BTW (Bands to Watch), 2012: 10 Los Angeles bands we haven’t heard from in a while but should this year

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Color me eager to hear new material from these 10 artists:

Beachwood Sparks – Yes it’s true, the twangy psych-rockers, whose last release was back in 2002 on Sub Pop, have a new album that’s being mixed. Bone up on their history. Look for perhaps a spring release.
Robert Francis (pictured above) – After his August residency at the Bootleg, I expected news about “Strangers in the First Place,” the album that Francis has completed as a follow-up to his 2009 release “Before Nightfall.” Still waiting. The album’s gorgeous.
Giant Drag – Sigh. I guess it’s always a maybe here.
Gliss – The arty shoegaze trio is finishing up the follow-up to 2009’s “Devotion Implosion.”
HEALTH – The lovable noiseniks released “Get Color” in fall of 2009, but ever since they played a couple of new songs at Coachella, my jones has been jonesing.
The Jealous Sound – The beloved emo-pop-rockers will release “A Gentle Reminder” in January, their first full-length since 2003’s “Kill Them With Kindness.”

Lavender Diamond – It’s been 4 1/2 years since Becky Stark and gang released “Imagine Our Love.” A sophomore album made with OK Go’s Damian Kulash is en route.
The Little Ones – His it really been five years since “Lovers Who Uncover” was the local song we started every DJ set with? More than three years after its last full-length, the Little Ones are working on a new album.
Meiko – Bouncing back from the demise of her label, MySpace Records, the Hotel Cafe (and beyond) favorite has a new, Styrofoam-produced album titled “The Bright Side” coming in the spring on Concord Records.
Nico Stai – The songwriter’s double-EP came out way back in 2008. We’re overdue.

More people who’d put a smile on my face if they resurfaced with new music this year: Earlimart, Ken Andrews, Jason Falkner, Great Northern and Sam Sparro.