My favourite tunes and albums of 2012

It's that time of the year again, where compilations and lists are made, and everyone over-analyses the year which is just about to pass. I'll be doing that about my own year shortly, as soon as this Christmas show is out of the way (first performance last night was a cracker though - and to be honest, I didn't expect it to be). As always, I've made myself a little playlist/compilation type thing of my top songs of the year, a quick reminder that it's been a good year with some outstanding stuff being released. I managed to fit 17 songs on there, no excuses for having two David Ford tracks - the man is a genius. Thought I'd might as well share it with you, just because I'm trying to distract myself from doing something else all the more productive. So here you go, my favourite tuneage of 2012:

My favourite songs of 2012 in no particular order:
BRENDAN BENSON: Bad For me
ALPHABET BACKWARDS: Sunday Best
MADNESS: My Girl 2
DAVID FORD: What's Not To Love
GUILLEMOTS: Up On The Ride
JOE JACKSON: I'm Beginning To See The Light/Take The 'A' Train/Cotton Tail
ANDY BURROWS: Maybe You
THE WINTER KINGS: The Great Pretender
GLEN HANSARD: Bird Of Sorrow
DAVID FORD: Every Time
BEN FOLDS FIVE: Do It Anyway
JACQUI & GEOFF: Uh Oh
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT: Perfect Man
DEXY'S: Nowhere Is Home
GRAHAM PARKER & THE RUMOUR: Arlington's Busy
HUE & CRY: Carlos Takes A Fall
CRYBABY: I Cherish The Heartbreak More Than The Love That I Lost

As you can see, a lot of older artists on there, and a distinct lack of brand new acts with the exception of Crybaby and Alphabet Backwards - that probably has something to do with where I'm looking for new music these days, or more to the point - where I'm not looking. Something that perhaps needs to be rectified for next year, but still - the above does make for pretty awesome listening all the same.

Top albums of the year? Oh go on then, if you insist...

My top 5 albums of 2012, in order:
1. CRYBABY: Crybaby
2. DEXY'S: One Day I'm Going To Soar
3. JOE JACKSON: The Duke
4. BEN FOLDS FIVE: The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind
5. GRAHAM PARKER & THE RUMOUR: Three Chords Good

So again, very much continuing the theme of more established artists returning, rather than new acts emerging - with the exception of Crybaby. Their/his self-titled debut album is an absolute gem; dark, thoughtful, intense but oddly uplifting at the same time - I've had it for most of the year but keep coming back to it. Dexy's comeback album was a surprise joy - a complex and sometimes challenging record that I adore, Joe Jackson's Duke Ellington tribute album, The Duke, was another one I was uncertain about but have been strangely addicted to (the drumming in particular is superb), whilst reforming acts Ben Folds Five and Graham Parker & The Rumour have both produced top quality releases that have been on my car stereo repeatedly.

Anyway, that's my thoughts...