In 2012, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis bridged the gap between underground indie hip-hop fans and the daytime TV audience of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

It's nice to have a few new attempts at well-worn Christmas tunes by current artists.

Without the pressures of his "real band," you can hear the burdens melt off Gibbard's songwriting, much like Jeff Tweedy has done with his non-Wilco projects.

A new compilation traces the history of electric blues from its rocky start through its heyday.

Like previous editions, Minnesota Beatle Project Volume 4 is another collection of inspired versions of the Fab Four's material, applied by musicians from all over the sonic spectrum.

Amy Milan's voice is both haunting and soaring on the latest record from Stars.

It would be easy to write off this band as another garden-variety import of 2012, but Django Django is primed for a late breakout in the new year.

By the end of this album, you won't forget the name Gary Clark, Jr.

Neil Young dislikes mp3s and took pains to make this record as analog as possible, believing this to be the only way that fans can hear his soul, the time he puts into making his music and the wisdom of a life lived playing and performing.

"Channel Orange" revels in the silence between beats; it makes minimalism sound bold and enlightened. It's also masterful in the way it intertwines R&B, jazz, electro-funk and psychedelia.