In no particular order:

Mirage Rock, Band of Horses

I'm a big fan of Ben Bridwell's vocals and every song tells a distinct story with beautiful arrangements.

The North, Stars

This makes the list mostly because Hold on When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It is my favorite song of the year. 

Fear Fun, Father John Misty

Several large retailers took a leap of faith on what they thought would be a gangbuster holiday season, hiring more seasonal workers this year than last.

Sales during the two months before Christmas weren't all that stunning, however, and that's meant fewer opportunities for seasonal workers.

You can't say 2012 was uneventful for Louisville and the surrounding areas.

The year that (soon) was gave plenty of good news and some awful, terrible news, too. Here's an incomplete list of the big things that happened in 2012.

Each week, members of the WFPL news team spotlight interesting stories we've read and enjoyed, for your weekend reading pleasure:

At the end of every year LEO Weekly publishes a controversial edition that it dubs 'Loserville', which is a list of individuals and stories that the staff scorns.

It includes a who's who of Democratic and Republican elected officials, various organizations and topics, and this year was no different when it targeted Papa John's founder John Schnatter on the 2012 cover.

The staff argues that the penance is a sign that their issue is trying to make locals do better, but the very next week LEO comes out with an issue that highlights the good work of organizers, local business owners and journalists.

Among those represented on that list were the Rev. Pat Delahanty, who is leading a charge to abolition the death penalty in Kentucky.

The Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team on Saturday defeated the Kentucky Wildcats the first time since 2009 in a game that featured the return of center Gorgui Dieng, who was sidelined in November with a wrist injury.

This morning, as Louisvillians pulled up their Facebook feeds, they found, mixed among the expected taunts about the upcoming UK/U of L basketball game, photos of local snow accumulation.

The National Weather Service says more snow may fall throughout Saturday, tapering off after sundown. There is a slight chance of snow on Monday and Tuesday, but the heaviest is likely passed, says the NWS.

All good things must come to an end, and so it is with Marvel Comics' web-slinging, wise-cracking superhero. Spider-Man is no more. Well, to be more precise, Peter Parker is no more.

In the 700th and final issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, writer Dan Slott's controversial story saw Spider-Man's mind switched with that of his dying arch-foe Dr. Otto Octavius, aka Doctor Octopus. The twist is that with his final effort, Spidey was able to give all of his memories and morals to his body-stealing enemy.