Another year is almost over and it's been another great year for music. I am always drawn to big melodies and fantastic songwriting and this year's list reflects that.My album of the year is one that I kept going back to over and over again, Passion Pit's Gossamer. It's full of big hooks, is tons of fun and a really stellar outing from a young band. The rest of the list includes everything from bluegrass virtuosos Punch Brothers to Canadian pop band Stars, up-and-coming singer-songwriter Kenneth Aaron Harris, and veteran songstress Aimee Mann.
Check out my favorites below and stay tuned for the results of our annual readers' poll which are coming soon.
Favorite Albums
1. Passion Pit - Gossamer
2. Punch Brothers - Who's Feeling Young Now?
3. Stars - The North
4. The Explorers Club - Grand Hotel
5. Kenneth Aaron Harris - Brooklyn
6. M. Ward - A Wasteland Companion
7. Bowerbirds - The Clearing
8. Shovels & Rope - O' Be Joyful
9. Divine Fits - A Thing Called Divine Fits
10. Aimee Mann - Charmer
Favorite EP
T0W3RS - Wyattt
Favorite Reissue
Archers of Loaf - Vee Vee
Favorite songs
1. The Magnetic Fields - "Your Girlfriend's Face"
2. Passion Pit - "Take A Walk"
3. Carly Rae Jepsen - "Call Me Maybe"
4. Lost in the Trees - "Garden"
5. The Shins - "Simple Song"
6. Crocodiles - "Electric Death Song"
7. Stars - "The Theory of Relativity"
8. Lilac Shadows - "A Shallow Madness"
9. Of Monsters and Men - "Little Talks"
10. The Mountain Goats - "The Diaz Brothers"
Favorite shows
1. Foo Fighters @ The Fillmore Charlotte, 9/5/12
2. The Beach Boys @ Raleigh Amphitheater, 4/29/12
3. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds @ The Tabernacle, 4/6/12
4. The Zombies w/ The Fellow Travellers @ Cat's Cradle, 7/29/12
5. The Cribs @ Motorco Music Hall, 6/8/12
This is one our favorite posts of the year. We get to tally up the results of our annual readers' poll and share them with you wonderful people.
Well, the world didn't end on December 22 so if you're looking for a way to ring in the new year with great music in the Triangle, there is no shortage of choices for you this year.
Singer-songwriter Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls will host a special "Writers in the Round" event in Durham in January with some of the best local writers of the Triangle.
Minnesota rockers Soul Asylum, best known for their Grammy-winning 1993 single "Runaway Train," released their tenth full-length album in 2012, Delayed Reaction. The band will hit the road on tour in early 2013 that will bring them to the Triangle.
This year I was reminded how vital music can be in tough times and how context can turn a good album into something unforgettable.
Veteran post-punk band Mission of Burma released a new album earlier this year titled Unsound as well as a new two-disc best of set titled Learn How: The Essential Mission of Burma. The band has scheduled a handful of 2013 tour dates and will make their way to the Triangle.
Singer-songwriter Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers will be hitting the road in early 2013 on a short solo tour in support of his new solo album Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance and it includes a stop in the Triangle.
Songstress Samantha Crain will release a new album on February 19 via Ramseur Records titled Kid Face, but before the release, she'll hit the road on a winter tour that will kick off in the Triangle.
1990s R&B superstars Boyz II Men will be bringing their smooth, sexy sounds to the Triangle in the spring for a special performance with the North Carolina Symphony.
We told you about the forthcoming sophomore release (and Merge Records debut) from local rising starts Mount Moriah a few weeks ago. Now we have the first songs from the album to share with you.
New Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem will hit the road in early 2013 in support of the their latest album Handwritten, released in July, and they'll make a stop in the Triangle.
Scottish indie rockers Frightened Rabbit will release their fourth full-length album on February 5 titled Pedestrian Verse and they'll hit the road in the spring on a U.S. tour to support it.
Singer-songwriter Josh Ritter has just announced that he will release a new album on March 5 titled The Beast In Its Tracks and will hit the road on a big North American tour in the spring to support.
California pop rock band Augusta are hitting the road in early 2013 on an acoustic tour supporting their self-titled, third full-length album released in 2011.
After a round of sold out shows in the U.S. in December, British indie rockers Alt-J will return to North America in 2013 for a more thorough tour which will bring them to the Triangle.
Swedish indie pop band the Shout Out Louds will return in 2013 with their fourth full-length album, Optica. The album will be released by Merge Records on February 26.
The 2013 Grammy nominations were announced on Wednesday night and artists with Triangle ties have fared fairly well again this year.