The Dinosaurs of Rock roamed the Earth again in 2012, racing up the charts past bands half their age and chewing through expectations. Expectations, you say? I had many. Most of them dead wrong.

With plenty of ’70s flavor and a whole vanload of grooves, Saskatoon’s the Sheepdogs solidify their presence with their eponymous fourth album. The September 2012 release is soaked in the boogie-woogie side of rock and roll

After two goes at an annual Official™ Something Else! Top 10 list, we’ve decided to introduce a mid-year edition — for those who simply can’t wait for the Christmas sales

Taking stock last night, as the sun dove below the trees on the year’s longest day, it occurred to me that 2012 has already provided a harvest of good-rocking blessings.

As the Black Keys continue to tour in support of their current release El Camino, drummer Patrick Carney says they’re recording every show — in the hopes of putting out a new live album. The problem? They keep playing places like the Bojangles Coliseum, and (no kidding) the 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre.

Dr. John’s forthcoming collaboration with the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach has a turbulent, polyrhythmic propulsion, and that’s no accident, the legendary keyboardist says.

More often than not, it’s seemed like Dr. John has relied on the dark mysteries of his voice — rather than the material — to sell his records. Of course, what a voice it is: Full of wry sweetness, weed-smoke inscrutability and spicy indignation.

Deeply wounded by the way his hometown drowned in the wake of Katrina, Dr. John has spent the last few years railing against The Man. But he’s never sounded so focused, so full of both piss and vinegar.

The Black Keys are on a roll. Just months after the release of El Camino, and before the band has even launched a new North American tour, Dan Auerbach says the band has enough material for a follow up.

As with last year’s inaugural edition, The Official™ SomethingElse! year-ending Top 10 list requires two or more of us to be in agreement as we gathered around the watercooler at SER Towers. It’s no easy task.