The Top 30 MTL Songs of 2012

Underground sound, photo by Paul Lowry via Flickr

Compilation and commentary by Erik Leijon, with consultation from the Music Team

No long-winded intro about our resilient and fertile music scene needed — here are the very best songs Montreal had to offer this year. There weren’t really any rules (besides the rule that no artist could appear twice) or criteria, no envelopes were exchanged, and what constituted a Montrealer or Montreal band wasn’t restricted to maintaining an address with an H postal code.

Disclaimer: Song preferences subject to my ever-changing moods. This list is completely arbitrary and based on the whims of those who assembled it, as is the case with any list. Discovering music is as much a communal thing as it is a personal one: if you see a song on this list you believe you directed us towards, then you probably did and for that we thank you. Specifically, thanks to Cult MTL lifers Lorraine, Darcy, Shant, Jonathan and Cindy for filling in the gaps. Leonard Cohen, Godspeed and Rufus Wainwright released records this year but didn’t make the list; we hope they’ll be able to recover from the slight.

30. “Diamond Look” by TOPS

Overly affectionate couples can be annoying, but it’s not every day you see diamonds in the sky

29. “Macee” by How Sad (formerly Goose Hut)