Saturday, December 29, 2012

Best Albums of 2012



It’s true not all years are created equal, and if this year appeared like it would be a little lackluster after the first few months, the year’s latter half more than made up for it providing some of the best music we’ve heard thus far in this still young decade.  Not only that, but some of 2012’s greatest albums came as a bit of surprise.  And here they are (along with 10 honorable mentions):



Schoolboy Q
Habits and Contradictions

Key track:  "Hands On the Wheel (feat. A$AP Rocky)"

Django Django
Django Django

Key track:  "Hail Bop"

Daniel Rossen
Silent Hour/Golden Mile

Key track:  "Saint Nothing"

How to Dress Well
Total Loss

Key track:  "Cold Nites"

The Antlers
Undersea

Read the full review here.

Key track:  "Endless Ladder"

Allo Darlin
Europe

Key track:  "Northern Lights"

Holy Other
Held

Key track:  "Held"

Twin Shadow
Confess

Key track:  "Five Seconds"

Tindersticks
The Something Rain

Key track:  "Slippin' Shoes"

Mount Eerie
Clear Moon

Key track:  "House Shape"

50. Miguel
Kaleidoscope Dream

Key tracks:  "Do You…", "Where's the Fun In Forever"







49. Metz
Metz

Key tracks:  "Headache", "Wet Blanket"







48. Lower Dens
Nootropics

Key tracks:  "Brains", "Lamb"







47. Crystal Castles
III

Read the full review here.

Key tracks:  "Wrath of God", "Transgender"





46. The Walkmen
Heaven

Key tracks:  "The Witch", "Heaven"







45. Animal Collective
Centipede Hz

Key tracks:  "Today's Supernatural", "Monkey Riches"







44. DIIV
Oshin

Key tracks:  "How Long Have You Known", "Home"







43. Hot Chip
In Our Heads

Read the full review here.

Key tracks:  "Flutes", "Let Me Be Him"





42. Death Grips
The Money Store

Key tracks:  "Hacker", "I've Seen Footage"







41. Sigur Ros
Valtari

Read the full review here.

Key tracks:  "Valtari", "Varúð"




40. The Shins
Port of Morrow

Key tracks:  "It's Only Life", "For a Fool"







39. Baroness
Yellow and Green

Key tracks:  "The Line Between", "Back Where I Belong"







38. Liars
WIXIW

Read the full review here.

Key tracks:  "No. 1 Against the Rush", "Brats"




37. Sleigh Bells
Reign of Terror

Read the full review here.

Key tracks:  "End of the Line", "You Lost Me"





36. Actress
R.I.P.

Key tracks:  "N.E.W", "Marble Plexus"







35. Mac DeMarco
2

Key tracks:  "Ode to Viceroy", "Cooking Up Something Good"







34. Chairlift
Something

Read the full review here.

Key tracks:  "I Belong In Your Arms", "Frigid Spring"





33. Lotus Plaza
Spooky Action at a Distance

Key tracks:  "Monoliths", "Dusty Rhodes"







32. The xx
Coexist

Key tracks:  "Angels", "Chained"







31. Passion Pit
Gossamer

I’ll admit that it’s a little difficult for me to listen to Gossamer without hearing it through the prism of singer Michael Angelakos’ reported troubles.  The Passion Pit front man has been fairly open about the breakdowns and general mental instability he’s faced (which ultimately led to the band’s cancelled tour earlier this year).  Perhaps being privy to Gossamer’s back story just makes Angelakos’ songs that much more relatable.  Because let’s face it, for all of the band’s pop smarts it’s that human fragility in their music that arguably makes it so affecting.  When Angelakos sings “I’ll Be Alright”, it’s a little hard to believe him; but that refreshing lack of pretension sure makes it easy to root for him anyway.

Key tracks:  "On My Way", "Hideaway"

30. Perfume Genius
Put Your Back N 2 It

Read the full review here.

Key tracks:  "Take Me Home", "Floating Spit"





29. El-P
Cancer for Cure

Key tracks:  "The Full Retard", "For My Upstairs Neighbor (Mums the Word)"





28. David Byrne and St Vincent
Love This Giant

Key tracks:  "Who", "Outside of Space and Time"







27. Cat Power
Sun

Read the full review here.

Key tracks:  "Nothin' But Time", "Manhattan"





26. Purity Ring
Shrines

Key tracks:  "Lofticries", "Fineshrine"







25. Frankie Rose
Interstellar

Key tracks:  "Interstellar", "Apples For the Sun"







24. John Talabot
Æ’IN

Key tracks:  "Destiny feat. Pional", "Journeys feat. Ekhi"







23. Jessie Ware
Devotion

Key tracks:  "Wildest Moments", "Taking In Water"







22. Arial Pink's Haunted Graffiti
Mature Themes

Key tracks:  "Only In My Dreams", "Live It Up"







21. Burial
Kindred EP

Key tracks:  "Kindred", "Loner"







20. Sharon Van Etten
Tramp

Key tracks:  "All I Can", "Leonard"







19. Japandroids
Celebration Rock

Key tracks:  "The House That Heaven Built", "The Nights of Wine and Roses"






18. Spiritualized
Sweet Light Sweet Heart

Read the full review here.

Key tracks:  "Hey Jane", "So Long You Pretty Things"





17. Ty Segall Band
Slaughterhouse

See also:  Ty Segall's Twins and Ty Segall and White Fence's Hair

Key tracks:  "I Bought My Eyes", "Tell Me What's Inside Your Heart"





16. Andy Stott
Luxury Problems

Key tracks:  "Lost and Found", "Leaving"







15. Julia Holter
Ekstasis

Key tracks:  "Godess Eyes II", "In the Same Room"







14. Killer Mike
R.A.P. Music

Key tracks:  “R.A.P. Music”, “Ghetto Gospel”







13. Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!

Key tracks:  "Their Helicopters Sing", "Strung Like Lights At Thee Printemps Erable"






12. Flying Lotus
Until the Quiet Comes

Key tracks:  "All In", "Phantasm (feat. Laura Darlington)"







11. Bat For Lashes
The Haunted Man

Key tracks:  "Marilyn", "Laura"







10. Swans
The Seer

It’s not exactly the most accessible record on this list, but for as difficult as a nearly two hour long post-apocalyptic nightmare might seem, the album sure is rewarding.  With tracks like the epic half hour long, atonal title track, to call The Seer a harrowing experience seems a little redundant.  That being said, even in the album’s deepest trenches, it would be a little bit of a misnomer to call something so compelling ugly.  If anything, the record is a cinematic journey that’s as gripping as it is purposeful.  But let’s be clear, The Seer is not for the faint of heart.

Key tracks:  "Lunacy", "Song For A Warrior", "Avatar"

9. Grimes
Visions

If Claire Boucher’s breakthrough felt a little unassuming upon release, I sure found myself returning to it an awful lot.  And each listen only proved to heighten its appeal as one of the most unique records of the year.  Her voice often feels like just another instrument in the mix, with her lyrics, at times, barely decipherable.  Of course, her lilting coos are much more than they may appear, as Grimes is nearly defined by them.  It’s those feminine pop melodies peaking through the mix that give her electronic experiments extra weight.

Key tracks:  "Oblivion", "Genesis", "Skin"
 
8. Beach House
Bloom

From album to album, Beach House has continued an amazing level of growth, both in their songwriting abilities as well as the sheer grandeur of their sound.  And yet, what may be the most satisfying detail in “Lazuli” is the lo-fi synth arpeggio that opens the song and carries the choruses.  It’s a simple, but ultimately powerful progression that acts as the perfect counterbalance to the expansive nature of the rest of the instruments and the colossal presence of singer Victoria Legrand.  It represents what makes Bloom work so well.  For as majestic as Beach House sounds these days, what really makes their music special is what has always made their music special:  the attention they give to their craft.  It’s those little details that enable the band to go bigger without ever forfeiting anything in return.

Key tracks:  "Myth", "Lazuli", "Wishes"

7. Chromatics
Kill for Love

Perhaps I wasn’t giving Chromatics enough credit, but I can honestly say I didn’t foresee a grand hour and a half long marathon of an album coming from them during the five year wait leading up to Kill For Love’s release.  But the group, it turned out, was making good use of their time away.  The album turned out to be a heroic exploration of synth pop and atmospheric mood pieces, nearly all living up to their promise.  It’s at times engaging and at other times cold and chilling, but it’s never less than satisfying.

Key tracks:  "Kill For Love", "Back From the Grave", "These Streets Will Never Look the Same"

6. Grizzly Bear
Shields

If there is one thing Shields has over its predecessor it’s the record’s amazing consistency.  Not to say there were weak links on Veckatimist, but the highlights were pretty easy to spot.  Conversely, Shields may not have a crossover moment like “Two Weeks” on it, but what it offers in lieu of that is ten remarkable songs, all striking in their own ways.  It’s one of those rare albums where listing favorite tracks is almost silly; every song feels like a favorite while you’re in the middle of it.

Read the full review here.

Key tracks:  "Half Gate", "Yet Again", "Sun In Your Eyes"

5. Fiona Apple
The Idler Wheel…

No longer a late 90’s whipping post, Apple has transformed her melodramatic confessionals into something quite a bit more refined.  The result is her finest set of songs to date.  Her voice, too, has matured nicely, allowing more nuance to seep in.  But in all honesty, what makes The Idler Wheel… such a valuable commodity in 2012 is its author’s brutal honesty.  Whether it’s the honesty of her lyrics or the honesty of the music, which gives few, if any, concessions to the present day, there’s nothing about the record that feels contrived on any level.  In an era of infinite posturing, it was about as refreshing as an album gets.

Key tracks:  "Every Single Night", "Werewolf", "Jonathan"

 
4. Tame Impalla
Lonerism

Lonerism is in some senses, the ultimate grower.  It’s deceptively complex, daring you to try and define it.  If the record comes across as merely a successful psychedelic trip early on, in time it reveals itself to be so much more than that.  Growing leaps and bounds from their debut Innerspeaker, Tame Impala have taken the blueprint from that record and mixed in dashes of electronic music and fantastic sonic wizardry.  The band also distinguishes themselves with some of the most contagious melodies released all year.  Based on the satisfying, if a bit more derivative Innerspeaker, it didn’t seem like the group was even capable of an album Lonerism’s caliber.  But having spent much time with their latest release, there seems to be no limit to what to the band is capable of.

Key tracks:  "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards", "Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control", "Apocalypse Dreams"

 
3. Kendrick Lamar
Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City

I’ve heard few albums with a narrative arc as powerful and rewarding as that of good kid, M.A.A.D City.  In a lot of ways the autobiographical nature of the album plays like a great movie, complete with a redemptive ending.  In it, Lamar takes us on a complex, thoughtful journey through his adolescence and into adulthood, wherein we hear every thought and rationale for the bad decisions that led to more bad decisions that led to their unintended consequences.  The production is superb and Lamar’s flow is stellar, able to portray each stage of his life with the conviction that he’s still living in it even when it’s long past.  At times it’s harrowing, at times it’s humorous, but it always feels utterly human.

Key tracks:  "Sing About Me, Im Dying Of Thirst", "Swimming Pools (Drank)", "Real (Feat. Anna Wise Of Sonnymoon)"

 
2. Dirty Projectors 
Swing Lo Magellan

For me, there isn’t a single album on this list that I have listened to as many times as the remarkably addicting Swing Lo Magellan.  By stripping away any perceivable excess, Dirty Projectors were able to show off their superb songwriting skills and put their magnificent voices front and center.  No longer content to simply hold listeners at arm’s length, the band delivered an inviting work that deliberately focused on more accessible, if still meticulous, song craft.  Not only that, but they show off their remarkable range in the process.  From the sweet “Impregnable Question” to the celebratory “Unto Caesar”, each song successfully inhabits its own space along a wide continuum of feelings and approaches.  It’s no coincidence that the most human album in the Dirty Projectors’ catalog also ranks as their best.

Rear the full review here.

Key tracks:  "Gun Has No Trigger", "Just From Chevron", "Dance For You"




 
1. Frank Ocean
Channel Orange

Is it just me, or was 2012 the year artists spanning genres came together to make albums of enormous size and scope.  These were albums defiantly designed to be consumed as a whole.  Of all of the truly epic records on this list—and there are plenty— none hit on quite as heavily as Channel Orange.  It may not have the thematic focus of say, Kendrick or The Swans; but the sheer breadth of the thing more than makes up for it.  Between the album’s three best songs alone you have a gut wrenching ballad (“Bad Religion”), a mind bending, ten minute epic (“Pyramids”) and a remarkably infectious anthem (“Sweet Life”).  Ocean has the remarkable ability of painting gripping pictures that range from the surreal to the too real.  But even while he details different walks of life, he never quite gives away his hand.  He leaves any judgments solely to the discretion of the listener.  But what really makes Ocean so affecting is the way he so skillfully puts the listener squarely in the narrator’s seat.  Even if you’ve never lived in the lap of luxury or been addicted to crack, thanks to Ocean’s gift as a storyteller, the conflicting and complicated nature of the lifestyles on display here are easily to identify with.


Key tracks:  "Sweet Life", "Bad Religion", "Pyramids"

Here are 20 of the best tracks of the year not represented by any of the albums above:




20. The Men, “Open Your Heart”
19. Laurel Halo, “Light + Space”
18. St. Vincent, “Krokodil”
17. Ty Segall, “Thank God for Sinners”
16. Fresh & Onlys, “Euphoria”
15. Mirrorring, “Fell Sound”
14. Rhye, “The Fall”
13. Still Corners, “Fireflies”
12. jj, “Beautiful Life”
11. Nas, “Accident Murderers”
10. TNGHT, “Higher Ground”
9. Divine Fits, “Would That Not Be Nice”
8. Atoms for Peace, “Default”
7. The Flaming Lips, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (feat. Erykah Badu)”
6. Dum Dum Girls, “Lord Knows”
5. Local Natives, “Breakers”
4. Niki and the Dove, “Tomorrow”
3. Blur, “Under the Westway”
2. Kwes., “Igoyh”
1. Usher, "Climax"