1. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together – Taylor Swift – So sarcastic, but lost in its poppy finesse
2. In A Big City – Titus Andronicus – The story so far in a ferocious wordy explosion of distaff.
4. Impregnable Question – Dirty Projectors – A love song
5. Shape I Was In – Spider Bags
6. How – Regina Spektor – Her best song since "Ink Stain" is similar in a sense: the desperate anti-Semitism of the latter is mirror'd in the desperate heartbreak of "How", And both chill on the idiosyncrasies.
7. Ruin – Cat Power – This song has the best chorus of the year, beaten only by Friends. And this one has better singing.
8. Look The Other Way – Justin Townes Earle
9. Run Till It's Dark – Public Enemy
10. R.A.P. Music – Killer Mike – The second best rap song of the year.
11. New Year's Eve AT The Gates Of Hell – Ray Wylie Hubbard
12. Some Nights – fun. Their live performance of this song at T5 was an exact evocation of a bands breakthrough hit. It was a joy.
13. The Old Gray Hat – Jack Phillips – Astounding song, a 1920s style jazz genre number with melody and heart to spare that does double duty as a self-portrait.
14.. Duquesne Whistle – Bob Dylan – A memory song
15. Madness – Muse _FINALLY, they make their case to be n=the next Coldplay.
16.. Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
17. Sorry – Friends – Actually from 2010 but is second in the lineup on their debut album.
18. Girl Next Door – Claire's Diary
19. I Feel Good – Fred Hammond
20. Groundhog Day – The Corin Tucker Band
Train Station – The Moms – The spirit of rock and roll lives on and if you read their tour diary you will know exactly what I mean: between the days without showers and the nights without gigs, they released a killer EP. This is the best song.
Angels – The xx
Hot Knife – Fiona Apple – Sexy as fuck.
Simona La Ramona – Spider Bags – From the best rock album of the year.
Seek It Out – Fang Island – Second best rock album of the year.
You Won't regret It – Ceu
Honolulu Blues – Craig Finn
Angels – The xx
Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen – BREAKTHROUGH!!!
Five Seconds – Twin Shadow
Around My Way – Lupe Fiasco
Trash Tongue Talk – Jack White
The Best Place – Best Coast – Best line? "We have fun when we please…"
Snow White – Odd Future
The House That Heaven Built – Japandriods – best indie rocker since Superchunk's "Digging For Something".
VIP – Sinead O'Connor
Crying/Laughing – Wesley Wolfe
One Note (Excerpt One) – Dr. D.R. – Catch the Buzzcocks sample.
Unforgivable Blackness – Diggy
As Is – Van Halen
Sidecars – Kathleen Edwards – I like her more now I've seen her live
Ray Charles – Chiddy Bang
Wasted Days – Cloud Nothings – A great collab with Steve Albini
Die In Your Heart – Justin Bieber – Channels MJ better than Mikes brothers managed.
Am I That Lonely Tonight – Justin Townes Earle – Hears his Dad on the radio and wants to call him on the phone.
Get A Job – Neil Young
.Boyfriend – Justin Bieber
Born At Zero – Deer Tick
A Little Love (That's All I Want From You) – Dr. Vegas
Honeycomb – Animal Collective
Good Morning To The Night – Pneu And Elton John
Eyes Open – Taylor Swift
My God – James Fortuna
Old And Gray – Maps And Atlases
Comeback Kid – Sleigh Bells
Moving On – Justin Townes Earle
It All Belongs To Me – Monica And Brandy – The surprise r&b album of the year and an equally surprising reunion.
Girl Gone Wild – Madonna
Simple Feeling – Heartless Bastards
Who – David Byrne And St. Vincent – Second best moment on the album.
Balcony – Craig Finn
.Emmylou – First Aid Kit
No Love Lost – Wiley
Terminally Unique – Lamb Of God
Gone Tomorrow – Lambchop
Disease tobacco Free – Margot and the Nuclear So And Sos
Pointed Into Zoom – Love On A Real Train
Welcome To The Ballroom – Rufus Wainwright
Sex On The Regular Train – Miniature Trees
88 – Diggy
Spiteful Intervention – Of Montreal
Vegas Girl – Conor Maynard – The modern boy toy
Open Your Heart – The Men – Off a great old school rock album.
A Commotion – Mastadon/Feist
Everybody Talks – Neon Trees
Secrets – Obie Trice
Greenway – The Fall
Celebration – Tyga
Vampires – Maps & Atlases – Should be a very big song for them
I Fink You Freaky – Die Antwood
These Days – Dr. Dog
Stay Useless – Cloud Nothings – So, yes, they can still nail a melody.
Intersteller – Frankie Rose
Mira – Melody Gardot
Runaway – Imperial Teen
This Is Pil – PiL
You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go – Miley Cyrus
She's Gold – Josh Blaze
Starships – Nicki Minaj
Pink Diamonds – Dustin Wong
Ruby Are You Mad At your Man – Carolina Chocolate Drops
It All Means Nothing – Screaming Females
We Made It – de La Soul
Hysteria – Ceremony
Dope Bitch – The Dream – You know, he wrote "1+1"
Amnesia – Jon B
Back In Time – Pitbull
Heaven – Macachu And the Shapes
Following – Phenomenal Handclap Band
Am I the Only One – Dierks Bentley
How They Want To Be – Best Coast
Simple Twist Of Fate – Diana Krall
Silence – The Ting Tings
Turn It Round – The Men
Show Me The Place – Leonard Cohen
Boom Boom – Rye Rye
You Can Keep The Wheels – Toddlers
There's A Key – M. Ward
Easy Money – Bruce Springsteen
High Of Life – WZRD
You Don't Have To Love Me – Blues Travellers
Payphone – Maroon 5
Maps – Macy Gray
The Whip Hand – the Mars Volta
Small Town Moon – Regina Spektor – Stop, stop, what's you're hurry?
You Don't Have To Love Me – Blues Travelers
Dreamer – Elizabeta
P – Odd Future
International (Serious) – Estelle
Swan Lake – Blackilicious
Cool Breeze – Long Miles- Gorgeous reggae
When Your Garden's Overgrown -Paul Weller
Super Rich Kids – Frank Ocean
You, Man? Human??? – The Flaming Lips – Nick Cave sounds terrific.
Laura – Bats For Lashes
What Makes You Beautiful – One Direction – Make em a star
Standing On A Curb – Spider Bags
Beekeeper's Daughter – The All American rejects
Wide Awake – Katy Perry – Very real
Sleeping Ute – Grizzly Bear
Pride – Amy McDonald
The Thief – Liann Smith
Out Of Time – Elvis Costello – One of the best Stones covers I've ever heard, up there with Steve Earle's "Dead Flowers".
Control – Garbage
Va Va Voom – Bassnectar – Along with Rye Rye, pure pop as electronic dance.
Jackson – Florence + The Machine
Lost – Joker
His Eye Is On The Sparrow — WHitney Houston – Of course she didn't have the voice she once did, she was a crack addict
Time To Move On – Monica
Me And Bobby McGee (Demo) – Janis Joplin
Fall Of 82 – The Shins
All The Rowboats – Regina Spektor – Down here only because it's the THIRD track I've pulled off the album. Only Justin has an equal amount. Two from Craig Finn and Maps And Atlases.
Let's Have A Kiki – Scissor Sisters The album is new to me
Sixteen – Rick Ross
Till I Die – Chris Brown
Cameron – Mike Stern
XTC – Boyz Noize
Settle Down – No Doubt
Home – Phillip Phillips
Landslide – ANtony
Keys To The City – Spider Bags
Yatton – Beak
Oh Well – Billy Gibbons
War Begins With You – Emmure
So Fly – Elle Varner
When The Ship Comes In – Outernationals
Last Of A Dying Breed – Lynrd Skynrd
Nothin's Gonna Stop Us – The Darkness
Do It Like You – Diggy
Anything Could Happen – Ellie Goulding
Throw Down – Slaughterhouse
Huricane – Mr Ms
The Chimera – Smashing Pumpkin
I Need A Man – Lael Summer
Fire Escape – Civil Twilight – Only one good song, but it's a goodie.
Amen – Meek Mill
Everybody Talks – Neon Trees
Manhattan – Cat Power
No Hope – The Vaccines – Great opening for all important second album.
Narrow Way – Bob Dylan
Do It With A Rockstar – Amanda Palmer
Nuclear Family – Green Day
Comfortable – Ian Hunter
Pon T Loca – Daddy Yankee – Reggaeton is back with a backbeat
Clique – Kanye West
Charmer – Aimee Mann – Great album as well
I'm Not The Same Without You – Donald Fagin – Return to full strength
Knock Knock – Band Of Horses
Sober – Little Big Town
Tiny Little Bows – Carly Rae Jepsen
Creepers – kid Cudi – His best since his first album
That's Why I Pray – Big & Rich
Venus – Anais Mitchell
Ploughing Out, Part 2
From Here On Out – The Killers
I Will Wait – Mumford And Sons
It All Comes Back Someday – Yo La Tengo
Outside Of Space And Time – David Byrne And St. Vincent – Best song off the disappointing new one.
I Will Break You – Skunk Anansie
Bob Dylan Sings Charles In Charge – Jimmy Fallon
Doesn't Anybody Know – Bobby Brown
Rusty Stab – Shinobi Ninja
Bottom Dollar – Lizard Kisses
I Read Your Texts For The Fourth Time Today – Nicole Kidman
Gangham Style – PSY
Panic Station – Muse
Grow Up – Cher Lloyd
Losing You – Solange
Gamma Ray – Aimee Mann
All Too Well – Taylor Swift
No Hope – The Vaccines
Hypocritical Kiss – Jack White
How Dare You – Lupe Fiasco
What You Want – Boys Noize
Cry For Judas – The Mountain Goats
Now – Matt & Kim
Hostages – A.C. Newman
Reached The Sky – The Brew UK
Music To Walk Home By – Tame Impala
Don't You Worry Child – Swedish House Mafia
Apathy – Trash Talk
Bulletproof Pride – K'Naan, Bono
Still Life With Hot Deuce On Platter – Titus Andronicus
I Will Wait – Mumford And Sons
Wild Boy – MGMT
It Gets Dark – Holy Ghost
Sweet Nothing – Calvin Harris and Florence Welch
Popular Song – MIKA
Fall Into Arms – The Bottom Dollars
Hurry, Hurry – Air Traffic Controller
Golden Revolver – San Cisco
Two Fingers – Jake Buggs
When My Train Pulls In – Gary Clark Jr
Wide Eyed And Legless – Georgie Fame
Fuck Your Stuff – P.O.S.
Comment: The two heavy hitters of the year came up with the goods so good for them, and good live shows made me reconsider both albums and songs in October.