World Cafe 30th Anniversary Playlist: 2012

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of World Cafe, we're looking back and posting playlists from each year of the show. As music has evolved over the years, so have our playlists, which have grown to reflect a much wider range of music than when we first set out.

It was an exciting year for music discovery: In 2012, we were introduced to new voices like Alabama Shakes, Alt-J, Kishi Bashi and Lianne La Havas. Lana Del Rey released her major label debut, Born To Die, along with Frank Ocean's Channel Orange. Kendrick Lamar fully arrived with the groundbreaking good kid, m.A.A.d city. Tame Impala blew our minds with Lonerism and fun. rode hard on the airwaves with Some Nights. Cat Power released Sun, their first album of original material in six years, and David Byrne collaborated with St. Vincent. Singer-songwriters Kathleen Edwards, Norah Jones and Fiona Apple all had notable releases, while veteran legends Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Dr. John all released excellent albums, the latter produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys.

Let's listen back...

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