We’re finally getting our favorite musicians of 2012 out there. Remixes & heavy sampling have made up most of the other best music of 2012, but the rest of these are all originals (at least for the most part).
I also decided to change it from 2012’s best musicians to the most promising. They may be our favorite musicians of 2012, but they’re probably all new to you – except Frank, Madeon & Miike maybe.
Also remember, not every one of these may be your favorite style, but you’ll definitely find a few you’ll enjoy for a good while.
I’ll admit I didn’t get into Flight Facilities’ 2012 beaut at first. I thought ff was all fun-loving music and this one is no fun at all. Despite that, ‘Clair De Lune’ is steadily becoming one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard in the last few years. Christine Hoberg has one chillingly vibrant voice and Flight Fac comforts it with grace.
Rarely do I fall in love with a song right from the start, but fuck did Malinchak’s ‘So Good to Me’ inspire the shit out of me. It’s got some gorgeous vocals on top of one beautiful build.
Charles Bordeaux (formerly REverb Rock) was the definite hidden treasure of 2012. He has an eerily poetic style of storytelling and the music only sets the mood more. I’m not one to look too deep into the words of a song, but with Bordeaux it comes naturally.
So I hit up Identity Festival this year in Mountain View solely to see Madeon & Wolfgang Gartner, but of course with my dumb luck neither were headlining that stop in the tour. I’ve already seen Wolfgang at Outside Lands, but I still so badly want to see my favorite EDM artist of 2012 and big hopeful for 2013, Madeon.
The Weeknd beat out Frank Ocean in my 2011 top picks, but I knew Frank would be my 2012. Channel Orange may not have put Frank over Abel for good, but he’s well on his way. A few of these tracks are soon to be personal classics.
I don’t know where Last Lynx popped out of, but this is one catchy little shit. It’s partly due to how well the vocalists harmonize, but also this hybrid of indie & electro – it’s bound to overtake the norm.
Although I’m not too keen on this indie-folk thing, just yet, Seamonster hit something right in my head (my ears). However, ‘Crystal Tear’ still reminds me of ‘Fu-gee-la’ for some reason (don’t ask)
Another one that reminds me of a memorable song. This time being MGMT’s ‘Electric Feel.’ It really puts a nostalgic trance on me for a few brief moments, but right when I realize it, it quickly fades away. Music always gives such pleasant remembrances.
Miike Snow blew up this year and there’s nothing more telling of that success than this ‘Paddling Out’ song. It’s got a catchy chorus with a strange underlying meaning that I’m still trying to figure out.
Make sure to check out the music video as well, it’s definitely the most memorable one of the year, though it just makes this song’s meaning all the more confusing.
Can’t say it any better than this:
This is one sexy piece of ass. Night Panther’s ‘Fever’ has horns a blazin’ in the back’round and it sounds sultry as f*ck with these vocals. I don’t know if I quite got this “Sex Pop” down just yet, but I sure as shit am diggin it for now.
Such a swanky little duo that goes by the Starlight Girls. What they represent more than anything else on here is how diverse good sound can get. I may be flooding Silence with disco & other electro offshoots, but we’re always open to diverse talents like this. Although, I wouldn’t mind if they paired up with some producer and went electro for a while.
This may have been released in 2011, but I’ve been in love with it since early 2012. And since I couldn’t give it praise last year, I had to do it now. Madeline Follin’s voice carries like Lissie’s (far) and I gotta gush over it any chance I get.
TIP has one of the finest futuristic styles of 2012. He’s pushing this chopped & skewed Soul more than any and his collaboration with Jagged Edge couldn’t be more telling of that success. Finally, we get to see a legit collaboration in this new style of Soul, something not seen enough in The Future of Soul Music, yet.
Moon Boots deserves more recognition for his disco remixes, featured on our Future Soul Music mix, but like TIP I gotta give him credit when he starts pairing up for legitimate collaborations. This is what’s going to push this style into the ears of a much bigger audience than this niche blog.
Here’s a solute to the eletro that needs no vocals. Music is all about feeling and although vocalists usually bring it out best, sometimes someone can pull it off through just their fingertips. (Delicate) Steve does just that with his emotional guitar solo in ‘Afria Talks to You.’
Like I’ved said before, Ms. Diaz is a little too pop for my taste, but Viceroy’s dirty bass is just too enticing. Glad to close this out with a summertime feel-good track.
