"Silent Singer" by Edward Rogers
Rogers' touching tribute to his father still shines as the standout track on his "Porcelain" album.
"Written In Red" by My Tiger My Timing
They caught my ear over the summer with "Endless Summer." Then that one got remixed, a few of which were featured here. But it was the second song from My Tiger My Timing is the one that sticks. I look forward to their 2012 (as they've indicated in an interview I did with the band) that's when their full length album will be released. These kids are set to make some noise.
"Return Of Simba" by J. Cole
The final installment to the now heralded "The Simba Trilogy," J.Cole has been one of the most anticipated talents coming out of the world of hip-hop. Something of a protege to Jay-Z, J.Cole won me over with his first installment of the trilogy simply called, "Simba." Then came "Blow Up," and once I heard the trilogy in it's entirety, it was set in stone that I am a J. Cole fan. While I'm certain he will continue to drop some amazing tracks, "The Simba Trilogy" has that quality of no matter what else he will do, this is the track (or in this case, tracks) that sold me that J. Cole is damn good.
"Whole Life Blues" by Warren Malone
After being introduced to him by Simon Spire, I got a hold of his latest release. It echoes sounds of Waits and Cash, two all-time greats. "Whole Life Blues" still stands as my favorite song on his 2011 release, "And The Ants Ate The Bee."
"Free" by Nine 11 Thesaurus
Speaking of emerging talents in hip-hop, this collective of emcees from New York is one to look out for. It's most likely a very lofty comparison, but the group has the inklings that they're cut from the schools of thought that Boogie Down Productions and A Tribe Called Quest laid forth. This song comes off their release this year, "Ground Zero Generals."
"On The Corner" by The Twilight Singers
The song with an incredible build-up and a sound that reminds me of The Hold Steady. Loved the song when I first heard it back in February and I feel the same way about it now as this year ends. The band released a live album back in November, which I think I ought to check out.
"Buckle Up" by Roxanne de Bastion
An open mic night at a New York City cafe later and I am a fan of Roxanne de Bastion. The video for the song is just fun to watch as she goes to multiple office lobbies and performing right then and there. I look forward to more music from Roxanne in 2012.
"Hard In The Booth" by J. Bair
Another favorite emcee in the emerging new class of hip-hop is Pennsylvania's J. Bair. He wowed me last year with "10 Rap Classics" and came back this year with "The Bootleg." This song was my favorite on that release thanks in part to the killer beat. If there's a 2012 wish as far as music goes, I would love to see J. Bair and J. Cole work together.
"Nightcall" by Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx
This song comes off the soundtrack to the Ryan Gosling film, "Drive." The movie was one of my favorites for the year (read the review here) as the acting was superb. The movie was accompanied with a killer soundtrack, with most of the songs composed by Cliff Martinez. However this one was not, instead produced by French DJ Kavinsky and features Lovefoxx, lead singer of the band CSS. It was used in the opening sequence of the film, instantly setting the film's mood. The song exudes the sort of cool from the 80s electropop scene.
"Liberate Your Love" by Simon Spire
Not much else needs to be said about this song, as I've covered it before. I think Spire will have a great US debut in 2012 that will start with the emergence of this song. Watch out for him next year.
Readers, what were your favorite songs of the year?
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