49/45

After noticing I was a few shows away from seeing one every day for two weeks, I decided to push myself to further that run until I couldn't push it any farther. I had a great time. A ton of these shows were planned well in advance, but a number of my favorites turned out to be the ones I didn't plan until hours before the evening. It was a lot of fun prospecting which of the small-print back of the Isthmus/Internet shows would end up being winners. I ended up seeing 49 concerts in 45 days. Though I did attend an individual show each calendar day, there was one evening where I attended a show in the early evening and another after midnight, which I used to count for the next calendar day. If you think that's cheating, I'll happily concede. 

Anyhow, here's the venue breakdown:

The Majestic: 10
Humanities Music Halls: 5
The Frequency: 5
der Rathskeller: 5
The Orpheum: 3
The Sett: 3
The Vault: 3
High Noon Saloon: 2
All else: 1

Total money spent on tickets: $165

Merch Haul

Honorable Mentions:

Man Man, Bottom Lounge, CHI 10/14
Deltron 3030, The Majestic 10/21
And So I Watch You From Afar + TTNG, The Sett 10/25
The Lone Bellow, The Majestic 10/30
PROG, High Noon Saloon 11/4
Thomas Dolby, The Majestic 11/6
TV Ghost, der Rathskeller 11/8

Top 20 shows:

20. Jamie Yanda + Will Leemkuil + Colonel + Mitar @ Jamie's Apartment 11/1
19. Mutilation Rites @ The Vault 10/19
18. Back-to-back of Feldman Trio's performance of "Crippled Symmetry" (1983) and Piano Pioneers' children piano recital @ Humanities, 10/27
17. Yellow Ostrich @ der Rathskeller 10/17
16. Lee Fields @ The Majestic 11/5
15. Gag + Mellow Harsher @ The Vault 11/24
14. Colin Meloy + Eleanor Friedberger @ The Majestic 11/12
13. Skrillex @ The Orpheum 11/11
12. Child Abuse + Staer @ Mickey's Bar 10/20
11. Animal Collective @ The Orpheum 10/16
10. Juiceboxxx + Extreme Animals + Schwarz @ der Rathskeller 11/9
9. Oneohtrix Point Never w/ Nate Boyce + Tim Hecker @ Walker Art Center, MPLS 11/16
8. James Blake @ Turner Hall, MKE 11/14
7. Thee Oh Sees + OBN IIIs + The Blind Shake @ The Empty Bottle, CHI 10/22
6. Bill Callahan + Circuit des Yeux @ High Noon Saloon, 10/12
5. Bo Burnham @ Barrymore, 10/18
4. Cut Copy + Larry Gus + Kirin J Callinan @ The Majestic, 11/13
3. My Bloody Valentine @ The Aragon, CHI 11/3
2. of Montreal + La Luz @ The Majestic, 10/31
1. Neutral Milk Hotel @ Canopy Club, URB 10/15

Lollapalooza 2013 Run Thru

I'm going to quickly run through my thoughts of Lollapalooza 2013, much more for myself than for anyone else (do I expect anyone to really care?). If you feel like reading this, then go for it!

I arrived late on Thursday night and went to sleep at midnight. My next-best plans would have been to try to go to a free show with the Smith Westerns, but I was sleepy. Friday afternoon I went to eat lunch with my uncle and his friend at one of the myriad new Chipotle-of-mediterranean-food spots downtown, Nesh. It was not bad. First on my agenda Friday was Smith Westerns. I'd have attended Icona Pop if I was there an hour earlier, but no big loss at all. I got enough of hearing bands' one big hit by walking past Perry's stage throughout the weekend.

Smith Westerns were as OK as ever. It would have been fun to catch their Live on King Street show--man, those Lollapalooza crowds are so disgustingly large. Watched half of Jessie Ware's set, which was alright, but not amazing. Again, would have been better at TNK in January inside a dark venue. She shouted out Disclosure three or four times throughout the set, which was cool. I like it when bands do that (Grizzly Bear did it for Beach House, their 'favorite band in the world'). Next, Father John Misty. I honestly don't think I've heard the record yet, but I liked the show. J. Tillbro was really snarky, which is always fun. Next, Crystal Castles. Again, the sunlight killed the vibe, but it wasn't all that bad. The best part of the show was how much Alice Glass bit the Daria/Enid from Ghost World look. The crowd around me was dead, but that was my fault for getting there as the show was starting. Sorry, but Father John was too good to skip out on too early! I spent twenty minutes after CCs with Dillon Francis at the amazing Perry's distopia, then I ate some food and watched a few songs of Imagine Dragons from several hundred feet away on a hill.

I met up with Christian and handed off his wristband that I'd been holding on to and got a free bottle of Fiji water along with a branded (seriously?) Fiji plastic straw that screwed into the top of the bottle. Pretty fun. We saw a bit of Disclosure and then went to Queens of the Stone Age. I never went through/am in a QoTSA 'phase', and I was pleased with how many songs I knew. It was an enjoyable show. I skipped out to try and see some Chance the Rapper, but the stage was so overrun by little (suburban) Chicagoans that I couldn't handle it. More power to them for getting excited about Chance though! I saw Flux Pavillion play three or four songs, which was fun. "Can you guys stop?" FP asked the audience before dropping their 'big one.' It was groanworthy but worth it to hear the song live. Something to check off whatever list.

Highlight of Day 1 may have been Hot Chip. What a terrific band. It was the only set I was able to completely forget I was at a huge festival and the only time I felt crushed when they finished playing. Man, what a great band!!!!! As HC wrapped up 'I Feel Better' I headed for Nine Inch Nails. I stood on the sidelines until 'March of the Pigs' and then got to the magical spot where it makes more sense to watch the real-life Trent than the one on the big display screens (convenient, as they'd turned them off for the set), which was fun. I don't go to a lot of shows that attract the same crowd that NIN does, which made being smushed between them a novel experience and more enjoyable. The set was really enjoyable, and during an ambient part of the set (really) I snuck off to trade my close spot for three songs of Lana Del Rey. I was colossally disappointed to catch only one song I wanted to hear sandwiched between my two least favorite LDR songs (Summertime Sadness > Video Games > National Anthem). Would've been so happy to catch Blue Jeanz/Born 2 Die, but what can you do! I saw NIN close out their set and then met with Christian and headed to the Bottom Lounge.

Full roll of toilet paper in the Porta Potty: Some men just want to watch the world burn.
This picture doubles as a Death Grips metaphor.

Keep in mind as you, Future Brandon or maybe someone else, read this that before this show there had been pretty much no news featuring Death Grips recently other than posting a FB picture with Rob Pattinson and Beyonce. Also, I haven’t read reports of the show on Reddit etc yet other than the largely uninformative/uninformed Pitchfork article.

So: Enter the Bottom Lounge, there is an electro DJ playing hits and alt-bros slamdancing (What??). I leave and then later return to make my way to the tight radius around real-life idol Zach Hill's set. Fog's rolling in and people are setting up the stage after DJ WHoever finishes his set. I notice that DG have a projection set about the size of the stage of their gmail account. Funny! Then I realize that it's a tarp and not a projection, and though I first assume the email they have up is one from their old record label that they released. Again, pretty whatever. As I read it, though, I realize it is this really disturbing suicide note that someone has sent them a few months ago. It's not a suicide note per se, but rather a note expressing adoration and the author's concern over priorities of art and his own life. The note is transcribed online if you want to read it. I found it decidedly in bad taste, even for such an aggressive group, and as I looked forward waiting for the group to get on stage, I kept finding myself looking at the words. It put a very bad taste in my mouth.

Finally, the lights went out and the intro to Ex-Military starts playing loudly. People around me (I am 2nd row under the SR speakers) go nuts. The intro plays into the beginning of the song.. and then the end. Another DG song starts playing, and it occurs to me that they're starting the show off with a DJ set of their own material, which is think is a hilarious jab at the DJ who was not a good fit for the DG vibe at all. Another song plays, and another. The lights are still down, the fog is still pouring in periodically, and the music is still really loud. The stage is as empty as ever: just the banner and the band’s equipment (complete with the electronics for Andy Morin.)

Another song plays, and another, and another. Two guys get on stage and one of them grabs all of Zach’s drum sticks and walks off. People in the crowd are confused and getting angry. A group of people is moshing in the middle of the crowd. The guy next to me is crushed as the rest of us and keeps promising his date that as soon as Zach comes out and he can get a picture of him, they can leave the front of the stage. More people get up on the stage, some to stage dive and others just to weirdly walk around on the stage because they realize the Bottom Lounge security isn’t going to do anything about it. Two on stage grab bottles of water and knock over the floor tom. Fast forward through more of this until 45 or 60 minutes after the start of the ‘set’, when someone cuts off the music, turns on the lights, and delivers a short message about how Death Grips never showed up and that we would be getting a refund and that if there was anyone to be mad at, it was Death Grips. I’m glad I stayed to see the rest of the show through, because two guys got on stage and grabbed Zach’s kick drum and brought it to the center of the room before starting to throw it at the ground. A circle quickly formed around the dudes. There’s pictures of it online. It hit the ground something like ten times before a security staff member gave the guys an “alright, alright enough” and asked for the drum, which they gave back to them willingly. There was no more equipment touched than the kick drum and the drum sticks.. y’know, for the record. I left the venue and debriefed with Christian in the McDonalds across the street. There was a long line of angry Death Grips fans ahead of us (a funny sight, by the way), so we left empty handed.

Saturday I ate breakfast with Christina, Adam, Mary, and Christian at endgrain on Addison, which was really fun. Great people, very good food. I handbilled for Summer Set and then made it inside Lollapalooza in time to catch the second half of Local Natives. It was very cool to see them and compare venues to the different places I’d seen the band. Amazing. Went to a bit of Baauer, which was an amazing journey through hormones gushing from people as far as the eye could see. My top quote from anyone this weekend was from a teen boy to one of his friends talking about his thoughts on the Perry’s stage: an impressively earnest “I love this place.”

Then to Eric Church for 5 or 6 songs, and then to get a close spot for the National. The National was way better than I expected. I cried during Slow Show, which is kind of funny and was frankly pretty embarrassing because I was alone and it was the middle of daylight. YOLO though! I was let down by Haim, who played a much more rock and roll set than a groovy one, at least for the couple of songs that I caught on the way to Kendrick Lamar. It’s good, but not what I was expecting. Maybe I’ll get into this Haim record.. we’ll see. Not sure at this point. One of my favorite festival maneuvers is to get up close during a rowdy show followed by a set that doesn’t share a target audience. I did this at Kendrick Lamar > Postal Service and then at 2 Chainz > Cat Power, both to huge success. Woop woo! I was in the second row for Postal Service, the closest I think I’ve ever been at a Lolla headliner’s set on the main stage. The show was really wonderful. Lots of fun. Big ups on ya Postal Service.

I met Christian and went to see Diiv at the Empty Bottle. Boy, do I love that place. Radar Eyes opened and they were great (it’s much easier to be impressive when you’re not opening for Guided By Voices). I was honestly let down by Diiv. I’ve seen them a number of times and this particular show was just too sloppy for my tastes. You know, I guess I’m just looking for a cleaner live sound from the band based on that awesome sound they had on their cd. Zacharybro was rocking some amazing overalls though, and “probably Sky Ferreira” was a few people away from us in the audience, which is as “whatever” as it gets.  Chalk it up to the high bar set by Friday night’s aftershow, but Saturday’s was pretty OK.

Sunday was my shortest day, but it was still nice. Handbilled more for Summer Set, missed Angel Haze (oh well), then watched Baroness and then listened to the second half of the set while reading something for work I’d brought with me. I’d never had a backpack with me at a festival, but it turns out that it’s pretty cool to have a backpack of stuff at your disposal. I brought out my book a few times throughout the day when I was waiting for a set and I got a lot done! I am not a big Baroness fan at all (it’s not my flavor of metal) but it was as entertaining a show as anything else. I continued to have sort of a wasteland of festival time for a few hours, catching partial sets by Tegan and Sara & Wavves, both bands that are not today what they once were. I staked a spot out for Grizzly Bear, who were unsurprisingly great. There was a big tall dude right in front of me which harshed my vibe, but whatever! I watched four or five Beach House songs, then stood far stage left for 2 Chainz, who was pretty good himself. What a great festival act for 2013! I ate some plates of curry and rice, which was fun, and then got primed for the end-of-set exodus. Without too much difficulty, I slid into the center front row for Cat Power. I’d estimate that 50 people tops remained at the front of the audience area for CP when the 2 Chainz crowd was gone. Pretty funny, no big surprise.

Cat Power was great! A lot of new songs (bummer) which were good, but I’d have wished for more oldies. I guess I’ll have to catch her ‘real’ show some time. It was a great end to my weekend. An exciting show to be sure, but it definitely felt like a small/wind-down set compared to the spectacles of the Cure/Phoenix on the main stages. I’d have liked to see the Cure, but when it comes down to it, I really wanted to see Cat Power more and her catalog means a lot more to me than theirs. I left feeling very content with my weekend.

Would I spend money on a pass to Lollapalooza? Definitely not. Way too big, way too many moments where I only attended a show because I was mildly interested in it. I’ll keep shooting for the souvenir passes on the cheap, but otherwise this might be one of my last Lollas for a while. It was a pretty good time, though, and a great opportunity to see groups I wouldn’t easily be able to catch otherwise and groups I wouldn’t want to invest in tickets to see.

Donets

Playing along at home with Pitchfork's top 20 albums of 2012

Doing this for albums too. Doing this is a lot like assembling a puzzle. 

longlist:

andy stott - luxury problems
bat for lashes - haunted man
godspeed you black emperor - don’t bend ascend
converge - all we love we leave behind
tame impala - lonerism
grizzly bear - shields
swans - the seer
passion pit - gossamer
baroness - yellow & green
dirty projectors - swing lo magellan
twin shadow - confess
ty segall band - slaughterhouse
fiona apple - idler wheel
japandroids - celebration rock
mount eerie - clear moon
killer mike - rap music
beach house - bloom
death grips - the money store
chromatics - kill for love
perfume genius - put ur back n2 it
grimes - visions
burial - kindred
cloud nothings - attack on memory
kendrick lamar - good kid maad city
frank ocean - channel orange

OK, after much deliberation here’s my top 22 picks for the 20:

22. baroness - yellow & green
21. converge - all we love we leave behind
20. passion pit - gossamer
19. chromatics - kill for love
18. andy stott - luxury problems
17. burial - kindred
16. killer mike - rap music
15. ty segall band - slaughterhouse
14. japandroids - celebration rock
13. cloud nothings - attack on memory
12. bat for lashes - haunted man
11. beach house - bloom
10 death grips - the money store
9. grimes - visions
8. dirty projectors - swing lo magellan
7. swans - the seer
6. grizzly bear - shields
5. fiona apple - idler wheel
4. tame impala - lonerism
3. godspeed you black emperor - don’t bend ascend
2. kendrick lamar - good kid maad city
1. frank ocean - channel orange

20. Jessie Ware - Devotion
C’mon!! It’s just so weird to see upsets at this point because that means another one of the albums on my list weren’t even honorable mentions.
19. Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory
I’m glad this is here, because I am mean-spirited and thought this wasn’t as good as other people were saying it was.
18. Ty Segall Band / Ty Segalland & Fence - Slaughterhouse / Hair
Getting the rock and rollers out early, I see..
17. Bat For Lashes - The Haunted Man
Interesting - my picks for the low teens are theirs for the high teens. I think the easiest distinction in my estimations was picking the albums I thought they thought were incredible.
16. Burial - Kindred EP
Rightfully in the top 20 after that shocking snub in the best tracks list!
15. Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
Really, at 15??
14. Andy Stott - Luxury Problems
This album in the teens was one of the easiest predictions. Pitchfork wouldn’t put this any higher or lower.
13. Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
Yep, more of the teens placement here.
12. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Alleluia! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
I should have known this’d be in the teens. I’d probably have it there on my personal list as well. Feels too much like an EP/reissue to me to stick in the top ten.
11. Japandroids - Celebration Rock
Alright, so there was a bit of shuffling in my predictions, but I actually did OK this time, guessing 7/10 in the right set of ten tracks. one surprise, two from the top ten in my picks. Restructuring the list:

10. chromatics - kill for love
9. beach house - bloom
8 death grips - the money store
7. grimes - visions
6. swans - the seer
5. grizzly bear - shields
4. fiona apple - idler wheel
3. tame impala - lonerism
2. kendrick lamar - good kid maad city
1. frank ocean - channel orange

10. Grizzly Bear - Shields
I still am not sure I’ve listened to this. What am I doing??
9. Death Grips - The Money Store
My #1 of the year. What a record.
8. Chromatics - Kill For Love
With GB so low and these other two out of the picture, I’m going to toss one ‘pitchfork indie’ back in the top ranking:

7. grimes - visions
6. swans - the seer
5. beach house - bloom
4. fiona apple - idler wheel
3. tame impala - lonerism
2. kendrick lamar - good kid maad city
1. frank ocean - channel orange

7. Beach House - Bloom
Ugh, shouldn’t have done that. Glad I’m not placing wagers on this.
6. Grimes - Visions
Good! That’s a decent placement for this. I’d have been frustrated if it was any higher.
5. Swans - The Seer
Alright!! Back to the top four now. I’m going to stick with my ranking... Ahhh... or maybe I’ll switch fiona and tame impala... Yes, I’ll do that.

4. tame impala - lonerism
3. fiona apple - idler wheel
2. kendrick lamar - good kid maad city
1. frank ocean - channel orange

4. Tame Impala - Lonerism
Whoooo buddy! That was close. The rest are pretty much concreted into their positions. Thanks for playing, guys!
3. Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel is Wiser Than The Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Rope Will Ever Do
Yep
2. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
WHaaaaaaaat! I lose.
1. Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d. city
I should have known. I think I still prefer Channel Orange, but m.A.A.d. city is much more cohesive and Pitchfork threw in too many tracks into their top 100 for the year. Well, there it goes!

Instant Review - Knee-jerk reactions to the P4k 100 for 2012

I get really weird about these lists.

100. Swearin’ - Just
What a great starter for the list: a song that sounds great but I’ve probably only heard twice this year.
99. Blur - Under The Westway
I still haven’t really ‘gotten into’ Blur yet, so I still have the ability to lump this in with their catalog in a really amorphous way. How was this released in 2012? It sounds like BLUR, man.
98. Odd Future - Oldie
Not to say that I’m completely over OF, but this year was the first I haven’t been following them very closely. It’s tough out there for an Odd Future.
97. Twin Shadow - Golden Light
I did a really bad job at following up on the bands that released some of my favorite albums in recent memory this year. I am pretty sure I’ve actually never heard this song before. It does sound nice, though, now that I’m hearing it.
96. Merchandise - Time
These guys are going to be big at SXSW.
95. R. Kelly - Share My Life
Oh god, this is great. I hadn’t heard it before, but hope this makes its way into my brain enough to make up for that.
94. Saint Etienne - Tonight
Oh yeah, Saint Etienne released something this year! Could’ve gotten that past me. This is groovy though. I feel pretty unsurprised with this list so far - fairly unfamiliar stuff in the 90s of the list, but not things they haven’t been hyping. Very par for the course for Pitchfork.
93. Cassie - King Of Hearts (Richard X Remix Edit)
Is this a ranking or a mixtape? Curveball please.
92. King Louie - Val Venis
ALRIGHT!
91. Antony & the Johnsons - Cut The World
I wish I didn’t know anything about Antony so I could get into all of his albums for the first time at the same time. What a dude
90. Daphni - Yes, I Know
This album is one of my most criminally underplayed of the year considering how much I enjoy everything Dan Snaith does.
89. Jeremih - 773 Love
This production is very appealing. Surprised I haven’t gotten to this release yet.
88. ASAP Rocky - Goldie
Finally! The first song on this list that I’ve listened to a zillion times.
87. Lotus Plaza - Monoliths
Lockett Pundt is such a hunk of Man Meat!
86. Chief Keef - Love Sosa
I feel like Chief Keef is moderately talented as a songsmith but shines through in his execution.  It blows my mind that this has as many youtube plays (20 million) as “Don’t Like”. I wonder where “Don’t Like” will be on this list. My guess is in the 30s.
85. Major Lazer - Get Free
Oh Major Lazer. I’m fine with this at 85. I hope “Climax” will be in the top ten.
84. Lower Dens - Brains
Lower Dens: Grumpiest Rathskeller performers OTY
83. How To Dress Well - Cold Nites
Another album I haven’t listened to once yet.
82. ScHoolboy Q - There He Go
The first travesty of the list! Come on. 82??
81. Liars - No. 1 Against The Rush
Liars put out a great album this year. I kind of forgot about it though. With Swans and Scott Walker in the running for best albums of the year it’s hard to make room for other scary musicians. Tuff out there for a scary band when Swans and Scott Walker are in top form nahmean
80. Baauer - Harlem Shake
This is great. Dance music in 2k12: As easy to wile out to as ever
79. Rich Kidz - My Life [ft. Waka Flocka Flame]
I’m going to be real here and admit I’ve never heard this before. I will also be real and say that this track is great (duh)
78. King Tuff - Bad Thing
WSUM swag
77. The xx - Angels
What a snub! Good work, P4k
76. Blawan - Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage?
This song is so awesomely weird. I’ve never heard of Blawan or this track before.
75. Angel Haze - Werkin’ Girls
Decent pick for 70s.
74. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Baby
Man, I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve listened to anything from this album.
73. Juicy J - Bandz A Make Her Dance [ft. Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz]
Juicy J has been such a bizarre star these past 2 years. I’m proud of him.
72. John Talabot - Destiny [ft. Pional]
The blurb for this calls it an anthem. Really? Good track though, of course.
71. Thee Oh Sees - Lupine Dominus
Haven’t really ever paid attention to Thee Oh Sees’ recorded stuff. This is enjoyable though.
70. Four Tet - Pyramid
The first of two tracks with this title in this list?
69. Le1f - Wut
Travesty #2! This is such a terrific track.
68. TNGHT - Goooo
NOOO THIS IS A JOKE. Any TNGHT track not in the top 20 for this year is going to make me shudder. I will severely disappointed if two more tracks off this ep aren’t yet to come in this list.
67. DIIV - How Long Have You Known?
I was recently looking through my list of shows and I saw that I’d entered this band’s sxsw finale show under the name “Dive”. Can it be that it was always so simple then?
66. Rick Ross - Stay Schemin’ [ft. Drake and French Montana]
Don’t know this one. I’m going to be admit as well that when I saw Rick Ross this year I did not deserve to be there. I know 2 or 3 of his songs. YOLO though
65. METZ - Wet Blanket
This is rock and roll!
64. Julia Holter - In the Same Room
so much <3 for="for" intl="intl" rvng="rvng" span="span">
63. Passion Pit - Constant Conversations
It’s so mindblowing how far Passion Pit has come.
62. Philip Glass - 73 - 78 (Beck Remix)
Listening to this (yes, for the first time) was very pleasant. I should look into this release.
61. Jessie Ware - 110%
This sounds great. I didn’t spend 2012 paying attention to Jessie Ware, but maybe I’ll do 2013 differently.
60. Anna Meredith - Nautilus
I can’t remember where I first heard this. I feel like it was either in a dj mix or on TMT. So great. One of the most ‘trap’ ‘singles’ OTY IMO. A nice analogue to Roomful of Teeth in this year’s releases.
59. Mac DeMarco - Ode to Viceroy
Take a moment, please, and think about how similar the guitars in this track sound to Ween.
58. Purity Ring - Fineshrine
A jam from what is mostly likely my most played album OTY. I obviously think this is incredible.
57. Killer Mike - Big Beast [ft. Bun B, T.I., and Trouble]
This is a startler.
56. Peaking Lights - Beautiful Son
Madison’s only song on the list (Wisconsin’s too?) and they don’t even live here anymore. Sad year for our City.
55. Miguel - Do You
Alright, I can get down to this.
54. Savages - Husbands
Ooh, this is scary. Scariness is one of my favorite qualities music can have, I think.
53. Rhye - The Fall
I’ve never heard of this character, but the song is alright. I like the Midlake strings.
52. Sharon Van Etten - Serpents
This is pretty Midlakey as well.
51. Kendrick Lamar - Backseat Freestyle
Decidedly unlike Midlake. If this is 51, I’ve got high hopes for the next half of this list.
50. Icona Pop - I Love It
Is this song in commercials? This song sounds like a commercial to me.
49. Future - Turn On The Lights
This is Ok
48. Burial / Four Tet - Nova
These guys! Despite being big fans of both, I don’t think I’ve heard this before.
47. Grizzly Bear - Sleeping Ute
Wow, so high up here! Wonder if they’ll have anything else on this list. I did a bad job of paying attention to GB this year.
46. Ty Segall Band - I Bought My Eyes
Solid mid-40s pick.
45. Spiritualized - Hey Jane
Such a great song! This is another track (like Blur) that I want to say feels like the 90s, but I’m probably just distracted by how familiar the voice is.
44. AlunaGeorge - You Know You Want It
I have never payed attention to AG before but this is such a pleasant sound. I love the r&b vocals + hyperbass-style production
43. Dum Dum Girls - Lord Knows
Whoa, this is a lot better than I remember DDG being. I wasn’t into their live show this year, but I am definitely into this.
42. Gunplay - Jump Out
This guy really bothers me. I’m not too squeamish about violent music, but I can’t enjoy anything with such prominent shrieks. Freaks me out.
41. El-P - The Full Retard
Title makes me wince, but this is a great track.
40. The Men - Open Your Heart
Rock and roll!!!
39. ScHoolboy Q - Hands on the Wheel [ft. ASAP Rocky]
AHH this is undoubtedly in my top 5 songs of the year. Between seeing both of these guys about 5 times each this year and this being an unstoppable party hit, very few songs have carried this year through so prominently.
38. Hot Chip - Flutes
Hot Chip at their Four Tet-iest. This song slays.
37. Killer Mike - Reagan
YEahhh
36. Todd Terje - Inspector Norse
He was in last year’s list too. I didn’t know him then, and I barely know him now! A shame, because this track is awesome.
35. Fiona Apple - Every Single Night
Another one of my top 5 tracks! What’s going to be in Pitchfork’s top songs? I’m expecting to be either really disappointed or reminded of more terrific songs that I’d forgotten about.
34. Cloud Nothings - Stay Useless
I didn’t fall in love with this record as much as some of my friends did, but here’s a track that belongs in the thirties.
33. Danny Brown - Grown Up
Danny Brown was probably one of my four most-listened-to artists in 2012. Tough to get tired of that voice! Just like Gangnam Style, here’s a song I almost never listen to without watching the video (or playing it along with the song in my head).
32. Sky Ferreira - Everything Is Embarrassing
I wouldn’t have placed it this high, but I do like this song. I’ve never listened to anything else of hers though.
31. Frank Ocean - Bad Religion
2012 will go down as the year I sang along to Frank Ocean in my apartment.
30. Kanye West - Mercy [ft. Big Sean, Pusha T, and 2 Chainz]
2012 will go down as the year I sang along to Big Sean’s verse every time I heard this, which was a lot of times.
29. Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
2012 will go down as Call Me Maybe
28. Cat Power - Nothin But Time
Wait, there are songs that came out in 2012 that were better than Call Me Maybe? Shenanigans!
27. Grizzly Bear - Yet Again
This song is SO LUSH. How is this 27? What’s the come?
26. TNGHT - Higher Ground
NO they didn’t! 26?? The best ep of 2k12 with several of the very best tracks of the year, ladies & gents. So dissatisfied with this placement.
25. Grimes - Genesis
Fair enough, so Oblivion will be in the top ten.

Speaking of, here’s my estimation, as of right now:

24. sleigh bells - born to lose
23. purity ring - fineshrine
22. the xx - chained
21. jai paul - jasmine
20. earl sweatshirt - chum
19. m.i.a. - bad girls
18. chromatics - kill for love
17. anco - today’s supernatural
16. tame impala - apocalypse dreams
15. frank ocean - sweet life
14. swans - mother of the world
13. nick minaj - beez in the trap
12. death grips - hacker
11. solange - losing you
10. kendrick - drank
9. beach house - myth
8. burial - kindred
7. perfume genius - hood
6. grimes - oblivion
5. b4l - laura
4. frank ocean - think’n about you
3. usher - climax
2. japandroids - the house that heaven built
1. dirty projectors - gun has no trigger

Okay, back to work!

24. Chief Keef - I Don’t Like [ft. Lil Reese]
man, an obvious one I forgot about already! what a 2012 anthem.
23. Dirty Projectors - Dance For You
Oooh, i’m 0/24 so far. This is a wonderful song though. I’m still pushing for ‘gun’ at #1 or #2. We’ll see where it ends up.
22. Death Grips - I’ve Seen Footage
0/24 STILL, I’VE SEEN FOOTAGE, I SHOULDN’T HAVE CUT I’VE SEEN FOOTAGE OFF MY SHORTLIST, IT WAS #26 ON MY LONGLIST, GREAT SONG THOUGH, I STAY NOIDED
21. Jessie Ware - Wildest Moments
0/24. Why did I even bother? Did anyone even like any of those songs? I didn’t pay much attention to JW this year (obviously at least enough to forget she put something out that P4k liked this year)
20. Kendrick Lamar - Swimming Pools (Drank)
I remember this had just come out when I saw Kendrick at Pitchfork fest. People went berzerk.
19. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Only In My Dreams
I’ve never listened to this before. I have seen the video before, but when it was the video for Todd Rundgren’s “An Elpee’s Worth of Tunes”
18. Nicki Minaj - Beez In The Trap - ft. 2 Chainz
I’m happier with this at #18 than I was with Superbass at #4 last year.
17. Chairlift - I Belong In Your Arms
I didn’t know this song existed! It’s enjoyable though.
16. Solange - Losing You
I am so excited for Solange’s explosion in popularity in 2013.

alright, now an updated anticipation of P4k’s top 15:

15. the xx - chained
14. m.i.a. - bad girls
13. chromatics - kill for love
12. anco - today’s supernatural
11. tame impala - apocalypse dreams
10. swans - mother of the world
9. beach house - myth
8. burial - kindred
7. perfume genius - hood
6. grimes - oblivion
5. b4l - laura
4. frank ocean - think’n about you
3. usher - climax
2. dirty projectors - gun has no trigger
1. japandroids - the house that heaven built

15. Andy Stott - Numb
How did Andy Stott make it this high on this list? Awesome!!
14. M.I.A. - Bad Girls
#LFDYBGDIW. this song feels like it’s been around for 4 years. The video for this is definitely one of the best of the year.
13. Chromatics - Kill For Love
Alright, two in a row accurately guessed on my most recent edit of the top 15. I think we’re getting into the most obvious picks--now it’s just a matter of where they’re ranked.
12. Miguel - Adorn
Oh yes, and then the obvious picks I didn’t think of in my guess lists. Miguel is such a Smoove B.
11. Frank Ocean - Thinkin About You
Oooh, freeing up a space in my top 5! This song is phenomenal. Makin’ me proud, Frank!


I just took Burial out of my top ten to make space for 2 chainz. I feel like I’ll regret it. The song that won’t be on the list is one of these: 2 chainz, swans, beach house, burial. If there’s any surprises I’ll be floored that one of these songs isn’t as good as any of the rest on this list... but here goes:

10. 2 chainz - birthday song
9. anco - today’s supernatural
8. swans - mother of the world
7. beach house - myth
6. dirty projectors - gun has no trigger
5. perfume genius - hood
4. grimes - oblivion
3. b4l - laura
2. usher - climax
1. japandroids - the house that heaven built

10. Jai Paul - Jasmine
Haha! I took this out after I made my revision to a list of 15. I should have known better than to think Pitchfork wouldn’t put this on their list. They love him! I would be very excited to see more than one song from JP in 2013. Maybe he’ll go the James Blake route and release an entire album of completely different material and blow everyone away.

Taking out 2 Chainz...

9. anco - today’s supernatural
8. swans - mother of the world
7. beach house - myth
6. dirty projectors - gun has no trigger
5. perfume genius - hood
4. grimes - oblivion
3. b4l - laura
2. usher - climax
1. japandroids - the house that heaven built

9. Fiona Apple - Werewolf
Well I’ll be. A track by Fiona in the top 10 makes sense, and this is one P4k wrote about in a BNM track review. It’s not one of my top 2 or 3 songs off the album, but such is life.

Taking out Swans, but I’m not happy about it! Maybe The Seer will be in this list. Who knows.
8. anco - today’s supernatural
7. beach house - myth
6. dirty projectors - gun has no trigger
5. perfume genius - hood
4. grimes - oblivion
3. b4l - laura
2. usher - climax
1. japandroids - the house that heaven built

8. Beach House - Myth
Beach House got really upset when people said this sounded too much like Teen Dream, but it totally does. It’s great, but would have fit in perfectly with that album.
7. Tame Impala - Feels Like We Only Go Backwards
Like ‘I’ve Seen Footage’, this was just barely cut off my initial list of 24 guesses. It’s because that album is such an album-album that I have a hard time picking a ‘single’ off of it. Happy to see them on the list.

Now taking ‘Gun Has No Trigger’ off my list, though it was my #1 pick initially. I feel the top 5 are pretty untouchable still though.

6. anco - today’s supernatural
5. perfume genius - hood
4. grimes - oblivion
3. b4l - laura
2. usher - climax
1. japandroids - the house that heaven built

6. Bat For Lashes - Laura
AAAH I LOVE NATASHA KHAN SO MUCH

5. anco - today’s supernatural
4. perfume genius - hood
3. grimes - oblivion
2. usher - climax
1. japandroids - the house that heaven built

5. Japandroids - The House That Heaven Built
OoOOOoOOh, an upset!! What a sweaty song.

4. Kendrick Lamar - Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe
WOOOOHOoOah, a true upset! This is pretty surprising. I like the song, but #4??. And as for the ones I had slated for this list, these songs were all so fantastic. I’m going to have to give the boot to AnCo, which is really puzzling. Was that really not as good as any of the other songs on this list? Merchandise???

3. perfume genius - hood
2. grimes - oblivion
1. usher - climax

3.  Usher - Climax
One of the most incredible singles of the year. Big ups to Diplo and Usher for being as much of Smoove Bs as Miguel.
2. Frank Ocean - Pyramids
REALLY?? PYRAMIDS REALLY?? HOOD ISN’T ON THIS LIST?? GOD pitchfork sucks. I obviously like this track but Grimes is the obvious pick for #1 and I’m sad about the big snubs.
1. Grimes - Oblivion
One of the most consistently disappointing live acts of the year, but definitely one of the best singles. It really is a great song. So 2012.

A STARE LIKE YOURS 10 BEST ALBUMS*

*That I listened to today, in chronological order

10. Jerry Goldsmith - Chinatown Original Soundtrack

A perfect album to listen to while writing a paper about Chinatown!~

9. Liturgy - Aesthetica

The #1 controversial black metal album of 2011 for people that didn't really care to follow what was controversial in black metal this year

8. Sigur Ros - ( )

I like this CD and deemed it worth listening to.

----- at this point I listened to several chunks of different albums including those by Wolves In The Throne Room, Bill Orcutt, Blut Aus Nord, Indian, and Beyonce----------

7. Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact

At this point my activity transitioned from writing a paper for school to handing it in and celebrating being done with the fall semester with doing a large puzzle. I put on several albums from this year that are especially fun to listen to. "LIVE FOREVER"

6. Cut Copy - Zonoscope

This a fun cd and it always impresses me how much I am able to enjoy the song with the dopey shouts of "yeah!" around the chorus.

5. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

Makes for epic puzzle assembling

4. James Blake - James Blake

My #1 cd of 2011. So excellent

3. My Morning Jacket - Circuital

I hadn't listened to this in months. It's good and I'm sorry for forgetting about it!

2. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

Logical progression: "eh, I guess I haven't listened to Evil Urges in a while lately. AH THIS IS GOOD"

1. My Morning Jacket - Z

and "okay, Z too now. AHH THIS CD"

At which point I finished my puzzle. The end!

Instant Review - Knee-jerk reactions to the P4k 100 for 2011

First off: I really do not expect anyone to read this. I wrote it for myself, as a historical document.

Basically I listened to each of the songs in this list before reading the next one. 100 songs later, this is what I got.

100. Thundercat - For Love (I Come Your Friend)

YES to this, I have still never heard his album though. I need to get on that.

99. Ill Blu - Meltdown

Not sure I have heard of Ill Blu. It sounds so good though. Note to self: check out Numbers to see if Ill Blu’s label is as good as hyperdub.

98. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Ffunny Ffrends

I booked them! I wish I knew the rest of their songs as well as I know this one.

97. Fever Ray - The Wolf

The blurb for this accomplishes in 142 words what this one accomplishes in 5.

96. Peaking Lights - All the Sun That Shines

“A love song for the cavemen”... Okay

95. Kendrick Lamar - ADHD

I think this is the first time I’ve ever actually listened to a KL track. I like it, I like his voice and the way he says ‘that’

94. Sepalcure - Pencil Pimp

Yeah yeah yeah! It is too bad that Sepalcure + Mux Mool didn’t come to Madison.

93. Wild Flag - Romance

I saw WF at SXSW but haven’t listened to their cd yet. This song is cool but the blurb comparing the song to “its” top 40 influences is a bit of a stretch.

92. Jacques Greene - Another Girl

How have I never heard of this before!!! This is great!! The first great discovery by way of this list.

91. Thee Oh Sees - The Dream

I have not listened to TOS very much. I like this song a lot.

90. Grimes - Vanessa

I feel like this is one of those songs that I’ve heard far more times than I actually have. I wonder if Grimes is gonna next year’s Beach House (or something)

89. SBTRKT - Wildfire [ft. Little Dragon]

I’m so glad this is on the list! This is much higher on my personal list. Maybe I should make one this year, because I’m curious where this one would end up.

88. Cities Aviv - Coastin

Oftentimes I feel it takes about 30 seconds for me to know if I’ll like a hip hop track or not. This is great from the start. I have never heard of Cities Aviv before.

87. Zoo Kid - Out Getting Ribs

I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard of Zoo Kid either. Too bad, because he’s 17 now and there’s a big difference between falling in love with music made by a 17-year old and falling in love with music made by a 16-year old. Still, 17. Wow.

86. Blawan - Getting Me Down

The review says “For the first half of the year, ‘Getting Me Down’ was an event”, and I get what he’s saying, but I’ve never heard the song before. I do like it.

85. Junior Boys - Banana Ripple

God, Banana Ripple is such a great name. I don’t know the track too well and don’t think I’ve heard the album more than once or twice.

84. Iceage - You’re Blessed

Iceage. They’re amusing to see in the pages of Spin and Rolling Stone. This song sounds like it should have come out two or three years ago.

83. Tiger & Woods - Gin Nation

I haven’t heard this song. It sounds like it belongs in mixes. And 2009.

82. John Maus - Believer

AHHHHH alright, the first real disappointment in this list. ‘Believer’ is certainly one of the year’s best tracks. Not the 82 best, the 10 best. Come on!!

81. Yuck - Get Away

Hahaha. Instead of saying ‘come on!!’ at first I had ‘yuck!’ but changed it to avoid it coming off as a lame joke. I like this song a lot. Belongs in the same bucket as ‘You’re Blessed’ and Japandroids. I genuinely like the blurb’s shout out to high schoolers.

80. Fucked Up - Queen of Hearts

I will forever associate this track (and the album’s intro) with driving into Madison after a moonlit car ride back from seeing Okkervil River + Titus + Future Islands in Minneapolis with my friends. As the sun had risen and my tiredness was shifting to the excited feeling I get after accomplishing something big and fun, Christian put this on and started the day. Man, what a great memory!

79. Kelly Rowland - Motivation [ft. Lil Wayne]

Wow, how have I not heard this until today? I had no idea Kelly Rowland was still making music. The production on this sounds like it was made for dubstep remixes.

78. Sandro Perri - Changes

Oh wow, this is really great. I have never heard of Sandro Perri! Will definitely look into him though.

77. Cults - Abducted

This is good. Cults has come so far! Makin’ the big #77 on the Best Tracks of 2011 P4k List. Who would have thought? I think my first introduction to the band was this super-indie blog post:

76. Julianna Barwick - Prizewinning

Wow JB. You slay me! Actually, I want you to slay me. For some reason I have never gotten into your music. I like what I’ve heard and promise to listen to you more. “Barwick's celestial vocals gradually flood the track, confirming that there is indeed reverb in heaven.” As if there was ever any doubt!!

75. Washed Out - Amor Fati

If only every Washed Out song was as incredible as “Feel It All Around”..right? This is really Washed Out. I’m satisfied with this ranking.

74. Dum Dum Girls - Wrong Feels Right

I haven’t been keeping track, but this is at least the second review to mention striking ‘the gut’. I guess I understand.

73. tUnE-yArDs - Powa

Nothing really to say about this one. I’m glad tUnE-yArDs isn’t fading into obscurity or eccentric indie purgatory. Questionable blurb. Congrats to Garbus for garnering the most unlikely comparison to 1970s Jamaican dub!

72. Britney Spears - Till the World Ends [ft. Nicki Minaj & Ke$ha] (The Femme Fatale Remix)

Hopefully this isn’t the only track featuring Ke$ha on this list!

71. The Men - Batailles

I haven’t heard this song. Rock and roll! The hi-hat sounds perfect.

70. Holy Ghost! - Jam For Jerry

Oh wow, I didn’t know this song existed. I’m glad I found it in this list.

69. Neon Indian - Polish Girl

What a good song. This is another one I feel I’ve heard more times than I probably have.

68. The Joy Formidible - Whirring

One of those bands I haven’t gotten to yet. I liked the song though. Worth checking out probably.

67. Rihanna - We Found Love [ft. Calvin Harris]

Here’s my second big beef with this list. This song is tremendous and should be much higher on the list. A travesty!

66. DJ Quik - Killer Dope

Not a big fan of this one. Sorry Quik!

65. Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean

I realize FF will likely have a few songs on this list, but this seems awfully low. 65? I guess there were a lot of good songs this year..

64. Toro Y Moi - New Beat

This should’ve been #65.

63. Bon Iver - Perth

This song is so incredible. It should be higher. At least it’s higher than ‘New Beat’. What a perfect opener. I love the percussion in this song.

62. Liturgy - Generation

Yes yes yes.

61. Eleanor Friedberger - My Mistakes

I haven’t heard this album yet. My first impression of this song is that it reminds of my “All My Friends”.

60. Adele - Someone Like You

This song owned my year. In my top 10 for sure.

59. Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire - The Last Huzzah! [ft. Despot, Das Racist, Danny Brown, and El-P] (Remix)

This is kind of like this year’s “Swagga Like Us”

58. PJ Harvey - The Words That Maketh Murder

I still haven’t listened to this album, which I should probably do soon since I’ve had a copy of it in my apartment for the better part of this year.

57. The Weeknd - House of Balloons

God, this is still terrific.

56. M83 - Intro [ft. Zola Jesus]

I just listened to this album for the first time straight through a few days ago. This is a great enough opener that it’s hard listening to the second half of the album because I always start at the beginning.

55. Destroyer - Chinatown

A solid mid-50s pick.

54. Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx - I’ll Take Care of U

A great song made better by the Drake companion. I want to be a DJ so I can play this song for everyone, every night. The progression of this song through covers on covers on covers is so impressive and wonderful.

53. Real Estate - Green Aisles

This is very pleasant. I don’t think I’ve heard this album more than once or twice but I recall liking it quite a bit.

52. Action Bronson - Larry Csonka

I have never heard of Action Bronson, and I have never heard of Larry Csonka. I like this!

51. Todd Terje - Snooze 4 Love

Ah, Todd Terje. I remember this coming out but don’t think I’ve heard it since listening to it on a blog somewhere. It’s good.

50. Atlas Sound - Mona Lisa

I’m content with this placement. ‘Te Amo’ had better be in the single digits!

49. Katy B - Broken Record

In looking up this song (which I’d heard a few times on napster) i found a jacques greene remix. Aw yeah!

48. Kreayshawn - Gucci Gucci

Should be higher!

47. Battles - Ice Cream [ft. Matias Aguayo]

Ooh, this is a great song. Fantastic video!

46. Ty Segall - Goodbye Bread

I haven’t listened to Ty much at all.

45. Drake - Headlines

One of my almost-favorite top 40 rap singles of the year. This is a decent spot on the list for it.

44. Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise You Can See

I have never listened to this man. Very Interesting.

43. Panda Bear - Last Night At The Jetty

It looks like we’re getting into the really terrific songs of 2011.

42. Jay-Z & Kanye West - Otis

Yep.

41. Frank Ocean - Novacane

Mmhm.

40. Burial - Street Halo

I would not put this so high on the list. It’s good, but I feel it ranks among the 50s or 60s in this list. I really miss the ‘old’ burial beats on this song.

39. Shabazz Palaces - Swerve... the reeping of all that is worthwhile (Noir not withstanding)

I really hope ‘an echo from..’ is on this list!

38. Purity Ring - Ungirthed

I’ve never heard this song. It’s Nice!

37. ASAP Rocky - Peso

Yessssss.

36. Jamie xx - Far Nearer

YESSSSSSSSSSSS.

35. Charli XCX - Stay Away

Never heard this. It’s Aight

34. Cut Copy - Need You Now

This is a great song. A solid mid-30s track.. maybe should be higher.

33. AraabMuzik - Streetz Tonight

This is a good choice from electronic dream. Not an obvious one, but I’ll take it. Wonder if there’s gonna be anything else.. it’s unlikely at this point in the list.

32. Cold Cave - The Great Pan Is Dead

Completely forgot about this song! This is a terrific cut. I still haven’t heard the album though.

31. The Field - Then It’s White

This is great. A good spot for the song in this list.

30. Clams Casino - Motivation

This was Clams Casino’s year. I am excited to see this song at #30 because it gives me hope that I’m God is in the top 10.

29. Jai Paul - BTSTU

I’ve never heard of this man. Great sounding song... will be interesting to see what the follow-up is like in 2012.

28. Danny Brown - Monopoly

Somehow I haven’t listened to XXX yet. I like the songs I’ve heard.

27. The Rapture - How Deep Is Your Love?

This song’s chorus reminds me of a pop song from the 90s.

26. Beyonce - 1+1

OMG Beyonce. This is perfection. Deserves a higher spot.

25. Soulja Boy - Zan With That Lean

Really? I am a Soulja Boy fan but this song means nothing to me. This song doesn’t belong on this list.

24. Kurt Vile - Jesus Fever

Though hearing Kurt’s version never fails to make me wish I was hearing Molly play this on her ukelele instead, I suppose it’s alright that he’s at spot #24 instead of her. This is a great song. This year’s analogue to ‘Walkabout’?

23. Adele - Rolling in the Deep

An obvious top-5 pick for best pop singles of the year. Dude, Adele has got to be so rich right now.

22. Bill Callahan - Riding for the Feeling

This is a masterpiece. If this song is at #22 I can’t wait for the top 20. (Okay, I have been waiting for the top 20 since i read the top 20 of the 2010 list)

21. Drake - Marvin’s Room

Aw man. Great song. So quotable!

20. Gang Gang Dance - Glass Jar

Nice. I hope this means Mindkilla is in the top ten!

19. Lana Del Ray - Video Games

A perfect spot for this song. It’s really good. Really good. But there were some really really good songs this year and it feels good casting LDR away in favor of the really really good stuff. You know?

18. St. Vincent - Cruel

This is is perfect. I had forgotten about this album/song. I really love the guitar solo at about 1:15.

17. Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica

A deserving slot.

16. Tyler, the Creator - Yonkers

I’m surprised this isn’t higher! It’s the perfect OF single. Whatever.

15. The Weeknd - The Morning

Awwwl that money, the money is the motive

14. Girls - Vomit

This is a pretty big-sounding song. It deserves it’s ranking here even though I’m not sure where I’d put it on my list.

13. tUnE-yArDs - Bizness

Yeah, this is awesome.

12. Jay-Z & Kanye West - Neighbors in Paris

Yeah, this is awesome.

11. James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream

Yeah, this might be the best track of the year.

10. DJ Khaled - I’m on One [ft. Drake, Rick Ross, and Lil Wayne]

I have never heard of this song. Where were you, Post-Library?

9. Azealia Banks - 212

Ahhh really? I guess. It is a great song but this ranking is questionable. Tom Ewing calls this a ‘banger’. This is the definition of a banger.

8. Cass McCombs - County Line

Cass McCombs. I haven’t gotten this album yet, and I haven’t heard this song more than once or twice. Yet I approve of this ranking on my first listen and the good faith that the song will grow on me as the rest of his stuff has. I feel like I finally ‘got’ ‘You Saved My Life’ this year.

7. Beyonce - Countdown

This wasn’t my favorite of the upbeat, potentially world-dominating songs from ‘4’. It is really great though.

6. Destroyer - Kaputt

Destroyer was destined for critics’ best-of lists. He had to have something on the top of this list.

5. Real Estate - It’s Real

AHH I need to listen to this cd more!

4. Nicki Minaj - Super Bass

Ah. okay. Not my pick for this song (i’d stick it around the 40s at the highest). Bummer. I’m sure the last 3 will be perfect...

3. EMA - California

Oh my god!! Wow. Very surprised. But then, this is a great song. This is perfect. Nice work Pfunk.

2. Bon Iver - Holocene

Wow. This song. Another perfect pick.

This was my text to Will yesterday trying to guess the top song of this list.

“If it’s girls i’ll poo myself. Midnight City? Yonkers? Video games, wilhelm scream are my four best guesses”

Looks like we might have a winner, as only one of those hasn’t been listed yet..

1. M83 - Midnight City

A perfect choice. This song slays.