Watch Merkhandise Play My Favorite Song of 2012 On Their Roof in Tampa

If we are friends in real life then you definitely know "Become What You Are" by Merchandise (off Children of Desire) is my very favorite song of the year and in fact you have probably already heard me talk about why that is so. It manages to pack what I believe are some complex ideas about self-reinvention and solitude and autonomy into a sweeping, poetic pop burner that culminates with a krauty barrage of noise. Intentional, ecstatic, disorienting noise, so as to say, "we are doing this for ourselves."

The lyrics really have the ability to pierce straight into anyone who at a point realized she had to change something about how she lived. When I interviewed the band they spoke about being Spiritually of the East but in a sense this song is rooted in America's primary fantasy-- that generally we're always free to ditch the burden of the past and start anew. The Alan Watts ref is also kewl; that's a good book.

If you would like some more ideas on why this is my favorite song of the year (and a lot of other things) you can have a copy of the first issue of Cryptophasia, which is a new print publication Liz and I have been working on for the past year and a half. It will be released by the end of the year. Just send your address to cryptophazia@gmail.com and we will mail you a copy.