Public Radio's Most Played Songs Of 2014. The War On Drugs, seen here performing live on KEXP, supplied several of public radio's most popular songs this year. Dave Lichterman/KEXP hide caption itoggle caption Dave Lichterman/KEXP The War On Drugs, seen here performing live on KEXP, supplied several of public radio's most popular songs this year. Dave Lichterman/KEXP NOW PLAYING: Jack White, "Lazaretto" NPR Music publishes a popular feature each month called Heavy Rotation, which collects 10 songs that public radio hosts across the country can't stop playing. This special Heavy Rotation mix features the most popular songs from an assortment of our favorite U.S. public radio stations. Our stream was curated entirely by the following NPR members: A Haunted Halloween by Design*Sponge (10 songs) | free halloween and creepy music playlist.
Bob Boilen's Top 10 Albums Of 2012 : Best Music Of 2012. Hide captionBritain's Alt-J was this year's Mercury Prize winner, for the band's debut album An Awesome Wave. The group is also Bob Boilen's pick for Album Of The Year. Courtesy of the artist There is so much more to a year in music than a top ten list. I boil my list down to the records I simply loved the most. It's not a well balanced list — there's no jazz, hip-hop, classical, world or country — but with all art I find a natural attraction and I don't fight it. I listen to a wide scope of sounds all year (and rate everything I hear) but my favorites are my friends, the ones I put on and sing to.
I'm still a sucker for songs and the craft of songwriting. Bob's Top Picks For 2012 1. Song: Tessellate Purchase Music Everything about this trippy record has won me over. Purchase Featured Music "Tessellate" Album: An Awesome Wave Artist: Alt-J Label: Infectious Released: 2012 2. Song: Sleeping Ute Purchase Music "Sleeping Ute" Album: Shields Artist: Grizzly Bear Label: Warp Released: 2012 7. 9. Ann Powers' Top Albums And Songs Of 2012 : Best Music Of 2012. Hide captionMiguel's killer 2012 began with the release of three free Art Dealer Chic mixtapes. His second full-length album, Kaleidoscope Dream, followed in September. Courtesy of the artist Every year as I make my lists of best releases, I feel like that cartoon bodybuilder at the beach, ridiculously flexing in hopes of gaining some fluttery attention.
How silly! Consensus is an interesting concept in our current era of infinite musical variety. These are the three main ways to become a year-end consensus favorite in 2012: One, bring quality hooks to the radio. Today's most promising artists, however, combine all of these moves within their own choreography. Ocean's Channel Orange, which I kept there for most of my year, is a hugely significant release that shifted the public's awareness about what "urban" music can be.
So, without further ado, here's my list. Ann Powers' Top 10 Albums Of 2012 Purchase Featured Music "What do I stand for? " "We Are Young" Album: Some Nights Artist: Fun. Robin Hilton's Top 10 Albums Of 2012 : Best Music Of 2012. Hide captionCat Power (Chan Marshall) put out the best record of her career in 2012, with the triumphant Sun. Austin Conroy I'm always amazed by the bottomless well of human creativity. Every year around this time I reflect on all the phenomenal music that came out, and wonder how on earth there could possibly be any more to hear.
Surely we've exhausted all of our ideas. And yet, January rolls around, and new albums by new artists start pouring in, filled with new sounds and voices. We'll never run out of music. Most of the stuff I fell in love with in 2012 was big and loud. That said, I did include a few quieter, more introspective albums on this list to mix it up ... with apologies to Metz, JEFF The Brotherhood, Dum Dum Girls, The Bleeding Knees Club, Deafheaven, Mind Spiders, Dinosaur Jr and too many more to mention. Robin Hilton's Top 10 Albums Of 2012 Song: Sun Sun is a triumph. Purchase Featured Music "Sun" Album: Sun Artist: Cat Power Label: Matador Released: 2012 Song: Passage 9.
Music's 100 Favorite Songs Of 2012 : Best Music Of 2012. Hide captionM.I.A. rocks out in 2012. M.I.A. rocks out in 2012. This is what 2012 sounded like streaming on our phones, blasting through tiny laptop speakers, booming wirelessly in our living rooms and spinning on vinyl while hanging out with friends. These are the songs that made us smile, made us cry, put our hands in the air, cracked us up, lodged in our brains, caught us dancing in our chairs and brought us back down to earth. Explore our 100 favorite songs of 2012 below, presented in alphabetical order. Algodon Egipcio, "La Espina Del Cardenche"The Venezuelan DJ's ethereal ode to "cardenche," a northern Mexican music style whose name itself (a reference to pulling out a painful cactus thorn) is full of emotion.
AlunaGeorge, "You Know You Like It"Young Brits take on late-'90s radio R&B — rubbery synths, snapping percussion and coy vocals — with attitude to spare. Ane Brun, "Do You Remember"A joyful lament for a broken love affair. David Byrne & St. G.O.O.D. John K. Rick Ross feat. Music's 50 Favorite Albums Of 2012 : Best Music Of 2012. This is how we sum up 2012: beats, harmonies, struggles, breakdowns, recoveries, party starters, raw-voiced rallying cries, song suites, storytellers, pop experimenters, never-more-devastating septuagenarian poet-crooners, never-more-devastating 285-year-old oratorios, epic statements, perfect miniatures, instant classics, hard-won achievements and explosions of joy. The albums we loved in 2012 — presented here in alphabetical order — spanned genres and borders, and each one got its hooks into us.
We hope you find something here that does the same for you. Explore the list below and download a complete, printable version here. Advisory: Some of the songs on this page contain profanity. NPR Music's 50 Favorite Albums Of 2012 Probably the least visible artist in the Los Angeles hip-hop quartet Black Hippy, Ab-Soul proves formidable in his own right with his second studio release, Control System. In some ways, this debut album is a victory lap. The music in Bach's three-hour-long St. Results: Listener Picks For The Year's Best Albums (So Far) : All Songs Considered Blog. Courtesy of the artist The results are in and it turns out most of you who voted in our mid-year poll really love Jack White's explosive and eclectic Blunderbuss.
But the race was close: White's album beat-out the Alabama Shakes record Boys & Girls by less than 25 votes. Beach House's Bloom, one of the most popular records ever in our First Listen series, came in at third. The Shins' Port Of Morrow and Of Monsters And Men's My Head Is An Animal round out the top five. Most importantly, the poll results reconfirmed that we've got another great year of music on our hands. Check out the complete list below to discover (or rediscover) some of your picks for 2012's standout albums so far. 1. 26.