Top songs of 2012- #1-5

And finally, my top 5 songs of 2012. Some rock, some dance and mostly Brits. Yep, that's about right.

1. Arctic Monkeys- "You and I (featuring Richard Hawley)"

It's painfully predictable that if the Arctic Monkeys release something in a calendar year (even a b-side), that it will land in my top 5. Add Richard Hawley and you get a #1.

2. Rudimental- "Feel The Love"
I waffled between this and "Spoons," but this was the first track by Rudimental that caught my eyes/ears, so I figured I should stick with this one. Plus this is a better video.

3. Amin Edge And DANCE- "Going To Heaven With the Goodie-Goodies"
Heard this on BBC Radio, late on a Friday night, while driving in Scotland. This is the kind of music that reminds me of the UK. A crate digger track that a breaks DJ with a great vinyl collection pulls out and blows the party apart. It's the track you hunt down, keep in your rotation for years, and yet no one else knows it. Banger.

4. AlunaGeorge- "You Know You Like It"
As usual, there's an act every year that I hear via UK channels, get excited about and have to wait for years to see on our shores. Hopefully, AlunaGeorge is so good that they will get here faster than that. This is great modern pop music.

5. Jack White- "I'm Shakin'"
When it comes down to it, I like Jack White as a person more than his music. His solo record is par for the course with my feelings about most of his work. There are some amazing highlights that are instant classics, and there's often lots of passable ok filler. This cover is an instant classic and proves his great ear and personal style.

Rudimental

I often get very disillusioned with music. And when it comes to disillusionment, dance music as a whole has been #1 in that department more than most. I am, by default, a dance music lover, but it's been a rare treat in the last 5 or so years to find a dance track from any genre that has either made me want to dance or at least think. And if electronic music isn't doing one of those two things, it's failing. But a few months ago, via the Guardian Music Weekly pod (I think), I heard about Rudimental.

Unlike most other electronic music, it seemed that at the heart of their tunes, these guys understood the meaning and soul of dance and electronic music, not just the right programs and tropes. It was musical and groovy with nods to multiple genres. Some tracks are giant, dance floor-filling bangers, while others were perfect genre explorations, be it two-step or d'n'b or just pure and simple house. The key with Rudimental though is that that succeed in these experiments. They seem to neither be mocking nor mimicking the past. Musicians at heart, perhaps this is the difference that allows them to express a deeper sensibility of what dance music should do. They are making these songs and genres truly their own, and it's really paying off. While I was in Scotland a month ago, they hit #1 with the first track here and the future looks bright.

Rudimental- Feel The Love (great video too, filmed in Philly)

And this is my fave track: Rudimental- Spoons