Songs

1. Johnny Marr — "The Messenger"

Chiming/jangly guitar, keys, disco bass-line, hand-claps...it's the perfect recipe, and the former Smiths guitarist nails it.

2. Beach House — "Myth"

I'm not going to write anything about this, because I won't do it justice.

3. David Byrne & St. Vincent — "Who"

Because it's David Byrne & St. Vincent.

4. Grizzly Bear — "Yet Again"

Time to let a song take you on a ride. Hop on.

5. Chairlift — "Sidewalk Safari"

It might not be iPod commercial material like "Bruises" from their previous release, but that's a good thing.

6. Laetitia Sadier — "Another Monster"

We don't have Stereolab anymore, but we have Laetitia

7. Wild Nothing — "Paradise"

Alright, so it's no secret that I dig material influenced by 80's artists

8. Frankie Rose — "Had We Had It"

She was an original member of Crystal Stilts, Dum Dum Girls, and the Vivian Girls, but she's even better on her own.

9. Divine Fits — "Would That Not Be Nice"

Groove city.

10. Twin Shadow — "Run My Heart"

Are we sure that's not Andy Summers of the Police on guitar?

Albums

1. Beach House — Bloom

2. Twin Shadow — Confess

3. Violens — TRUE

4. Metric — Synthetica

5. Chairlift — Something

6. David Byrne & St. Vincent — Love This Giant

7. Divine Fits — A Thing Called the Divine Fits

8. Frankie Rose — Interstellar

9. Dum Dum Girls — End of Daze

10. Poolside — Pacific Standard Time

Honorable mentions

In no order: Tamaryn — Tender New Signs; Grizzly Bear — Shields;Tame Impala — Lonerism; Air — Le Voyage Dans La Lune; Laetitia Sadier (Stereolab) — Silencio; Chromatics — Kill For Love; DIIV — Oshin; Wild Nothing — Nocturne; The Walkmen — Heaven; Brian Eno — Lux; Jens Lekman — I Know What Love Isn't; Hot Chip — In Out Heads; Ice Choir — Afar; Bear In Heaven — I Love You, It's Cool; The XX — Coexist; Stars — The North; Toro Y Moi — June 2009; Com Truise — In Decay; Magnetic Fields — Love at the Bottom of the Sea; Pet Shop Boys — Elysium; The Luyas — Animator; Tracey Thorn (Everything But the Girl) — Tinsel & Lights; The Sea & Cake — Runner; Saint Etienne — Words and Music by Saint Etienne; Django Django — Django Django; Tennis — Young & Old; Matthew Dear — Beams; Tanlines — Mixed Emotions; Teen Daze — All of Us, Together; Craft Spells — Gallery; TOY — Heavenly; Crystal Castles — III; The Presets — Pacifica... and others that I'm spacing on.

Listen to Transmission.

Polls

Top 89 songs of 2012

Top 89 albums of 2012

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