2012 Album of the Year

The last couple years that I have done this, it's been pretty easy. There are typically one or two albums that stand out above the rest. This year, there was some really good music. Even as I type this, I am stressing out on which album I am going to praise as the 2012 Album of the Year. I'm going to do this "awards show" style. I'll give a list of the albums in the running and at the end we'll see who wins.

Let's start with some albums that just missed the cut of being one of the nominees. These are still good albums but not quite upper echelon.

• Matt & Kim - Lightning (video)
• As with all the other Matt & Kim albums, this is a fun adventure into the world of indie pop rock. It is exactly what you want it to be.
• TobyMac - Eye On It (video)
• Filled with positive uplifting music, TobyMac doesn't disappoint. Though not as good as Welcome to Diverse City or Tonight, it's still a solid album.
• Bruno Mars - Unorthodox Jukebox (video)
• This is a good album. If it would have been released several months sooner it may have had more of a time to make a mark on 2012. Give it a listen. Bruno Mars is a very talented man.
• Maroon 5 - Overexposed (video)
• Many people give Maroon 5 grief. I'm not sure why. They do nothing but churn out solid albums. I guess it's their pop success or maybe it's Adam Levine's high pitched singing. I think it may be the Nickelback scenario. Too much success leads to haters and backlash. That's too bad. This album may not be Maroon 5's best...but it's still good. 
• Neon Trees - Picture Show (video)
• This was probably my biggest disappointment of the year. I was so looking forward to this album. I was ready to call it album of the year before hearing it. That is how excited I was for this one. After Habits, I could not wait to get my hands on this one. I gave it a few listens and while it's not as strong as Habits, it does have it's moments of greatness like "Everybody Talks", "Weekend" and "I Am the D.J."But all in all, I give it a B+.

Now for the BIG SHOW! The best album of the year...and the nominees are:
(in no particular order)

• Fun. - Some Nights (video)
• By now, most people know who Fun. is. At the beginning of the year very few people had heard of this band. Like most of you, I was hooked by "We Are Young." Then I started to listen to the album on Spotify and fell in love with "Some Nights", "All Alone" and my favorite for a while, "One Foot." I then had to go buy this album (and their previous album as well). Some Nights is solid from start to finish. I still keep coming back to this album and playing it over and over. 
• Japandroids - Celebration Rock (video)
• Japandroids was suggested to me by my friend, Tony Peterson. He is always listening to something interesting. So in an email earlier this year I asked, "What are you listening to now?" He replied with Japandroids. I thought, "well that's a cool name," so I gave it a try. And I was blown away. There is nothing flashy about them, nothing commercial, nothing but pure rock. This is bare bones, rock and roll to the core. I love it. Amazing album from start to finish.
• The Killers - BattleBorn (video)
• As I'm sure you all know by now, I am a huge freaking Killers fan. I've loved The Killers since Hot Fuss. After their last album Day & Age, the band decided to take a hiatus. Which is usually the kiss of death. Many people speculated that this was the end of The Killers. Then they released BattleBorn, four years later. It's a journey through rock and roll Americana. With heavy influences from Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen, this album has a distinct nostalgic feel to it. Is it as good as the other Killers albums? For me, Sam's Town is hands down the best...but BattleBorn still holds its own.
• Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball (video)
• This is the surprise of the year for me. I haven't enjoyed Springsteen since Glory Days. Also The Boss and I don't necessarily see eye to eye on political matters and even a few lines in this album make me say to myself "give me a break." BUT with that said, there is so much raw emotion in this album. There is so much heart and feeling that is coursing through the veins of Wrecking Ball that directly flows through the veins of the United States right now that you can't help but feel connected to this album. Whether it's the greatest album of the year or not, it has possibly the greatest song of the year in "Death To My Home Town."

With all that said and done, it's now time to reveal who takes home the prize of 2012 Album of the Year! Can I have the envelope please...the award goes to...THE BOSS!