadian composer/producer Dan Snaith is ready with a sixth studio album since 2005 as Caribou, Our Love. His ready mix of dance beats, weighty bass lines and electronic wizardry is uncontested in this lead single and opening track for the album.

2. “Do You” – Spoon

Spoon returns with its eighth studio album, They Want My Soul, since the indie rock band was formed in Austin in 1993.  The five-piece includes a new member Alex Fischel (keys, guitar) but the gritty vocals of lead singer Brit Daniels still gives the music its edge, as witnessed in "Do You."

3. “Gold Silver Diamond” – Generationals

Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer make up the New Orleans-based indie rock duo Generationals, layering rhythms with stylized pop vocals for a distinctive sound.  "Gold Silver Diamond" is the first single off the fourth studio album since 2009, Alix.  

4. “Paradise Waiting” – Vacationer

Vacationer recently released a sophomore album, Relief, inspired by playing gigs for fans and being together on the road. The band is a collaboration of singer Kenny Vasoli, who imbibes every note with sunny warmth, plus Body Language's Matthew Young and Grand Wheeler. 

5. “Sunbathing Animal” ­– Parquet Courts

The fast-paced punk energy continues with NYC-based band Parquet Courts, back with a third album called Sunbathing Animal.  This searing rock tune is the title track of the new collection.

6. “From Now On” – Delta Spirit

San Diego's five piece indie rock group Delta Spirit delivers a true band aesthetic by writing together and recording everything live for its fourth album, Into the Wide. "From Now On" is the teaser single for the upcoming album. 

7. “Who Needs You” – The Orwells

The Orwells are a young five-piece rock band from the Chicago suburbs, writing about "anywhere USA" with wild exuberance.  "Who Needs You" is a single off the sophomore album called Disgraceland.

8. “The Heat” – Jungle

Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland comprise the London-based duo Jungle, a modern soul musical collective with a self-titled debut album. They expand to a seven-piece live band to bring the groove of songs like "The Heat" to the stage.

9.  “Hot and Cold” – Ex Hex

Power trio Ex Hex hails from Washington, D.C. This female group presents the basics, an "unapologetic Rock and Roll," as found in the single "Hot and Cold" from the upcoming debut album Rips.

10. “Brill Bruisers” – The New Pornographers

"Brill Bruisers" is the title track of eight-piece Canadian indie rock band The New Pornographer's sixth album since 1999. The signature, full-on vocals of the group create an instant celebration of the human spirit with soaring melodies and layered harmonies. 

11. “So What” – Avi Buffalo

Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg took four years to create his second album as Avi Buffalo, At Best Cuckold. The dreamy '60s pop influence saturates the songs again, as evidenced in "So What." 

12. “So Now What” – The Shins

The Shins' feature role in a Zach Braff film (Wish I Was Here) is reprised in "So Now What," gently reminding listeners why the Albuquerque band's indie cred remains intact. The song exists easily on its own merits, and yes, might just change your life.

13. “All the Rage Back Home” – Interpol

"All the Rage Back Home" is the solid opening track for NYC-based Interpol's fifth studio album since 1997, El Pintor. Singer Paul Banks takes over bass from the departing member Carlos Danger, and the group tightly rocks on.

14. “Where I’m From” – Eels

Prolific singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Californian Mark Oliver Everett (a.k.a. E) has released his eleventh full length album for Eels since 1996, The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett. The introspective song "Where I'm From" draws the listener in while softly singing private thoughts. 

15. “Summer Noon” – Tweedy

Jeff Tweedy of Chicago band Wilco began a solo musical project with son Spencer on drums adding creative input to form Tweedy. This song "Summer Moon" finds that familiar world-weary voice over strumming guitar, from the new ablum called Sukierae.

16. “It Comes Back To You” – Christopher Owens

L.A. based musician Christopher Owens (former frontman of indie rock band Girls) has released his second solo album, A New Testament.  "It Comes Back To You" highlights Owens' warm voice and other-worldly artistic vision. 

17. “Woke Up To the Light” – Strand of Oaks

Strand of Oaks is the folk rock outfit by Timothy Showalter based in Philadelphia. The songs for a fourth album, Heal, came together after a horrific car crash where Showalter was forced to reexamine everything --  now contained in every note. 

18. “Pets” – Deadmau5

Deadmau5 is the stage name of Canadian progressive-house music producer Joel Thomas Zimmerman, who just released his seventh album since 2005. The airy instrumental "Pets" is one of 25 tracks (minus the mixes) on this two-disc album, which contains a continuous mix for each disc. 

DID YOU GUESS THREE BANDS?

1. TWEEDY -- FATHER & SON

2. PARQUET COURTS -- BROTHERS

3. THE ORWELLS -- COUSINS & TWIN BROTHERS!!!

Birthday Playlist of Random Songs Heard January 15, 2014

Birthdays bring all sorts of emotions and as always, music was there for a soundtrack as I marked another year on this planet.  I started writing down this list of songs that resonated with me, particular tracks that seemed picked for the occasion.  Thanks as always to KEXP, KCRW and WFUV's "The Alternate Side" for providing the awesome background music in the car, at my desk and even at the gym throughout the day.  The final song here is off a CD I purchased for myself, the Reverend Al Green's Everything's OK, after hearing the romantic tune "Perfect To Me" on NPR's World Cafe a while back.  The mighty soul master accompanied me in the car going out to dinner and this song made the perfect capper to any occasion -- a dance in the kitchen.

Link to listen here and remember you can always listen to past playlists here!

1. "Gymnopédies" – Erik Satie
2. "I Would For You" – Jane's Addiction
3. "Beetlebum" – Blur
4. "What would I want? Sky" – Animal Collective
5. "God Moving Over the Face of the Water – Moby
6. "Awake" – Tycho
7. "Give a Little Love" – Noah and the Whale
8. "How It Ends" – DeVotchka
9. "40 Mark Strasse" – The Shins
10. "Comfortably Numb" – Pink Floyd
11. "Louisa Louisa" – Mew
12. "Perfect to Me" – Al Green

Favorite Holiday Tunes Playlist II

I have no business curating another holiday playlist with everything going on these days, but the idea came to me after reading in the December issue of Real Simple. Under party tips, it was suggested that hosts take advantage of streaming services for music and have a soundtrack randomly selected.  Of course, I'm all about the pick and choosing of tunes, then lovingly sequencing a playlist.  When I got out my Favorite Holiday Tunes Playlist from 2011 for background as the decorating began last weekend, it was like having a beloved old friend visit. So I took another look into my vast holiday music archives and put together another one.

Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips begins Favorite Holiday Tunes II, intoning that "Everything is going to work out just fine."  This is exactly what I need to hear and this time of year, entrusted as I am with the role of family traditions coordinator.  This is followed by two covers of songs from cherished holiday specials. 80s rockabilly master from the Stray Cats Brian Setzer intones "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and Au Revoir Simone muster a laissez faire attitude for "Christmas" (as in the Peanuts gang type).  I also couldn't help including Fall Out Boy's raucous version from my Halloween obsession the Nightmare Before Christmas, "What's This?"

The rest is a mix and match of old and new, with two songs from the recent Starbucks compilation, Holidays Rule (2012) -- a powerhouse collabo with Rufus Wainwright and Sharon Van Etten in "Baby, It's Cold Outside," and The Shins taking on Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime."  There's a song by Fitz & The Tantrums that was offered as a free download last year, when they were still cranking out that awesome retro vibe that got them noticed in the music scene on the first place.  And I'll be forever thankful that someone came up with the idea of having Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders rock a holiday classic, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." (She's my answer to the question, who would you sing like if you could sing like anyone?) Plus I'm not usually a fan of remixes, but YACHT took on the goofy tune with The B-52's Fred Schneider as The Superions, "Fruitcake," to cook up a match made in holiday heaven. I've concluded with two songs pointing us to the New Year, Death Cab for Cutie's contemplative "The New Year" and Dan Wilson's "What A Year For New Year" (a nod to witnessing this velvety smooth voice in concert back in November!)

Link to listen here, enjoy!

1. "A Change At Christmas (Say It Isn't So)" -- The Flaming Lips
2. "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" -- The Brian Setzer Orchestra
3. "Christmas" -- Au Revoir Simone
4. "Santa Stole My Lady" -- Fitz and & The Tantrums
5. "Let It Snow" -- Luscious Jackson
6. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" -- Rufus Wainwright featuring Sharon Van Etten
7. "Sleigh Ride" -- The Ventures
8. "The Christmas Song" -- The Raveonettes
9. "Christmas Time" -- Smashing Pumpkins 
10. "What's This?" -- Fall Out Boy
11. "Little Saint Nick" -- Sugar Ray
12. "Wonderful Christmastime" -- The Shins
13. "Please Come Home For Christmas" -- Pat Benatar
14. "Fruitcake (YACHT remix)" -- The Superions
15. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" -- The Pretenders
16. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" -- The Smithereens
17. "The New Year" -- Death Cab for Cutie
18. "What A Year For A New Year" -- Dan Wilson 

Top 20 Songs of 2012 With Video Playlist

There were plenty of moments in 2012 when pure attention through the ears became a moment to behold. When I came across these songs this year, it didn't just make my day... it rocked my world and made my life.  My year flashes before me as I revisit favorite new tunes while still fresh in the mind.

Here again I give you my Top 20 Songs of 2012 in no particular order, but arranged into a pleasing listening session via Spotify here or a YouTube Video Playlist below. It begins with Santigold's self-produced treatment of one catchiest songs of the year and includes some awesome live versions (including a NMMatters one of The Walkmen during this year's Crossing Brooklyn Ferry!) Enjoy, JaneJS

1. "The Keepers" Santigold
2. "Take a Walk" Passion Pit
3. "Heaven" The Walkmen
4. "Simple Song" The Shins
5. "Let's Go" Matt & Kim
6. "Sad Vacation" The Dandy Warhols
7. "Thankful" Caveman
8. "Amanaemonesia" Chairlift 
9. "Good As New" Vacationer
10. "Happy Home" Onuinu
11. "Yet Again" Grizzly Bear
12. "Would That Not Be Nice" Divine Fits
13. "From Nowhere" Dan Croll
14. "Hail Bop" Django Django
15. "Unless You Speak from Your Heart" Porcelain Raft
16. "Summertime is Coming" Paul Banks
17. "Heart" Oberhofer
18. "The Reflection of You" Bear In Heaven
19. "Myth" Beach House 
20. "So Long You Pretty Thing" Spiritualized

Top Ten Releases of 2012 With Video Highlights

This week PopMatters posted The 75 Best Albums of 2012 from compiling top ten lists from staff writers.  I also contributed a write up for Passion Pit's excellent entry, Gossamer (#66). Reviewing this article is another opportunity to discover bands not already on your radar, so I highly recommend taking the time to dive in. 

My personal top ten is listed here with video highlights -- chosen on the basis of how excited I was about the album before it came out (sometimes months before the release date) to how much I visited the songs once it did. Together it represents over seven hours of happy listening. And I must say, 2012 was a fine year for new music!  

1. Grizzly Bear, Shields
The Brooklyn indie band Grizzly Bear built upon the success of their third album in 2009, Veckatimest, with a confident collection in Shields.  Featuring the songwriting skills of Edward Droste and Daniel Rossen as produced by band member Chris Taylor, the songs are varied and rewarding in a multi-layered, thoughtful presentation.

2. The Shins, Port of Morrow

James Mercer returned with a revamped line up for his fourth album as The Shins, after the acclaimed Broken Bells side project with producer Danger Mouse.  For fans waiting five years since 2007's Wincing the Night Away, Port of Morrow continues on that secure path of indie indulgence.  Mercer's warm tenor leads the way, through new subjects of fatherhood and adult responsibilities plucked straight from his domestic life.  

3. Passion Pit, Gossamer
Gossamer was released as the sophomore album from Boston area based group Passion Pit, but it was really the solo project of frontman Michael Angelokos (which is actually how the band began).  Angelokos wrote and produced the songs, with vague references of his own mental strife as he continued a battle with bi-polar disorder.  Yet the music remains as strong as ever, a full frontal indie electropop that reads well on stage as evidenced when Angelokos appeared on SNL earlier in the fall.

4. Beach House, Bloom

Baltimore's dream pop duo Beach House released their fourth album, Bloom, with more gauzy soundscapes.  Victoria LeGrand's expansive yet earthy vocals keep things grounded as a counterpoint to Alex Scally's haunting guitar and the layered synths.

5. Spiritualized, Sweet Heart, Sweet Light

Jason Pierce (a.k.a. Spaceman) released his seventh album as the frontman of U.K. alt rock band Spiritualized, Sweet Heart, Sweet Light.  The songs pour out from Pierce's harrowing experiences with chemotherapy for liver disease, with swells of musical transcendence and uplifting choruses.  (The Huh? on cover art refers to the original working title, in case you're wondering!)

6. The Walkmen, Heaven

The Walkmen released their seventh album over a decade, Heaven, and celebrated time together as a indie rock band plus the years since high school in the Washington, D.C. area.  While the group's early days were spent in New York City, members have moved to Philly and New Orleans as they began another stage into family life. Their devotion to each other is seen and heard in the video for the title track here, with solid songwriting that favors vintage instruments and persistent guitar work. 

7. Vacationer, Gone
New band Vacationer put New York City's synth duo Body Language together with Philadelphia area's Kenny Vasoli, formerly of post punk outfit A Starting Line. (Interview and concert review from last spring here.) The result is a breezy collabo of electronic beats and swatches of lush samples, with Vasoli's laid back but eager vocal delivery finding another fitting musical home.

8. Miike Snow, Happy To You

Miike Snow is a Swedish indie pop band with the producing team Bloodshy & Avant (Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg) and American vocalist Andrew Wyatt.  Their sophomore album, Happy To You, finds the trio flaunting their self-made studio ways, utilizing all the tools to achieve hooks galore.  This video could use some explanation, however!

9. Tame Impala, Lonerism
Australian psych rock quintet Tame Impala, the musical project of Kevin Parker, released their sophomore album Lonerism.  It's full of trippy grooves and explosions of sound, with buried vocals that somehow burst from this busy foundation.

10. Andrew Bird, Break It Yourself
Chicago area native Andrew Bird has released nine plus albums of music as composer and muli-instrumentalist.  Break It Yourself features fourteen complex compositions with Bird on guitar, violin and vocals (including lots of whistling!)

Wrapping Up the Year in Music - Best Songs of 2012 via PopMatters

Let the end of year lists begin!  PopMatters posted "The 75 Best Songs of 2012" with staff picks ranging with the familiar (Goyte, Carly Rae Jepson and Taylor Swift) and the not so much. The nice thing about perusing the list is seeing those musicians you've never heard of, so take time to listen to anything that peaks your interest -- I promise it'll be well worth it!   Each writer was asked to submit their top five (ranked) songs a few weeks ago with my write up for a top pick, The Shins' "Simple Song," found at #44.  I'll list my other picks as submitted while I'm working on my own top 20 songs and will post top 10 releases of 2012 soon.

TOP 5 BEST SONGS OF 2012:

1. The Shins, "Simple Song"

2. Passion Pit, "Take a Walk"

3. The Walkmen, "Heaven"

4. The Dandy Warhols, "Sad Vacation"

5. Matt & Kim, "Let's Go"

TOP 5 ARTISTS OF 2012:

1. M83

2. Grizzly Bear

3. The Shins

4. Passion Pit

5. Andrew Bird

TOP 3 BEST NEW ARTISTS OF 2012:

1. Oberhofer

2. Divine Fits

3. Bear In Heaven

TOP 3 BEST MUSIC BOOKS & DVDs OF 2012:

1. LCD Soundsystem, "Shut Up & Play the Hits" DVD

2. David Byrne, How Music Works

3. "Color Me Obsessed: A Film About the Replacements"

TOP 3 HOPE TO MAKE IT BIG IN 2013:

1. Indians

2. Dan Croll

3. Django Django

TOP 5 Reissues of 2012:

1. Blur, Blur 21

2. Roxy Music, Roxy Music: The Complete Studio Recordings

3. Interpol, Turn On the Bright Lights

4. Bright Eyes, Fevers & Mirrors/There is No Beginning to the Story

5. R.E.M., Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage

Early Spring 2012 New Music Playlist

Why not jump into the spring season a bit early after the "winter that wasn’t" with a bunch of new tunes ready for the next playlist?  The time change forward is never easy, but releases from Chairlift, Porcelain Raft and Dr. Dog can help ease the transition.  Also much appreciated the free downloads from Pretty Lights and Converse’s latest collaboration, bringing together the Gorillaz, Andre 3000 and James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem to round out the mix.  Link to listen here, enjoy! 

1.”Amanaemonesia” – Chairlift

2. “Sidewalk Safari” – Chairlift

Now a duo comprised of Caroline Polachek (vocals/synths) and Patrick Wimberly (bass/keyboard/drums), Brooklyn based Chairlift made a point of recording during the day to capture a bright energy with their indie synth pop and it shows.  These two sprightly songs are off the band’s sophomore release, Something. 

3. “Back of Your Neck” – Howler

This young quintet from Minneapolis updates the early rock ‘n roll sound on their debut release, America Give Up.  In a classic story, the group formed out of boredom to skewer all conventions -- piling up fans at their energetic live performances.

4. “Drifting In and Out” – Porcelain Raft

5. “Unless You Speak from Your Heart” – Porcelain Raft

Composer Mauro Remiddi, an Italian ex-pat now living in New York City, creates a fuzzy electronic pop vibe as Porcelain Raft.  These two tunes, off the release Strange Weekend, capture the varying moods of this band.

6. “DoYaThing” – Gorillaz featuring Andre 3000 and James Murphy

Converse’s latest foray into the music business put Damon Albarn of the Gorillaz in a studio with Andre 3000 and James Murphy.  This funky dance track was released as a free download on the Converse website, along with a sprawling, twelve-minute version.

7. “Champagne Coast” – Blood Orange

This spacious single is off the 2011 debut album, Coastal Grooves, by British singer/songwriter Devonté Hynes. He has penned songs for others such as Florence and Machine, but with this collection Hynes has full control of the final product with his own band.

8. “Lonesome” – Dr. Dog

9. “These Days” – Dr. Dog

Philly-based band Dr. Dog has a renewed commitment to their live jam sound as evidenced in these two songs off their latest release, Be the Void.  The raucous party continues for over a decade now, led by guitarist/singer Scott McMicken’s raw vocals.

10. “Origins” – Tennis

Tennis is a husband and wife indie pop duo featuring Alaina Moore (vocals/keyboards) and Patrick Riley (guitar). This song is off their sophomore release, Young and Old, which brings a welcome mix of expanded instrumentation to their music.

11. “Simple Song” – The Shins

Singer/songwriter James Mercer creates a new line up for the new release, Ports of Morrow, yet this single shows a return to the Portland band’s classic indie rock sound. The building melody finds space for a playful interlude, complete with choral harmonies behind Mercer’s crooning.

12. “Coastal Brake” – Tycho

Tycho is Scott Hansen’s ambient music project full of blissed out tracks of electronica, this one off the latest release Dive. Based in San Francisco, Hansen is also known as ISO50 for his photographic and design works.

13.  “Genesis” – Grimes

Montreal musician Claire Boucher creates indie dream pop, with her vocals floating over synths.  This is the single off her latest release, Visions.

14. “Dour Percentage” – Of Montreal

This song is from Georgian Kevin Barnes’ eleventh releases of musical visions, Paralytic Stalks.  His soulful singing compliments the band’s psychedelic groove in this meandering composition.

15. “Raw Umber/Twilight” – Walls

The U.K. electronic duo of Sam Willis and Alessio Natalizia layer the beats with guitars, synths and harmonies to create a musical glitch haven.  This song is off their second release, Coracle.

16. “We Must Go On” – Pretty Lights

Colorado native Derek Vincent Smith is the mastermind behind the electronic music of known as Pretty Lights. This soundscape was released with a self-produced video on the band's website, its hip hop vibe punctuated with an uplifting yet reflective vocal hook.