Taking On 2012: Top Tracks

After wrapping up the year in video games yesterday, it's time to start turning attention to all of the great music that came out this year. While there were many great albums, I actually found myself listening to more playlists and individual tracks this year. I'm not sure if that says that, ultimately, it wasn't a great year for albums or if it was just a great year for songs. Read in to it what you will. What I do know is that there have been some changes to the list since we last checked in during October's Quarterly Review. So what has arrived? What disappeared? Well, we can have a look, and a listen if you click on the titles. Additionally, check out my Top 20 songs in order over here on Spotify!

Taking On 2012: Top Albums (Q3 Quarterly Review)

Albums, albums, albums! While the year is not yet over, it has truly been a fantastic year for full fledged musical works of artistry. So much so that when composing my list for this Quarterly Review, even compared to the first and second, selecting just ten albums was damned difficult. Unlike with songs, there are so many factors to consider when deciding what constitutes a great album. And while there are a number of entries that continue to linger, the new additions may very well move up as the year starts to close.

Taking On 2012: Top Tracks (Q3 Quarterly Review)

With the winds of autumn blowing in, with them also comes the final portion of the year. And as the end draws closer that means that it's about time to start recapping the year so far. Following up the previous list of top tracks from the beginning of summer, some changes have already occurred as even more exciting albums on the horizon promise other changes in the future. Be sure to click on the track names to listen to all these great songs and check in with the first two Quarterly Reviews of tracks to see the changes.

Taking On 2012: Top Albums (Q2 Quarterly Review)

We've gone through the songs, and that means it's time to start tackling the larger constructs that hold them all together. During my last quarterly review I was hesitant to call 2012 a great year for music at the time because, at that point, the releases were stretched fairly thin. Sure there were some gems, but even albums I thought would have staying power have faded away with what seems like an onslaught of top notch releases since the end of March.

There's quite a bit of ground to cover, so let us commence the counting down!

Taking On 2012: Top Tracks (Q2 Quarterly Review)

With June now completely passed we have reached the halfway point of the year, and as has become one of my favorite traditions it is time once again to track how all forms of culture have been this year. When March drew to a close it was already shaping up to be a great year for music (both individual tracks and albums), but it wasn't until I sat down to compose this list that I realized just how loaded 2012 has been...and it's only half finished!

Obviously this means there have been a number of tracks that have completely fallen off the list in favor of new entries, and when we meet again in October I reckon there may even be an entirely new batch of songs that have overtaken these based on some upcoming releases and past albums I haven't had a chance to get to yet. Part of that has to do with my stipulation that only one track from an artist is eligible, but even without that there's plenty of great music to discover.

So what's say we cut the chit chat and get in to the heft of the list? As usual, click the song titles to listen to them.

Taking On 2012: Top Albums (Q1 Quarterly Review)

Despite 2012 being a pretty great year for songs thus far, I'm going to come right out and say that, based on the limited number of albums I have listened to, it has been a pretty bad year for music. But, much like with other cultural forms of entertainment, I look toward the future and see that brighter pastures are ahead. With Japandroids, Beach House, Kanye West, Fiona Apple, and countless other artists set to release records in the coming year I can't help but feel hopeful.

And really the reason I do my Quarterly Reviews, aside from using them as an aid to keep track of what exactly I have listened to in the year, is to track how my feelings have changed. Unlike the past few years, I am not sure if my favorite album from the year has been already released, or is even on my radar. And that unknown excites me like a a kid who just won a timed shopping spree in Kay-Bee Toys.

But this isn't a most anticipated list. This is the present, and the present is a gift. So how about we get to unwrapping?

Taking On 2012: Top Tracks (Q1 Quarterly Review)

Where has the time gone? Down the critical drain, no doubt. And now that the time is no more it is time to begin the listing. Start the counting down. Organizing strategies. As it was written last year, it shall be written again. And again after that, until the future shuts us down and the electricity flows no more through these wires.

There has certainly been music this year, and some of it has even been pretty good. Of course some of it has been pretty bad too, but that's kind of the trade off, I imagine. But what's so great about music is, like a killer sammy from the local sub shop, you can pick and choose all the meats that make it in to the final product. And, naturally, kick the bad ones to the curb. I'm talking to you, mayonnaise!

So don't expect to find any mayo here, just straight up heaters. And you can even click on the links where possible to jam out on your own. I'm in your head.