Top 40 Albums Of 2012: 30 - 26

Hope you had a merry Christmas, y'all.  Hope you got all that cool crap you wanted.  More importantly, I hope you were able to spend good time with those people you love.

As this list approaches #1 (and one day it eventually will) I'm having a tougher time organizing these albums.  They're ALL good, almost interchangeably so.  So really, no matter what ends up in the top five or top ten or top thirty, everything is worth listening to.  Promise.

In this set of five: Old-school hip-hop.  Underground hip-hop.  Indie rock.  Finns.


30) Aesop Rock - Skelethon

I like Aesop Rock, but I have a hard time deciphering what Ian Bavitz is saying.  That's not necessarily a bad thing as words and word usages play a large part of Aesop Rock's music, and the poetry here is often just too rich for my comprehension.  Nonetheless, comprehensive or not, exquisite lyrical images are painted and set to sweet no-nonsense beats.  Rob Sonic and Kimya Dawson, who are pretty much on opposite ends of the musical spectrum, make contributions.

29) Pinback - Information Retrieved

The great thing about Pinback is how consistent they are.  Newer Pinback sounds a lot like older pinback, and older Pinback is awesome.  Newer Pinback is awesome.  It's all awesome.  And even though they hadn't released a full-length album in five years, Information Retrieved continues right along, dishin' out those mellowfied jams.

28) Grizzly Bear - Shields

I really liked Yellow House, which came out back in 2006, but for whatever reason I skipped out on 2009's Veckatimest.  So Shields, for me anyway, is like a grand reuniting.  And I was pleasantly surprised to see how they've changed over the years.  While the instrumentation is still breathy and ethereal, Shields is considerably more focused.  There are a lot of words (whereas on Yellow House there were hardly any), and the music itself doesn't meander so much.  This makes Grizzly Bear quite a bit more accessible and, honestly, more rocktastic.  I like it.

27) Burning Hearts - Extinctions

Finnish indie-rock!  Burning Hearts is all those things I can't help but like: hushed lady vocals, Scandinavian  accents, SYNTHS, some atmosphere, good hooks.  There's some New Wave in there that gives the whole thing a subtle '80s vibe, hints of classic rock to give it a subtler '70s vibe, enough jangle to squeak in vague '60s and '90s vibes.  Extinctions is music for all time!  Little bit haunting, quite a bit catchy, completely excellent. 

26) Public Enemy - Most Of My Heroes Still Don't Appear On No Stamp

Public Enemy released two albums in 2012.  Most Of My Heroes is the one that I had a chance to listen to.  Sorry, other album.  Anyway even though Public Enemy has been fairly consistent about releasing an album every few years, every time they do it's considered a comeback.  I call this the Weird Al Syndrome.  But don't call it a comeback.  Public Enemy is just as relevant and unabashedly direct and BEAT-tastic as ever.  Chuck D still spits his intimidatingly confident message, and Flava Flav is still the group's exclamation point.  And, above all, Most Of My Heroes is GOOD.  This record JAMS.  Dig it.

Top 45 Albums Of 2012: 35 - 31

If the end of the world is eminent I'm sorry for having wasted your time.  If it is December 22nd or beyond (meaning, congratulations! you survived), I'm only slightly less sorry for having wasted your time.  But either way, decent tunes do make the day go by so much better.  So whether you're dodging asteroids, hopping over newly-opened bottomless chasms, surfing the lava flows, or getting yanked out of your clothes by a good ol'-fashioned rapture, I hope you've enjoyed your past-year's soundtrack as much as I enjoyed mine.

I count two Canadian bands in this five.  Northern saturation is nearing completion.  Perhaps the end IS near.

35) Project 86 - Wait For The Siren

Man, I like this one.  I initially gave Siren a courtesy listen just to see what Project 86 was up to.  I hadn't bothered with them in I-don't-know-how-many years, so this was like getting back in touch with an old friend.  Dude, my old friend is still awesome!  This album jumps with energy and big anthemic choruses.  And checking the credits, the personnel here is excellent.  There's frontman Andrew Schwab of course, but check out Rocky Gray on drums!  How did he get here?  And the second track features devastating guest vocals from Bruce Fitzhugh.  That alone is worth the price of admission.

34) Deerhoof - Breakup Song

YEP, DEERHOOF IS STILL WEIRD AND QUIRKY.  And if you know what to expect when you're expecting Deerhoof, then you'll find Breakup Song is full of those songs that you've been expecting.  And they're as glitch-tastic as ever.  When comparing this album to previous ones I can't say Deerhoof brings too many new things to the table, but since they're in their own bizarre world anyway everything still stands out as bizarre genius.  Amidst the bloops and the bleeps are these fantastic moments of musical clarity.  And Satomi Matsuzaki's perfectly imperfect vocal delivery is... perfect.  There are so many endearing things about Deerhoof that when they release just another album it's still something special.

33) Metric - Synthetica

Over the years Metric has developed their own specific and easily identifiable musical formula and, wisely, they've stuck to it for Synthetica.  Like that upbeat catchy synthish rock-'n'-roll that was absolutely made to be accompanied by Emily Haines' no-frills vocals?  Good, here's more!  Synthetica is a good starter album for anybody trying out Metric for the first time.  At this point in the band's career they've got their sound down to a science.  All of the songs here are instantly accessible, even that track near the end that features Lou Reed.

32) ... And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Lost Songs

Trail of Dead is still making music and I bet you didn't even know.  I like Lost Songs.  It's rawer and angrier and more direct than their past few albums, and a band like Trail of Dead really thrives on aggression.  Lyrically, according to Wikipedia, this album is a response to the indie scene ignoring important world events like wars and social injustices and all that other stuff that rightfully should evoke responses from a creative community.  Anybody craving a political Trail of Dead album, well, here you are.  But lyrics are pointless if the tracks don't jam, and Lost Songs will rock you right out.

31) The Luyas - Animator

Animator is a cool little mellowful thing.  Haunting, but not in a creepy sort of way.  Lush, but not in a pretentious sort of way.  Call it astral twee.  And because I'm a sucker for airy lady vocals this is right up my bowling alley.  Despite the light and fluffy nature of the music, upon repeat listens I'm struck at how solid these songs are.  There is nothing passive or cute or shy going on here.  It's just good celestial indie-pop dripping its chill all over you.

 

Top 45 Albums Of 2012: 40 - 36

First of all let me explain how I write.  I have a full-time job that's just mundane enough for me to mentally work out the things I want to blog about.  I type out some vague notions in my mind, then I come home and spit it out here where I can shape it into something more coherent.

Those awful events in Connecticut occurred less than twenty-four hours ago.  I read about it, followed the news for a bit, then went to work.  And at work I couldn't stop thinking about the children.  I couldn't stop.  I have a child.  I have another one on the way.  They are the most valuable things I have.  They are more valuable than myself.  I would give everything.  And I was thinking of my children and those children and the frustrating senselessness of it all.  I didn't want to think about big stupid Flo Rida or my dumb inconsequential list of other people's music.

But music is therapeutic, and music is comforting, and music is an outlet and a channel.  Writing is also all of these things.  And I know I'm not writing "War And Peace" here, but I've got feelings, and they've got to go somewhere constructive, even if it's towards a project that is merely, ultimately, a fun little distraction.

So while I am still deeply troubled at what happened, more troubled than I've ever been at anything, I do feel better.  Not happy -- I don't feel like I have that right yet -- but, yes, better.

In a surprising turn, it is Flo Rida who gives us the most appropriate lyrics for this situation.  We are all, one way or another, human beings on complicated journeys.  Life is a tumultuous, precious, REAL thing.  I gave my daughter extra hugs before I left for work.  I'll give her some more when we wake up in the morning.

Here are some songs I like.  They helped me a little bit.  I hope they can help you too.  If not, that's okay.  I hope your own jams help you through in your own way.


40) Flo Rida - Wild Ones

So... Flo Rida.  I know.  I KNOW.  Shut up.  First of all, "Good Feeling," despite being overplayed and appearing in every TV commercial and promo, is pretty much a perfect song.  It could be the power of Etta James, but Flo Rida appropriates her into his own jam flawlessly.  Secondly, I like Flo Rida's flow.  He bounces those rhymes so smoothly, yet so rhythmically.  And he spits those words faster than I can mentally process them.  I don't know what he's saying because I can't think that fast.  Thirdly, whistling.  And fourthly, and most importantly, Wild Ones is not a boring album.  These are perfectly crafted pop songs, and they don't screw around.  They have one purpose, and that's to get your head a-bobbin'. 

39) David Byrne & St. Vincent - Love This Giant

Man, this is an odd collaboration, and it is sorta supposed to be.  Odd, but at the same time it makes a little bit of sense, and it's sorta supposed to be that way too.  I don't know.  Love This Giant is full of these serendipitous contradictions.  This could be a David Byrne album as much as it could be a St. Vincent album, but somehow this doesn't sound at all like a David Byrne or St. Vincent album.  Are you confused?  GOOD, because even though these songs are weird, they are still completely accessible.  And even though you'll be scratching your head, you'll also be groovin' your sweet groove-maker.

38) Bloc Party - Four

The Party is back!  And they're getting back to their raw roots.  Angular guitars!  Intensity!  Rock 'n' Roll!  This -- this -- is the band we used to love, and they've dropped whatever fluff they've accumulated over the years.  Kele Okereke still remains one of my favorite vocalists and here he delivers the goods.  Four is right in your face and would make a great soundtrack to an urban English heist film.  I would totally watch that film.

"Coliseum"

37) Ellie Goulding - Halcyon

Ellie Goulding may not have the big voice, but she knows how to make big songs.  She still has a tremendous vocal range, but rather than belting it out from her gut, she measures her voice out just so, using it to dot the i's, cross the t's, and accent the ñ's.  It's angelic.  These songs are angelic.  And these angelically voiced angelic songs, they're about love and broken love and vague poetic interpretations of personal things, and they soar and they fall and they hush themselves to silence and then they soar straight up again.

36) Rosie Thomas - With Love

It always takes me a couple tries to connect with Rosie's albums.  The first time around I'm always a little bored, but it's because I'm not really paying attention.  I'm tryin' on the pants but I'm not zippin' up the zipper.  But all at once I'll find I'm listening -- like, really listening, like I'm in a good conversation.  And she'll say something that resonates with me, and I'll nod my head because I'll understand what she's trying to say, and I'll nod my head because this is also music.  And she has the most beautiful voice in the history of music, and somehow it's both fragile and bold, and I have to be careful which songs I listen to because I get right devastated.  Anyway, With Love is disarmingly sweet and honest and soft.  Listen closely for Sam Beam, extra closely for David Bazan, and probably Sufjan Stevens too because he's always somewhere in these things.

Top 45 Albums Of 2012: 45 - 41

It's big end-of-the-year list time!  Time to categorize all those favorite things that defined this past year.  And while we'll forget everything about 2012 by April of 2013, we can still take time to recall the past twelve months before our abysmal short-term memory wipes everything clean.

Musically 2012 will be remembered as the year of the old friends, at least in my mind.  We saw new releases by No Doubt, Garbage, Soundgarden, and many more.  Most of that stuff I never bothered with.  I try to leave my fond '90s memories untainted.  But memories from the 2000s?  Fair game.  Check out who all came back from hiatuses, broken-upness, and generally long pauses.  Pinback!  The Casket Lottery!!  Project 86??  And more!

So what follows for the next few weeks/months are the albums I liked.  Old friends, new friends, guilty pleasures, etc.  I tried to rank them, but I have such a hard time picking favorites and my opinion will change shortly anyway.  BUT FOR NOW this is a temporarily definitive list of my top albums from 2012.

Like I mentioned before, I didn't listen to everything.  There's a lot of good stuff I completely ignored for one reason or another.  But of the things that slid across my radar, here are the ones that rubbed me the right way and struck those special chords that hold my guts together.  Hopefully there are some nice things here you'll like as well.

Let's do this.

45) Further Seems Forever - Penny Black

It's hard not to compare Penny Black to The Moon Is Down.  We associate a band so closely with its lead singer that when that particular lead singer leaves for a decade (maybe to pursue his own whiny solo career) and then comes back, we expect the band to sound like they did a dozen years ago.  But no, these band members have been busy maturing as musicians and human beings, and when they decide to get back together and do something productive they're not going to spit out another The Moon Is Down.  They couldn't if they tried, so they didn't.  And I like these new songs, really!  But I'm trying not to admit to myself that it means something when my summary of an album is only a defense of it that pays more attention to previous works.  GUH.

Anyway, Chris Carrabba is still a hottie.

44) Eternal Summers - Correct Behavior

Honestly I don't know much about Eternal Summers.  Sorry.  But I know the band is from Roanoke, and I kinda like Virginia.  And I know I dig the lead-lady's vocal style (direct, but not TOO direct, and pretty, but not TOO pretty).  And I know I dig the music itself (teetering between post-punk and shoegaze, both of which I'm suckers for, especially if it's female-fronted).  So Correct Behavior, it's full of all this stuff.  I'd recommend this if you're running out of ideas for super-hip party background music.

43) Tilly and the Wall - Heavy Mood

It's been four years since their last album, so it's about dang time.  Tilly and the Wall have foregone the tapdance-as-percussion schtick and have really matured as songwriters and musicians.  You'd imagine that would translate to something more maudlin, but there are some triumphant and anthemic moments on this album.  Sometimes it's okay to be less cutesy and more serious, especially where rock 'n' roll is concerned.

42) Dunes - Noctiluca

Noctiluca is cooool.  Casual female vocals, airy guitars, muffled drumming, just-right distortion.  It all comes together nicely and mellowly.  And while listening you'll get the feeling that they're capable of completely shredding, like they're just on the brink.  But this is a measured collection of songs, and the attitude and atmosphere is perfectly sustained from beginning to end.  You'll like Noctiluca is consistency is your thing.  This is the Dune's first album, so the future looks bright.  But probably they'll break-up right away because all good bands die too soon.

41) Godspeed You! Black Emperor - 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!

Man, where have these guys been for the past decade?  You can't just put ten years between full-length albums.  Well, maybe you can as long as the new stuff is as ambitious and lush and majestic and PARANOID as the old favorites.  And this time around it is.  If you're planning on tackling 'Allelujah you'll have to make an effort.  Two of the album's four instrumental tracks are twenty minutes long, and breaking this thing down into bite-sized chunks would be like watching "The Godfather" in ten-minute YouTube increments.  So take an hour-long drive by yourself and let Godspeed provide the soundtrack.  The music is very cinematic and you'll feel like something serious is happening, and maybe you'll even have a nice panic attack.

"Mladic"

A Little Bit Of Christmasy Music, Y'all

My 2012 top albums list is forthcoming-- just weeding and tweaking at this point-- but in the meantime why don't you get into the Christmas spirit by jamming out to Sufjan Stevens' new holiday album?  It is festively titled Silver & Gold, and it contains FIFTY-EIGHT MOTHERFLIPPING SONGS' worth of Christmas fun/introspection/quirkiness.

Stream it or buy it, just don't overextend yourself.

[Note: I know this is only FIFTY-SEVEN MOTHERFLIPPING SONGS, but for some reason the track "Alphabet" isn't included on the embedded player.]

Indie banjo not your thing?  Of course not, you like your Christmas music full of metal shreddin' guitars and tappity-tap double-bass pedals.  So on this front I'm recommending Sleddin' Hill by August Burns Red.  There are thirteen instrumental Christmas tracks (so no rah-rah vocals) but even as a novelty album you're still getting good quality music full of well-played (and studio-clean) instrumentation.