Here are the songs I discovered in 2012 that I either listened to the most, forced others to listen to, danced around alone to in my room, or wished I had written.

Some, like Rihanna or Kendrick Lamar, are artists I’d not normally listen to on a regular basis. Rihanna’s performance, though, of “Diamonds” on Saturday Night Live, complete with a green screen from the 1980s, caused me to listen to the song in a whole new way. Kendrick’s Lamar’s “Backstreet Freestyle” reminds me a lot of late 1980’s rap, a la 2 Live Crew.

Of course, I’m a sucker for power pop, and Ben Kweller is a master of that style. But this past year has been more of a rediscovery of my love of shoegaze. I’ve fallen in love with almost anything that the label Captured Tracks puts out, and DIIV‘s “Doused” is the best song I’ve heard all year.

DIIV was also one of the best concerts I saw this past year. They played at Club Dada with Frankie Rose and Lonesome Ghost, a Dallas band that I look forward to seeing more of in the next year. For the record, the other concerts that topped my list were New Order, Die Antwoord, and The Faint.

I hope you enjoy this playlist, and please let me know of any songs you loved this past year. I’m sure I missed many other great songs.