[caption id="attachment_66037" align="aligncenter" width="607" caption="Taylor Swift made the countdown, y'all!"][/caption]

Fun fact! Superstars almost always release new music in the last quarter of the year, when everyone's itching to buy holiday gifts. Before the onslaught, I'm counting down the best 25 songs of the year so far. If it's on this list, it either came out in 2012 or rose to prominence this year.

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#20. "Anna Sun" by Walk the Moon

I like this song more today than I did when I praised it back in June. It's been a regular fixture in my work-out mix, and now I find myself craving the slow growth from acoustic jam to full-throttle, shout-for-the-hills dance-rock freak out. That building momentum is even more exciting when I know what I'm waiting for.

#19. "Too Close" by Alex Clare

You might remember that I love Alex Clare's entire album, which bounces between dark, grand dance songs and old-fashioned, R&B stompers. Above everything, though, "Too Close" stands out as glittering gem. No wonder it's the one that got chosen for a national commercial.

18. "Hold On" by Alabama Shakes

Like Aretha plus Janis plus awesome, Alabama Shakes singer Brittany Howard is one of the most exciting new vocalists of the year. She's got that authentic soul you can't teach, and the blues-rock swagger of "Hold On," which tells a story about her own attempt to survive her stupid youth, lets her shine.

17. "Eyes Open" by Taylor Swift

Swift's new single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is taking her music in an unexpected, California-rock-chick direction, but earlier this year, she swerved a different way on the Hunger Games soundtrack. As far as I'm concerned, "Eyes Open" is her best work. The lyrics have a world-weary wisdom about how to protect yourself from people who want to hurt you, but they don't collapse into that cloying, uber-personal malarkey that Swift is so prone to. Plus, her vocals are rich and controlled, and the music is sophisticated and exciting... an arena-rock ballad for the ages.

16. "Queen of Denmark" by Sinead O'Connor

Sinead O'Connor released a new album this year? She totally did! It's called How About I Be Me (And You Be You), and it features some of her best work in over a decade. There are plenty of excellent tracks---the sunny "Old Lady," the rapturous "The Wolf Is Getting Married"---but the standout track is "Queen of Denmark." Written by gay singer-songwriter John Grant, it has some of the best lyrics I've heard in ages, with a lover coldly explaining why his partner will never overcome the crazy shit they put each other through. Without changing the lyrics, O'Connor sings in the character of a gay man, giving her voice extra huskiness, and when she hits the soul-shredding chorus, where all the pain comes through, she reminds me why her artistry will always be more impressive than her personal scandals.

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Mark Blankenship tweets as @IAmBlankenship. He just listened to that Sinead O'Connor song twice in a row. He might go back a third time.