paper crows

My Top 10 Songs of January 2013

Whether from January or a little bit before, these are the songs I found myself listening to most in the first month of 2013.

10. Justin Timberlake – Suit and Tie

A grower.

 

9. 2AM Club – Too F**cked Up To Call

Juvenile, but catchy and fun as f**k.

 

8. Blood Diamonds f. Grimes – Phone Sex

Sultry, catchy, light. A statement.

 

7. Bastille – Pompeii

Big things are on the horizon for Bastille.

 

6. Foals – My Number

Could not stop singing this chorus. Welcome back lads.

 

5. ASAP Rocky f. 2Chainz, Drake, Kendrick Lamar – F**king Problems

Crass, for sure, but one of the catchiest hip-hop songs I’ve heard in a long time.

 

4. Paper Crows – Disarm

What a brilliant cover. I cannot let this song out of my mind.

 

3. Chvrches – Lies

What a debut. Unfathomably good. Absurdly catchy.

 

2. The Knife – Full of Fire

I could write 10,000 words on what I think of this song, and a hundred large on what I think of them. Unparalleled in all of music, this is the sound of The King and The Queen taking back their thrones. Majestic, vital, bludgeoning.

 

1. Chvrches – The Mother We Share

I simply adore this melody. I think this band is on the cusp of some big things. When you make a song as good as this, all it needs is ears; the getting big part will work itself out. So fresh, so nostalgia-inducing, so, so good.

Top 30 Cover Songs of 2012

I’ll be writing quite a bit in subsequent posts, so without much ado, here is my list of the top 30 best cover songs of 2012:

30. Amanda Palmer – First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

29. The Maine – Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

28. The Knocks – Midnight City

27. Julio Bashmore – Troglodytes

26. Carly Rae Jepsen – Both Sides Now

25. Barricades Rise – Down Under

24. Walk Off The Earth – Roll Up

23. Yellowcard – Fix You

22. Easy Star All-Stars – Thriller

21. Antony Hegarty – Landslide

20. Azealia Banks – Slow Hands

19. Gavin Friday – The Fly

18. Mumford and Sons – Tessellate

17. GHXST – Dragula

16. Niia – Mad World

15. Active Child – Sweet Dreams

14. Brian Molko and Fiona Brice – West End Girls

13. Easy Star All-Stars – Beat It

12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – Like a Prayer

11. Red Hot Chili Peppers – I Get Around

10. Katja Petri – Candy

(What a serene, pretty take on a teflon-strong melody.)

9. Paper Crows – Disarm

(I really like the reshaping of this classic song.)

8. Paul Banks – I’m A Fool To Want You

(Paul Banks as Sinatra. The look suits him Plenti well.)

7. The Weeknd – DD (Dirty Diana)

(Wow. Does music get more emotionally-charged than this? Maybe the only contemporary artist who could hold a candle to MJ’s impeccable original.)

6. Walk Off The Earth – Somebody That I Used To Know

(The omni-present. A career launcher.)

5. John Mayer – Video Games

(This is maybe the most beautiful, restrained and graceful thing playboy Mayer has ever done.)

4. Ellie Goulding – Hanging On

(The original is a stunner, and here Ms. Goulding gives it a synthy, chic, vital redo. Well done.)

3. Easy Star All-Stars – Human Nature

(This version could not be any more perfect. It is miles apart from the original yet so similar, warm and smooth, like a ray of sunlight taking residence on a wave that’s leisurely travelling the world over. This is so good I think I might even like it more than MJ’s version.)

2. Matt Cardle – First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

(Song starts at 1:40. What a stunning, jaw-droppingly gorgeous voice. The best reality singing show song I’ve ever heard.)

1. The Killers – Ultra Violet (Light My Way)

(Technically from last year, this might be the best cover they’ve ever done, and that’s quite a sentiment, as I think they’re the best cover band of this generation. Propulsive and heart-rattling, not contained by this world.)