Twostepcub's Best of 2012: Part Nine - #20-#11...

Welcome back gang, I'm almost to the end of my recap of the biggest songs of this year on my weekly personal music chart, and it's time to enter the top-20. If you haven't you can check out the rest of the list by clicking here.

#20 - Matchbox Twenty - "She's So Mean"
          from the album North (2012)
          Twostepcubchart peak: #2 (three weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 26

Rob Thomas is back with the band on this homage to a destructive love, with a model torturing them in the video as well. It looks like they followed Maroon 5's advice and got a bit funkier, and I like it.

(Click below to see the rest of the post)


#19 - Grouplove - "Tongue Tied"
          from the album Never Trust A Happy Song (2011)
          Twostepcubchart peak: #4 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 29

There was a refreshingly bounty of new indie-rock acts this year, and this slow-burn single for the L.A. group caught everyone's eye first from its use in the Apple iTouch ad, then slowly but surely became a mainstream rock hit. Their whole album is aces...

#18 - Avicii - "Levels"
          from the single Levels (2011)
          Twostepcubchart peak: #2 (three weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 24

The second and superior song on my top-100 of the year to sample Etta James' 1962 top-40 single "Something's Gotta Hold On Me", "Levels" brought the Swedish DJ/producer worldwide acclaim, with an anthemic track that works better with just the minimal vocal sample. Couple that with a dancing virus-infected video and you've got the closest thing to this year's instrumental anthem.

#17 - Imagine Dragons - "It's Time"
         from the album Night Visions (2012)
         Twostepcubchart peak: #19 (one week)
         Weeks on the chart: 32

Another song that took a while to catch on, the first hit from the Las Vegas rock band soared and marched along with the right sense of pacing between verse and chorus. It's probably the biggest mainstream rock cut here...

#16 - Ed Sheeran - "The A Team"
          from the album + (2011)
         Twostepcubchart peak: #15 (three weeks)
         Weeks on the chart: 30 (in 2012)

 English singer/songwriter Sheeran had one of the best albums of the year with his debut, which includes this amazingly beautiful yet stark look at a young girl junkie, and ended up besting both Adele and Florence + The Machine for a best song award at this year's Brits to boot. I'm totally chuffed that this has caught on in the States, and now is up for a Grammy for Best Song. I'm crossing my fingers for him.

#15 - Pink - "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)"
         from the album The Truth About Love (2012)
         Twostepcubchart peak: #1 (three weeks)
         Weeks on the chart: 23

After a short break to have her first child, Pink returned full-guns with this epic kiss-off complete with expletives galore and the most hilariously pun of a title. Also, "whiskey dick".

#14 - Train - "Drive By"
          from the album California 37 (2012)
          Twostepcubchart peak: #8 (two weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 28

The third of the big-three old-guy pop/rock groups still standing (see Maroon5, Matchbox 20), Train continued with the stream-of-consciousness bouncy goodness that everybody likes to hate, but they're getting the last laugh (for now)...

#13 - Linkin Park - "Burn It Down"
          from the album Living Things (2012)
         Twostepcubchart peak: #3 (four weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 27

Speaking of long-lasting acts, Linkin Park outlasted most of the bands they originally emulated (hello, Fred Durst), and have consistently grown into a mature, thoughtful version of hard rock. "Burn It Down" brought them back to the top of the rock charts, and deservedly so.

#12- Alex Clare - "Too Close"
         from the album The Lateness Of The Hour (2011)
         Twostepcubchart peak: #4 (three weeks)
         Weeks on the chart: 31

Alex's song was released in April of 2011, but it took the luck of being chosen for the backing to the worldwide Internet Explorer 9 ad for Microsoft that got the soulful British singer who was dropped by his label from being pegged as just an ex-boyfriend of the late Amy Winehouse. His voice is incredible, and was the right vehicle to bring (semi-) dubstep to the mainstream.

#11 - Adele - "Set Fire To The Rain"
          from the album 21 (2011)
          Twostepcubchart peak: #1 (four weeks)
          Weeks on the chart: 22 (in 2012)

Adele's climax to her landmark 21 album already was #67 on last year's Top-100 only as an album cut, and remained strong this year as pop radio took it on as her third #1 hit from the disc. As emotional as "Someone Like You" was, and soulful as "Rolling In The Deep" was, this song showed her passion like none other.

That does it for this part.....I'll return on Monday with the final ten in my countdown...and later today I'll have my top-100 for the current week. See you then!