Features

Saying someone has ‘the voice of an angel’ is bandied about so much in the media these days, almost to the point of cliche.

At moments like this, it can be almost guaranteed that certain facets of the general populace will roll their eyes, or sit rocking for a beat or two, holding their heads in their hands and wondering – with a hint of rose tinted nostalgia – where did a bit of good, honest, decent heart and soul go? Why does everything sound so damn average these days? And what the hell does the voice of an angel actually sound like anyway?

Can the answer be found within the vocals of 23-year-old Winston Yellen, by chance, of alt country ‘project’ Night Beds?

Questions, questions!

There’s plenty of new talent out there to get excited about this year. The likes of Palma Violets, Haim, Tom Odell and Savages have already caused a gaggle of eager music publications to pin their colours firmly to the mast, and should at least spark the usual ‘Next Big Thing’/'Hyped Up Bollocks’ debate when they release new albums in 2013. Here, some of Live4ever’s writers reveal what they’re hoping for from some of the more established acts out there, including the latest project from Thom Yorke and the plans of a few Manchester legends.

Let us know what you’re hoping 2013 will bring by leaving a comment below.

Now you’ve been through our extensive Essential Listening 2012 series, which includes all our top choices from a past twelve months of albums, gigs and tracks, here some of our frankly super talented band of writers pick out their own favourite album of 2012, each making a convincing argument for the selected records in the process.

Our Essential Listening 2012 series concludes today with The Albums.

From the ‘cohesion through experimentation’ of Tame Impala’s ‘Lonerism, through the ‘muscular power ballads, stirring, keyboard-led harmonies and call-and-response choruses’ that inform The Killers’ return with ‘Battle Born’, to the ‘sheer magnetism and unwavering belief’ which made ‘Blunderbuss’ such a successful solo debut for Jack White, we feel this rundown highlights some of the year’s truly outstanding releases that everyone should make an effort to check out.

And don’t forget, there’s only room for one place each on our Essential Listening Series, so if your favourite artist of the year isn’t included in this particular rundown, make sure you check through our previous lists to see if they’ve made an appearance elsewhere. And after that, if they’re still nowhere to be seen, maybe you should leave a comment below to let us know about it.

And now for the tracks…So many have crossed our path this year, and with the introduction of our hugely popular New Tunes Guide, we’ve been able to highlight hundreds of brilliant tracks, singles and EPs during the course of 2012. Plenty more besides have been included with track reviews, Presents features and Soundbites articles, meaning pulling just 25 out for a special end of year mention has been one tough task. As always, when you’ve been through our list of recommendations, make sure you let us know which tracks and singles have been soundtracking your life during 2012.

Live4ever’s Essential Listening 2012 series so far is available in full at the end of this article. Next week, it’s the Albums.

In the second part of our exclusive I Am Kloot interview, Pete Jobson discusses the band’s life on the road, the importance of local support before their Mercury Prize breakthrough, while he also goes into more detail on the new album.

In between their busy touring schedule I Am Kloot’s Pete Jobson finds time to catch up with Live4ever to discuss their new album, working with Elbow’s Guy Garvey and Craig Potter and being in a band with the seldom seen kid…

During the past year, writers, guest reviewers and photographers have been out covering gigs in cities from Melbourne to Glasgow, Austin to London for Live4ever as we paid witness to some of 2012′s biggest live music events, as well as some unexpected delights. Whether it’s four Manchester legends returning home and creating history in the process, or a bunch of last minute, bandana-clad Kiwis stealing the show in Austin, we’ve brought together just some of our highlights for the next part of Live4ever’s Essential Listening 2012 series.

Don’t forget to leave a comment below letting us know who has provided your favourite live experience of the previous twelve months.

For the latest installment of Live4ever’s Essential Listening 2012 series, we’ve picked out some of our favourite music videos of the past year for you to enjoy. Some might be here for the quality of the promo, and some because we’re simply in love with the track itself, but all are included as they’ve proved to be among the most popular with our readers during the course of 2012.

From tomorrow, the business end of our annual lookback will begin with the Essential Gigs of 2012, when a select few of the many shows Live4ever has paid witness to these past twelve months will be highlighted with both live reviews and photo galleries.

Got a music video you think everyone should have been watching this year? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

There’s been so many sublime albums, tracks and EPs which have made themselves known to Live4ever’s radar screen during the past twelve months that it would be impossible to give them all a mention. But we’re going to have a damn good go. Here, we’ve picked out ten of our essential releases which made their way into our Radar section this year; with debut albums, EPs and interviews all featured within.

Live4ever’s Essential Listening 2012 series will continue tomorrow with some of our favourite and most popular videos of the year, and stay tuned for plenty more Radar bands when we look back on our Essential Tracks, Gigs and Albums during the next few weeks.