Best Rock Album in 2012

New releases from Brendan Benson (What Kind of World) and Freedy Johnston (Rain On The City) are both very good. I'm not sure that either one ranks with the respective best from these artists, but both are still a cut above most rock that I hear these days.

Also second the Jack White (Blunderbuss) recommendation.

Marty

Beach House fans might also try their earlier "Teen Dream." Great that Freedy Johnson is back.

Since this is a "best rock" thread, in the interest of full disclosure, I should point out that the Freedy Johnston CD only contains a handful of rock songs. The balance is more in the plaintive, singer-songwriter FJ ballad style.

Marty

Tempest

Ry Cooder's Election Special. Kudos to Cooder(and Guthrie and Thompson before him) for taking on "the bastards." In this and the last album he has evolved compositionally and vocally, with much more vocal authority than on the early albums. Some guitar work has Keith Richards-like grit, and of course the debt to Woody is clear.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/25/arts/music/for-ry-cooder-a-dogs-life-and-a-deal-with-the-devil.html

What's so great is that Cooder manages to take up political themes, but always through the lens of an authentic bluesman and never with shallow agitprop like some Annie De Franco and Billy Bragg. This one tops my list so far. Nice if expensive vinyl.