The best songs of 2012

Okay, man, this is the one day out of the whole year that I get too play rock critic or something.

Let me guess, farmboy. It must be time for the best albums of 2012.

Well...no. Now it's the best songs of 2012. I just don't hear enough albums any more. Which is kinda too fuckin' bad, you know. I like albums. But money is tight. Also, there's only five songs. I figure that making this list any longer is just, uh, padding the list. Or something like that. You know what I mean, man.

So let's get on with it. What's number one?

1) For My Upstairs Neighbor by El-P. This was the most moving song I heard all year. It's about what happens between the singer and his upstairs neighbor, a woman who's being horribly abused. It's really an amazing piece of work. It just fuckin' knocked me out.

2) Dokad by Muzyka Konca Lata. So there's this podcast called TBTL...

TBTL?

Too Beautiful to Live with Luke Burbank and Andrew Walsh. It's mostly these two guys talking, but they're really smart without being assholes about it. Anyway, they have this "Song of the Summer" contest, and this song by a group from Poland was number one. And I just really love this song. They sound like a fuckin' band, they sound like actual human beings.



3) The House That Heaven Built by Japandroids. "When they love you, and they will" the vocalist sings. I love how confident this song is. I like how much fun it is most of all.

4) Somebody That I Used to Know by Walk Off the Earth. It's funny. I barely noticed the big Gotye hit, but I loved the sound of this version, which is five people playing one guitar. And it's not the gimmick and it's not the novelty -- it's the fuckin' sound, man.

And your last one?

Well, it's not really a song, it's a sound. I love the horns on the new Mountain Goats album Transcendental Youth. The arrangements are so sensitive to what the songs are. They don't overpower; they sound as natural as can be.

So that's it, man.

Good job, farmboy.

Good tunes,, man, good sounds.

So fuckin' fucked up

Oh, man...


What's up, farmboy?


I have completely wasted today. I have done nothing. All I've done is hang out on the internet  and sleep. I've only played one song on the guitar, and I forced myself to do that. And what's really weird is that I barely even felt guilty about it.


Maybe you needed to rest, farmboy. Were you tired? What did you do yesterday? I know you went out for the Fourth of July.


Yesterday was an interesting day. It was kinda, well, intense in a strange way. I told you that I got this grant to play music for children with disabilities, right? I went for the first one this summer and it was fuckin' great. It was one of those moments when you surprise yourself, you know? I gave this energetic performance and I could see the joy in some of these children at the sound of music. Which is something that I greatly relate to, of course.


Then after that, I heard this song that just knocked me flat. It was by this guy named El-P and I think it was called something like "From Your Upstairs Neighbor." I heard it on a podcast and I kept going back so I could hear it again. For hours I was affected by this song. I have not had that happen for a long time.


Then I went to the songwriters' night at the coffeehouse. I socialized and I performed. I made myself perform. It was a good night. It was a good day, man.


So you had what sounds like a pretty big day yesterday. Give yourself a break and forgive yourself. The stuff you need to do can be done tomorrow.


I guess it'll be okay. I guess. It was so strange, though, it was like I just accepted it. Usually I'd feel way guilty. 


You sound like you're feeling guilty now about not feeling guilty.


(laughs)  Maybe that's what it is. Man, I am so fuckin' fucked up sometimes.


No you're not, farmboy. Come on! Give yourself a break. 


That's what I did today: I gave myself a break.


It's fine, farmboy. No need to panic.


Okay, okay. Tomorrow will come soon enough. I still need to play some guitar, though. Right?


Only if you want.


I'm going to. It'll make me feel better. Plus I need all the playing I can get. And, oh yeah, it's fun and satisfying.