As promised, I have put together the 30 songs I enjoyed posting most this year in (rough) order. It was very challenging to do it and I would probably make a different list tomorrow. However, it is a good reflection of the music that moved me most last year.

As ever for me, it is a mixed list. Some old, some new and some things that I both discovered and re-discovered in 2012. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know if you had any big tunes in 2012 that I missed.

Top 30 of 2012

1) Moodymann – Why do U feel?: Based: Detroit, MN Released: 2012 In a nutshell: Smooth and mesmerising

3) Sorie Kondie – Without money, no family: Makeni, Sierra Leone | 2006 | Pure and timeless

5) Jai Paul – Jasmine: London, UK | 2012 | A DJ who favours quality over quantity

6) Dark city sisters – Sekusile: Johannesburg, SA |  ? (60’s I think) | Classic, languid African sound

7) TV Girl – Lizzy come back to life: San Diego, CA | 2012 | Hyperactive and insistent; It makes me want to move

8) Kendrick Lamar – Bitch, don’t kill my vibe: Compton, CA | 2012 | One of several artists to reignite my love of Hip Hop this year

9) Japandroids – Younger Us: Vancouver, Canada | 2012 | Vigorous! Still one of my favourite band names ever

10) Real Estate – Out of tune: Ridgewood, NJ | 2011 | Sunny, washed out vibes

11) Grouper – Alien Observer: Portland, OR | 2011 | A distinctive and fragile ambient sound

12) Shabazz Palaces – Recollections of the wraith: Seattle, WA | 2011 | Amazing beat, playful lyrics

13) Oddisee – The carter baron: Washington, DC | 2011 | Flawless use of a Curtis Mayfield sample

14) Craft Spells – Still left with me: Stockton, CA | 2012 | Pop perfection

15) Kate Bush – A coral room: London, UK | 2005 | Kate at her finest

16) Another’s Blood – Foreign Nights (Jewellers remix): London, UK | 2012 | A delight arrived at mysteriously from the far expanses of the Internet

17) Tennis – Origins: Denver, CO | 2011 | Hazy; Sounds like a summer’s afternoon

18) LOL Boys – Changes: Montreal, Canada | 2012 | A kaleidoscope of sounds

19) Hygher Baby – Let U go (DJ Asparagus Remix): Stockholm, Sweden | 2011 | Smooth, classic R’n’B sound

20) MC Solaar – Les Temps Changent: Paris, France | 1997 | A strong hook matters more than knowing what lyrics mean

21) Lamont Dozier – Why can’t we be lovers?: Detroit, MN | 1972 | Classic soul from Motown Royalty

22) Jaques Greene – Another Girl: Montreal, Canada | 2011 | Arresting, electronic and more than a little hypnotic

23) Van Morrison – Rave on John Donne/Rave on part two: Belfast, Northern Ireland | 1984 | An all time favourite; Builds from a meandering beginning to a soaring crescendo

24) Solange – Losing You: Houston, TX | 2012 | A guilty pleasure wrapped in a clever video

25) Octo Octa – Memories: Brooklyn, NY | 2012 | Urgent and magnetic

26) Terry Callier – Sail Away: Chicago, IL | ? (1998 I think) | Tribute to the late great TC who passed away this year

27) Eve and Gwen Stefani – Let me blow ya mind: Philadelphia, PA and Fullerton, CA | 2001 | An antidote for a swagger deficiency

28) Local Natives – Breakers: Los Angeles, CA | 2012 | HC: “Soaring melodies and inventive percussion…“

29) Paula Cole – Where have all the cowboys gone?: Rockport, MA | 1997 | Oh the memories!

30) Kindness – House: London, UK | 2012 | Euphoric