Top 45 Albums Of 2012: 5,4,3,2,1

As I mentioned before, 2012 was a year of old friends.  There were some new projects by new musicians that turned my head, but for the most part it was the familiar stuff that drew me in.  What was great about the familiar stuff, though, was hearing the maturation and growth in the new material.  And as I've personally matured and grown the music that has provided the soundtrack to my life continues to do so in parallel fashion.

Anyway, finally, here we are!  My favorite albums from a span of time that ended three months ago.  I never claimed to be relevant, just persistent.

5) Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas

Despite being 150-years-old, Cohen is sexier and saucier than ever, and somehow he pulls that off with an album that is more-or-less an end-of-life farewell.  Age, introspection, and retrospection are the themes here, all of it spiritually contextualized.  The poetry and wordplay is simple and perfect, as is the music behind it.  And as Cohen faces death, rather than fearing its inevitability, he shrugs with the knowledge that it was all part of the deal.  Old Ideas would be a dark and depressing album in anybody else's hands, but Cohen is too wry and to suave a lyricist and vocalist to let that happen.  Instead we have his deep, soft, weathered vocals gently talking us toward the end of the road.

4) El Perro Del Mar - Pale Fire

It's to talk about Sarah Assbring's new material without contrasting it with the older stuff.  She first fluttered into my radar with her sparse-sounding lo-fi acoustic albums.  Her sound has evolved over the years, and now with Pale Fire we have these sonically full and musically complex songs.  Assbring has retained some elements that permeate every El Perro Del Mar project.  She continues to expertly used lyrical repetition to her advantage, and her pixie voice has always been somewhat haunting.  But now instead of guitars she uses synthesizers and drum loops and other snazzy technological instruments to create this upbeat (well, upbeat for El Perro Del Mar) and funky (well, funky for El Perro Del Mar) album.

3) Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind

Hey you guys, Converge is still awesome!  And I hate to use the word "still" as if there were a period of time where Converge sucked, but since they only release albums every three years or so it is easy to let them slip from the forefront of our consciousness.  The first track is... different.  Coherent vocals?  Accessibility?  Face-smashingly awesome, of course, but is this the direction Converge is going?  Nope.  All We Love quickly shifts back into quick-draw frenzy-metal territory, and Jacob Bannon gets on with the business of shredding his vocals into gut-chewing oblivion.  If you've grown up with Converge this album will put a big fat smile on your bloody face.  And if this is your first time... well, you never forget your first time.

2) Damien Jurado - Maraqopa

Though Maraqopa is Jurado's eleventh(!) studio album, this is only the second time he has teamed up with producer Richard Swift.  Swift helps steer this album into jazzy ambient directions, and if you've listened to any of those other Jurado albums you know this is something new.  Jurado's music, based in folk, has traditionally been very straight-forward, but he pulls this off magnificently. Everything is still quite laid back with sad-ish lyrical overtones, but Swift has given these tracks a sort of spacey, almost surf-rock vibe to them.  I don't know if this is a direction Jurado will continue to explore, but for now I'm content to let these songs envelop me.  Recommended for sunset driving in the American southwest.

1) mewithoutyou - Ten Stories

I was tremendously disappointed with their last album.  The music of mewithoutyou had, until that album, carried very powerful weight, and I felt they had forgone that when they opted to go into new musical directions.  But now I am pleased to see the band is back to form, challenging us and rocking us right out.  And you would think a concept album centering around a 19th century traveling circus would seem kind of silly, but mewithoutyou uses this backdrop to explore the nature of man, what it means to be a part of creation, and the nature of our relationship with God.  It's heavy stuff, and Aaron Weiss's lyrics (delivered via talky-singing and talky-shouting) poetically lay it out in metaphorical stories.  Musically mewithoutyou is capable of rocking it HARD, but they hold back most of the time, and that puts greater emphasis on the times they do rock it HARD.  It's all very carefully crafted and all enjoyably brilliant and all unexpectedly enriching.  My favorite album of 2012, easy.

Top 45 Albums Of 2012: 10 - 6

Let it be known that I love the ladies.  Four of the next five entries feature women on vocals.  (Bob Dylan sneaks his way in there, as he is completely allowed to.)  Even the crassest female vocal has rounded edges, a feminine curvature about itself that penetrates the innermost parts of a male listener the way nothing else can.  And when a competent woman (that is, a woman who knows precisely, exactly, what she is doing) lends her voice to a properly accommodating piece of music the results can be soul-stirringly moving.

Here is half of my top 10 albums from 2012.  Everything beyond this point is highly HIGHLY recommended.

10) Poliça - Give You The Ghost

Poliça is a cool band to be aware of.  Though this is their debut full-length album, its music has been featured in various TV shows and the band itself has become something of a trendy indie darling.  You will understand why if you quit being so snooty about it and just listen.  Haunting echoey female vocals tremble over a subtly funky bed of post-disco bass and electronics.  Hypnotic as the music is, Poliça begs too much of your attention to be classified as chill.  Recommended for late night midtown driving.

9) Bob Dylan - Tempest

Bob Dylan is by this point a very old man.  And on Tempest he sounds every bit the however-many-hundreds-of-years-old man he is.  But though his voice has turned to dying gravel, Dylan the lyricist is wittier and sharper and feistier than ever, and Dylan the musician/songwriter is swaggier than ever.  Here he expertly dabbles in swampy Mississippi blues, bittersweet ballads, long stories and short stories, each song comprised of piss and vinegar.  This isn't the album one puts together during his final days.  Tempest is Bob Dylan, done Bob Dylan's way.

8) Sharon Van Etten - Tramp

Van Etten is a new discovery for me, and I wish I had been on board sooner because of all the things I am a sucker for, I am suckeriest for lady singer-songwriters.  As for Tramp, Van Etten all at once appears vulnerable and confident, peeling through her songs with a warbled voice that perfectly and unapologetically communicates how and what she's feeling.  Contributors to the album include members of The National (including Aaron Dressen, who also produced), Wye Oak, and Zach Condon of Beirut, so you know this album is folkishly indie-riffic!

7) Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur

My wife thinks I'm in love with Kathleen Edwards.  I'm not.  I'M NOT.  Just mildly obsessed with her.  If her songs sucked it wouldn't be that way.  If her tweets weren't grade-school hilarious (@kittythefool) it wouldn't be that way.  But regardless of what I think of Kathleen Edwards, Voyageur is another tremendous collection of music.  Produced by that guy from Bon Iver, Voyageur sonically sounds different than Edwards' previous releases but still retains that Tom Petty/Americana feel to it.  "Change the Sheets" would have been the summer song of 2012 had it not been released as a single in the middle of winter.  Elsewhere on the album Norah Jones makes an appearance as a background singer, so listen up for that I guess.

Also, don't watch the video to "Chameleon/Comedian" if you're eating.  You've been warned.

6) Susanne Sundfør - The Silicon Veil

I've casually followed Susanne Sundfør's career for the past few years.  She has that angelic Norwegian voice, and it was obvious early on that one day she was going to write the perfect set of songs and get the perfect producers to engineer the most perfect sounding songs that she could absolutely crush with her perfectly perfected vocals.  Well, this is it.  Here we are.  The Silicon Veil is a journey, and Sundfør floats you through it while a cloud of electro-classical music envelops you.  These songs are dramatic and cinematic and icy and celestial in that special Scandinavian way.  I don't know what's next for Susanne Sundfør, but The Silicon Veil will be dang hard to top.

Top 45 Albums Of 2012: 15 - 11

So it turns out I like duos.  Four of these next five groups are duos.  There is less interference with duos.  You get something close to the singular artistic vision with twice the musical talent.  Also there is something nice about the idea of hanging out with your bud and creating something awesome.

I also like how diverse these next five musicians are.  All over the map.  Different attitudes.  Different intents.  Different sounds.  All of them good in their own special (and sometimes disturbed) way.

Hey, a top ten is on the brink.  And it's only March of the following year!

15) Cat Power - Sun

I don't know where Sun fits on Chan Marshall's career arc.  Before this album her sound had evolved from moody alternative girl folk rock whateverness to bluesy loungy mellow goodness.  And now we have this.  Sun is still mellow, less croony, and bits of her old alternative rock self poke through.  It would almost seem more of a musical regression rather than evolution, but she has delivered these new tunes upon a soft inviting bed of electronics.  It is understated -- this isn't an electro album by any means -- but it adds a whole new dimension to Cat Power.

14) Crystal Castles - III

You basically know what you're going to get with Crystal Castles.  It will be shrill and glitchy, a pulsating wall of calculated chaos.  Each of their full-length albums have been better than the one before, not so much by leaps and bounds, but in the subtle way a craftsman steadily improves their craft.  Through the screeching you can hear the growing maturity of their sound.  Their songs are sounding less like hiccups and more like conversations.  Granted, those conversations are taking place inside of a shattered disco ball asylum, but on III the connections between artist and listener are more realized than ever.

13) Beach House - Bloom

Like Crystal Castles, Beach House is a one-guy/one-girl duo.  Like Crystal Castles, Beach House has steadily matured with each album while maintaining musical consistency.  Unlike Crystal Castles, everything else. Beach House's music is so blissful and ethereal, every song is like a dream.  With Bloom the dreams are more focused and clear, though no less beautiful.  Rather than haunting us like in albums past, these songs take us by the hand and lead us to... I don't know, some place bright and far and catchy.

12) Exitmusic - Passage

As far as debut albums go this is tremendous.  These songs soar and dip and leave you trembling.  Another guy/girl duo (I love guy/girl duos), you might actually recognize Aleska Palladino from all those TV and movie appearances she's made.  But here, teamed up with her husband and music buddy Devon Church to create music straight out of the exploding heavens, she is 100% brilliant songstress. 

11) Xiu Xiu - Always

Jaime Stewart's music has always been visceral and personal, raw and sans filter.  Listening to Xiu Xiu is like taking your personal demons on a carousel ride.  These songs can be difficult, they can be unnerving, but there isn't anything else like it.  Through the frantic vocals and unpredictable turns of music Stewart lays himself open and lets you inside his manic head.  He's been doing this for years and Always shows just how good he's gotten at showcasing himself as the guy you're too afraid to befriend, too afraid because of what he will inevitably show you about yourself.

Top 33 Albums Of 2011: 5 - 1

These are my five favorite albums of 2011.  These are the songs that moved me and shook me more severely than anything else did all year.

Numbers 5 and 2 originated in Toronto, so maybe I've developed a Canadian bias.

Numbers 4, 2, and 1 are screamers, so maybe I've retained my heavy music bias.

Numbers 4, 3, 2, and 1 all rely on Christian imagery and metaphors, so maybe I should have prayed about this list longer.

At last... So long, 2011!  You were kind of a weird one.

5: Feel It Break by Austra

I'm a sucker for synthpop. I can't really explain it. Perhaps I had a particularly impressionable experience with The Human League as a small child. I don't know. But when somebody gets it right, when they music is served without frills, when it SOUNDS like how the original Tron movie LOOKED, I'm all about it. And Austra absolutely gets it right.

The songs of Feel It Break are bleak but not depressingly so. Dark-ish without being, you know, dark dark. The bouncy synthesizers prevents any of these songs from becoming dirges. We've got song titles like "The Choke" and "Hate Crime" and "The Villain," but I can bop my head to each of them. And I do.

"Beat And The Pulse"

4: Aesthetica by Liturgy

Listening to Aesthetica is like watching a thousand tortured souls play with the spirograph set each one got for Christmas. It's hypnotizing, wholly consuming, slightly terrifying, and so, so good. And maybe there are mathematical principles involved, but who knows/cares? Even though Liturgy pours out the metal (the blackest kind of metal), Aesthetica is surprisingly accessible. Obviously this isn't for everybody, but despite the brutal exploration of auditory concepts and the nightmarish imagery each song conjures up, this album is quite listenable and, more than that, very enjoyable. The kids will love it.

3: Strange Negotiations by David Bazan

Bazan does it again! Which is what everybody says every time David Bazan does it again. But, dang it, Bazan does it again! More semi-autobiographical stories of clumsy sin. More soul-searching lyrics. More painted pictures of conflicted humanity. More truth the way Bazan sees truth, which may not be truth at all, but he's doing the best he can, okay?

He's back with a full band, collaborating with Pedro The Lion pal T.W. Walsh among others. Strange Negotiations is in fact very Pedro-esque in sound, but less so lyrically as his spiritual beliefs have altered over time. The songs are still sung with God as a context, but the context of God Himself has changed. And Bazan's lyrical straightforwardness, still searing as ever, is deceptive because it carries so much baggage. There's the spiritual weight (the kind that gets heavier the more you know what you don't know), and there's the weight inherent in this business of being human. And this is why I love the man. He provokes and challenges, and he won't judge you for whatever conclusions you draw from his music. He'll just release another album to mess with your personal philosophy.

"People"

"Strange Negotiations"

2: David Comes To Life by Fucked Up

For a myriad of reasons, none of which were very good, I avoided making any serious effort with these guys. So as I listened to David (more as a courtesy than anything else) I had one of those rare musical revelatory experiences, the kind that shifts your perception of music six inches to the left. It happens all the time when people finally decide to see what's so great about Johann Bach. I never expected it to happen with stupid old Fucked Up. And I guess that's the point of a revelation. You don't see these things coming.

David is anthemic, and it's melodic, and it's aggressive, and it's a booty-shaker. And somehow it is ambitious and epic without coming off as pretentious. Individually each of the 18 songs are fantastic, but all together they tell a serious 4-part story with characters and plot twists and warped narrative arcs.  It's all very fun in a Vonnegut kind of way, and if that's your thing then you'll have a dumb smile on your face while rocking out.

 

"Queen of Hearts" .mp3 (via official website)

"A Little Death" .mp3 (via official website)

1: Kingdoms by Life In Your Way

There are about 100 amazing things about this band and album, few of which I'm capable of succinctly explaining. Kingdoms is divided into three parts, each with their own theme, but each a specific part of a bigger picture (that picture being the love God has for his sinful creation, which is a pretty dang big picture).  The lyrics are honest and human, gritty real, and presented with brotherly love.  This stuff changes lives.  For your consideration, a snippet from the declarative track "Induction":

"The Kingdom of God is for the burnouts, the broken, and the broke, the drug addicts, the divorced, the HIV-positive, the herpes-ridden, the hopeless, for the outcasts that have been created by the church, and for the outcasts of our society that have been created by us."

I can think of a handful of high-profile purveyors of the Faith who would sooner shoot themselves in the face than honestly recite those words. Anyway, the music itself is passionate melodic post-hardcore gloriousness. It SOUNDS good, which is important because if it didn't then all that other stuff wouldn't matter.

For all of the time and effort the band put into this high-quality product, it is completely baffling that Kingdoms is legally free to download in its entirety. Do so at:

http://www.lifeinyourway.net/kingdoms

Top 33 Albums Of 2011: 10 - 6

I WILL finish this thing.

Again and always, sorry about updation gaps.  Life happens.

Just a reminder, we are counting down my 33 favorite albums (including long EPs and Internet-only releases) of 2011, despite the fact that we are now 1/6th of the way through 2012.

Let's go ahead and crack that top 10.

10: Dark Times Tape by Dark Times

Dark Times Tape could very well have been recorded on tape. Like, scotch tape or electrical tape. But what this lacks in quality Dark Times more than makes up for in sheer earnestness. It would be so easy for a Scandinavian female-fronted goth-punk band like this to self-parody or mail in some sort of schtick or gimmick. Instead we get raw rock delivered without irony or pretension.

I strongly recommend checking out the 5-song "Tape," especially since you can do so for free.  Thanks, Bandcamp!

9: Soita Mulle by Regina

There are only two things I can tell you about Finland with any certainty. 1) It's located up there by Norway and Sweden. 2) I don't understand their Finny language. I was very quick to dismiss Regina due to point number two, but I decided to give Soita Mulle a proper listen before disregarding them for good. And (obviously) I'm glad I did. The more I listened the more I liked. Sit back and enjoy the breathy lady vocals, the mellow 60's-ish twee, and if you can't understand the lyrics the songs can be about anything you want, right?

"Unessa"

 

"Jos et sä soita"

8: Father, Son, Holy Ghost by Girls

Father, Son, Holy Ghost is heavy, heavy, heavy. But it's a sneaky weight you only realize you're carrying after it's too late, after you're smashed into the mud. The first few songs are innocuous enough as Girls groove about casually, dropping hints of rockabilly and surf and other 1960s goodness.  The song "Die" even has a good deal of rock 'n' roll swagger.  But midway through the album you'll find yourself laden with the singer's emotional baggage.  And then a sweet little tune called "Vomit" swings by like a slow-motion wrecking ball and devastates your day.  This is what happens when you use Biblical themes as metaphors for the complicated relationships between you, your ex-girlfriends, and your mother.

"Die"

7: Past Life Martyred Saints by EMA

Whatever expectations you had about this album based solely on promo photos and what you know about singer-songwriter chicks are wrong like a gunshot wound to the face is wrong. EMA (moniker of Erika M. Anderson) is gritty and noisy and raw and upset. Lyrically she toes the angst line, but the music itself compliments and accentuates the self-destruction. It's all very nice.

The music video for "Milkman," by the way, is a hypnotizing Geocities nightmare.

6: Marissa Nadler by Marissa Nadler

I always forget Nadler is American, a New Englander in fact. Her voice and music house that bittersweet cold warmth the Scandinavian Indie-Folk folks have pegged so well.  And while I have a whole slew of songs recommended for the wee hours of the night, Nadler is one of the few who could provide the soft soundtrack to those headache-addled sun-risen mornings better spent dead.  Additionally, this self-titled album is recommended for those who still jam to Mazzy Star or, more generally, to those whose soul needs a time-out.

Thanks to her Bandcamp site, you can stream the entire album.

Top 33 Albums Of 2011: 15 - 11

One thing should be apparent by now: I love the ladies. I don't really have much to add to this, so with that in mind...


15: C'mon by Low

More dudes and chicks taking vocal turns! Once again (and likely always) I favor the soft female voice. Dude takes most of the singing duties, but Chick provides some wonderful harmonizing and background vocals. Also, I should really learn these people's names. Anyway, the music is pretty chill, though not necessarily in the relaxing way. There are a couple stellar gold nuggets in here, and "Especially Me" could be my favorite song of the year.




14: Don't Rock The Boat by Des Ark

For an album so full of tongue-in-cheek anger swears (this is not the full album title, by the way) there is a surprising amount of soft vulnerability in the music. Not to say that the ride isn't uneasy, but whatever you thought Don't Rock The Boat was going to be, it isn't. And featuring only eight tracks, the one thing it definitely IS is far too short.

"Ashley's Song"

"Two Hearts Are Better Than One"



13: Strange Mercy by St. Vincent

I love me some St. Vincent, and each new album takes the goodness from the previous release and adds ample awesomeness to it. Strange Mercy takes the patented Annie Clark angularity she has perfected on her previous two albums and boosts up the groove while somehow also boosting up the aggro. There are soft moments (and Annie in a soft moment will make you drip), but it is mostly about the chunky rhythms dropping on your head like a magical snowplow at the end of a steady yo-yo.




12: Civilian by Wye Oak

2011 could have been described as the year of the fuzzy dense wispy-voiced alt-folk scene. Everybody wanted to be Grizzly Bear, and frankly a lot of it sounds the same to me. But Wye Oak does it right or -- at the very least -- differently. The music is not too ambient, the guitars drive in discernible directions, and the ladyvocals are firm and focused. Yet the atmosphere is not lost, and as you coast along track-by-track you're transported to that very specific and indescribable audio world that each great album creates.




11: The Ones Who Wait by Denison Witmer

Denison Witmer is a sneaky one. He is so unassuming in his music, his voice, his appearance... everything. And on the surface his music seems nice (like how a potted plant is nice) but not terribly special. But then you listen, and you learn the words, and Witmer's music eventually endears itself to you. The Ones Who Wait is more dour than his previous albums as it explores his feelings following the death of his father. The songs are not depressing or bleak, but merely grayishly hued. Death is a context, and these songs are about life.

"Cursing" .mp3

"Hold On"



20 - 16
25 - 21
30 - 26
33 - 31

Top 33 Albums Of 2011: 20 - 16

Sorry for the hiatus. Christmas happened. I'm also moving into a new house, so that will delay things further. Also, I'm a terrific procrastinator.

I'm not getting paid for this anyway, so really I am not at all obliged to finish this list.

Onward!

20: Ceremonials by Florence + The Machine

Hat nod to Beth who a few months ago got me hyped for the new Florence album. Ceremonials met and exceeded (and continues to meet, and continues to exceed) expectations. Though there is a brooding undercurrent flowing throughout the album, Florence maintains the balance between pop and eclecticism like fellow countrywoman Kate Bush. Bush, however, never had pipes like these. Also, REDHEAD ALERT.





19: Faces by Chris Staples

The songs of Faces are soft, mellow, catchy, and, like everything Chris Staples has recorded, solidly written. Listening to these five songs is like drifting down a quiet creek. It's just NICE, you know? Simple without being dumb, and sad for no discernible reason.

Go to Staples' Bandcamp site to stream or download these songs for free.



18: På Engelska by Säkert!

Annika Norlin is, lyrically and musically, a clever little thing. Listening to her is like eating candy. Check out her English-singing project Hello Saferide for proof. But until now language barriers have prevented me from enjoying the lyrical nuances of her Swedish project Säkert! På Engelska is Säkert! songs redone with English lyrics. Even though I'm sure amusing Swedish subtleties were likely lost in translation, the resulting work is still a lot of fun.

"Weak Is The Flesh"

"Can I"



17: Color The Trees by Firefox AK

More female-fronted Swedish goodness. And if it's Swedish, and it's not metal or meatballs, then it's smooth and chill and a little desolate. Maybe you could label this electropop, though it's not electro enough to be called electro and not pop enough to file under straight pop. Whatever. It's stuff like this that makes me forgo labels and just enjoy the jams. Recommended for cruising through empty cities at three in the morning.

"Boom Boom Boom"




16: Metals by Feist

It has been four years since The Reminder came out, so IT'S ABOUT DANG TIME. Despite the darker tone and the lower accessibility of the album (nothing here for iTunes to commandeer for their boppy commercials) you will still feel ultracool if you spin this disc while hosting an ultracool party or while sitting on an ultracool porch drinking some ultracool lemonade. Even if you don't dig it at first trust me when I say Metals is a grower not a show-er.

"How Come You Never Go There"



25 - 21
30 - 26
33 - 31