GIVEPOPACHANCE'S TOP 20 SONGS OF 2012.

20

"Play The Game Boy"

A*M*E

The perfect pop song of 2012. Earworm hooks laced with sugar-sweet electropop.

19

"Anything Could Happen"

Ellie Goulding

Amoungst all the butterfly vocal licks and thunderclap beats lies the fragile heart of Ellie Goulding, never before exposed like this.

18

"Boring Bitches"

Etta Bond/Raf Riley feat. Lady Leshurr

More a rant than a song, but totally redeems itself with a drop so insane it will shudder the bones of every boring bitch from the "east to the fucking south".

17

"Esta Noche"

Azealia Banks

Shame about the spat between producer Munchi and Banks, because Esta Noche would've been the perfect breakthrough for Moombahton into the mainstream, and another genre calling card for the ever flexible Banks.

16

"You Know You Like It"

AlunaGeorge

A song the band have yet to match on any level; the cheeky bassline, silky vocals and jittering beats make for the sexiest song of 2012.

15

"Tidal Wave"

Sub Focus feat. Alpines

If for nothing but those glorious final 30 seconds, Sub Focus managed to make Drum& Bass truly ethereal.

14

"Ride"

Lana Del Rey

If Born To Die was a record where Lana hinted at a fragile core underneath her 'gangster Nancy Sinatra' persona, "Ride" is the full on emotional revelation; it sounds like her most personal song to date.

13

"Latch"

Disclosure feat. Sam Smith

Paid no attention to the rules of the underground, and did everything that was uncool. Campy, falsetto vocals (from the brilliant Sam Smith) and an exuberant, bouncy rhythm, it ended up being the biggest breakthrough for the band so far.

12 

"Everything Is Embarrassing"

Sky Ferreira

A total reinvention for the previously robotic pop-doll, "Everything is Embarrassing" sounds lush from Blood Orange's production, but also wry and pessimistic in its lyrical content. "Maybe if you tried then I would not bother"; it's a truly tragic teenage anthem.

11

"Thinkin' Bout You"

Frank Ocean

Despite many epic and brave sounds on Channel Orange, the record's highlight comes from it's subtle, understated opening number proper. Ocean's lyrics are vague but poignant, the song rarely peaking in mood, the song is a daydream on a lazy day. It's a perfect introduction to Frank.

10

"Walk With Me"

Memoryhouse

The definitive indie love song of 2012, full of clumsy and sweet lyrics: "this life could be graced with symmetry" / "I rest my head on your shoulder". Melodically wonderful, the husky voice of singer Denise Nouvion is what really carries the song straight to your heart.

9 

"In The Dark"

Nite Jewel

Understated, confusing and mysterious, "In The Dark" is the warm heart of One Second of Love.

8

"Running"

Jessie Ware

Sade's "No Ordinary Love" reinvented for the 21st century, and I do not make that comparison lightly.

7

"Genesis"

Grimes

Weird, unfriendly, yet totally haunting, "Genesis" was Grimes' breakthrough track, and one that did nothing commercial to achieve this, merely brought to the table everything she was about, and we were hooked.

6

"Wildest Moments"

Jessie Ware

This year's "Someone Like You" in my eyes, a love song so universal it can apply to any sort of relationship, and a timeless melody.

5

"Angels"

The xx

Although not completely de-sexed, "Angels" is the most honest, fragile love song that the seductive and suggestive xx have written to date, and you can hear it in Romy's trembling voice.

4

"These Streets Will Never Look The Same"

Chromatics

Desolate and despairing as its subject matter, "These Streets..." is a near 8 minute dirge, one that wallows in its own regret and loneliness. But amidst its hypnotic synths and icy piano chords, this heartbreaking track could easily go on for double its running time, and indeed it feels as if it does, in the best way possible.

3

"Myth"

Beach House

If "Norway" was the nearest thing to epic that Beach House had managed thus far, "Myth"'s soaring guitars and euphoric vocals push the band to an entirely new emotional peak.

2

"110%"

Jessie Ware

2012 was undoubtedly Brixton sweetheart Jessie Ware's year, and 110% was the track that really made the UK sit up and listen. Over a skittering, unfamiliarly speedy beat and ethereal, heavenly pads, Jessie whispered sweet nothings in our ear before letting her voice float away into the clouds. Mysterious, quirky and beautiful.

1

"Paradise"

Wild Nothing

Sparsely filled and structured, the few elements that make up "Paradise" combine to make it magical. Like Bon Iver's "Calgary" that topped my list last year, "Paradise" is a song that makes a journey. In this case, it is one that starts off with a short couple of verses before dipping into a lengthy break that takes up most of the song, building and building, before returning for a glorious climax, at exactly the right exhilarating moment. The track's finest flourishes however, come in the form of its funky guitar lick and charming flute hook, that dance a celebratory dance over the simmering pads.

GIVEPOPACHANCE'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2012.

- 10 -

"There's No Leaving Now"

The Tallest Man on Earth

An emotional revelation. The man of unrivalled height, in a similar manner to Bon Iver last year, delivers an entirely more open, more beautiful sophomore record. Whilst Tallest Man's debut was all lonely guitars and bluesy tunes, There's No... is awash with tinkling guitars, soaring vocal melodies, sombre pianos, and the whole thing has a glorious optimism to it. The Man's voice aches with hope, seasoned with coming to peace with past regret. An escapist record, for sitting by lakes in summer.

- 9 -

"Nocturne"

Wild Nothing

Another more melodic sophomore effort, after the distant indiepop of Wild Nothing's debut, their second takes influence from more balearic peers such as Delorean and Friendly Fires. Marimbas pop up on "Counting Days", guitars soar like U2 on "Nocturne" and the magnificent "Paradise" lights up with its fuzzy coat of warm pads. A much poppier record song-wise too, turns out The Nothing have a knack for gorgeous 90s indie hooks.

- 8 -

"The Slideshow Effect"

Memoryhouse

Blissfully melancholic, Memoryhouse's Slideshow... makes it a hat trick of great second records this year. Singer Denise Nouvion's deep, warm voice finds a comfortable space amongst the shoegazer guitars and lullaby melodies. Every song is a daydream, and every lyric an ideal, the record is simple and perfectly formed. "This life could be graced with symmetry..." Nouvion ponders on "Walk With Me", and that's exactly what has graced this album. Everything fits.

- 7 -

"Born To Die"

Lana Del Rey

Actually improved upon by the later Paradise EP, Lana Del Rey's debut is still, although an acquired taste for some/many, a perfect introduction to a new pop persona. The combination of classic 60s and 70s glamour, sombre balladry with hip hop undertones. The beats are always slow and heavy, the strings always mournful, and Lana's voice, though far from incredible technically, cracks with hollywood tragedy one moment, and is delirious and suggestive the next. It's a slog for people who are on the fence about her, but for those that have become addicted, it's impossible to not be drawn in from start to finish.

- 6 -

"Trouble"

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

In an era for dance music where producers live single to single, a full length album packed with potentials is masterful. TEED's 80s electro is quirky, creative and more-ish, "Household Goods" shudders under the weight of its tidal wave synth, the "feet don't fail me now" sample on "Tapes and Money" is the most epic call to the dancefloor this year, and "Your Love" is unadulterated diva house joy . And those are just the existing singles, but TEED could happily milk the album dry for the next year without his nerd-rave house getting old.

- 5 -

"Bloom"

Beach House

There's no suggesting that Bloom is anything spectacularly different to Beach House's last record, the wonderful Teen Dream, but the feat of matching that record in quality alone gets the band's fourth record to number 5 on this list. It's not an identical record by any means however. Whilst only the euphoric "Norway" really lifted your feet off the ground on Teen Dream, the rest of the album content to take gorgeous strolls in the park, the opening three tracks on Bloom all suggest that slowly but surely, Beach House are becoming confident in their ability to write songs that fill larger spaces then their own subconscious. Listen to the opening arpeggios of "Wild", for example, a track so glorious that the only fair place for it to be heard is a stadium.

- 4 -

"Visions"

Grimes

Not Grimes' debut, but her breakthrough record Visions, so fresh, unusual and intriguing in its fusion of electropop and industrial ambience, feels very much like a debut. Grimes' twisted-singsong vocals and harsh, raw beats bring to mind Crystal Castles, but unlike said band, her music is endearing and beautiful, as opposed to nihilistic and icy. Both brilliant acts working in a deeply uncommercial, rarely touched sound space, but Grimes' record is less like a nightmare and more like a daydream, one that the listener joins her on for the duration.

- 3 -

"Kill For Love"

Chromatics

After their work on the excellent, retro Drive soundtrack, Kill For Love maintains that combination of silky indie, new wave and electropop with dark undertones. Yet what is most beautiful about Kill For Love is the overwhelming sense of sadness and regret that overshadows every track. From lengthy electroacoustic odes to loneliness like "Running From The Sun" and "These Streets..." to the synth-drenched new wave of the gorgeous title track, the record spans many sounds and moods, but there is never a moment when it fails to leave the bittersweet aftertaste of melancholy.

- 2 -

"Devotion"

Jessie Ware

Jessie Ware's debut album marks the ascendancy of the feature singer to full blown artist. The sweetheart of Brixton has a voice that is as authentically soul as it is credibly pop, and the music is also an incredibly effective crossover. Devotion has it's more electronic moments, "110%" and "Sweet Talk", it's more traditionally balladic moments, "Wildest Moments" and "Taking In Water", and flecks of old school hip hop also creep in, "Still Love Me" and "No To Love". But any song that Jessie sings, she makes her own. In an industry of singers defined by the music behind them, Jessie Ware can only be defined as the best voice of 2012.

- 1 -

"One Second of Love"

Nite Jewel

Relatively underground Canadian singer Nite Jewel's debut was destined to take her nowhere. A difficult, unfriendly album of shoegaze synthpop, with vocals so distorted and distant that a melody was lucky to be picked out of the fuzzy mess. And I'm sure this was her intention. However One Second of Love shows, and in magnificent style, her true potential. 

Still a synthpop artist in many ways, it is crude to use this term to describe the pallet of sounds on display here. The Robyn-on-a-downer electropop of the title track, the gorgeous new age sweep of "In The Dark", the aching melancholica-electronica of "No I Don't" right to the peaceful, soothing ambience of "Clive", each song shows a different facet of her persona. 

I would compare it, bizarrely enough, to Radiohead's Kid A. It is a succinct record, but one that picks it's ideas very carefully. And it's flaws (maybe the metaphor of "Autograph" is a tad clumsy, or the introductory drop into "This Story" is a tad abrupt) all add to the character and shape of OSoL. It's an odd record, a subtle one, and for me, a genius one, one that did more for me than any other this year.

Katy B - Danger EP

So out of nowhere Katy B releases a new EP, without warning, available to download for free (check the soundcloud link below). And names like Jessie Ware and Diplo come along for the ride. This has evidently been a masterclass in 'keeping a lid on it'.

Danger is essentially Katy B coming back to claim the crossover scene she pretty much solely occupied a couple of years ago, by summing up each current dance trend with a track each. "Aaliyah", a modern day 'Jolene' and surprising duet with Jessie Ware, could be a solo song for either singer, but together, Katy's silky tone is complimented by Jessie's husky one, in a sister's-from-the-underground-doing-it-for-themselves sort of way. Long time collaborator brings a Disclosure-esque sharp house beat, to which neither singer is a novice, and it's the best thing here.

Only just however. Diplo lends "Set it Off" from his bonkers moombahton EP Express Yourself to "Light As A Feather", and although it's not the best song Katy's ever written, it's a worthwhile endeavor, just to hear vocals on the drop. "Got Paid" is as grimy as it suggests, with terrible lyrics on paper, but Zinc's gritty bassline is so tasty that Katy somehow gets away with lyrics like "Friday never lets me down" and "new acrylics, liquid liner makes you wanna say oh my gosh". Yes, even that last one. "Danger" is the token downtempo one, with Jacques Greene bringing a seductive trap beat to what is probably Katy's best written song here, along the lines of gorgeous debut highlight "Go Away".

It's exciting that music of this calibre was considered disposable enough to be on a free EP. Welcome back Katy, it's been too long. "Oh my gosh!"

TOP 10 SONGS OF NOVEMBER.

10

"Holdin' On"

Monsta

Even when a genre is on its way out of fashion, in this case the once colossal dubstep genre, truly great cuts will survive the recession, and Monsta's "Holdin' On" is one such cut. Nodding not-so-slying at Alex Clare's Major Lazer-co-produced "Too Close", "Holdin' On" pairs a thunderous growl of a bassline and a startling chipmunk vocal sample with a ravenous male vocal not dissimilar to Mr Clare. What sets Monsta apart from Alex Clare however, is that whilst Alex Clare pulls off the novelty singer/songwriter-produced-by-in-a-dubstep-style act, Monsta makes it sounds like a new genre entirely.

9

"Sex"
The 1975

Indie rock with added, well, sex. Strangely melancholic yet anthemic in a way that even the Killers only manage from time to time, sung by a horny teenager. "We might as well just fuck, she's got a boyfriend anyway" yelps their gorgeous lead singer, and the whole thing has an embarrassed secret guilty pleasure vibe to it. The brilliant "The City", then this... The 1975 have yet to disappoint.

8

"Jump"
Rihanna

Rihanna's "Unapologetic" is on the whole a half crock of underdeveloped, self-servicing shite, BUT there are a few underground tinged delights to be enjoyed, especially the Chase & Status produced pounding electronic burps and sirens that make up the breakdown of "Jump". But Rihanna is not a filler on her own track, her standard but effective come-ons ("if you want it, let's do it, ride it, my pony, my saddle is waiting..." etc) making an effective build-up to the slimy drop.

7

"Insulin"

Crystal Castles

The stripped back but visceral-as-ever III is a slow burning but valuable addition to the band's back catalogue. Whilst not as youthfully punk-spirited as their debut, or as euphoric as their sophomore, this third album's strength lies in its simplicity. The album was recorded without computers, straight onto tape, so the production tricks used on the album are fewer and more straight forward, but this in no way compromises their ability to startle. "Insulin" is the prime example, the album's "Doe Deer", an overdriven bassline eating the rest of the track whole, including the barely audible vocals, ripped apart by the harsh sidechaining. A delightfully raw track.

6

"She"
Laura Mvula

Like a more ethereal Lianne Le Havas, Laura Mvula's husky voice is less embellished than her peer, and more jazzy and free flowing, and "She" has more in common with the eccentric storytelling singer/songwriter genius of Tori Amos. There is a gap in the female singer/songwriter market with her name written clearly on it .

5

"Evil Coast"

The Mary Onettes

There are swathes of jangly dreampop bands that are so set on creating the mood of summer that they forget to write a song good enough to convince us that it's still the sunny season when it's raining outside. Thank god then for bands like The Mary Onettes, whose bittersweet indie lullaby "Evil Coast" is a heartwrenching and gorgeous songscape that matches a sunflecked tastefully textured production with a soaring lead melody.

4

"Dance 4 U"

Charli XCX

The Super Ultra Mixtape could not be cooler if it tried. Dark electropop that's smothered in underground credibility, and "Dance 4 U", with its ultra-hip Trap beats, sultry, aching vocals, and tongue-in-cheek "Justin... Bieber" closing refrain, is a track that puts Charli XCX in line for the potential status of the UK Lana Del Rey. Suggestive, secretive and thoroughly out there, one hopes that her album can mirror the inventiveness of her mixtapes.

3

"Stars"
Roses Gabor
After her sleek guest spot on SBTRKT's album highlight "Pharoahs", Roses Gabor's latest single, produced by UK dance producer Redlight is much darker, and she takes centre stage despite the punishing, gritty production. Redlight cuts and pastes her voice over a gravelly bass synth and industrial sized beat, but Roses has no problem commanding the track when she steps forward.

2

"Play The Game Boy"

A*M*E

Pop songs that don't try to avoid being 'cringeworthy' or 'cheesy' (both words are are cheesier to apply in description than to hear examples of, at any rate) bring the most out of the pop music genre. Specifically, the hooks, the energy and, above all, the sense of fun. A*M*E is a 17 year old UK pop singer, and the song is somewhat brattish, but innocently charming, tongue-in-cheek... everything that resembles a 17 year old girl. It's K-Pop/electropop mould is cutesy, sugary but full of attack, and it's clumsy 'play the game boy' wordplay is endearing, and I'm damned if I'm calling this a 'guilty pleasure'. I don't feel guilty in the slightest.

1

"Ride"

Lana Del Rey

It's a shame that Lana Del Rey's management thought it would be a good idea to extend Born to Die into a Paradise Edition in time for Christmas, instead of waiting a couple of months for some more songs and making Paradise an album in its own right. Because Paradise, and its greatest song and probably Lana's greatest to date, "Ride" is the sound of Lana Del Rey in her element. Born To Die is excellent, an album of the year, but there is not one song that sounds as carefree and autobiographical as Lana sounds on "Ride". It could be the hype surrounding its 10 minute video, with its escapist, pretentious yet somehow beautiful monologues surrounding the song, that makes it seem all the more majestic, but the chills that run down my spine as she utters the opening phrase "I've been down on that open road..." in the very bottom of her range, seem timeless to me.