Best of 2012: Citizen Insane's Top 20 Singles (So Far)

What would a half-year critical list be without a rundown of one's favourite songs? I initially planned to limit things to singles only, but after so many excellent tracks got left out, I made "premiered in 2012" the qualifier instead. Without a doubt, this list will change more than any other by year's end. Picking my brain for its most addicted-to MP3s was no easy feat, especially when limiting the list to 20, so hopefully this makes up for my utter absence in the entire month of May. Bonus: Things are ordered in reverse for your listening pleasure, a mix clocking in over an hour.

Though liable to change come December, these brief snapshot lists offer a mid-semester evaluation of music so far and are as good an excuse as any to share, debate and listen...

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1. A$AP Rocky - Goldie
2. DIIV - How Long Have You Known
3. Dirty Projectors - Gun Has No Trigger
4. Kanye West - Mercy (feat. Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz)
5. Willis Earl Beal - Evening's Kiss

6. Mister Lies - Cleam
7. St. Vincent - Krokodil
8. XXXY - I Know This (Can't Be Love)
9. King Tuff - Bad Thing
10. Ryan Power - I Don't Want to Die

11. Matthew Dear - Her Fantasy
12. Cloud Nothings - Stay Useless
13. Baaur - Harlem Shake
14. Hospitality - The Birthday
15. Killer Mike - Big Beast (feat. Bun B, T.I. & Trouble)

16. Alt-J - Breezeblocks
17. Death Grips - I've Seen Footage
18. Heavenly Beat - Messiah
19. Machinedrum - DDD
20. Sun Kil Moon - I Know It's Pathetic but that Was the Greatest Night of My Life

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Best of 2012: Citizen Insane's Top 5 EPs (So Far)

Last Friday, I began revealing my still-developing photograph of the year 2012 in music. While I listed my 15 favourite albums thus far, I feel it's important to highlight the little guys too, so below you'll find the five short-playing records I've consumed ad nausuem over the past six months, plus a highlight track from each release for weary downloaders.

Though liable to change come December, these brief snapshot lists offer a mid-semester evaluation of music so far and are as good an excuse as any to share, debate and listen...

5. Dog Shredder - Brass Tactics EP
4. Kwes - Meantime EP
3. Daniel Rossen - Silent Hour / Golden Mile EP
2. Shlohmo - Vacation EP
1. Burial - Kindred EP

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Burial - Kindred
Shlohmo - The Way U Do
Daniel Rossen - Golden Mile
Kwes - Bashful
Dog Shredder - Battle Toads

Like the list? Click on each EP title for its respective download link and get 'em while you can.

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Best of 2012: Citizen Insane's Top 15 Albums (So Far)

Thanks to jobs and life, you might've noticed I haven't been writing as much as I used to. However, that doesn't mean I haven't been overstuffing my hard drive with records, hoarding all number of great albums. Around this time last year, I rattled off my favourite records of the the past six months and I thought, what better way to get this site back on track than to do it all over again? Though liable to change come December, these brief snapshot lists offer a mid-semester evaluation of music so far and are as good an excuse as any to share, debate and listen.

Like 2011, this list is stout and still heavily under development. First off, there's a bevy of albums still on the way that could radically alter my ranks: *ahem* releases from Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Crystal Castles, Liars, Hot Chip, Dirty Projectors, Twin Shadow, Yeasayer, Purity Ring, Tame Impala, Flying Lotus, Tamaryn, Flaming Lips, Matthew Dear, Ariel Pink, How to Dress Well and The xx, to name a few. Second, there are a few already-out records I haven't been able to spend a significant amount of time with yet; those have an equal chance to pop up in my end-of-the-year lisztomania.

Regardless of the disclaimer(s) above, here are the 15 LPs I've been spinning nonstop since I first got my ears on them...

15. Evian Christ - Kings and Them
14. Hospitality - Hospitality
13. Death Grips - The Money Store
12. Mount Eerie - Clear Moon
11. Tanlines - Mixed Emotions

10. Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action at a Distance
9. Actress - R.I.P.
8. Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It
7. El-P - Cancer for Cure
6. Grimes - Visions

5. The Walkmen - Heaven
4. Beach House - Bloom
3. The Men - Open Your Heart
2. Chromatics - Kill for Love
1. Japandroids - Celebration Rock

Like the list? Get 'em while you can and click on each album title for its respective download link.

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The Monday Mixtape - Hip, Hip It's Almost May

Some old tunes, some new tunes, all good tunes, most Mondays...

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Purity Ring - Obedear
Dive - How Long Have You Known
Air France - Collapsing at Your Doorstep
Chains of Love - I'd Rather Be Crying
oOoOO - NoWayBack
Death Grips - I've Seen Footage
Dale Earnhardt - We Almost Lost Detroit
Jaill - Waste a Lot of Things
Ty Segall & White Fence - I Am Not a Game
Hot Snakes - Suicide Invoice
Mister Lies - Cleam
Machinedrum - Now U Know tha Deal 4 Real (Chrissy Murderbot Remix)

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MP3s: Those Two New Kanye West Tracks

As even my mother knows, two new Kanye West singles premiered last week: a solo cut and a G.O.O.D. Music track.

Comparing the two, "Mercy" is the clear-cut winner, if only because it's a finished product, untinged by pesky DJ tags. The four-man effort more than survives my tried and true test of "Will I listen to this on repeat on the subway on a Friday night?"--The odds are forever in Ye's favour. Though the posse cut gets bogged down around the 3:14 mark thanks to some out-of-place production meddling, the steel-drum riddims return 55 seconds later and all returns to boss-mode (college DJs edit accordingly).

It's harder to assess "Theraflu" given its inherent lack of polish. Like screening a summer blockbuster before the special effects are finished, I'm unsure how to value the low-fidelity punch of a radio release. Though sounding relatively incomplete, "Theraflu" does find Kanye's doing a pretty good impression of a legitimate rapper, so it earns an A for effort.

You've streamed the songs a bunch already, but here they are for your hard drives and iPhones...

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Kanye West - Mercy (feat. Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz)
Kanye West - Theraflu

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The Monday Mixtape: For Sam & West

Some old tunes, some new tunes, all good tunes, most Mondays...
While I normally just let the songs do the talking, this mix requires a special shout-out. My longtime friend, Sam, and her newborn son, West, requested a specially-curated Monday Mixtape. It's hard enough to make a playlist for a baby--I'm inclinded to just post this--but to impress an infant and his hip mom? Even more difficult. Hopefully these twelve songs will hit that sweet spot and suffice. You can't go wrong with Danzig, right?

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Paul McCartney - Ram On
Real Estate - Wonder Years
Anathallo - Hanasakajijii (Four: A Great Wind, More Ash)
Fraser & Debolt - The Waltze of the Tennis Players
Desmond Dekker - Shing a Ling
The Tallest Man on Earth - Graceland
The Microphones - The Moon
Caribou - Melody Day
Shlohmo - Seriously
Alessi Brothers - Seabird
Pavement - Spit on a Stranger
Danzig - Mother

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The Monday Mixtape: Catching Up With My iTunes History

Some old tunes, some new tunes, all good tunes, most Mondays...
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White Denim - Don't Look That Way at It
Jai Paul - Jasmine (Demo)
The Trade Winds - New York's a Lonely Town
Dirty Projectors - Gun Has No Trigger
Fort Romeau - Theo
Beach House - Other People
Ride - Cool Your Boots
Danny Brown - Grown Up
Milk Music - Out of My World
Willis Earl Beal - Evening's Kiss

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