Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Albums Of 2012

What was 2012? No, really, I'm asking you. Looking at the cover flow of my best of list shows a lot of quirky dark albums intermingled with a few of sullen brevity. Connections emotionally and lyrically were made while some of the top spots went to cold, mindless and often nonsensical ramblings, not to mention some lovely new artwork. Lots of newcomers to the list, nonetheless the high rankings, but also some favorite familiar faces that I'm relieved did not disappoint. Not by a long shot.

157) Japandroids - Celebration Rock
156) Baby Woodrose - Third Eye Surgery
155) Richard Lewis - {you are here}
154) Soko - I Thought I Was An Alien
153) Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat - Weltuntergangsstimmung
152) Simian Ghost - Youth
151) Tigercats - Isle Of Dogs
150) Marthas &; Arthurs - The Hit World Of The Marthas & Arthurs
149) Yeti Lane - The Echo Show
148) Slam Dunk - s/t
147) Soul Junk - 1961
146) Neneh Cherry & The Thing - The Cherry Thing
145) The Invisible - Rispah
144) Orca Team - Restraint
143) Pepe Deluxé - Queen Of The Wave
142) The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Out Of Frequency
141) Ondatrópica - s/t
140) Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania
139) Soap & Skin - Narrow
138) The Widest Smiling Faces - Me And My Ribcage
137) Electric Guest - Mondo
136) Jonathan Byerley - Catherine Market
135) Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Mature Themes
134) Emily Wells - Mama
133) The Bad Plus - Made Possible
132) Case Mayfield - 10
131) Jozef Van Wissem & Jim Jarmusch - Concerning The Entrance Into Eternity
130) Laura Gibson - La Grande
129) Chromatics - Kill For Love
128) TV Girl - The Wild, The Innocent, The TV Shuffle
127) Neal Morgan - In The Yard
126) Quakers - s/t
125) Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - Reel To Reel
124) Ryan Power - I Don't Want To Die
123) Sarah Blasko - I Awake
122) The Amazing - Gentle Stream
121) Beat Connection - The Palace Garden
120) iamamiwhoami - Kin
119) Dan San - Domino
118) Teen Suicide - DC Snuff Film
117) Revolver - Let Go
116) Borko - Born To Be Free
115) Elfin Saddle - Devastates
114) Rufus Wainwright - Out Of The Game
113) Dog Is Dead - All Our Favourite Stories
112) I Was A Teenage Satan Worshipper - There
111) Jon & Roy - Let It Go
110) Simone White - Silver Silver
109) Keith Kenniff - Branches
108) Ice Choir - Afar
107) Allah-Las - s/t
106) Paul Banks - Banks
105) Hugh Coltman - Zero Killed
104) Hillström And Billy - All The Sprouts Bowed Their Heads
103) Deerhoof - Breakup Song
102) Moss - Ornaments
101) Electric Electric - Discipline
100) The Raveonettes - Observator
99) Backwords - By The Neck
98) Poor Moon - s/t
97) Wyld Wyzrdz - Acceptance
96) Escort - s/t
95) Jimmy Owens - The Monk Project
94) Grimes - Visions
93) TOPS - Tender Opposites
92) Anywhere - s/t
91) Vadoinmessico - Archaeology Of The Future
90) The Explorers Club - Grand Hotel
89) James Blackshaw - Love Is The Plan, The Plan Is Death
88) The XX - Coexist
87) White Birds - When Women Played Drums
86) Dark Dark Dark - Who Needs Who
85) Grand Duchy - Let The People Speak
84) Sinead O'Connor - How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?
83) Ryan Teague - Field Drawings
82) The Weird Weeds - s/t
81) Port St. Willow - Holiday
80) Twin Shadow - Confess
79) Family Band - Grace And Lies
78) Bad Weather California - Sunkissed
77) Pond - Beard, Wives, Denim
76) Astronomical - Little Women
75) Brns - Wounded
74) Georgia Anne Muldrow - Seeds
73) Trust - Trst
72) Matthew E. White - Big Inner
71) Doug Jerebine - Is Jesse Harper
70) Lars Danielsson - Libretto
69) Janice Graham Band - It's Not Me
68) La Sera - La Sera Sees The Light
67) Pandit - s/t
66) Exitmusic - Passage
65) Sigur Rós - Valtari
64) How To Dress Well - Total Loss
63) Estrogen Highs - Irrelevant Future
62) Bill Fay - Life Is People
61) Rover - s/t
60) Blonds - The Bad Ones
59) Lana Del Rey - Born To Die
58) Little Gang - Half Of Everything
57) John Cale - Shifty Adventures In Nookie Wood
56) Submotion Orchestra - Fragments
55) The Kabeedies - Soap
54) Halls - Ark
53) Zammuto - s/t
52) Dana Buoy - Summer Bodies
51) Trailer Trash Tracys - Ester
50) Peter Broderick - It Starts Hear / These Walls Of Mine
49) Black Moth Super Rainbow - Cobra Juicy
48) Anais Mitchell - Young Man In America
47) Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves Of Destiny - Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose
46) Asaf Avidan - Different Pulses
45) Godspeed You! Black Emperor - 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!'
44) Reptar - Body Faucet
43) Alt-J - Ab Awesome Wave
42) Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
41) Will Stratton - Post-Empire
40) Crocodiles - Endless Flowers
39) Jonathan Boulet - We Keep The Beat, Found The Sound, See The Need, Start The Heart
38) Why These Coyotes - Where We're
37) Lambchop - Mr. M
36) The Tallest Man On Earth - Theres No Leaving Now
35) Jens Lekman - I Know What Love Isn't
34) Jim Noir - Jimmy's Show
33) The Soft Pack - Strapped
32) Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel...
31) Wymond Miles - Earth Had Doors / Under The Pale Moon

30a) Friends - Manifest!

30b) Balthazar - Rats

29) Liesa Van Der Aa - Troops

28) Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & Trembling Bells - The Marble Downs

27) Cat Power - Sun

26) The Parlor - Our Day In The Sun

25) Chassol - X-Pianos

24) Grizzly Bear - Shields

23) Django Django - s/t

22) Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again

21) Bahamas - Barchords

20) Mystery Jets - Radlands

19) B. Fleischmann - I'm Not Ready For The Grave Yet

18) Love Connection - Euphoria

17) Poliça - Give You The Ghost

16) The Irrepressibles - Nude

15) Flights - Anywhere But Where I Am

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

13) Chairlift - Something

12) The Walkmen - Heaven

11) Mac Demarco - 2

10) Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself

9) Beach House - Bloom

8) The Fresh & Onlys - Long Slow Dance

7) BadBadNotGood - BBNG002

6) Here We Go Magic - A Different Ship

5) Bowerbirds - The Clearing

4) Sharon Van Etten - Tramp

3) Tame Impala - Lonerism

2) Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan

1) Lost In The Trees - A Church That Fits Our Needs

I could probably write annals about each and every one of these, but I won't, because the same way I don't care for reading music reviews, it should be heard, liked or disliked, and ultimately submitted or emitted from your personal library, be it a casual listener in commute to and fro, or an avid music freak who wakes up in the morning and can't wait to wrap their ears around the next collections of notes and noises. So here's to tomorrow's music...

Now go out and hear them. You have one year.

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