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Top EPs of 2012 & Forgotten Discs From 2011

By Gary Wien

originally published: 12/29/2012


One trend I've noticed recently is that in addition to artists putting out singles on a more regular basis, they're also putting out EPs more often than ever before. Many are utilizing music sites like Noisetrade.com as a place to showcase an EP and hope to introduce their music to a larger audience. When I come up with my list of Top Albums of the Year, I generally restrict the list to those with 6 or more songs. I just don't think it's fair to compare the work of an EP with 4 songs to a complete album. Nevertheless, many of the best releases each year are EPs, so I like to highlight my favorites.

Top EPs of 2012
In alphabetical order

  • The Cheek Of Her -- Megaphonic

  • Brian Fitzpatrick & The Band of Brothers -- The Northern Lights EP

  • Here & Sea -- Acoustic EP

  • Keith Monacchio -- Tips, Drinks & Gas Money EP

  • Playmaker -- Helicopter EP

  • Red Horse -- Hard Control

  • Scott Miller and Rayna Gellert -- CoDEPENDENTS

  • Since The Penguin plays indie music, sometimes it's difficult to get releases as soon as they come out. Generally, indie bands take a bit longer to promote their records due to limited resources. A good indie record might still be reaching radio stations two or three years after its release. In addition, as an independent radio station, we're also limited by our own budget. So, here are some of the records that would likely have made previous Top Albums lists had we received them earlier...


    Top Forgotten Discs That Appeared In 2012
    In alphabetical order

  • 9 Tomorrows -- Gravity In Love

  • Bullet Bob & The Colts -- It's All About The Song

  • Glen Campbell -- Ghost On The Canvas

  • Pete Donnelly -- When You Come Home

  • Earthman -- Remember

  • Eyelit -- Elephant EP

  • Hemingbirds -- Death Wave

  • Lynda Loveless -- Indestructible Machine

  • David Mayfield Parade -- The David Mayfield Parade

  • Matthew Reed -- Come And Drink

  • Paul Thorn -- A Long Way From Tupelo

  • The Valery Trails -- Ghosts & Gravity

  • Corey Wagar -- On The Edge

  • Listen to great tunes like these every day on The Penguin




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    Gary Wien is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist. He currently writes for NewJerseyStage.com and Jersey Arts, and serves as Program Director for ThePenguinRocks.com, an online radio station spinning indie rock and roll.

    About the author:

    Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Upstage Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station The Penguin Rocks. His personal website is at lightyscorner.com. He can be contacted at [email protected].


    EVENT PREVIEWS

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    (WARETOWN, NJ) -- Albert Music Hall will present Back to Our Roots, a special fundraising concert on Sunday, July 19, 2026, inviting music lovers to enjoy an afternoon of live performances while helping preserve an important piece of New Jersey's musical heritage.

    Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Heather Maloney & Hayley Reardon on Sunday

    (TUCKERTON, NJ) -- The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Heather Maloney & Hayley Reardon on Sunday, July 19, 2026. Doors are at 7:00pm, showtime is 7:30pm.
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    New Jersey Symphony to Make Rowan's Marie Rader Series Debut with "Life & Liberty" on July 22nd

    (GLASSBORO, NJ) -- The Marie Rader Series will launch its 2026-27 season, entitled "Life & Liberty," with the New Jersey Symphony's Rowan University debut. On Wednesday, July 22, 2026, New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players featuring Rowan University Strings Faculty & Alumni will perform at Pfleeger Concert Hall. Showtime is 7:00pm.
    The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Blues For Greeny and the music of Peter Green

    The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Blues For Greeny and the music of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac

    (TUCKERTON, NJ) -- The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Blues For Greeny - The Music of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. Dude Cervantes & The Panchos will open the night. Doors are at 7:00pm, music starts at 7:30pm.
    Shinedown to Play Shows in Newark and Philly in July

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    Middletown Arts Center presents Reina Williams + The Remedy

    (MIDDLETOWN, NJ) -- The Middletown Arts Center presents a concert featuring Reina Williams + The Remedy on Thursday, July 23, 2026. Special guest performers Renee Maskin and Patrick Bamburak will open the show. Enjoy an evening of original music spanning reggae, hip-hop, soul, folk, Americana, and indie rock from some of New Jersey's most talented musicians. Showtime is 7:00pm.
    Harmonium Choral Society presents "I Dreamed Last Night" on July 23rd

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    (MADISON, NJ) -- On Thursday, July 23, 2026, Harmonium Choral Society presents I Dreamed Last Night. Directed by Lennie Watts with music direction by John Fischer, I Dreamed Last Night is a one woman show with Gloria Bangiola. There are songs and stories about dreams, hopes, wishes, ambitions, fantasies, nightmares, impossibilities and that big ol' American one we are all still working to make real. Showtime is 7:00pm.
    HOT 97

    HOT 97's Summer Jam 2026 to Take Place July 24th at Prudential Center

    (NEWARK, NJ) -- HOT 97, New York's #1 station for Hip Hop, is once again bringing the culture's biggest night back to the tri-state area with Summer Jam 2026, on Friday, July 24, 2026, at Prudential Center in Newark. Produced by The Black Promoters Collective, Summer Jam continues its legacy as the most iconic Hip Hop concert in the world.
    Summer Jazz: Drummer Joe Farnsworth and Special Guests at William Paterson

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    FEATURED EVENTS


    Heather Maloney & Hayley Reardon

    Sunday, July 19, 2026 @ 7:30pm
    Lizzie Rose Music Room
    Tuckerton, NJ


    Blues For Greeny The Music of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac

    Wednesday, July 22, 2026 @ 7:30pm
    Lizzie Rose Music Room
    Tuckerton, NJ


    Reina Williams and The Remedy, Patrick Bamburak, and Renee Masking

    Thursday, July 23, 2026 @ 7:00pm
    Middletown Arts Center
    Middletown, NJ


    Brown Sugar - Rolling Stones Tribute

    Friday, July 24, 2026 @ 7:30pm
    Lizzie Rose Music Room
    Tuckerton, NJ


    Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers

    Friday, July 24, 2026 @ 8:00pm
    Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
    Morristown, NJ



     

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