We continue our top 40 albums of 2012 countdown with the third part of our journey to the number one spot...

Pictured: Lana Del Rey by Aimee Catt for Splendour In The Grass. Used with Permission.

Splendour In The Grass got off to a super muddy start for the second day, but this time, I was ready; prepared with some brand new boots after the Vans I had on the Friday were sacrificed to the vengeful festival god. It made walking into the Supertop to catch the breezy-indie pop stylings of Last Dinosaurs (pictured) easy, and it’s hard to think of a better soundtrack to wade through mud to than their whacked out cover of Modjo’s “Lady”.

Already into the second half of the year and what a month it was!

1. Big Day Out 2013 line-up announcement

Pictured: Bloc Party

Mikki Gomez hit up the Enmore Theatre in Sydney's hip Inner West, to shoot all of the musical action that is Lana Del Rey.

Between cancelled shows and contentious performances Lana Del Rey’s buzz has remained consistently high since the moment ‘Video Games’ was released and has placed her as one of the most bankable acts at this year’s Splendour In The Grass. As a sideshow to her Byron Bay appearance, Lana Del Rey took over the Enmore Theatre for the second night in a row.

Infamous, mysterious, awkward, beautiful, fraudulent, talented - these are words used frequently to describe Lana Del Rey.

Pictured: Lana Del Rey

Adelaide played host to a bunch of Splendour In The Grass artists at the Spin Off Festival over the weekend. Check out the photo gallery from the AU review photographer, Kerrie Geier.

We're at the halfway mark of the year, and for us at The AU Review, it usually means that we take time to reflect on all the releases that made an impact over the last six months. We asked our contributors to cough up and confess on what their favourite albums are, whether it was an LP or EP, and most importantly, why they chose the featured albums. You're probably wondering if one of your preferred records made the cut. Well, the wait is over. I am proud to present: Our 12 Favourite Records (So Far) of 2012!

Triple J’s Hottest 100 is one of the most anticipated countdowns of each year. It tends to have something for everyone – representing the year in music. 2011’s Hottest 100 was, of course, no exception and features a variety of songs from a vast range of genres and artists/bands. The annual two disc CD release, Triple J’s Hottest 100 Vol. 19 is a 41 track compilation, featuring a selection of the songs that made the top 100 – and a stellar compilation at that.

LANA DEL REY ADDS FINAL MELBOURNE AND SYDNEY SHOWS TO AUS TOUR

Due to overwhelming demand, the It Girl of the moment Lana Del Rey has added an extra two shows to her current schedule of Australian gigs. With her original lot of Splendour in the Grass sideshows selling out in less than hour, it only seemed logical for Ms Rey to stay on for some more shows. Tickets are onsale now.

Lana Del Rey

Tuesday, 24th July.
The Palace Theatre, Melbourne

Charles Jenkins and The Zhivagos to host Winter Ball 4

The annual fundraiser event is back! The Winterball will be hosted by Charles Jenkins and The Zhivagos and feature Melbourne’s talented musicians at the Corner hotel on 21 July. Support Act is a registered charity and non-profit; raising funds in times of hardship to workers in the Australian music industry. Keep an eye out for the line-up!

Saturday 21 July- The Corner Hotel, Melbourne

Lana Del Rey announces new shows

The industry’s most talk about singer has announced two more shows for her Australian dates to her Splendour in the Grass sideshows. With the first two shows already sold out, fans will want to get in quick for this one! Tickets on sale now.

Welcome back to another installment of The AU Crew Poll! This time we asked our lovely contributors to tell us which albums are currently on high rotation and why. The variety of responses not only reflect the diversity of music tastes, but also how far in the past they went, as there were mentions of albums released over the last decade. Here are what some of our contributors had to say...