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5 Best Songs of 2012, So Far

  1. Usher - Climax: A song called climax that ironically never climaxes.  Instead, the tension builds through each verse and chorus only to dissipate into nothing.  It's one of the coolest sonic ideas I've ever come across. The best Usher track since Yeah! and the best Diplo beat since since M.I.A.'s Paper Planes.
  2. BigBang - Bad Boy: The song is a perfect homage to 90's R&B. It's laid back, melodically brilliant, and has swagger on a hundred thousand, trillion. The best K-pop song to come out since S.N.S.D.'s Gee.
  3. Skylar Grey - Coming Home: The original version of Diddy's Coming Home. One of the best choruses of the past few years, stripped of all the abysmal rapping, and fitted with a much more heartfelt and subtle backing track.
  4. M.I.A. - Bad Girls: A solid tune up of the original mixtape track from last year. The synth line is stellar and M.I.A. singsong rapping is surprisingly catchy. Also, the music video is easily the best of the year so far.
  5. Sleigh Bells - Comeback Kid: Overall, beyond the brilliant album cover, Sleigh Bells' sophomore effort, Reign of Terror, was no match for their debut, Treats. This song, however, goes a long way to making up for that. Easily the best track they've ever done. Their trademark wall of guitar noise is dialed down just enough to allow the best song they've ever written some extra room to breathe. A fitting follow up to Rill Rill.

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