Favourite Songs of 2012: Part 5 (Songs 14-1)

This list is probably not much different than the umpteen other best of lists out there. However, there are a couple of songs I have included that probably won't appear anywhere else.

If you want to listen to or re-visit the other 60 songs on the list here are the links:

Tracks 75-60
Tracks 59-45
Tracks 44-30
Tracks 29-15

Here we go.....

Top Songs of 2012

14. Prince Rama- Those Who Live For Love Will Live Forever



13. Chromatics- Kill For Love



12. Jack White- Sixteen Saltines

11. Frankie Rose- Know Me



10. Father John Misty- Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings

9. Japandroids- The House That Heaven Built

8. DIIV- How Long Have You Known

7. Echo Lake- Another Day

6. Bat For Lashes- Laura

5. Passion Pit- Constant Conversations

4. The Walkmen- Heaven

3. Grimes- Oblivion

2. M.I.A- Bad Girls

1. Beach House- Myth

Favourite Songs of 2012: Part 4 (Songs 29 to 15)

More than half way there and almost in the home stretch......

Part 4: (Songs 29 to 15)

29. Spiritualized- Hey Jane

28. Chairlift- I Belong in Your Arms



27. Grizzly Bear- Yet Again

26. Cloud Nothings- Stay Useless

25. DIANA- Born Again



24. Wild Nothing- Paradise

23. Saint Etienne- Tonight

22. Frank Ocean- Sweet Life



21. Tame Impala- Feels Like We Only Go Backwards

20. Killer Mike- Reagan 

19. Purity Ring- Obedear



18. The Shins- Simple Song

17. Alabama Shakes- Hold On

16. Cat Power- Sun

15. Grimes- Genesis


Stay tuned.....on Sunday December 9th the Top 15 will be revealed.

Favourite Songs of 2012: Part 3 (Songs 44 to 30)

We're starting to get to the good stuff......

Part 3 : (Songs 44 to 30)

44. Fiona Apple- Every Single Night

43. Cat Power- Nothin' But Time

42. Hospitality- Friends of Friends

41. Jessie Ware- Wildest Moments 

40. Divine Fits- My Love is Real

39. Tamaryn- Heavenly Body

38. Santigold- Disparate Youth

37. Lower Dens- Brains

36. Jack White- Love Interruption

35. Cat Power- Cherokee 

34. DIIV- Doused

33. First Aid Kit- Emmy Lou

32. The New Division- Night Escape



31. Fidlar- Cheap Beer

30. Sharon Van Etten- Serpents

Favourite Songs of 2012: Part 2 (Songs 59 to 45)

Here is Part 2 of my favourite songs from 2012.

Part 2: (songs 59 to 45)

59. Allo Darlin'- Capricornia

58. Melody's Echo Chamber- Endless Shore




57. Bleeding Rainbow- Drift Away

56. Cold Cave- A Little Death To Laugh

55. Daughter- Smother

54. Peace- Your Hand in Mine

53. Django Django- Default




52. Chromatics- Lady


51. Death Grips- Get Gone

50. Still Corners- Fireflies 

49. Vinyl Williams- Harmonious Change

48. Savages- Flying To Berlin



47. Cvrches- The Mother We Share



46. Beach House- Lazuli

45. Widowspeak- Ballad of the Golden Year

Favourite Songs of 2012: Part 1 (Songs 75 to 60)

It's that time of the year again....time for year end best of lists. Aural Report is proud to present a five part series featuring my Favourite Songs from 2012. This was a great year for music and this inaugural list of 75 great tracks reflects what I feel is the best of the best.



Part 1-Songs 75 to 60

75. Tashaki Miyaki- Tonight

74. Hot Chip- Night & Day

73. Richard Hawley- Down in the Woods

72. Eternal Summers- You Kill

71. Magnetic Fields- Andrew in Drag

70. King Krule- Rock Bottom

69. Crystal Castles- Plague

68. Ringo Deathstarr- Rip

67. Woods- Size Meets The Sound



66. School of Seven Bells- Secret Days


65. Ariel Pink- Only in My Dreams 

64. Toy- Lose My Way

63. Charli XCX- You're The One

62. Bear in Heaven- Sinful Nature

61. Trailer Trash Tracys- Candy Girl

60. Electric Youth- The Best Thing

Favourite Songs: U2- The Unforgettable Fire

It is really easy to bash U2 these days, with subpar records and lead singer Bono trying to save the world,  it is easy to forget they were one of the greatest bands in the world at one time. A lot of modern day artists owe a debt of gratitude to U2. Without them, there would probably be no Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene and countless other bands.

My favourite record by U2 is The Unforgettable Fire. This was the first time that Brian Eno and his young understudy Daniel Lanois worked with the band and Eno's influence is all over the record. On the previous three albums that U2 released Steve Lillywhite had styled their music toward anthemic post punk with echo laden guitar and big drums. U2 couldn't do this sound forever and they needed to make a change, so they brought in Eno to make a more artistic sounding album. The transitional album got mixed reviews but those who love it, really love it. It is reported that Miles Davis asked that the album be played while he was on his death bed.

The title track, The Unforgettable Fire, was the fourth track and the second single off the album. The inspiration for the song was an art exhibit by survivors of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The dark mysterious dream-like song is textured with soundscapes, ambient guitar, and a fade out featuring eerie violin strings. Watch a live version of the below via YouTube

The Unforgettable Fire was re-issued as a box set in 2009 and is available on Amazon or check your local record store.

Favourite Songs: Slowdive- When the Sun Hits

Slowdive are a band that have been off my radar for a long time and I didn't think I would ever really here about this group again.  Band leader Neal Halstead and Rachel Goswell seemed content on touring with Mojave 3 and who knows where some of the other members of the band ended up. That's why it was surprising to hear Halstead state in a recent interview with MTV Hive that he was open to a Slowdive reunion. He went on to say that he is still on good terms with the other band members and keeps in regular contact with them. The interviewer asked Neal what it would take to get Slowdive back together and his response was "shitloads of money, you know." I hope he was joking.

I am of the opinion that if a band has a reunion they should record new material and not just tour to cash a big pay cheque. So may bands have gotten back together lately including The Stone Roses, Pulp, Peter Hook & The Light (Joy Division), and The Pixies and they have not given us any new songs. The only exception is Blur.

Anyways, while reading the interview it reminded me how great of a shoegaze band Slowdive were and it prompted me to re-visit the band's best album Slouvaki. Slowdive formed in 1989 and they rode on the coattails of other great shoegaze bands like The Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. After the release of their first album, Just for a Day, the band were critically maligned because there seemed to be a backlash against shoegaze at the time with the rise of Britpop in England.

In 1992, Slowdive started to record their new album Souvlaki with the help of Brian Eno. Eno was brought in after the original batch of 40 or so songs that were written were scrapped and the band had to start all over again. Creation Records head Alan McGee wanted the group to make a pop record and Halstead agreed. Eno was brought in-not to produce-but to collaborate, but only ended up playing on two songs-Sing and Here She Comes. The album was a critical and commercial failure and in America the record label SBK abandoned the band by pulling all of their funding halfway through their U.S. tour.

Most of the tracks on Slouvaki seemed to be written as love songs and the lyrics showed a growing maturation in the songwriting of Halstead. Nowhere is this more clear than on the single When the Sun Hits. The lyrics aside, the swooping guitars really make the song into a shoegaze masterpiece. I think the single is one of the best Dreampop songs ever written. Listen to the song below.

I think most people today agree that critics who got swept up in the Britpop movement in the early 90's were a little too harsh on Slowdive. Today they are a respected band and have influenced countless of modern day groups including M83, The Pains of Being Pure at Heat and Asobi Seksu. If they get back together and they play Toronto I will be there in a heartbeat. Lets hope they also record some songs.

Souvlaki was re-issued on vinyl in 2011 which you can buy at Amazon or check your local record store. Also, you can buy the album on iTunes.

Slowdive- When The Sun Hits

Favourite Songs: Modest Mouse- Spitting Venom

Happy Labour Day Weekend!!!

This is my favourite song off the Modest Mouse album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.

Buy it on Amazon or iTunes.

Enjoy....

Modest Mouse- Spitting Venom

Favourite Songs: Hawkwind-Silver Machine

This is awesome!!! Listen to Lemmy Klimister sing the space rock classic Silver Machine before going on to infamy as the leader of speed metal heroes Motorhead.

Hawkwind are a British psychedelic space rock band that started in the early 70's and have released over 25 albums to date. Although they are still a going concern the only original member left in the band is vocalist and guitarist Dave Brock.

Lemmy Klimister was the bass player for Hawkwind from 1971 to 1975 before being kicked out after being arrested for drug possession in Windsor Ontario. He went on to form Motorhead which was also the name of the last song he wrote for Hawkwind.

Silver Machine was released in 1972 and went to #3 on the UK charts. The song was featured on a Various Artists compilation called Glastonbury Farye.

Favourite Songs: Portishead- Machine Gun

This song came on my iPod the other day while I was walking to work and provided the perfect anecdote to wake me up and energize me for the working day.

 Portishead released their aptly named Third album in 2005 after a six year hiatus. Geoff Barrow needed to re-invent the trip hop sound of their band, especially after the songs off of their first albums had become hits with middle of the road Starbuck's Coffee drinkers.

 The result was the harder edged first single called Machine Gun. The track has thundering repetitive beats made to sound like a machine gun (obviously), icy synths which are backed by Beth Gibbons bleak, beautiful voice. Play the track loud and if possible play it on CD or vinyl where the sound is infinitely better than playing an mp3 of the song or You Tube video on your computer.

Machine Gun is available on the album Third. Buy: Amazon or iTunes

Watch the mind blowing dystopian music video below.

Favourite Songs: The Style Council- Long Hot Summer

To start...... a small rant

It is already the August long weekend, and the older I get it seems like summers are passing by quicker than when I was younger, even though the summers in Toronto seem to be getting longer. In fact this year Toronto barely had a winter with hardly any snow and the warm weather started in the last week of March when the city received record temperatures in mid 20's Celsius. Normally in early March Toronto would still be under a blanket of snow and people would travel to the ski hills for their recreational activity. The freaky weather this year is probably all due to global warming and climate change.

There is an article in yesterday's Huffington Post about NASA, and leading global warming scientist James Hansen releasing statistics giving more proof of the existence of climate change. The simple facts of global warming aside, the statistical information shows that climate change is happening right before our eyes.

Climate change, which was a huge issue a few years ago, is largely being ignored by politicians around the world today, while our own Prime Minister seems to be oblivious to the fact that he and his government are a major contributor to global warming with his aggressive national energy policy which includes the piping of oil from the Alberta tar sands to the British Columbia coast to ship to crude hungry China. Politicians need to wake up and stop worrying about padding the profits of giant oil companies while using the same old bullshit that they are creating jobs. As usual, conservatives feel that ignorance is bliss and that everything will be okay in the end.


Segue to the song.....

The early eighties in England had a soul resurgence with the emergence of artists like The Blow Monkeys, Paul Young, Sade, Simply Red and The Style Council (Paul Weller would probably shoot me for grouping him in with some those artists). After the break up of The Jam, Paul Weller and Mick Talbot went in a more soulful direction and formed The Style Council in 1983. The song Long Hot Summer was their third single and was released on 7 inch, on a 12 inch EP called A Paris and on the LP Introducing The Style Council.

The laid back soulful single is a nice reminder of when Curtis Mayfield ruled the charts. Although, the single is far from being a cheery summer song with lyrics about a troubled relationship. Download the extended mix of the song and watch the amusing music video below:

Download: The Style Council- Long Hot Summer (Extended Mix)

Favourite Songs: The Sundays- Can't Be Sure

Unless you are half dead, you probably already know that the Olympics started the other day with the marathon, overly stuffy opening ceremonies. Even the queen looked like she was going to fall asleep as  athletes from every country in the world, including tin-pot dictatorships and South Pacific atolls, marched into the stadium. On top of that, Canadians had to endure CTV's blase coverage which consisted of Brian Williams blabbering geography lessons and political opinions that nobody cares about. I heard that NBC's coverage was even worse, with them cutting away from Danny Boyle's tribute of terror victims, to an interview that was given by Ryan Seacrest. Really!!! Ryan Seacrest?? Pathetic!!

Anyway, I will be cheering for the Canadian team like everyone else. I don't think the Canadians will win many medals. In Canada, there isn't the excitement around the Summer Olympics like there was around the Vancouver Winter Olympics where we won 14 gold medals. People in Toronto would much rather cheer for their favourite nation in the Euro Cup than cheer for their home country in The Olympics. The media do their best though, over-hyping Canadian athletes that probably won't even come close to winning a medal.

Watching the Olympics yesterday I noticed that there are some events taking place at Earl's Court arena in London's west end. This reminds me of a trip I took to Britain when I was 10 years old. Highlights of the trip included shopping at Harrod's, walking through a race riot in Cardiff, watching dumb people picnic in the lion area of a safari park, and seeing a Tattoo at Earl's Court. No, I am not talking about the ugly tramp stamps you will find on the back of suburban housewives. I mean the militaristic shit show with bagpipe bands, soldiers building and shooting cannons and special forces guys rappelling down ropes from the ceiling of the arena.

One of the good things about my trip to England was the fact it did not rain while I was there. I have heard stories that this one of worst summers for rain in Britain in recent memory. The third day of the games provided the inevitable rain that England is famous for. The lyrics in the song Can't Be Sure by The Sundays is a really good song to describe the mood in Britain at this time. The people of Britain are going to enjoy these Olympics games despite the economy, phone hacking scandals, weather etc.....

"England my country the home of the free, such miserable weather
But England's as happy as England can be
Why cry"

The Sundays are an English alternative band led by angelic voiced singer Harriet Wheeler. Best known in North America with their cover of the Rolling Stones classic Wild Horses which was featured in a Budweiser commercial. Can't Be Sure was the band's debut single in 1989. The song's lyrics basically mean to live life simply and that there are some things you can't change (like the weather). The band recorded three albums in the 90's and I don't think they officially broke up.

Download the song Can't Be Sure and buy the three Sunday albums on iTunes

Download: The Sundays- Can't Be Sure

Buy: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic on iTunes
Buy: Blind on iTunes
Buy: Static and Silence on iTunes

GO CANADA!!!!!

Favourite Songs: Amy Winehouse- You Know I'm No Good

Tomorrow will mark the one year anniversary of the death of Amy Winehouse. The iconic but troubled singer was found in her house dead on July 23rd, 2011 after a night of heavy drinking.
I remember when I first her single Rehab on the BBC radio show hosted by Zane Lowe. I knew instantaneously the song, along with the artist were going to huge. She did become huge in England where she already had a little bit of success with her first album Frank. It took another year for her to become known in North America. The result of her success led to many other British female R&B stars including Duffy, Estelle, Adele and Florence & the Machine.
Her 2006 album Back to Black won numerous accolades including making the 2007 Mercury Prize short list, and several Grammy awards. The production of the album by Mark Ronson was near flawless incorporating the back up band of soul singer Sharon Jones-The Dap-Kings.
The great production values are most prevalent on the second single from the album You Know I'm No Good. The infectious song features Amy's raspy voice infused with a R&B hip hop big beat and a jazzy Dap-King horn section. The song also makes reference to her favourite beer Stella. The song was later remixed and recorded with Wu Tang Clan rapper Ghostface Killah.
Sadly, Amy Winehouse never released another album before she died. In the years between the release of Back to Black and her untimely death last year she led a pained life of alcohol and drug abuse. Having friends like Blake Fielder-Civil and Pete Doherty didn't help and the song should have about them
Buy: Back to Black LP via Amazon
Download: Back to Black via iTunes

Favourite Songs: Queens of the Stone Age-Better Living Through Chemistry

Tonight marks the return of AMC's hit drama Breaking Bad. I'm looking forward to seeing what creator and writer Vince Gilligan has in store for main character Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as he becomes more inimical and takes over the as drug kingpin in Albuquerque New Mexico. As the series is in it's final chapter I am betting the last 16 episodes will be crazier than ever.
But first, what better way to celebrate the premiere of Breaking Bad than paying homage to the song Better Living Through Chemistry by Queens of the Stone Age.  The band is classified as stoner rock, although this is a term that Josh Homme rejects- and a lot of band's lyrics revolve around drug culture. Queens of the Stone Age formed in Palm Desert California in 1997 and released Rated R in 2000 to critical success. It became the band's breakthrough album.
Better Living Through Chemistry (not to be confused with the debut album from Fatboy Slim) was never released as a single but is arguably one of the best songs the Queens of the Stone Ages ever recorded. A dark slow lilting tune with a fast guitar piece, Nick Oliveri's driving bass and a track time of over 5 minutes. The song is most likely about the taking of LSD in the desert with a hint of violence.
Sadly, Oliveri was kicked out of the band in 2006 for being a jerk-rumours were that he hit his girlfriend.

"The blue pill opens your eyes
Is there a better way
A new religion prescribed
To those without the faith
The hero holding a knife
And blood is not enough
Is it too late to go back?
Is it too late to go?"

Listen: Queens of the Stone Age-Better Living Through Chemistry

Buy: Rated R LP on Amazon
Buy: Rated R(Re-issue Deluxe Edition) iTunes

Favourite Songs-Art Brut Axel Rose

This is a song that would make the lead singer of Guns 'n Roses very proud. A punk tribute featuring a "fuck you" attitude sung with the heart of Johnny Rotten era Sex Pistols. Eddie Argos' spoken word delivery never sounded better. The song is taken from the 2011 album Brilliant! Tragic! which was produced by Frank Black.

"This world is fucked and you're an idiot/
Why don't you take a long look at my middle digit!"

Listen: Art Brut-Axel Rose

Favourite Songs- Altered Images Dead Pop Stars

Wow....this song was released in 1981 and is still relevant today.

"dead pop stars rotting in the studio
pretty bodies make the little girls scream
dead pop stars here them on the radio
pretty bodies every little girls dream"

Altered Images were a Scottish new wave/post punk band and a favourite of John Peel's. The band,were most obviously, influenced by Siouxsie & The Banshees and their first two singles were produced by Banshee's bassist Steve Severin. Sadly, the band didn't last very long only recording three albums and disbanding in 1983.
This song laments the popularity of pop stars that are being played on the radio and how they fade away after their 15 minutes are up. The only difference between today and 1981 is that some pop stars don't seem to be going away i.e Justin Bieber.

Altered Images-Dead Pop Stars