
And so the moment to reveal Mad Mackerel's final favourites of 2012. Here are numbers 20 down to top spot. Dig in and enjoy. 20 OF MONSTERS AND MEN - LITTLE TALKS Duelling male / female voices from Iceland's finest and bitter sweet lyrics (only with igloos and saunas instead of pubs and football). They also shout "Hey!" a lot which can't be a bad thing. ( TS ) Anything from this lot always lifts my mood. However this one just edged it for the catchy nature of the [...]

Another year, and another top 5 gigs by bands that should not be missed live. How odd that three of them came one after another, but that's the cool thing about Washington DC. Except for December through the beginning of February (the dead of winter) and June through August (festival season), there is always a reasonably good selection of bands coming through here. But that hasn't always been the case. I am often asked on my travels why I became a music blogger, and the simple answer has always been this: when I [...]

The nominees are. First Aid Kit - The Lions Roar My Darling Clementine - How Do You Pleed Old Crow Medicine Show – Carry Me Back Hurray for the Riff Raff – Look Out Mama The Barker Band - Dig Me A Hole Otis Gibbs - Harder Than Hammered Hell [...]

(photo by cubagallery ) We're quickly approaching the end of 2012 and/or the world depending on your interpretation of Mayan prophecy, and that can only mean it's time to reflect on the best albums of the year. For me, one record stood head and shoulders above the rest in 2012, so album of the year was an easy decision, but there was much deliberation for the other 24 positions (plus, honorable mentions). This was one of the most diverse years of music in recent memory, with pop, guitar-oriented rock, folk music, indie-pop and electronica all being represented [...]
(26 - 50) 50. Crocodiles - Endless Flowers Crocodiles - "Endless Flowers" - mp3 Crocodiles - Facebook | Website . . 49. Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It Perfume Genius - "Dark Parts" - mp3 Perfume Genius - Facebook | Website . . 48. Cousin Brian - First Cousin Brian - "Fear [...]

Today we countdown songs 40-21 in the Mad Mackerel Favourite 100 tunes of the year. You can check out the previous days entries here: 100-81 , 80-61 , 60-41 . 40 ALABAMA SHAKES - HOLD ON Almost a head-banger done country style, love the underlying guitar rhythm. ( SB ) a 39 LOWER DENS - BRAINS When I picked this song out in June I said it was like a [...]

Just Music That I Like's Favourite Albums of the Year 2013 - Part Four Previously posted: Part One // Two // Three // Four // Five 10. Hannah Cohen - Child Bride Facebook // Order CD/LP Hannah Cohen was an artist I don't think anybody had heard of this time last year, her introduction to the world [...]

And so the moment to reveal Mad Mackerel's final favourites of 2012. Here are numbers 20 down to top spot. Dig in and enjoy. 20 OF MONSTERS AND MEN - LITTLE TALKS Duelling male / female voices from Iceland's finest and bitter sweet lyrics (only with igloos and saunas instead of pubs and football). They also shout "Hey!" a lot which can't be a bad thing. ( TS ) Anything from this lot always lifts my mood. However this one just edged it for the catchy nature of [...]
By Seraphina Lotkhamnga It's been a great year of music. My ears have had such a good year that the task of selecting my top albums has never been harder. Perhaps it's because I've whittled down my usual list of 25 albums to 20 this year. Some artists on this list made their L.A. debuts this year and some of them have been in the neighborhood for years. Check out my top 20 albums of 2012, with my thoughts on the Top 10, and some honorable mentions after No. 1: [...]
Top 10 albums of 2012 Well, it's December, it's a week until Christmas, it's midweek and I'm drinking. That can mean only one thing, I've read Trotter's Top 10 for this year and felt compelled to pen a response. Yes, it's time to pore over the musical detritus of 2012 and pick out the wheat from the chaff... Or, to let my inner geek put things into lists... Here, we start with a list of the top 10 albums which I have enjoyed muchly this year. In a seperate post [...]
Dwayne Carter Jr. is full of good lines but the following is hands down my favorite... If I die today it be a holiday..." If there's ever a moment in my life when my perspective is so off or I'm doing something so terribly against my true nature that makes me feel otherwise then there's something wrong. Life is too short to be dishonest with yourself or others and nothing matters that much to put up with bullshit from anyone . I'm lucky to have music, [...]

(photo by cubagallery ) These are 50 tracks that delighted, inspired and fascinated us in 2012 and that we think are worthy of remembering long after the year is over. We present them here in highly unscientific ordered list form, with Matt's songs marked with a "-MG" and my choices with a "-TJ" next to them. To better spread the love, we've stuck with the one song per artist rule. Click here to download all the tracks in a zip and subscribe to our Spotify Playlist to stream them all. Enjoy y'all! [...]
Kathleen Edwards’ Voyageur Kathleen Edwards' fourth studio album is quite a departure from the alternative country sound she’s known for. With Voyageur, Edwards created a shimmering folk album about her divorce that is both beautifully written and expertly produced. But what makes this album so great, is that Edwards - in just ten songs - perfectly captures the relief and subsequent freedom that comes with admitting that something is never going to be the same. Sharon Van Etten’s Tramp In the past, Sharon Van [...]

When Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Soderberg first came on the radar of music fans with their You Tube cover version of Fleet Foxes Tiger Mountain Pleasant Song aged just 18 and 15 and followed it up with the Drunken Trees EP in 2008 and The Big Black And The Blue album in 2009 the journalistic cliché of “a maturity beyond their years,” was rolled out over and over again. Yet it’s with The Lion’s Roar that First Aid Kit really come of age. [...]

Grimes / photo by Morgen Schuler You’ve already seen what the KEXP DJs have picked for their Top 10 Albums of 2012 ( here ), but what about all of the people who support our programming and every element of what makes KEXP mighty? There are many dedicated souls who operate KEXP on a daily basis -- full-time and part-time staff, quarterly interns, DJ assistants and other volunteers -- all brought together by their shared passion for music. Here’s what they chose for their Top 10 Albums of 2012. By the way, you still [...]
Instead of just presenting our favorites, as much as we love to rattle on about the songs and records we loved here, we've asked some experts- people we have befriended in the process, those we admire and respect, our favorite musicians- what records they loved in 2012. FRANK TURNER : JIM LOCKEY & THE SOLEMN SUN - DEATH Frank Turner is a folk punk hero. If you're reading this, you've probably heard of him. He is pretty much our favorite musician and [...]

December 17, 2012 The Muso's scribes have been good enough to once again combine forces and continue their yearly undertaking of coming up with the list of albums that they feel have made the most impact in the past 12 months so below you'll find what made it in to the upper reaches of the chart. 20 - First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar Kenny McMurtrie: "Reversing the [...]
Part one of our end of year run down brings us a healthy dose of authentic, old school passion with a dash of modern day style. Join us for the next ten this afternoon. 50. Glen Hansard - Rhythm and Repose Solo album from Frames man finally arrives. Worth the wait. 49. First Aid Kit - Lion's Roar Swedish take on Americana proves a winning formula. 48. Melody's Echo Chamber (pictured) - Melody's Echo Chamber [...]

È stato un anno strano per me. Ad esempio non ho mai viaggiato così tanto come nel 2012. In secondo luogo, non sono mai stato così impegnato da università e progetti vari e così dentro a quello che studio e che faccio, in misura tale da sentire di far parte di qualcosa di più grande di me e di essere riconosciuto come tale. Quindi un anno importante che ha avuto come effetto collaterale aver avuto meno tempo per dedicarmi a cose altrettanto importanti (vedi: ascetismo sentimentale, assenza da questo blog). Non è stato sottratto il tempo alla musica (e [...]
As our twelve days of Christmas continue, we have more on the way with another MUF writer, Michele, whose top songs of 2012 represent another great year in music. ...