The pieces on Against Me! and Wussy were beautiful and truly heartening. But both hip hop and R&B had groundbreaking years in terms of musical quality and sociopolitical outreach (Frank Ocean? Kendrick Lamar?). Where's the love?

Right on Brendan! El Sonido and my man Chilly are the shit.

Cienna, Krab is a lil slice of imitation heaven.

@2 - Charles' piece on 206/2012 hiphop is the lead in the music section this week! http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/the-2…

@4: Fair enough and well written too :)

Rock is dead. Nothing more than wallpaper for vapid consumer culture now. Now and then a band like Wussy crops up with something gritty but they always fade in a few years. No mention of Neil Young´s Psychedelic Pill? It was one of the only things that mattered in 2012 and you dolts missed it. When a bunch of 70 year olds are practically the only band still rocking and Seattle´s only newspaper blows it - you know the game is up on the whole shebang.

Beth! If that Human Sexual Response album is "In A Roman Mood" (the one with the horse on the cover), play "Land Of The Glass Pinecones" when you can. It starts out like some strange kids' song and turns into a full on drug trip. It's a great song, completely forgotten by time.

If you do not have a cheap record player or a copy of this LP, you can hear it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RShAxvg5M…

@6: For excellent rock of 2012, check out Bear In Heaven, Lozen, High on Fire, Rush, Erik Blood, Swans, Absolute Monarchs, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, David Byrne & St. Vincent, Divine Fits, Django Django, Guided By Voices, The Intelligence, Jack White, Japandroids, Spiritualized, Torche, and lots of others covered by The Stranger and elsewhere.

I love Neil Young, but a lot of that album is pretty difficult listening, in not a good way.

Trolling is lame, give it up.

@6 It must be awful to have such a blinkered vision of the musical landscape. If Neil Young (whom I respect a ton, by the way) is your 2012 rock pinnacle, you need to dig deeper. There is always vital rock being made. Some examples: Eternal Tapestry, Spacin', Lumerians, Blues Control, OM, Erik Blood, Black Dice/Eric Copeland, Midday Veil, Master Musicians of Bukkake, Vibracathedral Orchestra, Psychic Ills, Sic Alps, Moon Duo.

#6, you should get Ty Segall's "Twins" if you feel that way. He's playing the closest thing to classic rock I've heard in a while, and the first song, Thank God for the Sinners, has some serious classic Neil Young-style guitar. It's an awesome CD.