As is tradition at this time of year, I will be soon starting my list of the top 50 songs of 2012. This list marks the 5th time I have carried this out. In past years, the #1 track has been:

 

2008. Vampire Weekend - A Punk

2009. Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream

2010. French Horn Rebellion vs Database - Beaches & Friends.

2011. The Vaccines - Norgaard

 

And here's 2011's top 10 in full:

 

1. The Vaccines - Norgaard

2. The Go! Team - Buy Nothing Day

3. Gypsy & The Cat - The Piper's Song

4. M83 - Midnight City

5. Brett Anderson - Brittle Heart

6. Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks

7. Jonny - Candyfloss

8. The Wonder Villains - Zola

9. Tribes - We Were Children

10. Mazes - Most Days

 

And to whet your appetite, here's a few hints about who will feature:

 

7 of the tracks in the countdown have made the Top 75 in the UK charts

7 of the tracks are from Northern Irish artists, and a further two were co-written by someone from the province

1 artist who featured in last year's top 10 features again this year

2 songs are from Japan.

The song that is #1 on my list might be something of a surprise.

Edited December 27, 201212 yr by Brett-Butler

I'll go for the Wonder Villains as the act making the top ten for a second year.

And we begin with:

 

#50

Celestine

Spector

 

 

Album: Enjoy It While It Lasts

 

And the countdown begins with Spector. The band were NME’s big tip for their annual ‘they will bring back guitar music’ piece. They didn’t. However, they did have some kick-ass songs, of which the mighty “Celestine” was the absolute highlight.

#49

Doused

DIIV

 

 

Album: Oshin

 

Up next are Brooklyn group DIIV (previously known as Dive). They made their name this year with their 17 Seconds Cure-inspired tunes, of which “Doused”, with its low slung bass and chimy guitars, was a real treat.

#48

Build From The Group Up

A Plastic Rose

 

 

Album: Camera.Shutter.Life.

 

Having been on the Belfast scene for many years, A Plastic Rose made real headways this year with their noise-rock stylings. However, the song that really stood out from them is “Build From the Ground Up”, a song which combines their noisy guitars with some exquisite string arrangements.

#47

Real World

nano.RIPE

 

 

Album: N/A

 

Okay, this is a bit of a weird one. nano.RIPE are a Japanese pop-punk band who wrote the theme tune to “Humanity Has Declined”, an anime series about a post-apocalyptic world where humanity is on the verge of being replaced by ‘fairies’, tiny creates with fixed grins who can perform magic and are obsessed by sweets. The series focuses on the mediator between the two races, whose attempts to bridge the gap between the two leads to hilarity. The song itself is completely daft, high-energy stuff, but absolutely irresistible.

Edited December 5, 201212 yr by Brett-Butler

#46

Never Say Never Say Never

The Diamond Noise

 

 

Album: N/A

 

London based quartet The Diamond Noise make indie-rock music very much inspired by The Vaccines. “NSNSN” is a short, sharp, shock of a tune, and wonderfully fun as well.

#45

Gold On The Ceiling

The Black Keys

 

 

Album: El Camino

Chart Position: #57

 

“El Camino” was the moment when The Black Keys made the successful transition from blues-rockers to a fully fledged stadium rock behemoth, and the song that hammered it home for them was the wonderful glam-rock stomper “Gold On The Ceiling.” It even made the lower ends of the UK chart, as a result of featuring in an advert for donkey urine masquerading as a lager.

#44

Echoes Louder than Voices

Athletes In Paris

 

 

Album: N/A

 

Newcastle band Athletes In Paris only released one single in 2012, but what a great single it was. “Echoes Louder Than Voices” sits somewhere between The Killers & Kings Of Leon, and has a lovely groove to it.

#43

Caliban’s Dream

Underworld ft Alex Trimble

 

 

Album: Isle of Dreams

Chart position: #12

 

When it was announced that Danny Boyle would be directing the opening ceremony of the Olympics, we all had high expectations. However, I don’t think any of us expected to be some incredibly blown away by how amazing it was. And the song that hammered it home was Caliban’s Dream, which played as the torch was brought into the stadium. The atmospheric piece, composed by Underworld, which was patriotic without resorting to jingoism. And how great that Two Door Cinema Club vocalist Alex Trimble provided lead vocals on the track?

#42

Way Back (The Conflict)

The Super Happy Fun Club

 

 

Album: N/A

 

The Chicago band with a wordy name released the rather infectious single, with a chorus that calls to mind something by 30 Seconds to Mars.

#41

Two Fingers

Jake Bugg

 

 

Album: Jake Bugg

Chart position: #28

 

18-year-old Jake Bugg has been a real breakout artist this year, with his country-influenced indie-rock sending him to the top of the UK album chart. Two Fingers is his first top 40 hit, and sees him veering into Arctic Monkeys territory.

#40

It’s Time

Imagine Dragons

 

 

Album: Night Visions

 

Las Vegas rockers Imagine Dragons seem to exist somewhere in the cosy space between The Killers and fun. “It’s Time” mixes big rock choruses with some lovely oriental string sounds.

#39

Simple As Hell

Eatenbybears

 

 

Album: N/A

 

Belfast based quintet Eatenbybears have shone on the local scene with their trademark shifty-pop sound. “Simple As Hell” was their big summer anthem, and sees the band at their most accessible.

#38

Genesis

Grimes

 

 

Album: Visions

 

Canadian based singer/producer Grimes has been the quintessential bloggers artist in 2012, receiving unanimous praise across the board for her latest album. Although I don’t have the same unrequited love for her, she does have a few great pop tunes up her sleeve, of which her strongest is “Genesis”, a song which mixes progressive electronica with some interesting flute riffs.

#37

Who

David Byrne & St Vincent

 

 

Album: Love This Giant

 

A rather strange collaboration, but one that works well together. Former Talking Heads singer David Byrne took time out of composing operas to hook up with alternative singer/songwriter St Vincent. The resultant affair is a jazzy, brass-led affair, with their two voices acting as a great contrast over this rather sensual song.

#36

Sugarplum

Eugene McGuinness

 

 

Album: Invitation to the Voyage

 

Occasional Miles Kane guitarist Eugene McGuinness released this soaring alternative-pop song in December, and just about makes its way into the end-of-year chart. Some wonderful string action going on in here.

 

Previous end-of-year positions:

2011 Lion - #16

#35

Hit the Ground (Superman)

The Big Pink

 

 

Album: Future This

 

After being heavily tipped in 2009, and releasing two great singles and a hit-and-miss album, The Big Pink returned with their nu-gaze sound this year, and went more-or-less unnoticed by the general public. It’s a pity, as “Hit The Ground” was a brilliant slice of reverb-pop, made even better by its choice sampling of “O Superman” by Laurie Anderson.

 

2009 Dominos - #3

2009 Velvet - #17

#34

Sex

The 1975

 

 

Album: N/A

 

Hotly tipped Manchester band The 1975 next, with their Placebo/Britpop inspired single “Sex”. You’ve got to love the drums on this record.

#33

Madness

Muse

 

 

Album: The 2nd Law

Chart position: #25

 

Muse have a record of being rather hit and miss for me. They’ve had some brilliant singles (Supermassive Black Hole, New Born, Starlight), yet have some absolute over-flamboyant stinkers as well. “Madness” sees the group at their most understated, yet incredibly engaging and brilliant. The subtle guitar solo is one of the best of the year.