Hard to believe it but in just a few short weeks the glory of summer will be over. Kids heading back to school, cooler weather and yourself likely getting back into a more routine schedule all signal the inevitable end of summer. But it’s no reason to be sad; it has been a memorable and outstanding few months in the world of music. Thus I’ve decide to take a look back on the summer of 2012 to see what our committee of one here at SongFreaks have loved, hated, and can’t wait to see in the coming months.

Favorite album: Like most of you I had never heard of Frank Ocean until this July when he released his solo debut album titled Channel Orange. The OFWGKTA member really started his career off on a high with what is arguably the best album of the summer. The album has done extremely well in sales and has been critically acclaimed; a tough thing to do these days in top 40. Thus this album is definitely worth a listen. For those of you who haven’t heard it check out the soulful track ‘Bad Religion’, the electronic and lengthy ‘Pyramids’, and perhaps the catchiest song of all ‘Super Rich Kids’ featuring Earl Sweatshirt.

Song: Many choices here but this blog is not a democracy! Thus you’ll have to put up with I think is the best track of the summer. The charts would tell you that ‘Call Me Maybe’ and ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ were the best of the best as they dominated airwaves all summer long. Honorable mentions as well go to ‘Mercy’ by Kanye West and the G.O.O.D. Music crew and ‘Lights’ from Ellie Goulding. But personally my favourite track has to be ‘Under The Westway’ by Britpop rockers Blur. A more fringe choice, this soft and beautiful ballad fuses the best of Blurs old sound with a modern feel. Under the Westway may be the bands last single ever making this song all the sweeter. Here’s hoping this isn’t the last material we see from this great group.

News: The spiritual and musical conversion of Snoop Dogg into Snoop Lion tops my list for most noteworthy and surprising news of the summer. It’s not every day that an experienced and famous musician changes genres and leaves their old sound for good. Keep watch for his documentary about the transformation that will come out this September at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Video: ‘Call Me Maybe’ strikes one more time but not in its original form. I discovered this disco cover on Reddit a few months ago and found the sound to be, well, just as infectious and catchy as the original.

Concert: For me the best concert of the summer was the Olympic closing ceremony. So many star appearances and old greats dusting off their instruments for one more go at it. Performances from the young (One Direction), old (Ray Davies, Queen, The Who) and even the deceased (John Lennon, Freddie Mercury) chronicled decades of fantastic British music into a few sweet short hours. And perhaps most notably of all was a Spice Girls reunion for one night only! Colours of the world, Spice up your life!

Most Excited for: There’s so many exciting things lined up for the rest of 2012 that mentioning only one item just wouldn’t be fair. I mean who isn’t excited for No Doubt’s first studio album in 11 years this September? As well Green Day and the news that they will be releasing not one but THREE albums in the next five months! A possible final world tour by The Rolling Stones to celebrate their fiftieth anniversary? Or the return of D’Angelo after a decade long hiatus. Overall there is a lot to look forward to in the coming months and well into 2013.

Enjoy what you saw? Have any comments or questions; did we miss something that you think needs to be mentioned? Give us your feedback at info@songfreaks.com