The 25 Best Singles of 2012

25. Muse -- Madness

With a seductive electronic purr, Muse unleashed their best single since the Absolution days.



24. El-P -- The Full Retard

Brooklyn hip-hop savante Jaime Meline, otherwise known as El-P, did what he does best in 2012 -- laying down a barrage of incendiary beats that pretty much shook your eardrums until they broke.



23. Real Estate -- Easy

The title says it all. The first single from Real Estate's Days album, released at the very start of 2012, was a breezy, catchy bit of wonderfulness.



22. DIIV -- Doused

A lot of bands were still doing the propulsive 80s indie thing in 2012, but DIIV (pronounced "dive") did it better than just about anybody else. This single proves it.



21. Cat Power -- Cherokee

God bless Cat Power. That is all.

Tomorrow: 20-16

Listening Post

I haven't really been into Muse since 2006's Black Holes and Revelations. It was a decent album -- nowhere near as brilliant as Absolution but a hell of a lot less insufferable than pretty much everything that's come after it. I blame the succubine influence of Kate Hudson, who, according to Almost Famous, was supposed to improve a band's music, not make it worse.

Anyway, I have to admit that the new Muse single, if nothing else, breaks their recent trend of releasing thoroughly irritating -- or, in the case of their song for the London Olympics, unimaginably awful -- music.

Here's the brand new video for Madness.

Listening Post: Bonus Final "Fuck You" Edition

Because I couldn't fail to recognize George W. Bush's last day as president and attempt to provide the fitting musical coda for his disastrous eight years in office:

Here's Muse -- Take a Bow.