Top 12 Songs Of 2012: The Autobiographical Edition

What the hell, let’s get personal. This is what my 2012 sounded like in terms of tracks that I found myself relating to in one way or another. Here’s one song for each month, though they don’t necessarily correspond. I realize that a lot of this looks like a mega downer, but I couldn’t quite find a song that said “Good job on significantly advancing your career and meeting your heroes.”

Yuksek - “Always On The Run”
The things change, it’s not the same
ALB - “Golden Chains” (ft. The Shoes)
It may be shame that I’m feeling/But it makes me get out of my bed
Grimes - “Oblivion”
Girl, you know you’ve got to watch your health
Beat Connection - “Saola”
Well well, I guess that’s life/You can’t pick out the pieces that you don’t like
Kitty Pryde x Marina and the Diamonds - “How To Be A Heartbreaker”
If they’re burning you, you’re doing it wrong
Cloud Nothings - “Wasted Days”
I thought I would be more than this
JEFF the Brotherhood - “Hypnotic Mind”
Don’t want to pay the price/I just want to be nice/Even when you’re not
Sky Ferreira - “Everything Is Embarrassing”
Could have been my anything/Now everything’s embarrassing
Slam Donahue - “Bug In The Sun”
I don’t know what I’m doing/I just know how it feels
Phoenix - “If I Ever Feel Better”
Someday all this mess will make me laugh/I can’t wait
Juveniles - “We Are Young”
We are young/We’re just gonna mess it up
Timber Timbre - “I Get Low”
One moment I’m a king/The next minute nothing

frakyeahfrenchmusic:

Artist : ALB
Song : Golden Chains [feat. The Shoes]
Album : I Beg For A Summer - EP [2011]

This song is perfect, please listen to it.

Thematic link between three of my favorite songs of at least the past year

I’d rather be a functioning cog in some great machinery, serving something beyond me [Fleet Foxes - “Helplessness Blues”]
Being some wheel in the engine, it’s a notion that I can defend, and yet, it’s tough to play the part so hard and finally disappear from the scene [ALB ft. the Shoes - “Golden Chains”]
Take one for the team, you’re a cog in the machine, it’s like a default [Django Django - “Default”]

frakyeahfrenchmusic:

Artist : ALB
Song : Empty Promises
Album : Air France Music - Volume 1 [2011]

ALB ft. The Shoes - “Golden Chains”
I Beg For A Summer EP, 2011

It may be shame that I’m feeling
But it makes me get out of my bed
And then I watch my face in the mirror
And try to recognize a friend

I’ve been obsessed with this song on and off, mostly on, for about a month now. ”Golden Chains” has that quality where it felt familiar the first time I heard it. That the first line of the chorus is “It’s nice to see you again” might be part of the reason why, because that’s one of the best sentiments to hear, isn’t it?

A lot of the Shoes’ production seems to be recorded in this style where all of the individual components feel very distinct and you have to think about how they combine. Here, there’s that 8-bit-ish synth hook and the rest sounds kind of like a song that could have been on Vampire Weekend’s first album, though more cleanly recorded. The Shoes are great in their own right, but “Golden Chains” taps into something that wouldn’t sound out of place alongside “Oxford Comma.” The whole song makes me wish it was summer and that I could just throw on some jean shorts and sandals and one of the Jason Wu for Target tops that I managed to get in my size even though I got to the store after noon yesterday. (Sorry, I just want to brag.)