As 2012 draws to a close it is time to recount the year in music, and look at the albums that made our ears perk up. From powerful guitar driven rock classics to sweet and soulful piano melodies 2012 served up some of the best music in years. Here are four favourite albums from the year.
Undercover.fm will be posting our own list of best albums for the year 2012 shortly. This list shares one in common with ours, so lets start with that one.
Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball
Bruce Springsteen makes a triumphant return (is he ever actually gone?) to the charts with his magnificent Wrecking Ball album, the 17th of his illustrious career. As always Bruce focuses the imagery and themes of his songs on working class American values and courage, such that has never been stronger following the global financial crisis. Highlights of the album include the title track Wrecking Ball, the workers anthem We Take Care of our Own and the toe tapper Shackled and Drawn. His best album since 2007’s Magic.
Lana Del Rey – Born to Die
In what many have described as “an overnight success years in the making” seductive Indie Pop Goddess Lana Del Rey produces the pinnacle of her career to date with the album Born to Die. Full of sultry and catchy tunes the album took Lana Del Rey from previous modest success to the stratosphere of mainstream, breaking down and even redefining genres. The album deals with a myriad of issues including death, love and lust in a dangerously flirtatious manner. Clearly drawing inspiration from vintage 60’s style Lana is set to be one of the major success stories of 2012.
Mumford and Sons – Babel
Mumford and Sons burst on the scene a couple of years ago with the sublime Sigh No More. Such was the enormity of this record it was difficult to comprehend how the band would follow up. Babel is the album all Mumford and Sons were hoping for, but dared not to expect. The second album from the British indie folk group offers much of the same enigmatic banjo laden tunes as its predecessor. Definite highlights include the hopeful I will wait, along with the spooky Holland Road. The quality of Babel is reflected by the fantastic commercial success enjoyed by the album, which became the fastest selling album of the year in the UK and the biggest selling debut of any album in the US for 2012.
I Will Wait Regina Spektor – What we saw from the cheap seats
The enchanting Regina Spektor brought us another marvelously diverse and at times oddball album in 2012, titled What we saw from the cheap seats. The album offers an elegant, sometimes dark and always enjoyable collection of songs that masterfully balancing Regina’s soulful maturity and playful wit. Highlights from the album include the opening track “Small Town Moon” (one of Spector’s best songs in years) as well as the first single “All the Rowboats” which is as haunting as it is melodically beautiful. What we saw from the cheap seats might just be the most eclectic collections of songs Regina Spektor has put together so far in her fascinating career. A must have for fans.
Checkout out BigPond Music’s Top 100 Albums of 2012.
