Something You Said’s top 10 songs of 2012
This year dripped great songs from its very pores, so it was little wonder that we got heaps and heaps of votes for all manner of tunes that spanned styles and genres. Here are the ones that received the most votes from our contributors and readers:
SOMETHING YOU SAID’S SONG OF 2012: OBLIVION – GRIMES
The way the soft and calming synths combine with Claire Boucher’s endearingly elusive vocal is something that really captures all of our warm and fuzzy happy feelings at once. It’s sort of 80s, sort of bubble gum pop-ish and Grimes somehow bundles it into a florescent sea punk package of electro wonderfulness.
2. FEELS LIKE WE ONLY GO BACKWARDS – TAME IMPALA
Perhaps the standout track from the LP which won Something You Said’s album of the year poll, Feels Like We Only Go Backwards is a slice of psychedelic rock with a video to match. What a year it has been for the Australian band.
3. EMMYLOU – FIRST AID KIT
The light, beautiful country of Emmylou made it an obvious single. “I’ll be your Emmylou and I’ll be your June, if you’ll be my Gram and my Johnny too,” they chirp, in a song that gives a clear nod to the band’s influences.
4. LOFTICRIES – PURITY RING
Sex, love, lust, deep, deep shit.
5. LORD KNOWS – DUM DUM GIRLS
A melancholic Mazzy Star-esque tune with heart-achingly gorgeous vocals, a simple, yet sentimental chorus, all the while paired with an echoing acoustic sound. It leaves one’s ears ringing with beauty and enchantment.
6. ANGELS – THE XX
The lead single from The xx’s second album boasts strong vocals projecting lyrics with delicacy and softness. All of which which creates something truly haunting.
7. SLEEPING UTE – GRIZZLY BEAR
A Zeppelin-esque ride, with rhythmic staccato guitar riffs and dramatic, full orchestral sounds The quiet outro is great, where the chaos is parted with gentle acoustic fingerpicking and delicate vocals.
8. MYTH – BEACH HOUSE
Beach House make us swoon. Big time. Doesn’t that weird way in which they combine distance, isolation and iciness with a sense of warmth get you all confused in a sexy kinda way?
9. LOSING YOU – SOLANGE
This delicious offering from Beyonce’s little sis was produced by Blood Orange. It’s a retro-sounding dancefloor hit, full of interesting samples and synths layered with Solange’s vocals about missing good times with her fella.
10. SKYFALL – ADELE
The best Bond song in ages and ages, this was recorded at the world-famous Abbey Road Studios and features the lush accompaniment of a 77-piece orchestra. Grand stuff befitting a return to form for the franchise.
And here are some tracks that didn’t squeeze into the top 10 but that our writers reckon you should wrap your ears around anyway:
GISELLE – SILK
How can I begin to describe the aching perfection of this song. It’s so understated, so immediately infectious and yet so tirelessly fantastic. With the interplay of smooth synths and deep strikes of strings, Silk is what every artist making ‘interesting’ pop should aspire to create. I’m not too sure what Giselle gets up to as everything she does seems to be shrouded in the mystery of her own musical genius, but Silk was just her. No extra producers, songwriters, or high-production studio’s. Just a young Sydneysider who knows how to write a really, really good song. Marcus Thaine
JUST A TOUCH – ALUNAGEORGE
Special mention should go to AlunaGeorge’s Just A Touch from the sublime You Know You Like It EP. I spent about two months completely obsessed with its slick glitchy loveliness and despite (or perhaps because of) its bright pop sheen it feels like one of the most inventive and joyous pieces of music I’ve heard this year. Neil Martin
SWEPT AWAY – THE XX
I love this track because for the ambiguity for the first 30 seconds or so. It starts as a romantic duet with dreamy synths, it could totally be the backing track to a sexy scene in the OC or the current day equivalent. BUT THEN, these pulsating beats come in and it’s like when you’re standing outside of a club and can hear the club pulsating with sweaty bodies gettin’ durty through the walls. Carol Bowditch
HUMAN – DIIV
This song just speaks to my soul, I can’t explain why. Liana Gow-Killingbeck
SURF’S UP – MOSES GUNN COLLECTIVE
Aussie dudes kicking it old school punk rock. Surfs Up just makes me want to get naked and frolic amongst the shoreline holding a bar of Sex Wax and a tube of zinc. Any song that gives you that feeling definitely deserves Top 10. Kaya Strehler
THIS IS WHY I LOVE YOU – BEC AND BEN
This is Why I Love You from Sydney duo Bec and Ben is a beautiful, angry love song. It makes you want to stomp dance and fling your hair about and yell and snog someone all at the same time. It’s intensely satisfying to listen to, so please do. Jess O’Callaghan
OH SHE – LANEOUS & THE FAMILY YAH
This is a song on high rotation on my iPod. I first heard it the way some of the best songs have been heard, or seen rather – at 3am on TV, home from a night out, still a bit drunk but entranced. It always makes me smile and the film clip is cooly mellow. Kate Holcombe
WILLOW WAND WILLOW WAND – JASON LYTLE
A return to form for Jason Lytle, this sounds like something from Grandaddy’s Sophtware Slump prime. Andy James
CHET FAKER – I’M INTO YOU
This guy is the smoothest dude around. His post-dub beats, cruisy nature and catchy melodies put me under a serious spell… all I want to do is take my clothes off. While I loved every song off Chet Faker’s 2012 album Thinking In Textures, with only 7 songs, I couldn’t help think that it was just a warm up session; foreplay if you like, for the even greater things that will come in 2013. If people know Chet Faker by his beard and his cover of Blackstreet’s No Diggity, there’s so much more they haven’t seen or heard. His art lies in his soulfulness, musical intuition and his ability to keep his lyrics about women on the right side of sleazy. Chet Faker, clearly I’m Into You. Harriet Cheney
MARILLION – SKY ABOVE THE RAIN
I get constant ribbing about my love of Marillion, however when they write tunes like this you know all that grief is worth it. Poignant, sad, yet life affirming music from one of Britain’s finest rock bands. Gary Page
LEFT ALONE – FIONA APPLE
I have loved Fiona Apple since I was too young to completely appreciate her lyrics. I played piano and looked up to her immensely. I absolutely adore her unconventional piano playing. Her infamous VMA speech is still completely relevant and I don’t mind waiting six years for her masterpiece albums (such as the album this song is from). Tenley Nordstrom
What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Leave us your thoughts in the comments section below…
