
(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! [...]

You know who loves a good list? Every single one of you. Now get on with checking out the second part of my Top 50 Songs Of 2012 . In case you're curious, I chose the songs from the 400+ tracks that I shared around here throughout the last 11 months. Enjoy. 40) : Passion Pit - I'll Be Alright : I'm still not sure what Passion Pit were aiming for on their sophomore effort, but I dig this track a lot. I think it shows how adventurous their sound can be. From Gossamer [...]

Following an 18-year hiatus, soul singer Bobby Womack returns to top this week's list of new releases with The Bravest Man In The Universe , which easily ranks among the legendary singer's best albums to date. Following the approach he took with the late Gil Scott-Heron’s excellent final record, producer and XL Recordings head Richard Russell, along with co-producer and Blur/Gorillaz-leader Damon Albarn, adds moody electronics and trip-hop beats to create, what our Music Director, Don Yates, calls "masterful set of electro-soul" whose "spacious, modern production makes a surprisingly effective showcase for Womack’s grainy, deeply soulful vocals [...]
![[Listen] Stream New Albums from POP ETC, Hot Chip, Bobby Womack, and The Tallest Man On Earth](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4307403_lg.jpg)
Next week sees the release of some heavy-hitter releases, including new albums from POP ETC (the band formerly known as The Morning Benders), UK outfit Hot Chip, Swedish singer-songwriter The Tallest Man On Earth, and soul mastermind Bobby Womack. After changing their name from The Morning Benders to POP ETC , the Brooklyn outfit has adopted a new musical direction. Leaning away from their original indie beginnings and more towards an electronic and pop-infused sound, POP ETC are utilizing the name change in more ways than one, and it's paying off. The entirety of their self-titled debut [...]

photo by Victoria Holt R&B party-starters Fitz and the Tantrums have been touring pretty much non-stop since the release of their 2010 debut, Pickin' Up the Pieces , but this fall, they'll have a new album, and subsequently, a new reason to relentlessly tour. On October 9th, the band will release their currently-untitled sophomore effort via Dangerbird Records. To celebrate, the band is offering a free, five-track EP for download. You can find that, along with a slew of summer tour dates (including a stop at the Capitol Hill Block [...]

A little something for everyone. With summer on the way, there are tons of new album releases on the way, and NPR has three of them available to listen to in full. Hot Chip 's In Our Hands , The Tallest Man On Earth' s There's No Leaving Now , and Bobby Womack 's The Bravest Man In The Universe all drop on June 12. Get an early listen to all three below. Album Stream: The Tallest Man On Earth - There's No [...]
This week, NPR’s First Listen series is streaming new releases from UK electro outfit Hot Chip , Swedish singer-songwriter The Tallest Man on Earth , and soul legend Bobby Womack . Hot Chip’ fifth LP, In Our Heads , will be released on June 12th via Domino Records. The 11-track effort was recorded in London and produced by the band themselves, with additional production and engineering by Mark Ralph. The Tallest Man on Earth (aka Kristian Matsson) will release his third LP, There's No Leaving Now , on June 12th [...]