2012 in Music

The year 2012 is finally over, and has been for a whopping 20 days! In retrospect, how was your collective year? Mine was completed with a bevy of various ups and downs, but ultimately, it ended up being my most fulfilling year yet, chock-full of life lessons, massive milestones, and some great memories that I'll carry with me all of my life. From a multimedia standpoint, 2012 was like a musical renaissance for me. What were some of your favorite songs/albums/artist debuts/etc. of 2012?

My favorite band debut, by far, was that of The Lumineers, with their ubiquitous folk-driven hit "Ho Hey", and songs like "Flapper Girl" and "Stubborn Love" solidifying a true, down-to-earth, barebones Americana sound that I love. I'd also received "The World From The Side Of The Moon" debut album by Phillip Phillips ("Home", "Gone Gone Gone") signed in the mail after ordering it by chance when there were only, as I recall, a thousand signed copies circulating off of his official website that I managed to happen upon just in time, so I was happy for that. 

I was happy that The Avett Brothers, another folk group, had finally found their niche in popular American radio with "Live And Die". Having followed the band for a while, they really deserved it.

I was also greatly pleased with the amount of releases my favorite modern group, Monkey Majik, had put out this year: two full albums, a Christmas EP, and some solo work to the side. One of the vocalists of the group, Blaise Plant's ("Spaceman", "New York City") masterfully-produced album, "Motion Picture", is actually my favorite album from out of the entire year. 

From an indie standpoint, the release of Clara C's "esc."  made my year, especially having received a signed copy! Her voice and songwriting skills are impeccable, and the retro rock'n roll vibe of her sound is fantastic. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals' new album, "The Lion, The Beast, The Beat" was pretty darn fantastic, too, as was Walk The Moon's self-titled debut album.

Similarly to Clara C, an engaging singer-songwriter, Eric Hutchinson released his sophomore album in 2012 entitled "Moving Up, Living Down", one of my all-time favorite albums to listen to, just because it's so much fun, featuring several tracks with a solid retro vibe to them, including my personal favorite, "The People I Know".

Jason Mraz also released what will remain one of his greatest hits of all time, in my opinion, in "I Won't Give Up".

What were some of your favorite songs of 2012? Jeez, I've barely just scratched the surface with mine. Too much good stuff came out last year. @_@ Which is not a bad thing!