I hate many things about year-end lists. For one, I hate the phrase you see when you encounter a list — “It’s that time of the year” — which is really code for “OK, here’s a list because we need to provide something to click on while everybody goes on a two-week holiday bender of eggnog and Christmas cookies.”
But I also love many things about these lists. Sure, they’re gimmicky and lazy. But they’re also important. Life is fast, and hard, and busy. And sometimes, we need people to remind us what happened. I have been doing this list here for a couple years now. And I’ll go ahead and recycle what I wrote last year. Sure, it’s lazy. But then again, so are lists.
When I think back to (2012), I know I won’t think of one monolithic theme or narrative. Life doesn’t work that way. Not for me. But I will remember certain moments… and certain songs. So here we go, finally, the 12 songs I will remember from 2012.
12 Civilian — Wye Oak
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11 Same Love — Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
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10 Swimming Pools — Kendrick Lamar
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9 Hold On — Alabama Shakes
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8 The House That Heaven Built — Japandroids
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7 Take A Walk — Passion Pit
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6 Ghost Fields — Murder By Death
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5 Live and Die — The Avett Brothers
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4 We Take Care of Our Own — Bruce Springsteen
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3 Harlem Roulette — Mountain Goats
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2 Bigger Than Love — Ben Gibbard & Aimee Mann
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1 The King of the World — First Aid Kit
The Brew House 