Year-End Report: Looking Back at 2012 - Top 50 Albums 50-41

My look back at the past year resumes with my Top 50 Albums of 2012. I will be counting them down ten at a time and will include a stream of my favorite track from each via Spotify. This first ten finds several of my old favorites releasing their best albums in a long time. This section ended up being a lot more chill and relaxed than the subsequent ones. It’s amazing that these are so far back in the countdown, because as I was writing about them, I was remembering some significant memories attached to the tunes found below. If you aren't already familiar, get ready to discover some new favorites that may be associated with your own (hopefully positive) memories.

Song of the Day and 249 Other Songs You Need to Hear from the 2000s

"We've Been Had" is a song that I feel in love with from the first time I heard it at the beginning of the decade. The song begins with a glimmering piano vamp that gently eases itself into the mix and is complemented by jangly guitars amid sparse drumming and bass. Hamilton Leithauser's nostalgic lyrics delivered like a manic Bob Dylan complete the picture establishing the song as an instant classic. The song comes from The Walkmen's 2002 debut full-length Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone.