[rts] Jonc's 2012 Music List
Dec. 23rd, 2012 08:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jon_chaissonI know y'all have been waiting for this, and to be honest, I'm actually a bit early with it! Usually I wait until the very last week of the year before I build up this list, just for completeness' sake, but I figured it's safe enough to put out the list right about the same time everyone else is.
This has been quite an interesting year musically...this was the year in which![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
emmalyon and I continued to listen to a lot of bands on the Sirius alternative rock stations on the upper end of our TV dial, but we also found AOL's Spinner, which features a good dozen or so new albums every week that you can stream. From about June on, I picked up a hell of a lot of new music that I hadn't heard anywhere else--not on the radio and not on satellite stations either, and I was rarely let down. There's a lot of new stuff hiding out there that's worth checking out, and I believe that in the next year or so we'll be seeing a change in playlists because of it.
The year has definitely been one of change, of endings and beginnings. In the early summer we saw the demise of WFNX, a Boston radio station that had been around since 1983, and was New England's answer to KROQ in LA--it was the only station out there, for the longest time, that played alternative music early on, and also featured local music in its regular rotation rather than just on specialty shows. Three of its best-known DJs--Henry Santoro, Julie Kramer and Adam 12, as well as the stations music director Paul Driscoll, stayed until the bitter end...and resurrected the airwaves digitally at Radio Boston.com, where they're still going and getting stronger. Again, a lot of changes in the air, but I'm sensing a move out of stasis and towards the positive.
This past year has been memorable musically for me, probably one of the best years in the past decade, and I'm looking forward to more.
SO! Without further ado...
TOP 30 ALBUMS
These are listed chronologically rather than in countdown, as I admit I'm a bit out of practice in that respect. That, and I've been on such a chronology kick lately that this listing makes more sense to me now.
CHAIRLIFT, Something
Following up on all the music reminiscent of early 80s synthpop that came out near the end of 2011, Chairlift returned with a second album that was a lot less indie rock and a lot more poppy. Gone were the cutesy lyrics of "Bruises" from their first album, replaced by songs of paranoia and irritation (this is partly due to label wranglings in between albums).
SHEARWATER, Animal Joy
I'd heard of this band in the past, but never got around to hearing them until Emm suggested I check them out. A curious mix of folk, indie rock, and inventive lyrics and images.
BAND OF SKULLS, Sweet Sour
This trio definitely owes a debt to Led Zeppelin and all those heavy blues rock bands from the 70s. Opinions about them have differed from person to person, but I thought this album kicked ass. Sometimes you just gotta kill it old school.
BIG WRECK, Albatross
So stoked these guys came out with something new! Been a big fan since their first album way back in '97, and they haven't had a new release in about a decade, so I was totally surprised when they released this new one. More hard-edged blues rock (more Clapton than Band of Skulls' Led Zep), these guys returned with a solid rocker of an album.
CHROMATICS, Kill for Love
Some of my favorite albums are ones that are off in their own genre, and this is definitely one of them. At times stuck in the early 80s New Wave, other times stuck in the drugged out 70s, this album has some fascinating tracks worth checking out. Bonus points for the band shooting their own videos on lo-fi cameras!
OBERHOFER, Time Capsules II
One of the many bands I heard on Sirius XMU earlier this year, I can't help but picture this as an album recorded by some meathead and his friends from the unhip side of Brooklyn, trying to be the next Ramones and inspired by surf music. Actually, singer Brad Oberhofer is an NYU grad and used his last name as a band name in honor of Bon Jovi, and they are in fact one of the skadillion indie Brooklyn bands currently hitting the circuit. Still, this is one hell of a fun album.
BEAR IN HEAVEN, I Love You, It’s Cool
Another XMU band, you can file this one in with the guitar/synthpop/80s revival genre along with Cut Copy and M83, but it's a fascinating album, and one that's great to listen to in headphones, due to its dreamy walls of sound both acoustic and digital.
EVE 6, Speak in Code
Another 90s band makes a long-awaited comeback, and this was well worth it. They're definitely on the lighter side of alt-rock, but their music has always been tight and catchy, and there's not a bad track here.
SILVERSUN PICKUPS, Neck of the Woods
The quartet's third album is excellent, as expected! Walls of shimmering guitars, flawless intricate bass riffs, and well-crafted lyrics abound, it's a gorgeous album to listen to.
SOULSAVERS, The Light the Dead See
This album just goes to prove how great Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan is as a singer (and as a songwriter) when given the chance and the outlet. British production team Soulsavers have recorded various albums with guest singers over the years, but this is their first with one singer/writer, and it's a gorgeous and deeply spiritual record.
2:54, 2:54
This is one hell of a great album (it's number 2 on my end-of-year list), and another XMU favorite. It's got the sultry vocals reminiscent of Toni Halliday (Curve), the darkness of The Cure's Seventeen Seconds, and the atmospherics of Lush--pretty much an album tailored to everything I loved in 80s and 90s alternative rock. Absolutely stunning debut.
ANIMAL KINGDOM, The Looking Away
Quite the interesting trio that we had the pleasure to see live at Outside Lands. Their single "Strange Attractor" is the poppiest single on the album and their biggest hit stateside so far, but the album's actually darker than it lets on. Definitely worth checking out.
MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK, Go
These guys have some of the catchiest damn songs around, and funny too--upbeat, dancy, rocking songs that you can crank up, even when the lyrics are about how much they suck in relationships! One of Emm's favorite albums of the year.
HOT CHIP, In Our Heads
This is one of those bands that I knew of and didn't really care for at one point, but this album totally sold me. The album's all over the place--weird disco pop, sample-heavy balladry, and everything in between. I'm still not sure what to shelve it under, but it's a fascinating listen.
METRIC, Synthetica
Another excellent release from the always excellent Metric. This time out they're focusing on real versus fake, unique versus manufactured, and knowing the difference between them. A lot of good tracks on this album, including a cameo from Lou Reed on "The Wanderlust".
DIIV, Oshin
These youngsters (I think they're all late teens-early twenties) have tapped into the dreamy jangle-pop of The Church and shoegaze, and released a fantastic debut. This is an album I would have had on heavy rotation in my Walkman in 1988.
MAXÏMO PARK, The National Health
Emm got me hooked on this album. These guys mix hard-driving indie rock with a bit of quiet folk, and intelligent lyrics, with just a touch of synth for embellishment. I'll definitely need to check out their earlier work.
CALIBRO 35, Any Resemblance to Real Persons or Actual Facts is Purely Coincidental
Right about when I started listening to albums on the AOL Spinner (Emm had started listening a month or so back), this was one of the featured albums in early July. Self-described as "music from Italian gangster movies", this instrumental band (actually from New York City) plays killer jazzy riffs that would be right at home with your favorite heist films and a lot of fun to listen to.
HUSKY, Forever So
A stunning indie folk album, these guys write some hauntingly beautiful songs that get stuck in your head for hours at a time. I've never been too much of a fan of SubPop's roster (just out of personal taste), but they've signed some excellent bands in the past few years, including these guys.
FANG ISLAND, Major
This one's on everyone's end of year list--and for a good reason. Their sound is infectiously positive and fun (they describe their sound as "everyone high-fiving everyone"), with hints of Irish punk and Eddie Van Halen arpeggios everywhere. It's RAWK!
THENEWNO2, thefearofmissingout
Dhani Harrison's second outing under thenewno2 moniker is a HUGE step up from his previous album. Just to get it out of the way, yes, he sounds a hell of a lot like his dad in certain songs...not just his voice, but in the creative musical phrasing. Dhani definitely hit his stride here.
BOB MOULD, Silver Age
Bob returns with an excellent return to hard-rocking form, quite reminiscent of his Sugar days. He's always been a writer whose songs reflect what's going on in his life (his frustration and exhaustion in Workbook, for instance), and this one reflects his finally being in a good place in his life. Definitely check out his autobiography See a Little Light, it's well worth the read.
WAX TAILOR, Dusty Rainbow from the Dark
Some of my favorite electronic albums are ones that are thematic and collaborative, and often off in their own universe (this is why I love UNKLE so much). Wax Tailor is a French DJ who's released four previous albums of strange-yet-catchy electronica, and this one seems to focus on a small child's first fascination with music and its power to lift one's spirit.
GREEN DAY, Uno!/Dos!/Tre!
Say what you will about Billie Joe's well-publicized breakdown and their subsequent postponing of a tour, this trio of albums is actually some of their tightest and best. It's not the snotty punk of Dookie of course, as they haven't written stuff like that for the last three albums--this is the mature Green Day that writes some excellent topical stuff.
DECOMPOSURE, Eating Chicken
My favorite album of 2012, hands down, for multiple reasons. Everything about it just resonates with me, even if musically it's not exactly the sound that I would normally gravitate towards. I think the reason is because, as a writer, I got what he was trying to do here. There's a running theme here of trying to figure one's life out, of things ending and things regenerating. It's about his parents divorcing and his daughter being born. It's about thinking of his future, if he really wants to continue music or let it go and focus on his everyday job. [He talks about all of this in detail here where he explains the history and the meaning behind the album.] As a writer, it fascinated me just how much this album is like a novel, with its carefully crafted thematic arc and its well-placed highs and lows, and also of its central character (himself) evolving and maturing until he finds his own conclusion to it all. As a creator, also I found myself deeply impressed by this undertaking--every single piece of it is completely his, from the lyrics and music, to the production and even to the packaging. [There's also the fact that quite a number of the tracks get stuck in my head for days on end, which is always a good thing. :) ]
MUSE, The 2nd Law
Okay, sure, this band has taken Queen-like pomp and overwhelming RAWK to a ridiculous extreme that you can't help but laugh--I'm quite certain the band thought the same with their totally over-the-top Olympics track "Survival" (complete with a video that puts Leni Reifenstahl to shame), just to see how far they could take it and still pull it off. But that track aside, this is definitely a change of pace for them. There aren't nearly as many overbearing tracks here; in fact, a lot of them are quite subdued, including the single "Madness".
THE EGG, Something to Do
I'd totally forgotten about this band for a number of years (they had an excellent album called Albumen back in the late 90s), but I was psyched to see they'd returned with another great release. A curious hybrid of dance, electronica and alternapop, this is a great album worth checking out.
TKTTSM, TKTTSM
This album came out of nowhere, but I love it! It's very similar to the sound of 90s Boston alt-rock that I loved so much back in the day (you know, the Veruca Salt/Letters to Cleo grungy rock sound that was a huge hit for awhile there), but it's also got a lot of strange quirks to it as well that keep it fresh.
TWEAKER, Call the Time Eternity
Funny, I was thinking I hadn't seen a new Tweaker album in quite some time (2am Wakeup Call had come out in 2004), and not a week later I found out this one was coming out! Chris Vrenna's been busy drumming for other bands, but he took the time to craft yet another excellent, haunting album.
HOOVERPHONIC, Hooverphonic With Orchestra Live
WOO! One of my favorite bands came out with a live album, this time playing with an orchestra. Their music translates well to that sound, actually. It took me awhile to find this one, and finally found it had been released on mp3 on Amazon.
BEST BOX SETS/REISSUES
I bought a number of collections this year that were pretty damn good in price and covered an amazing stretch of the band's discography. Being the completist that I am, I devoured these pretty quickly (and built up my mp3 collection by recreating the singles and their b-sides), and not one of these let me down.
SIMPLE MINDS, X5
A release of their first five albums, complete with numerous extra tracks of b-sides and remixes.
COLOURBOX, Colourbox
A nearly forgotten but influential UK band released their complete discography in a 4 cd set. You'll know them as two fifths of MARRS, the collective behind "Pump Up the Volume".
THE ENGLISH BEAT, The Complete Beat
Another (almost) complete discography, compiled to 5 discs--three albums, one of singles, and one of Peel Sessions--I'd forgotten how great these guys were.
BLUR, 21
I splurged a bit on this one, but it was well worth it--you really get to appreciate this band's rise from post-Madchester baggy sound to Britpop to post-Britpop to mature indie rock.
ROXY MUSIC, The Complete Studio Recordings
My reasoning behind this one was because I don't know Roxy Music nearly as much as I should, considering how influential they were in the UK. It's fascinating how they went from glam to adult pop in just a handful of albums.
AZTEC CAMERA, discography reissues
Ah, the brass ring for me this year! I've always had a hell of a time trying to find this band's cds, and Edsel made good and released their six albums with copious bonus tracks. I bought two of them on Champs Elysees in Paris. :)
DECOMPOSURE, Eating Chicken Deluxe Edition
Okay, I mentioned this above as my favorite album of the year, but I had to mention it down here as well, as the Deluxe Edition is absolutely stunning--not only do you get the cd of the album itself, but you get a USB drive of all everything else in his discography (including a rare early experimental album) and numerous visual and audio goodies. And the best part was that he made it all himself. Now THAT is DIY.
A.R.KANE, The Complete Singles Collection
You'll know them as the other two fifths of MARRS (the 5th guy was a producer), they were also influential in the sampling department in regards to UK pop. Interesting collection.
CHICAGO, The Studio Albums 1969-1978
Another sweet deal, I think it was like 30 Euros (bought this one in Paris too), it's their first ten studio albums with extra tracks. Another band with quite the interesting history.
VAST, Ultimate Collection
Jon Crosby made this one available on his website soon after Hurricane Sandy for $20 (all the money was going to a local charity to help Sandy victims). I had most of this already, but it was worth it, went to a good cause, and I picked up three albums I hadn't had already!
Athens GA: Inside/Out OST/DVD
WOO! About time this came out! The first time the soundtrack's on CD (with extra tracks), and the DVD of the movie.
SONGS
Honestly, there were a LOT of great songs that came out this year, but I narrowed them down to twenty that really stuck with me, so these would make my top list. Again, in chronological order...
THE NOVELISTS, “Soul Sucker”
A local band we heard on KFOG one day, this one's a great piano-driven piece, very Ben Folds-ish.
CHAIRLIFT, “Amonaemonesia”
This was totally an earworm for me in the early part of 2012. Synthpoppy goodness.
BAND OF SKULLS, “Sweet Sour”
Love the grungy Led Zep blues of this track.
CHROMATICS, “Into the Black”
One of my top 5 tracks of the year, it's an excellent cover of the Neil Young song.
BEAR IN HEAVEN, “Sinful Nature”
Crappy video (it's a pastiche of Pretty Woman), but I love the wall of sound on this track. MBV would be proud.
ELECTRIC GUEST, “This Head I Hold”
Groovy and catchy as hell, this one!
SILVERSUN PICKUPS, “Mean Spirits”
You know what blows my mind? Watch how effortlessly Nikki Monninger plays the bass on this one. It's freaky!
BEACH HOUSE, “Myth”
A lovely song that harkens back to mid-era Cocteau Twins--this would have fit nicely on Treasure.
2:54, “You’re Early”
Not often do I see a video where the visuals fit EXACTLY what's in my head when I hear the song. Dark, foggy, and mysterious.
MYSTERY JETS, “Greatest Hits”
The best thing about this song is that I own all the albums he mentions. A hilarious breakup song!
MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK, “Timelines”
My favorite track of their new album, especially with all the chronology work I've been doing all year for Walk in Silence.
HOT CHIP, “Night and Day”
This one wins for having the most bizarre video of 2012. And for the line "I don't want no jibber-jabber."
PARLOUR BELLS, “Airwaves”
RIP, WFNX. Thanks for everything, including the shitload of music you turn me onto since 1989.
BLUR, "Under the Westway"
My top song of the year, I think. A touching ode to things ending, yet life still goes on.
HUSKY, “Tidal Wave”
This is another earworm of a song for me, it got stuck in my head for a good month or so. Not that I'm complaining.
THENEWNO2, “Make It Home”
One of the strongest tracks on the band's sophomore album, and one of Dhani's best.
DAVID BYRNE & ST. VINCENT, “Who”
I wasn't expecting to love this song as much as I did, but it's fabulous. It's Byrne at his quirkiest.
DECOMPOSURE, “Readymade”
Love the layered vocals and the humor of this song--it's a great opening to a phenomenal album.
MUSE, “Madness”
Muse at their most subdued, but it's one of their strongest songs because of that. Killer guitar solo too.
MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS, “Thrift Shop”
Funniest damn song and video of 2012 (and NSFW for language). That's all I'm gonna say. :D
And one last list, just for fun... :)
OLD SCHOOL REVIVAL
Or, "Dude, Serious? These Bands Are Still Around??" The great thing is that a lot of these weren't weak at all--many of these were probably some of their best albums in recent years!
SINEAD O’CONNOR, How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?
VCMG, Ssss [Vince Clarke and Martin Gore, first time back together since their Depeche Mode days in 1981!]
MINISTRY, Relapse
WORLD PARTY, Arkeology
THE PRIMITIVES, Echoes and Rhymes
THE CULT, Choice of Weapon
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD, This is PiL
THE BEACH BOYS, That’s Why God Made the Radio
MEN WITHOUT HATS, Love in the Age of War
THE FIXX, Beautiful Friction
PET SHOP BOYS, Elysium
CLAN OF XYMOX, Kindred Spirits
MADNESS, Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da
BIG DIPPER, Big Dipper Crashes on the Platinum Planet
Catch you on the flip side, kids!
This has been quite an interesting year musically...this was the year in which
emmalyon and I continued to listen to a lot of bands on the Sirius alternative rock stations on the upper end of our TV dial, but we also found AOL's Spinner, which features a good dozen or so new albums every week that you can stream. From about June on, I picked up a hell of a lot of new music that I hadn't heard anywhere else--not on the radio and not on satellite stations either, and I was rarely let down. There's a lot of new stuff hiding out there that's worth checking out, and I believe that in the next year or so we'll be seeing a change in playlists because of it.The year has definitely been one of change, of endings and beginnings. In the early summer we saw the demise of WFNX, a Boston radio station that had been around since 1983, and was New England's answer to KROQ in LA--it was the only station out there, for the longest time, that played alternative music early on, and also featured local music in its regular rotation rather than just on specialty shows. Three of its best-known DJs--Henry Santoro, Julie Kramer and Adam 12, as well as the stations music director Paul Driscoll, stayed until the bitter end...and resurrected the airwaves digitally at Radio Boston.com, where they're still going and getting stronger. Again, a lot of changes in the air, but I'm sensing a move out of stasis and towards the positive.
This past year has been memorable musically for me, probably one of the best years in the past decade, and I'm looking forward to more.
SO! Without further ado...
TOP 30 ALBUMS
These are listed chronologically rather than in countdown, as I admit I'm a bit out of practice in that respect. That, and I've been on such a chronology kick lately that this listing makes more sense to me now.
CHAIRLIFT, Something
Following up on all the music reminiscent of early 80s synthpop that came out near the end of 2011, Chairlift returned with a second album that was a lot less indie rock and a lot more poppy. Gone were the cutesy lyrics of "Bruises" from their first album, replaced by songs of paranoia and irritation (this is partly due to label wranglings in between albums).
SHEARWATER, Animal Joy
I'd heard of this band in the past, but never got around to hearing them until Emm suggested I check them out. A curious mix of folk, indie rock, and inventive lyrics and images.
BAND OF SKULLS, Sweet Sour
This trio definitely owes a debt to Led Zeppelin and all those heavy blues rock bands from the 70s. Opinions about them have differed from person to person, but I thought this album kicked ass. Sometimes you just gotta kill it old school.
BIG WRECK, Albatross
So stoked these guys came out with something new! Been a big fan since their first album way back in '97, and they haven't had a new release in about a decade, so I was totally surprised when they released this new one. More hard-edged blues rock (more Clapton than Band of Skulls' Led Zep), these guys returned with a solid rocker of an album.
CHROMATICS, Kill for Love
Some of my favorite albums are ones that are off in their own genre, and this is definitely one of them. At times stuck in the early 80s New Wave, other times stuck in the drugged out 70s, this album has some fascinating tracks worth checking out. Bonus points for the band shooting their own videos on lo-fi cameras!
OBERHOFER, Time Capsules II
One of the many bands I heard on Sirius XMU earlier this year, I can't help but picture this as an album recorded by some meathead and his friends from the unhip side of Brooklyn, trying to be the next Ramones and inspired by surf music. Actually, singer Brad Oberhofer is an NYU grad and used his last name as a band name in honor of Bon Jovi, and they are in fact one of the skadillion indie Brooklyn bands currently hitting the circuit. Still, this is one hell of a fun album.
BEAR IN HEAVEN, I Love You, It’s Cool
Another XMU band, you can file this one in with the guitar/synthpop/80s revival genre along with Cut Copy and M83, but it's a fascinating album, and one that's great to listen to in headphones, due to its dreamy walls of sound both acoustic and digital.
EVE 6, Speak in Code
Another 90s band makes a long-awaited comeback, and this was well worth it. They're definitely on the lighter side of alt-rock, but their music has always been tight and catchy, and there's not a bad track here.
SILVERSUN PICKUPS, Neck of the Woods
The quartet's third album is excellent, as expected! Walls of shimmering guitars, flawless intricate bass riffs, and well-crafted lyrics abound, it's a gorgeous album to listen to.
SOULSAVERS, The Light the Dead See
This album just goes to prove how great Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan is as a singer (and as a songwriter) when given the chance and the outlet. British production team Soulsavers have recorded various albums with guest singers over the years, but this is their first with one singer/writer, and it's a gorgeous and deeply spiritual record.
2:54, 2:54
This is one hell of a great album (it's number 2 on my end-of-year list), and another XMU favorite. It's got the sultry vocals reminiscent of Toni Halliday (Curve), the darkness of The Cure's Seventeen Seconds, and the atmospherics of Lush--pretty much an album tailored to everything I loved in 80s and 90s alternative rock. Absolutely stunning debut.
ANIMAL KINGDOM, The Looking Away
Quite the interesting trio that we had the pleasure to see live at Outside Lands. Their single "Strange Attractor" is the poppiest single on the album and their biggest hit stateside so far, but the album's actually darker than it lets on. Definitely worth checking out.
MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK, Go
These guys have some of the catchiest damn songs around, and funny too--upbeat, dancy, rocking songs that you can crank up, even when the lyrics are about how much they suck in relationships! One of Emm's favorite albums of the year.
HOT CHIP, In Our Heads
This is one of those bands that I knew of and didn't really care for at one point, but this album totally sold me. The album's all over the place--weird disco pop, sample-heavy balladry, and everything in between. I'm still not sure what to shelve it under, but it's a fascinating listen.
METRIC, Synthetica
Another excellent release from the always excellent Metric. This time out they're focusing on real versus fake, unique versus manufactured, and knowing the difference between them. A lot of good tracks on this album, including a cameo from Lou Reed on "The Wanderlust".
DIIV, Oshin
These youngsters (I think they're all late teens-early twenties) have tapped into the dreamy jangle-pop of The Church and shoegaze, and released a fantastic debut. This is an album I would have had on heavy rotation in my Walkman in 1988.
MAXÏMO PARK, The National Health
Emm got me hooked on this album. These guys mix hard-driving indie rock with a bit of quiet folk, and intelligent lyrics, with just a touch of synth for embellishment. I'll definitely need to check out their earlier work.
CALIBRO 35, Any Resemblance to Real Persons or Actual Facts is Purely Coincidental
Right about when I started listening to albums on the AOL Spinner (Emm had started listening a month or so back), this was one of the featured albums in early July. Self-described as "music from Italian gangster movies", this instrumental band (actually from New York City) plays killer jazzy riffs that would be right at home with your favorite heist films and a lot of fun to listen to.
HUSKY, Forever So
A stunning indie folk album, these guys write some hauntingly beautiful songs that get stuck in your head for hours at a time. I've never been too much of a fan of SubPop's roster (just out of personal taste), but they've signed some excellent bands in the past few years, including these guys.
FANG ISLAND, Major
This one's on everyone's end of year list--and for a good reason. Their sound is infectiously positive and fun (they describe their sound as "everyone high-fiving everyone"), with hints of Irish punk and Eddie Van Halen arpeggios everywhere. It's RAWK!
THENEWNO2, thefearofmissingout
Dhani Harrison's second outing under thenewno2 moniker is a HUGE step up from his previous album. Just to get it out of the way, yes, he sounds a hell of a lot like his dad in certain songs...not just his voice, but in the creative musical phrasing. Dhani definitely hit his stride here.
BOB MOULD, Silver Age
Bob returns with an excellent return to hard-rocking form, quite reminiscent of his Sugar days. He's always been a writer whose songs reflect what's going on in his life (his frustration and exhaustion in Workbook, for instance), and this one reflects his finally being in a good place in his life. Definitely check out his autobiography See a Little Light, it's well worth the read.
WAX TAILOR, Dusty Rainbow from the Dark
Some of my favorite electronic albums are ones that are thematic and collaborative, and often off in their own universe (this is why I love UNKLE so much). Wax Tailor is a French DJ who's released four previous albums of strange-yet-catchy electronica, and this one seems to focus on a small child's first fascination with music and its power to lift one's spirit.
GREEN DAY, Uno!/Dos!/Tre!
Say what you will about Billie Joe's well-publicized breakdown and their subsequent postponing of a tour, this trio of albums is actually some of their tightest and best. It's not the snotty punk of Dookie of course, as they haven't written stuff like that for the last three albums--this is the mature Green Day that writes some excellent topical stuff.
DECOMPOSURE, Eating Chicken
My favorite album of 2012, hands down, for multiple reasons. Everything about it just resonates with me, even if musically it's not exactly the sound that I would normally gravitate towards. I think the reason is because, as a writer, I got what he was trying to do here. There's a running theme here of trying to figure one's life out, of things ending and things regenerating. It's about his parents divorcing and his daughter being born. It's about thinking of his future, if he really wants to continue music or let it go and focus on his everyday job. [He talks about all of this in detail here where he explains the history and the meaning behind the album.] As a writer, it fascinated me just how much this album is like a novel, with its carefully crafted thematic arc and its well-placed highs and lows, and also of its central character (himself) evolving and maturing until he finds his own conclusion to it all. As a creator, also I found myself deeply impressed by this undertaking--every single piece of it is completely his, from the lyrics and music, to the production and even to the packaging. [There's also the fact that quite a number of the tracks get stuck in my head for days on end, which is always a good thing. :) ]
MUSE, The 2nd Law
Okay, sure, this band has taken Queen-like pomp and overwhelming RAWK to a ridiculous extreme that you can't help but laugh--I'm quite certain the band thought the same with their totally over-the-top Olympics track "Survival" (complete with a video that puts Leni Reifenstahl to shame), just to see how far they could take it and still pull it off. But that track aside, this is definitely a change of pace for them. There aren't nearly as many overbearing tracks here; in fact, a lot of them are quite subdued, including the single "Madness".
THE EGG, Something to Do
I'd totally forgotten about this band for a number of years (they had an excellent album called Albumen back in the late 90s), but I was psyched to see they'd returned with another great release. A curious hybrid of dance, electronica and alternapop, this is a great album worth checking out.
TKTTSM, TKTTSM
This album came out of nowhere, but I love it! It's very similar to the sound of 90s Boston alt-rock that I loved so much back in the day (you know, the Veruca Salt/Letters to Cleo grungy rock sound that was a huge hit for awhile there), but it's also got a lot of strange quirks to it as well that keep it fresh.
TWEAKER, Call the Time Eternity
Funny, I was thinking I hadn't seen a new Tweaker album in quite some time (2am Wakeup Call had come out in 2004), and not a week later I found out this one was coming out! Chris Vrenna's been busy drumming for other bands, but he took the time to craft yet another excellent, haunting album.
HOOVERPHONIC, Hooverphonic With Orchestra Live
WOO! One of my favorite bands came out with a live album, this time playing with an orchestra. Their music translates well to that sound, actually. It took me awhile to find this one, and finally found it had been released on mp3 on Amazon.
BEST BOX SETS/REISSUES
I bought a number of collections this year that were pretty damn good in price and covered an amazing stretch of the band's discography. Being the completist that I am, I devoured these pretty quickly (and built up my mp3 collection by recreating the singles and their b-sides), and not one of these let me down.
SIMPLE MINDS, X5
A release of their first five albums, complete with numerous extra tracks of b-sides and remixes.
COLOURBOX, Colourbox
A nearly forgotten but influential UK band released their complete discography in a 4 cd set. You'll know them as two fifths of MARRS, the collective behind "Pump Up the Volume".
THE ENGLISH BEAT, The Complete Beat
Another (almost) complete discography, compiled to 5 discs--three albums, one of singles, and one of Peel Sessions--I'd forgotten how great these guys were.
BLUR, 21
I splurged a bit on this one, but it was well worth it--you really get to appreciate this band's rise from post-Madchester baggy sound to Britpop to post-Britpop to mature indie rock.
ROXY MUSIC, The Complete Studio Recordings
My reasoning behind this one was because I don't know Roxy Music nearly as much as I should, considering how influential they were in the UK. It's fascinating how they went from glam to adult pop in just a handful of albums.
AZTEC CAMERA, discography reissues
Ah, the brass ring for me this year! I've always had a hell of a time trying to find this band's cds, and Edsel made good and released their six albums with copious bonus tracks. I bought two of them on Champs Elysees in Paris. :)
DECOMPOSURE, Eating Chicken Deluxe Edition
Okay, I mentioned this above as my favorite album of the year, but I had to mention it down here as well, as the Deluxe Edition is absolutely stunning--not only do you get the cd of the album itself, but you get a USB drive of all everything else in his discography (including a rare early experimental album) and numerous visual and audio goodies. And the best part was that he made it all himself. Now THAT is DIY.
A.R.KANE, The Complete Singles Collection
You'll know them as the other two fifths of MARRS (the 5th guy was a producer), they were also influential in the sampling department in regards to UK pop. Interesting collection.
CHICAGO, The Studio Albums 1969-1978
Another sweet deal, I think it was like 30 Euros (bought this one in Paris too), it's their first ten studio albums with extra tracks. Another band with quite the interesting history.
VAST, Ultimate Collection
Jon Crosby made this one available on his website soon after Hurricane Sandy for $20 (all the money was going to a local charity to help Sandy victims). I had most of this already, but it was worth it, went to a good cause, and I picked up three albums I hadn't had already!
Athens GA: Inside/Out OST/DVD
WOO! About time this came out! The first time the soundtrack's on CD (with extra tracks), and the DVD of the movie.
SONGS
Honestly, there were a LOT of great songs that came out this year, but I narrowed them down to twenty that really stuck with me, so these would make my top list. Again, in chronological order...
THE NOVELISTS, “Soul Sucker”
A local band we heard on KFOG one day, this one's a great piano-driven piece, very Ben Folds-ish.
CHAIRLIFT, “Amonaemonesia”
This was totally an earworm for me in the early part of 2012. Synthpoppy goodness.
BAND OF SKULLS, “Sweet Sour”
Love the grungy Led Zep blues of this track.
CHROMATICS, “Into the Black”
One of my top 5 tracks of the year, it's an excellent cover of the Neil Young song.
BEAR IN HEAVEN, “Sinful Nature”
Crappy video (it's a pastiche of Pretty Woman), but I love the wall of sound on this track. MBV would be proud.
ELECTRIC GUEST, “This Head I Hold”
Groovy and catchy as hell, this one!
SILVERSUN PICKUPS, “Mean Spirits”
You know what blows my mind? Watch how effortlessly Nikki Monninger plays the bass on this one. It's freaky!
BEACH HOUSE, “Myth”
A lovely song that harkens back to mid-era Cocteau Twins--this would have fit nicely on Treasure.
2:54, “You’re Early”
Not often do I see a video where the visuals fit EXACTLY what's in my head when I hear the song. Dark, foggy, and mysterious.
MYSTERY JETS, “Greatest Hits”
The best thing about this song is that I own all the albums he mentions. A hilarious breakup song!
MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK, “Timelines”
My favorite track of their new album, especially with all the chronology work I've been doing all year for Walk in Silence.
HOT CHIP, “Night and Day”
This one wins for having the most bizarre video of 2012. And for the line "I don't want no jibber-jabber."
PARLOUR BELLS, “Airwaves”
RIP, WFNX. Thanks for everything, including the shitload of music you turn me onto since 1989.
BLUR, "Under the Westway"
My top song of the year, I think. A touching ode to things ending, yet life still goes on.
HUSKY, “Tidal Wave”
This is another earworm of a song for me, it got stuck in my head for a good month or so. Not that I'm complaining.
THENEWNO2, “Make It Home”
One of the strongest tracks on the band's sophomore album, and one of Dhani's best.
DAVID BYRNE & ST. VINCENT, “Who”
I wasn't expecting to love this song as much as I did, but it's fabulous. It's Byrne at his quirkiest.
DECOMPOSURE, “Readymade”
Love the layered vocals and the humor of this song--it's a great opening to a phenomenal album.
MUSE, “Madness”
Muse at their most subdued, but it's one of their strongest songs because of that. Killer guitar solo too.
MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS, “Thrift Shop”
Funniest damn song and video of 2012 (and NSFW for language). That's all I'm gonna say. :D
And one last list, just for fun... :)
OLD SCHOOL REVIVAL
Or, "Dude, Serious? These Bands Are Still Around??" The great thing is that a lot of these weren't weak at all--many of these were probably some of their best albums in recent years!
SINEAD O’CONNOR, How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?
VCMG, Ssss [Vince Clarke and Martin Gore, first time back together since their Depeche Mode days in 1981!]
MINISTRY, Relapse
WORLD PARTY, Arkeology
THE PRIMITIVES, Echoes and Rhymes
THE CULT, Choice of Weapon
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD, This is PiL
THE BEACH BOYS, That’s Why God Made the Radio
MEN WITHOUT HATS, Love in the Age of War
THE FIXX, Beautiful Friction
PET SHOP BOYS, Elysium
CLAN OF XYMOX, Kindred Spirits
MADNESS, Oui Oui, Si Si, Ja Ja, Da Da
BIG DIPPER, Big Dipper Crashes on the Platinum Planet
Catch you on the flip side, kids!
