SOUND BITES

  Many bands that have had the infamous British hype machine behind them during their formative years have gone on to defy expectations by developing into far different bands than they were originally labelled as. Just look at the discographies of Bloc Party and Arctic Monkeys for ample proof. There's a tendency there to fly in the face of these labels, to overcome the hype itself and take control of the narrative, ignorant of conventional wisdom and assumptions of character. Maybe Palma Violets will make their move someday, but their sophomore record is content to tread much of the same ground as their debut.  Danger in the Club  is a touch faster and moves a little closer to the raw power of their live show, but the recordings still lack some of that important aesthetic. The result might be just a but too loose and carefree for its own good. Many songs could have benefited from a more structured approach, and the tossed-off nature of the performances isn't as effective ...

It's a testament to the volume of quality music that's still being produced in 2012 that a mere fifty songs didn't cover all that I wanted to give credit to. While the ten songs contained in this post aren't as mind blowing (to me, anyway) as those that got their own little spotlight, there are nonetheless some definite gems worthy of your attention. When it comes down to it, this post is proof that there were at least sixty artists who released tunes I dug this year, which tells me that either there's still plenty of life in rock music or that I am a total rock music whore. Could be both.