2012 so far…

I’ve seen many comments on blogs and Twitter recently to say that 2012 hasn’t been a vintage year for music. Now I know these comments come out around this time every year, but I still felt like having a look back at what the first six months of 2012 has had to offer.

The year got off to a good start with The Maccabees’ brilliant album, Given to the Wild. Their expanded ambitions and soaring sounds catapulted their album into the charts and was an immediate contender for end-of-year lists. Chairlift’s Something was also released, containing one of my favourite songs of the year so far.



February saw the release of two mesmerising albums from contrasting solo females, namely Grimes’ Visions and Sharon Van Etten’s Tramp. While worlds apart, both brought critical acclaim and attention to talented individuals released their fourth and third albums respectively.

In April, Jack White’s first solo record since The White Stripes (just kidding Meg) dropped, and it was his best in years. While I was a big fan of The Dead Weather’s first album, it’s great to have Jack back where he belongs, front and centre, axe in hand. His mix of blues, rock and country was a joy from start to finish, and I’m excited to say I’m seeing it live next Friday (22 June).



May saw dreamy soundscapes courtesy of Beach House, Poliça and Sigur Rós to delight and soothe. It also saw a new record from Richard Hawley, who brought a distinctly heavier sound than on his previous solo albums. His distorted psychedelia was unexpected but brilliant none the less.

And while Best Coast’s The Only Place, also released in May, drew some lukewarm reviews, it’s a superbly simple slice of breezy surf pop. Its lack of complexity is intended, and shouldn’t be used as a negative.

Even this week alone has seen exciting new albums released by Friends and Crocodiles, and new songs debuted live by Bat for Lashes.



And that’s just the albums, there have many dozens of brilliant songs from new bands yet to release albums, most of which you can find on my Jams.

With new releases from The xx, Bat for Lashes and hopefully a return to form from Bloc Party to look forward to in coming months, 2012 seems like a pretty good year for music to me.

2012 albums to check out

• Beach House – Bloom
• Best Coast – The Only Place
• Chairlift – Something
• Crocodiles – Endless Flowers
• Friends – Manifest!
• Grimes – Visions
• Jack White – Blunderbuss
• Poliça – Give You the Ghost
• Richard Hawley – Standing at the Sky’s Edge
• Santigold - Master of My Make Believe
• Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
• The Shins –  Port of Morrow
• Tanlines – Mixed Emotions

Holiday songs

I’m going on holiday tomorrow, and as it’s only in England, the weather isn’t gonna be great. But it doesn’t matter because I still have music, and these are all songs that either bring the sun with them or remind me of when we used to have summers.

The Drums’ Let’s Go Surfing is such a simple and infectious song, it’s one I can’t help but be cheered by everytime I hear it, and it's essential for a beach holiday. Same goes for Vampire Weekend’s upbeat Holiday. Bringing something different as always, The Pixies’ Holiday Song has a great riff and vintage Black Francis vocals to kickstart any roadtrip, while The Maccabees’ Went Away with its soaring melodies should be the anthem of summer 2012, if we get one. And finally, the title track and lead single from Best Coast’s new album, The Only Place. A sunsoaked love song to California and, though I'm not going to California, where I’m going does have the ocean and the waves too, so it'll do for me.

Short songs

This list is really a catch 22 situation. These songs are all brilliantly short and sweet, so I often wish they were longer, but is their greatness tied to their length? Would the spark be gone if they were a more standard length? Would they become just another song that starts well and loses its way? We will never know, but one can dream.

A short song has to create a lasting impression, and the best way is to burst out of the blocks and go for the jugular, maintain that intensity and generally be loud, energetic and riotous. Burn hot and fast and end rudely and abruptly. So, we’ve got a title track from The Vines that kickstarted one of the best albums of the noughties, some sweary punk from Be Your Own Pet, a noisy effort from The Kills, a great blast of surf pop from Beast Coast, and of course one from THE band for short songs, The Ramones.