Now that 2012 has come to a close, we can look back fondly on the top tracks of last year. We had the rise of "Call Me Maybe," when Carly Rae Jepsen's voice boomed through campus unceasingly for weeks.
Then came "Somebody That I Used To Know," and with it countless parodies, covers and guys dressed up as Gotye for Halloween. Of course, we can't forget PSY's breakout hit "GangnamStyle." (Seriously, we can't forget it. It is the ultimate earworm.)
Mumford and Sons brought us "Babel," Taylor Swift surprised us with dubstep and we danced our way into the new year to Ke$ha. Finally, it's 2013 and time for another year of new music. Here's a look at new tunes to come.
Big Boi: Most only know Big Boi as one half of the hip-hop duo OutKast, but the Atlanta rapper can certainly hold his own. His solo album in 2010 was impressive, but does not compare to his newest, "Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors." However, while "Vicious Lies" is his sophomore solo effort, he is far from alone on each of the tracks.
The LP features a variety of artists, from fellow Southern rappers T.I. and Ludacris to indie groups like Phantogram and Wavves. As a result, "Vicious Lies" is a collective of quality, sometimes genre-bending songs brought together by a truly talented rapper. If only we could get Andre 3000 back in the mix.
Justin Timberlake: Finally, finally, Justin Timberlake the musician is back. It's not that acting-Justin wasn't impressive - he was great in "The Social Network." Comedian-Justin was excellent, too, and his appearances on "Saturday Night Live" were always entertaining. But in case you haven't noticed, Justin Timberlake has not released an album since 2006, seven long years ago.
If you, however, did notice and wanted Timberlake to bring sexy back again, the wait is over. He will release his new album, "The 20/20 Experience," later this year. Though Timberlake teased his fans for days with talk of new music, he finally did release his new single, "Suit and Tie," featuring Jay-Z. Look out for the rest of "The 20/20 Experience" later in 2013.
Azealia Banks: Though Azealia Banks hit the music scene hard with her scandalous and intensely catchy music last year, the female rapper is scheduled to release her full-length debut album in 2013.
The proud New York native and up-and-coming "it girl" is sure to make waves with the LP, called "Broke With Expensive Taste." Even if you haven't heard of Banks, you may have heard her breakout song, "212" in the movie "Pitch Perfect," though Banks's sound is far from a capella.
She is a quick and confident rapper who could easily rise to the top of the charts. You can buy "Broke With Expensive Taste" this February.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra: Fans of Bon Iver should check out this rock group, whose second album, "II," will be released this year. The band belongs to the same small label as everyone's favorite Grammy-winning indie group, Bon Iver, and has a similar sound.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra released their first single from the upcoming album called "Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)," which is a catchy, lo-fi song and a promising preview of "II," which will be released on Jan. 22.
David Bowie: It's hard to think of David Bowie when previewing new music, but the seasoned musician has recorded an all-new album to be released in March. Bowie shocked fans this month by coming out of a 10-year hiatus with the online release of a new song, then surprised everyone even more by finally announcing the full-length album, titled "The Next Day."
Not much needs to be said about David Bowie - he is a legend - so check out "The Next Day" this year and be happy that Bowie is still releasing music, even if he'll never top his performance in the movie "Labyrinth."
