Forget all the lists, features, thinkpieces, and interviews we’ve been doing to celebrate the chaotic jumble that is 2012. When it gets right down to it, nothing matters more than the music itself. So here, presented with very little comment, is a Spotify playlist of 101 of our favorite songs from the last 12 months. This beast runs the gamut from ubiquitous mega-sensations like PSY and Kanye to under-the-radar gems from Fatima Al Qadiri and Holograms. Think of it as the living, breathing, rocking version of our Year In Music extravaganza: There’s “Mercy,” but no mercy. It’s all our favorite albums, songs, hip-hop, metal, electronic, R&B, dubstep, African rap, hardcore punk, blues hybrids, prog-disco, weird Swedish Afro-psych, and hopefully the last time we have to say “trap rave.” Enjoy!
