These days, it seems like everyone and their mother is posting year end lists. Top Tens in every conceivable genre and subgenre abound, and suddenly everybody is a musical connoisseur (VICE Mag recently had a particularly biting and spot-on commentary on NPR’s uber-obscure picks for 2012).
I personally have been particularly hesitant to post such a listing. I think picking a finite number of albums in a year rife with amazing musical releases can be limiting and derivative; two adjectives I would never want associated with our brand.
But at the same time, I realize the role of this website is to introduce readers and fans to a wealth of artists and songs they might not normally hear. Which is why I’ve assembled the following list. It’s not in any particular order, and not limited to a select few, but merely a sprinkling of what we consider to be the best music of the past twelve months; albums we hope you’ll consider if you haven’t listened to them already; artists we hope you’ll discover and follow in the future.
So without further ado…..
β’ Old Crow Medicine Show ‘Carry Me Back’
β’ Punch Brothers ‘Who’s Feeling Young Now’
β’ John Fullbright ‘From the Ground Up’
β’ Black Prairie ‘A Tear in the Eye is a Wound in the Heart’
β’ I Draw Slow ‘Redhills’
β’ Cahalen Morrison & Eli West ‘Our Lady of the Tall Trees’
β’ Spirit Family Reunion ‘No Separation’
β’ The Stray Birds ‘The Stray Birds’
β’ Sara Watkins ‘Sun Midnight Sun’
β’ Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers ‘They’re Playing My Song’
β’ Buddy Miller & Jim Lauderdale ‘Buddy & Jim’
β’ First Aid Kit ‘The Lions Roar’
β’ Shovels & Rope ‘O Be Joyful’
What do you think? Did we miss any? What were your favorite musical moments of 2012?
[Wishing you all the very best on this last day of the year. Thanks for making our 2012 so spectacular. No doubt 2013 is going to be even better…]
