Top 10 Albums of 2012

Well, the world didn't end, so I guess I need to get my year-end list up. Like in previous years, I aim to make this list a mix of what I enjoyed and spun the most as well as what also was good, technically-speaking, in my opinion. I think people often put far too much weight behind what a year-end list contains, as if what's listed at #5 or #1 is the God's honest truth. If you thought Carly Rae Jepsen's album was the best album of the year, right on. For as much as music writers critique the year's various releases, it really comes down to a matter of opinion -- though I'll admit there are some things out there that are just legitimately bad, and you know what I mean.

2012 was a year of changes for me, and, therefore, for Mixtape Muse, as well. I'd be lying to you if I said I heard all of the year's buzzed about releases -- let alone a bulk of them. But of the ones I did have the pleasure of hearing, this is what I dug the most.

WATCH: "Broken Mirrors"

2013 will mark 7 years since the birth of Mixtape Muse. In that time, I've made it a point to never cross my own creative endeavors with the work I do here on Mixtape Muse. So, please allow me a moment to step of character. I figured based on the post below, it only seemed fitting.

For what it's worth, I hate talking about myself.

SEE & HEAR: Chromatics - "Cherry"

While we were all still trying to recover from the Thanksgiving holiday, Chromatics dropped the video for new single "Cherry." Directed by frequent collaborator Alberto Rossini, the video features the trademark Rossini/Chromatics colorful, hazy film aesthetic, one that centers around the vivid, almost hypnotic pink and blue hues. It conveys an almost surreal setting, skimming the line between fantasy and a dark reality. The song comes from the as-of-yet released After Dark 2 compilation album. See and hear/download "Cherry" below.

WATCH: Chromatics - "Candy"

In case you missed it, synthpop/Italo Disco outfit Chromatics will be releasing Kill For Love, the highly-anticipated follow-up to their much beloved 2007 LP Night Drive, very soon (the release has been delayed due to some mastering issues). We've already heard the cover of Neil Young's "Into the Black" along with two other album tracks, and now we have another album track to spin entitled "Candy" via a new music video. It's another in a series of videos produced by Italian filmmaker Alberto Rossini. Hear and see the eerie daydream below.