My picks for the Top-5 songs played by WBER in 2012 , as whittled down from this pool of songs. If interested, you can view my selection process at this Google Doc. (131 songs down to 22, down to 11, down to 6, down to 5.)

Not a great year overall - far too many synthesizers and drum machines and whiny boys trying to sing like girls. There’s a place for all of that, but now that it’s become mainstream I no longer wish to hear any of it. It’s everywhere and it’s killing me. Thankfully there were some old faithfuls to fall back on.

1. The Shins - Simple Song (listen on spotify)
   #1 with a bullet. Never a doubt in my mind about this one. The album as a whole was slightly disappointing, but this song is perfect - particularly the melodies. 
2. Ben Folds Five - Do It Anyway (listen on spotify)
   Strip away everything other than Ben’s piano performance and this would still be good enough for #2. Add everything else back in and there was no competition. The 10+ year hiatus didn’t diminish the incredible chemistry that these three guys share. 
3. Soulsavers - Take Me Back Home (listen on spotify)
   Wow. Well, this one sorta snuck up on me. That’s about all I can say. Beautiful song. 
4. The Tragically Hip - At Transformation (listen on spotify)
   I’d be remiss if I didn’t include at least one song in my top 5 that truly rocks… and it came from a somewhat unlikely source. Thanks, Canada! 
5. Feist - The Bad In Each Other (listen on spotify)
   Her voice just hits me right where it counts, and the production on this song is mesmerizing.