la lista de musica 2012

i wrote last year: people generally make top 10 lists this time of year to prove to the cosmos that they were paying attention and didn't let the year pass them by without notice. for the most part, they reflect on the past year and the new things that have brightened (or contentedly saddened) their days. and sure, there's a small part of the process that is aimed more at proving to the reader that the writer is cool enough to be on top of things and listen to the "right" stuff, and see the "hip" bands, and by paying attention to relevant music, is relevant themself.

this list lacks that second part completely.

i generally listen to pretty awful music. and its usually old (but not so old that its cool again). so i offer you this top ten tracks of 2012 list. but most were not released in 2012. instead this is my list of songs that will forever mentally transport me to afternoons spent in south american bars, late nights in makeshift paint studios, and sunrises seen from bedrooms in la paz. these are the songs that will likely stir strong emotion for decades to come. these are the songs that made 2012 what it was for me.

extra special mention

i am convinced i can start a cult following of Surfin’ Wagner, and i like them for reasons beyond the fact that they are mentioned in my dissertation. not only do they wear lucha masks and hawaiian shirts while playing surf-punk music, they’re nice guys with a sense of humor, and their website is just plain hilarious.

10. 

it was all the rage, but i resisted listening until it hit big in bolivia. a week later i appeared on the same television show with this particular video.

9.

practically perfect in every way. and even better in italian.

8. 

in a transient place, it describes so many relationships. sometimes comforting. sometimes heartbreaking.

7. 

sometimes you need to feel like a ninja. sometimes you need to feel like a primadonna.

6.

from beaches of the caribbean to andean mountaintops it followed me everywhere. by the end i grew to love it.

5.

good times. best friends. shitty tarija wine.

4.

the perfect soundtrack for construction, mural painting, and learning vocabulary like malirpa.

3.

when you leave and return as much as i do, feeling like you’re back in the groove is essential.

2.

i have a theory. after this song is played, nothing can go wrong. in fact, things usually get much better. especially if you play it 18 times.

1.

he called me and 5am and requested jim beam and this song. i didn’t know where to get booze at that hour, but he was content with the musical offering alone.