The brandy butter, those unnecessary glasses of champagne at ungodly hours of the morning in a what-the-hell-it's-Christmas fashion, and all that rubbish TV that has gradually rotted us from the inside out, has left us feeling somewhat disillusioned. 'What's the point?', we say, 'every year is the same. Katy Perry and Russell Brand have just filed for divorce after fourteen months, there's certainly no hope now! There's not even a muddy Glastonbury to wallow in...'
But fear not, I am here to reassure you that all is not lost! As we say farewell to the year just passed and welcome 2012 with open arms, believe me when I say - It's going to be ok! (Except, of course, if you're not a sports fan - there's scheduled to be roughly three-thousand hours of Olympics coverage on the BBC - so you're pretty much screwed!). Also, we've narrowly missed that end-of-the-world apocalypse everyone was talking about, so if nothing else, we should be happy about that?!
So here is Gigseen's music guide to 2012 - a year of the old and new - and definitely something to be excited about!
Hotly Anticipated New Albums:
- The Killers - As yet untitled, supposedly due out in the summer and set to feature more guitar-heavy sounds!
- Paul Weller - Sonik Kicks - "pop art punch with soulful communication, jazzy explorations into psychedelia and dub with razor-sharp melodies, abstract soundscapes with clear-eyed forest-folk." - March 26th.
- Lana Del Ray - Born To Die - 30th January. Singer, Lizzie Grant's music and persona have captured the attention of the public, and after the hype of Video Games, the wait is almost unbearable.
- Madonna - Set to play at America's Superbowl, Madonna has been causing quite a stir in the music world lately. Her new single Gimme All Your Luvin' features Niki Minaj and M.I.A. and although still untitled, the release due for March 2012 is rumoured to take the upbeat path of 2005's Confessions On A Dancefloor.
- Paul McCartney - In celebration of 50 years since The Beatles' first single, McCartney is building up the release of two albums; the first is allegedly titled Kisses On The Bottom and is set for release on February the 6th. The first single is a collaboration with Eric Clapton., called My Valentine. Listen below.
Mega Tours:
- The Stone Roses are set to play three dates in the summer at Mancehster's Heaton Park on the 29th, 30th June and the 1st of July.
- Coldplay - The band have confirmed a five-date stadium tour, including London's Emirates Stadium on the 1st of June.
- Florence And The Machine - Arena Tour starting the 4th of March.
- The Eagles' 40th Anniversary Retrospective Tour.
Music Industry Events:
- NME Turns 60!
- Morrissey - Set to take NME to court over comments he made in a 2007 magazine interview were "altered" to make him "sound racist.
- The 50th Anniversary of The Beatles' first single.
Comebacks:
- Bruce Springstein - Performing at The Isle Of Wight Festival.
- Blur - Due to pick up a Lifetime Achievement Award at The Brits in February.
- Leonard Cohen - To release his first album in eight year, Old Ideas, with rumours of a tour to follow.
- The Beach Boys - Celebrating their Golden Anniversary, the Boys are releasing a new studio album and embarking on a 50-date world tour in April!
- Tom Petty - Performing at The Isle of Wight festival.
The Classical World:
- Covent Garden is to stage Wagner's Ring Cycle (a set of four operas over 14 hours long, based loosely on German Mythology) in September, which will be it's first staging in over three years.
- At the Proms in July, Daniel Barenboim's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra will perform all nine of Beethoven's Symphonies, starting on the first day of the Olympic Games.
Other Cool Stuff:
- Jeff Wayne's musical version of War of The Worlds to be released as an album in June after 30 odd years. This will be followed by a major international arena tour in November! (Watch the trailer below).
- Elbow will be witnessing their compositions being played at the opening ceremony to the Olympic Games.
So how's that for a line-up?! I can now leave you with the knowledge that you'll be looking forward to at least one musical event in the coming year. So take you pick, and enjoy!