
Today we reach the halfway mark of our favourite 100 songs of 2012. Here are numbers 60 - 41 for your listening pleasure. You can check out numbers 100 - 81 here and yesterday's post of 80 - 61 here . And on we go... 60 JAMES LEVY & THE BLOOD RED ROSE - YOU SNEAK INTO MY ROOM A real mellow chill out tune. Reminds me of laid back version of the Divine Comedy. (SB) a [...]

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 [...]

ithugsback.co.uk Though I only gave it a very passing mention when it came out, I was really quite fond of British quartet It Hugs Back's 2009 debut Inside Your Guitar ; after all, I described their aesthetic of narcoleptic vocals, humming organs, and understated guitar heroics as a charming blend of American Analog Set and Yo La Tengo - how could I not like its fuzzy, mid-fi charms? But I lost track of them between then and now, though not without reason: first, they found their way off [...]

Kjell B Persson It's not unfair to say that Labrador Records has something of a "house sound", and not just for the Swedish accents. With acts like The Radio Dept., Acid House Kings, and Sambassadeur on their roster, they're a reliable source for warm, fuzzy, indie pop-ish sounds and so when they announce a new signing, it's usually worth paying some attention - even when on paper the artist doesn't seem have much in common with the rest of their roster. Or in the case of Amanda Mair , especially when. Not [...]