Merry Christmas! I hope you have all had a good one.
So, here we are, almost at the end of 2012! I’ve been thinking about what my favourite tracks were of this year and the list was rather large. After a struggle I’ve managed to whittle it down to my top ten below, so without further ado, and in reverse order, my top tracks of the year were:
10. Black Keys “Gold On The Ceiling” YouTube Amazon
Now, I’m not usually a massive fan of bluesy stuff, but I absolutely love this track, I think in part because I love Dan Auerbach’s voice, and also because this track is not overdone with the sort of bluesy widdling that normally puts me off of any blues tracks. In fact it’s kind of the opposite - very simple and effective.
9. Gabrielle Aplin “The Power Of Love” YouTube Amazon
I happen to think that the original of this track, by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, is the greatest Christmas track ever made (although really it’s only the original video that qualifies it as a Christmas song). I usually hate cover version of great classics like this, but in this case I think Gabrielle Aplin’s version is almost as good as the original. Her vocals are stunning, and the arrangement gives it a whole new lease of life which, I think, is superb. Of course it helps that the tear-jerking advert that brought it to our attention (courtesy of M&S) is a stroke of genius. All together now….”Ahhhhh!”
8. Photek feat Ray LaMontagne “This Love” YouTube Amazon
Ray LaMontagne’s voice is not dissimilar to Alex Clare’s (in fact I think I thought it was Alex Clare when I first heard this track). I love the darkness and bass of this track, and with LaMontagne’s vocals there is an added special dimension.
7. Gotye “Somebody I Used To Know” YouTube – Gotye version
Amazon
YouTube – Walk Off The Earth version
I’m a bit of a sucker for unusual tracks, and this track falls squarely into that category. With the plucked bass and guitar, and jaunty xylophone intro, this track just hooked me in. Then when another band, Walk Off The Earth, did an acoustic cover of this where all 5 members played the same guitar at the same time (using it as a guitar, bass, and drums), I was captivated all over again by its cleverness. I’ve included the cover link above so you can see what I mean.
6. Foo Fighters “Bridge Burning” YouTube Amazon
When I bought the Wasting Light album back in 2011 this was easily my favourite song, and so when the Foos released it in March of this year I did a little jig! Not only is it a bloody fantastic rock track by one of my favourite rock bands (with one of my favourite rockers, the lovely Dave Grohl, at the helm), it’s produced by one of my favourite producers, Butch Vig. Although I didn’t catch all of the Foo Fighters’ set at Reading Festival this year I did manage to catch this song and it sounded absolutely awesome live. For me, this is one of those tracks that is really, really therapeutic if played at ear-blistering level after a bad day.
5. Alex Clare “Too Close” YouTube Amazon
I can’t be the only one who heard this on the Microsoft advert and was instantly smitten with the dubstep instrumental of this track. After a bit of research I found the vocal version, which I loved even more due to Alex Clare’s smoky vocals. Alex is a former boyfriend of the late sultry singer, Amy Winehouse, and I can only imagine how fantastic the vocals would have been if they had recorded a track together!
4. Coldplay “Up In Flames” YouTube Amazon
The first time I really took notice of this track was at one of Coldplay’s gigs at the Emirates Stadium in the summer, and I was blown away right from the simple bass/drum and snare at the beginning. The lyrics really resonated with me. They are so simple but say so much. I am not easily brought to tears but this song, for some reason, always brings a lump to my throat. It’s even better live.
3. The Weeknd “Wicked Games” YouTube [Explicit] Amazon [Explicit]
I’d heard this track a couple of times, but it wasn’t until I heard The Weeknd playing it live on Jools Holland in November that it blew my head off. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I was completely captivated by it. The vocals are fantastic against the slow, dark beat, and even though the lyrics are absolutely laden with expletives (….Argh! I sound like my mother!!), this track is absolutely stunning.
2. Rudimental “Feel The Love” YouTube Amazon
The first time I heard this happy drum and bass hit on the radio I instantly loved it. I missed the announcement of who it was so I spent half an hour frantically, but fruitlessly, searching the web to find out who it was. When I did eventually find out who it was I pre-ordered it and spent what felt like a very long time waiting for it to become available. Then I played it to death. Despite that, I still absolutely love it, which is a very rare thing for me. Usually if I play a song to death I go off it quite quickly. Fantastic!
1. Maccabees "Feel To Follow" YouTube Amazon
A fusion of soaring guitars and haunting vocal harmonies, this track effortlessly travels from a laid back, chilled start to a burning, wild finale. The drums, bass and piano provide a solid foundation for the ascending guitar riffs and vocals. It is a brilliantly beautiful song and easily made it to my number one spot.
So what do you think of my selection? Do you think I’ve missed a trick somewhere? Which track had you scrambling for the volume knob this year?
No comments:
Post a Comment