25) "Get Away" by Yuck": 90's alternative rock hasn't sounded this good since, well, the 90s. The English college rockers show off their Pavement, Yo La Tengo, and Dinosaur Jr. influences on this great pop tune covered in fuzz and distortion.(mm)
Get Away by Yuck

24) "Polish Girl" by Neon Indian:  What I love most about this song is the great beat, especially when it kicks back in during the first part of the chorus, and the various effects.  Now I am not a sound wizard, but are those Super Mario Bros coins I hear in the song??(mm)
Neon Indian - Polish Girl by deejlr

23) "By Your Hand" by Los Campesinos!: A band I have always been hesitant to embrace until now, the punky poppers Los Campesinos! latest single begins with peppy keys leading into a both bittersweet and frankly bitter tune that the Welsh group has done so well over the years. The love it or hate it vocals of Gareth Campesinos finally pulled me in.(mm)
Los Campesinos! - By Your Hand by Arts & Crafts

22) "Baby Missiles" by The War on Drugs: The best review of this song I read was that it sounded like a Springsteen record and a Spiritualized record had melted into one. Damn, I wish I wrote that. No matter. Heartland harmonics mixed with ambient haze resulting in an exhilerating song made this my first introduction to the Phily band. "Baby Missiles" has not left my running mix since.(mm)
The War on Drugs - Baby Missiles by edin2sun

21) "Tell You" by Roger Bryan & the Orphans: My favorite track from my favorite local release of my favorite local band of 2011. Yeah, I kind of like these guys.  The band's three guitar attack really drives the song, and the whole album for that matter.(mm)
Roger Bryan & the Orphans - Tell You by buffablog

20) "Vomit" by Girls: The retro rockin San Fran duo deliver an epic of Pink Floyd proportions. Girls front man Christopher Owens sounds as bruised and battered as ever until powerful organs and Dark Side like gospel vocals take this tune to a level I never knew Girls had. The band, only a couple releases into their short career, continues to be unpredictable and fascinating. (mm)
Girls - Vomit by artsandcraftsmx

19) "Winter Beats" by I Break Horses: What is it about the Swedes and pop music? This band reminds me a little of Stars, but HUGE. Intimate synths open the track, which builds and builds until the song just takes off. If you like what you hear, make sure to go see I Break Horses open the M83 show this May at Town Ballroom.(mm)
I Break Horses - Winter Beats by Bella Union

18) "Countdown" by Beyonce: I can't begin to tell you how much I love this song. I've listened to it way too many times this year. It's one of the few actually decent pop songs. It's catchy, fun and might even make you want to dance. (ka)
Beyonce Countdown by Shamrock2015

17) "Bizness" by tUnE-yArDs: tUnE-yArDs is the musical genius of Merrill Garbus who performs her music by using percussion loops, ukelele and her amazing voice. "Bizness" is off her second album and its a pretty awesome song. (ka)
BIZNESS Tune Yards by CristinaBlack

16) "Grown Ocean" by Fleet Foxes: "Grown Ocean" was the first track I heard off Fleet Foxes newest album when it was leaked early. I knew the whole album was going to be fantastic just by this one song. It is an epic song with the heavy rhythmic guitar and harmonic vocals. (ka)
Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean by subpop

15) "It's Real" by Real Estate: Real Estate's self titled debut felt like summer. Their follow up, Days, feels like the pleasant transition from summer to fall, holding on to those warm feelings while enjoying the changing of seasons. The short, bouncy "It's Real" tightens up the band's sound from hazy to clear and concise. Singer Martin Courtney's vocals are effortless as he sings of "decomposing leaves" and "frozen seas", while guitarist Michael Mondanile provides some of the catchiest guitar licks of the fall.(mm)
Real Estate - It's Real by DominoRecordCo

14) "Santa Fe" by Beirut: On an accessible album full of great songs, "Santa Fe", the home town of Beirut leading man Zach Condon, is an absolute blast.  Bouncy keys and a great beat back Condon's vocals until an explosion of horns takes the song to the next level.  It's hard not to listen to "Santa Fe" without a smile on your face.(mm)
Beirut - Santa Fe by Revolver USA

13) "Up, Up, Up" by Givers: A friend of mine told me about the Givers a long time ago because he grew up in the same town as them and then a few months later I'm reading about them in Spin Magazine. This song is so much fun. (ka)
"Up Up Up" by GIVERS by Glassnotemusic

12) "Amor Fati" by Washed Out: The chill wave genre grew up this year, and leading the way was Georgia born Ernest Greene's Washed Out. "Amor Fati" gave the sleepy genre a shot of adrenaline with massive vocals and sweeping sythns.(mm)
Washed Out - Amor Fati by subpop

11) "Black Water" by Apparat: Apparat's newest album The Devil's Walk was one of my favorites by far this year. "Black Water" might be one of the most beautiful songs on this list. I'm in love with the slow, quiet build up that continues throughout the whole song. I feel like everything should move in slow motion while this song is playing. (ka)
Apparat - Black Water by Mute UK

10) "Will Do" by TV on the Radio: The Brooklyn art rock/punk/doo wop/you name it band released one of their most romantic songs of their career on their most straight forward album(Nine Types of Light) to date. The song would not be TV on the Radio without the nervy guitar work of Kyp Malone and the always insane vocal range Tunde Adebimpe. The passing of bassist and secret weapon Gerald Smith shortly after the album's release cast an unfortunate shadow over one of the most consistent and exciting bands in indie rock. (mm)
TV On The Radio - "Will Do" by Interscope Records

9) "Under Cover of Darkness" by The Strokes: While Angles may not have been the return to glory that fans wanted, "Under Cover of Darkness" proved that the NYC group was still capable of having fun. The cut was pure power pop, featuring the trademark guitar work that Strokes' fans have grown to love, soaring choruses, and even a short harmony at the end for good measure. If "Under Cover of Darkness" was the last song to capture the pure excitment of the Strokes of old, they could have done a lot worse.(mm)
The Strokes - Under Cover of Darkness by Posh Magazine

8) "The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade" by The Joy Formidable: Technically this song was originally released last year but it was so good The Joy Formidable included it on their album The Big Roar this year. The loud guitars, synths and solid bass combined with lead singer Ritzy Bryan's airy vocals makes this song a hit. The ending is definitely my favorite part of this song. (ka)
Joy Formidable - The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade by The Drift Record Shop

7) "Separator" by Radiohead: Fans were up in arms over the rather short length of Radiohead's latest album The King of Limbs. Conspiracy theorists still point to TKOL's closest track "Separator" as a clue for the 2nd half of the album that never arrived. "If you think this is over, then your wrong" sings Thom Yorke teased fans. From the kick beat that quickly ushers the song in to the slinky guitar notes that lead the mid tempo number to it's finish, "Separator" proves that Radiohead still are THE buzz band in music.(mm)

6) "Need You Now" by Cut Copy: I was lucky enough to see Cut Copy perform three times this year. Zonoscope was a solid album and really put them on the top of the indie music scene. I listened to "Need You Now" first thing in the morning for a while... its a good wake up and be awesome today song. (ka)
Need You Now by cutcopymusic

5) "One Sunday Morning" by Wilco: Our longest track on the list, but by no means does it feel that way. After two so-so records, the alt-country turned experimental rockers' 8th record, The Whole Love, closes with this 12 plus minute meditation. Sounding like the perfect mixture of what made Being There and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot so great, the intimate "One Sunday Morning" holds you oh so close while layers are carefully added verse after verse. Unlike past Wilco songs, the track never threatens to build and boil to an epic crescendo(not that there is anything wrong with that), but rather weaves and flows to faded out bliss.(mm)
Wilco - One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley's Boyfriend) by necpdalternative

4) "Don't Move" by Phantogram: This song gets me every time.... I forget how awesome it is and then within the first 3 seconds I remember. Phantogram only released a few songs on an EP this year but I couldn't be happier with it. Synthesizer, live drumming and an airy female lead singer seems to be the trend lately and no one does it better than Phantogram. (ka)
Phantogram - Don´t Move by homoheadphonico

3) "I Don't Want Love" by The Antlers: The Antlers specialize in these emotionally heavy songs that seem to linger with you well after the track ends. The opening track off their sophomore release Burst Apart perfectly showcases Peter Silverstein's falsetto while singing crushing lyrics. The shimmer that ends the song is still one of my lasting memories of the year in music.(mm)
The Antlers - I Don't Want Love by Transgressive Records

2) "Midnight City" by M83: We had a hard time picking which M83 song was our favorite off their newest album because we liked so many. In the end, "Midnight City" won because it is just so damn good. The track has such a life defining undertone and really tugs at the heart strings for the entire 4 minutes and 3 seconds. Several of our writers choose this album as their favorite of this year and it dominated all of the best of 2011 lists on other sites. Get your tickets to see it live at the Town Ballroom in May of this year because its going to be an unbelievable show. (ka)
Midnight City by M83

1) "Holocene" by Bon Iver: Yes I know. This song is on top or near the top of almost everyone's best of lists. You know why? Because it's that good.  Like M83, we had a difficult time selecting our favorite track off Bon Iver.  "Calgary" and "Perth" could easily have been in this spot, but in the end, the centerpiece of Justin Vernon's sophomore album, "Holocene", a song of incredible beauty and sadness, a song that is still haunting after countless listens throughout the year, takes the top spot on our year end list.  "And at once I knew, I was not magnificent" are still some of most humble lyrics of the year. "Holocene" is song that took Vernon out of that legendary cabin in the woods and turned him into a star.(mm)
Holocene by boniver