Music and I got off to a rocky start in 2012. Most of the new releases from early 2012 left me underwhelmed. Everyone seemed to be wrapped up in a big electro-techno wave that I was not whole-heartedly on board for. While I see these genres as great platforms for creativity and modernity, the majority of it does little to captivate me.

This disheartened attitude took a turn for the better in the summer when I started discovering amazing new indie pop artists which provided the soundtrack for cottage fun and road trips. Bands like Icona Pop, Marina & the Diamonds and alt-J  were fun, fun, fun under the sun. The late summer/early fall saw of a long string of great releases as one-by-one my favourite artists put out new material (Passion Pit, Mother Mother, Stars, The Temper Trap, Mumford & Sons). As the bright summer gave way to harvest season, autumn saw a surge in soulful, campfire-singing, banjo-strumming, wonderful Americana. As mentioned in my post The Mumford Effect, I feel the release of Mumford & Son’s second album Babel undoubtably added a lot of fuel to this flame as bands like The Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men, Passenger and The Head and the Heart continue to grow in popularity.

Some of you have been kind enough to tell me you’ve created ‘Snapshots and Needle Drops’ playlists. I can’t tell you how incredibly happy it makes me to hear this. A few days ago I decided to follow suit and created a playlist of all the songs shared in 2012. I’ve been listening to it for the past week… it turned out to be a pretty spectacular year for music afterall. Please enjoy my top picks from 2012!

Notable Mentions:

“Latter Days” by Mother Mother
“Harder Than You Think” by Public Enemy
“Primadonna” by Marina & the Diamonds
“Let Her Go” by Passenger
“Lost in the Light” by Bahamas

Top 10 ‘Needle Drops’ from 2012

10. “Kiss Me” by Ed Sheeran
Hypnotizing. Something you could slow dance to.

9. “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers
After posting this track I noticed some music supervisor used this song on a trailer for Silver Linings Playbook. Brilliant.

8. “Rivers and Roads” by The Head and the Heart
To be listened to on repeat.

7. “Anything Can Happen” by Ellie Goulding
Dance-alone-in-your-room-like-a-crazy-person good.

6. “Bit by Bit” by Mother Mother
Unapologetically gritty and fierce.

5. “Carried Away” by Passion Pit
Best eight minutes of Osheaga 2012.

4. “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood
Being obsessed with this song makes me feel super hip.

3. “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men
This Icelandic storm of musical strength shows no signs of waning.

2. “I Love It” by Icona Pop
Beats for my run, drive, work, life… basically any time I feel like being in a good mood.

1. “You Know Me” by Air Traffic Controller
I have known for a long time that this track was going to be my number one this year. Captivated from first listen, I am very excited to see this band grow and continue to make heartfelt and outstanding material.