Recently the French electronic dance band Daft Punk posted a 15 second short on Saturday Night Live. Presumably, it was an advertisement for a new album. The background music is more funky, and less noisy than their most recent releases.
Some have speculated they may be going back to a sound more reminiscent of “Discovery” from 2001.
What interests me is the approach of the advertisement. Usually a band just tweets or blogs, but this was a full-blown advertisement on national television. It went viral, alright. Scouring Youtube, I’ve already seen tons of remixes and 10 minute loops of the fifteen second clip.
Needless to say, I’m rather excited about a new Daft Punk release.
I remember going to a CD Warehouse in Laurel, MD and picking up a copy of “Homework” back in the day. It was pretty much my first techno album I had ever owned alongside a Kraftwerk album.
I really enjoyed “Discovery,” but everything seemed to go downhill after that. “Human After All” was recorded in six weeks and it showed. Then they did the soundtrack for Tron 2.0. It was not bad, but soundtracks are not wholly representative of a band’s creative output. Continue reading
was a much anticipated album for me. Having fallen in love with the sound of The Ting Tings on their 2008 album, 
, I was ready for more music in the same style. Sounds From Nowheresville feels more experimental in nature and I’m not so crazy about a couple of the tracks, but I can allow The Ting Tings their indulgences. While their defining hit may remain That’s Not My Name, they still have a lot of music in them, and I’m glad they brought some of it out and shared with the rest of us in 2012. I hope they don’t wait as long for album number three, but I know they will take the time to make it as perfect as they can, too.
. My favorite track from the album, Hot Knife, has many musical layers to it, which I find more intriguing than the album’s single, Every Single Night.
, I looked up some facts about her. She was a fourth place contestant on some reality show over in the UK. Whatever. I don’t know who she competed against or how good they were, but I like her music, and love love love the track Playa Boi. The song is based on one of my favorite 80s songs, Buffalo Stance by Neneh Cherry. Props to Cher Lloyd for bringing us a modernized version of a classic hip-hop song.
, was released in 2011. I listened to Unbroken some during 2012, but the one Demi Lovato track that I play over and over, year after year, is Get Back, from the 2008 album 
. Although the song was released back in 2008, I can’t get enough of it. Sometimes I get in this mood where I want to listen to Get Back on repeat and listen to it all freakin’ day long. So while I like some of Demi’s other songs, including the wonderful Skyscraper, I have to list Get Back as my favorite Demi Lovato track for 2012, even if it’s four years old. I considered ranking it at #1, but it didn’t seem right to rank it that high when this is supposed to be a list for 2012. The #7 spot will have to suffice.
was intended as the single, but I prefer the more subtle and dreamy 
.
is classic Garbage while being new at the same time. The One is a rocking song that also reminds me of Shirley Manson’s stint as a robot on a too-short-lived television show. But Manson’s vocals are the real draw, and not just on The One, but all of he tracks on the album. As a side note, I found the eponymous 
album on Amazon, and it’s also full of tracks with Manson’s vocals. Love it, and played it a lot during 2012. I didn’t include it on this list because it’s from last century, 1994. 
But if you haven’t heard Angelfish and you like Garbage, you should check out the album.
, the 2012 album release from Marina & The Diamonds, more than any other album in 2012. There’s not one bad song on the album. If this list were based on my favorite albums rather than my favorite tracks, Electra Heart would have ranked at #1. Bubblegum Bitch appeals to my irreverent, tongue-in-cheek side. Yes, I have such a side. But I don’t have liquor lips.
, are two of my all-time favorite tracks, by any artist. But Dragonette’s 2012 album, 
, is my overall favorite Dragonette album. My Legs is a favorite not only because of its outstanding vocals or how danceable it is, but also because I adore its lyrics. The album name, Bodyparts, is most appropriate for My Legs, and not just because of the track’s title.
, I was playing some of the songs from the album in the car, and I left the CD in the player. My wife took the car out next, and the CD started playing automatically. I didn’t expect her to like Halestorm’s music, but she surprised me by asking me about the artist and saying how much she liked the songs. Her favorite track from the album is You Call Me a Bitch Like It’s a Bad Thing. If she and I were younger, we would have gone to a Halestorm concert when they were in Orlando recently. They are so good. On another note, the video for Love Bites is my favorite video of 2012.
. She reaches heights with that song that exceed anything she did on AI. The lyrics are inspiring too, living up to the track title.
. Some people don’t care for it as much as No Doubt’s earlier albums, and that’s fair. It’s damned difficult to beat Tragic Kingdom and the next couple of albums that followed it. But some of the songs from Push and Shove fit the same mold as older No Doubt songs. I played the hell out of Settle Down when the single was released, more than any other track released in 2012 by any artist. But it’s Looking Hot that reminds me the most of No Doubt’s glory days. As for the uproar about the video for the song, with the Cowboys and Indians parody, it was just that, a parody. It’s not like Gwen Stefani painted her skin red. Anyone who thought viewers might get confused between Gwen Stefani and a real Indian needs to have their brains examined. I’m not a racist. But I don’t like injustice either, and I feel an injustice was done to No Doubt in this case.
was released in 2011, but I played it a good deal in 2012. I was a fan of Meg and Dia before the group act became a solo act in name, and have adored Dia’s voice for a long time. The tenderness she lends to the track The Broken Ones endears her to me even more.
, denoting that this is Alexx Calise’s third solo album.
album in 2010. With her latest album, 
, Taylor has outdone herself, and I’m definitely a fan now. The title track of her latest album is my favorite Taylor Swift track to date. It will be interesting to watch how Taylor progresses in her career from here.
.
, are raw and energetic. Other songs on the album are perhaps more popular, but my clear favorite is Timed Blues, with its wailing vocals on counterpoint with pounding guitar.
. From that album, I absolutely love the tracks Secret and Boring. Their 2012 album, 
, is overall a better album than the previous one, but for me there aren’t any tracks that stand out like Secret and Boring. On the other hand, with the exception of I Put Your Records On, which doesn’t have the same oomph for me, I like all of the tracks on You & I nearly equally well. Though I enjoy listening to the whole album, Drag You Down grabs my attention ever so slightly more than the other tracks.
, was released in 2011. I actually bought Light Me Up on CD, as an import, before the US version was available, I liked it that much. The album still saw a lot of play on my music player in 2012. I like all of the tracks on the album, but My Medicine speaks to the part of me that required medicine to survive, some decades ago. I’m all right now. Really.
, and then again this year with 
. I listened to Talk That Talk in 2012 more than I did to Unapologetic, and I like the tracks from Talk That Talk better overall, but for this list I wanted to stick to tracks released in 2012 when possible. The selection of a favorite 2012 track from Rihanna was an easy choice. Jump is easily the most musically intriguing track from Unapologetic. Overall, Unapologetic is probably my least favorite album from Rihanna. After hearing some of the tracks once, I won’t be listening to them again. This is the first Rihanna album for which I can say that. Numb and Loveeeeeee Song will never again be intentionally played on my music player. Ever.
. The entire album rocks, but 59 Crunch has the most punch. The track Million Miles cracks me up every time. Do you know how far a million miles is? I think you’d have to travel around the earth nearly a thousand times to go a million miles. (Yes, that’s an exaggeration too.)
.
, but the title track is definitely my favorite.
.
.
, was a welcome release from one of my favorite classic rock bands, especially with the return of David Lee Roth. More bluesy rock here. Rock owes a lot to the blues, so it’s not surprising that a good number of rock artists incorporate bluesy elements. I like it. Let’s have more in 2013.
, as well. I love all their voices. Susanna Hoffs, a member of the Bangles, released the album 
in 2012, and I love it. I believe This is the Place is something of an advertisement, but that doesn’t matter. The song pulls you in. Wherever you are when you listen to the song, that place becomes the place.
. Cherri Bomb is now one of my favorite all-girl bands. The Donnas are still my favorite all-girl band, but Cherri Bomb is growing on me.
, is definitely to my taste, and I love the song Ruin. Bitchin’.
went on sale on Amazon, I decided to buy it. While I enjoy all the tracks on the album, it’s still Little Talks that I get into the most.
, the latest album from Lynyrd Skynyrd, is on par with any other Southern Rock album I’ve heard. It wasn’t easy to pick a favorite track from the album, but Mississippi Blood edges out the others because of the bass guitar licks.
. But I got the album cheap at Amazon and figured I’d see what the hubbub was about. Some of her songs are to my tastes. Automatic is a great dance tune, a pop song rather than rap, and my favorite on the album.
was available at the right price, so I decided to check it out. Most of the songs are not memorable, but Call Me Maybe is.
. I would have played this song more if it had been on an EP or album, and might have grown to like it more, although something about the production value of the purchased MP3 track seems off to me. Otherwise I would have rated it higher. I’m still hoping for an EP or an album from Didi Benami.
, late in 2012, or I might have rated her higher. She’s the only smooth R&B/soul singer on this list. I used to listen to a lot more smooth R&B and soul music. What happened? Have my tastes changed or is the quality of smooth R&B/soul music declining overall?
for sale on Amazon, and I went for it. It’s labeled as a Country album, and well, yeah, it is Country, but there are alternative rock influences. I enjoy the result.
. No one will replace Peter Steele, but I’m glad to have some new music with a bass singer who isn’t trying to act all satanic. Thank you, My Jerusalem. I’ll be listening in 2013.
album get all the attention, but Lil Darlin is my favorite. She’s alternative rock with a bluesy sound, and The O’Mys enhance that bluesy feel.
, is Gotsa Get Paid, which is a good song, but I like the vibe from Big Shiny Nine better. Like ZZ Ward, ZZ Top plays bluesy rock, but ZZ Top was there first.
, for her current band, and thought I’d give it a try. The price was right. The songs impressed me more than the 2009 song. The new album is labeled as Rock, but it’s got a folksy feel. The result is rocking, foot-tapping music.
