Happy New Year, everyone! I hope that 2012 will a better one for you than 2011. Here are a few tunes that cover most of the bases for tonight and tomorrow. Bill Janovitz does a nice acoustic version of the oft-covered Frank Loesser classic and even throws in a bit of Auld Lang Syne. So does Tom Waits on the closing track from his latest release, Bad as Me. Like most of us, I’m sure Tom’s night will be a lot quieter than the ones in his youth. It looks like Bonnie Prince Billy & The Trembling Bells will also be having a quiet night in and this one goes out to anyone who finds themselves in the same boat. New Year’s Day remains one of my favourite U2 songs and it always evokes memories of this time of year. Here’s an electronic version of the song by a band called Electron Love Theory that appears on a tribute called Blue Sky Vertigo. Abba’s Happy New Year is another popular song at this time of year & is given the acoustic treatment below by Lightspeed Champion. One of the bands that Abba influenced was Camera Obscura from Scotland. Their song shares the Swedish outfit’s knack for a decent tune and has the same title, but it’s an original song. The last track is from Sophie Madeleine, who whips out her ukulele whenever the New Year comes around. Hopefully, you’ll be able to identify with one or more of these songs as 2011 gives way to 2012. My apologies for not posting here over the last few weeks, but I resolve to blog more frequently next year. Have a good one

What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? (Frank Loesser) – Bill Janovitz