Lappy's Top 25 Most Played - 2012

One year ago today, I looked at the twenty-five songs I have listened to the most.  Today, the list retains a few of those tracks, but for the most part, there's a new gang that's seemed to take over.  Here it is:

25. Quiet Dog - Mos Def
24. It's a "B" Movie - David Newman & Van Dyke Parks
23. Black To Gold - Christian Mistress
22. Booggéré - Plaster
21. Supernova - Mr. Hudson feat. Kanye West
20. Inis Mona - Eluveitie
19. Sail - Awolnation
18. I Am Dmitri Karamazov and the World is My Father - Protest The Hero
17. Amaranth - Nightwish
16. Conquest - Patti Page
15. Yayo - Lana Del Rey
14. Victory Song - Ensiferum
13. A Rose For Epona - Eluveitie
12. Valiant Ride - Ancient Bards
11. Lazy Susan - Sweet Thing
10. The New Workout Plan - Kanye West
9. Default - Django Django
8. Total Recall - Flosstradamus
7. Turn Loose The Mermaids - Nightwish
6. Some Nights - Fun.
5. Revenge - Chevelle
4. The King - Ramesh
3. Anything For You - Ludo
2. Yarilo - Arkona
1. Game of Thrones Freestyle - Gotye feat. Dice Raw

Rattler's Revival - The Toadies

If only more rock bands made use of the horn section, then the world would be a better place for everyone.  The Texas quartet known as The Toadies have been hanging around the music scene for a while, and I'm surprised I haven't crossed paths with them before.  They've got their own method of no-nonsense fun alt-rock, and today's "Rattler's Revival" is no exception.  Think of the track as California surfer rock meets the girtty sound of the interior.  Yes, I think it's danceable, and a perfect track to see out the warm summer days as August comes to a close.  Maybe The Toadies should hang around for a bit longer.

Dining Alone - Dice Raw

The always-enjoyable Dice Raw dropped a mixtape recently, and The Greatest Rapper Never: The Mixtapes Vol. 1 just might be my favourite mixtape since BBU's bell hooks.  It's a solid effort full of gems and other shiny baubles, and when it came to choosing one to feature, I actually found myself attempting to decide between three.  "Dining Alone" might have won this round, but I will give a mention to "Bloody Mary" and "Rear Window" as well.

"Dining Alone" caught my attention by being one kind of rap song: a sad one.  It drips melancholy through the background beats, and the emotion in Dice's rhymes is something mighty powerful.  As the repeating I'm dining alone tonight, table for one may suggest, "Dining Alone" explores the isolation one may experience, even when surrounded by others.  It takes a certain kind of rapper to pull of a sadder ditty (a nice change from the too-aggressive or too-mainstream-club numbers out there), and Dice does it here.  The guy won a Grammy, people.  Come on.

Fallen From The Sky - Glen Hansard

If you remember my post from way back (think waaaaaaaaay back), then you remember how I praised Once for a spectacular soundtrack.  But that was ages ago; more than a year, people!  I forgot I still had some of the songs on my computer, and during a recent five-hour trip up north, "Fallen From The Sky" came up on my ipod.  I can't say I ever remember getting it, since it's also been a while since I've watched the movie, but isn't this what music is all about?  Discovering, and rediscovering?

"Fallen From The Sky" is all Glen Hansard's work, and it's all beautiful.  While on a roll of songs that remind me and Mario Kart, "Fallen From The Sky" has an instrumental side that evokes the image of a slow drive through Peach Gardens, minus the giant things chained up in the corners.  Hansard takes the delicate route here, and it makes this delicious number another indie darling.  Here's to the hidden gems hiding in all of our music libraries.

Slow Down - Beataucue feat. Kenzie May + DWNTWN Remix

You can give me whatever guff you want about the original vs. remix conversation, but there's always a choice of three outcomes.  Original beats remix, remix beats original, or both are on the same level.  The latter choice is the case when it comes to French electronic duo Beataucue's "Slow Down," featuring Kenzie May on vocals.  The DWNTWN remix came to me first via rcrdlbl, and after that, I had to know what the original was like.  It was a pleasant surprise to find I couldn't put one version over the other.  Yes, sometimes you can surprise me.

The original "Slow Down" can pass for a thumping club number with the volume turned up high enough.  Kenzie May's angelic vocals are cut up and chopped up over the pulsing beats.  This isn't something I would mind hearing when I go out at night.  On the other hand, the DWNTWN remix has a little special something that makes it legendary in its own right.  There's less pulse and more whimsy.  The remix is still an electronic dance track, but the vocals are in a higher register and the beats have a bit of a magical touch.  Think of it as Mario Kart meets the electro club.  No matter which direction you choose here, you're going to have a good time.

Bitcholous - NvS

It's great that we live in a world, where artists can create good music for the sole purpose of creating good music.  NvS does just that with slick hip-hop beats and soulful vocals that take charge while making you swoon.  This is my kind of lady, and unlike a few female artists these days, she doesn't rely on giant costumes or colorful wigs to get noticed.  Her Between My Thighs EP drops soon, and contains a stellar title track as well as today's hardcore feature: "Bitcholous."

"Bitcholous" is full of surprises, I think.  Anyone who can make a Star Trek reference is good in my books.  But the feel of this song is snarky and in-your-face.  Think of it as in the vein of empowering.  I've still got the line she's a snob, she's a hoe, she's a bitch stuck in my head, and the gist of the song comes in the lyric fuck being fab, hoe, I'm straight bitcholous.  Yes, you can be a fabulous bitch and proud of it; I'll act as your prime example.  I'm looking forward to NvS's EP release in the coming future to look for more gems like this.  This is the kind of female hip-hop artist I like to find.  Amen.

In My Sword I Trust - Ensiferum

It's been a good year for metal so far, and 2012 is just about to get a little more brutal.  In a few days, some of my favourite Finnish folk metal mongers are going to be releasing a new album.  It's Ensiferum, of course!  I'm going to try my best to get a physical copy of Unsung Heroes, but in the meantime, I've become quite a big fan of the first single, "In My Sword I Trust."  It's a solid folk metal track that compels you to run into battle screaming like a viking warrior.  Petri Lindroos is a beast with the growls, and the rest of the band uses those instruments to give this song a true heroic feeling.  If "In My Sword I Trust" has done anything, it just might have influenced me to go to Europe to get the album if I have to.