USAtoffee12
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Alright chaps. 2012 is drawing to a close, and if tomorrow isn't the apocalypse, we're going to want to reflect back upon a great year in music. I would love if everyone compiled their top ten albums of the year in some way, shape or form. Here's mine.
10) The Heist - Macklemore x Ryan Lewis
I'm normally not a huge hip hop fan, but this debut album by Seattle rapper Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, his producer is truly a sight to see. Years in the making and running the gamut from the jubilance of "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us" to the sincerity of "Same Love" and "Wings" this is a bright light in a relatively weak year for hip hop.
9) Bahamas - Barchords
Terrific album from Canadian Afie Jurvanen, known prior for session work with Feist and others. Very groovy, folky album with some great guitar licks and great lyrics. Standout tracks include "Caught me Thinking", "Okay, Alright, I'm Alive" and "Lost in the Light".
8) Jack White - Blunderbuss
Jack White picks up where the White Stripes left off with a really great rock record. Sure, it pales in comparison to the brilliant period of White Blood Cells and Elephant, but this record has some real gems. Top tracks are "Freedom at 21", "Sixteen Saltines" and "Love Interruption".
7) Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d. City
Quite simply the year's best rap album by a good margin. Hailed as the next rap protege, Kendrick Lamar is in many ways Compton's answer to Kanye West in terms of delivery and song style. This record is very raw, with Kendrick Lamar bearing much of his soul on each track. Best songs on this one are "Swimming Pools (Drank)", "Backseat Freestyle", "B*tch Don't Kill My Vibe" and "m.A.A.d. City"
6) Grizzly Bear - Shields
The rest of the list contains six downright outstanding pieces of rock and pop music. Starting with the brilliant Shields by Brooklyn based Grizzly Bear. Containing two of my favorite songs this year, Shields takes the bands sound from Veckatimist and refines it, adding more intricate layers and providing a few downright beautiful guitar melodies to boot. Standout tracks are "Sleeping Ute", "Yet Again", "Half Gate".
5) Passion Pit - Gossamer
Although not as good as Passion Pit's shimmeringly beautiful debut Manners, Gossamer is a great Passion Pit record in every way imaginable. Instantly catchy synth hooks combined with Michael Angelakos' jubilant falsetto masks lyrics of foreboding tales of mental anguish, relationships gone horribly wrong and deep insecurities. While the combination causes a degree of a dichotomy in the record, perhaps that's what the group wanted, and for the most part, it works beautifully. Top tracks include "Carried Away", "I'll Be Alright", "Take A Walk" and "Constant Conversations"
4) Titus Andronicus - Local Business
For a while after this album came it, I was compelled to put it number one. I didn't but it still stands out to me as one of 2012's best. A major departure from the New Jersey punk group's last album The Monitor, don't expect any 15 minute historical epics of song's with speeches interjected. Rather, this record strips away much of their previous low-fi sound to good effect. Very introspective lyrically, deals with the life of a punk in this confusing world we live in today. Top tracks are "Ecce Homo", "Upon Viewing Oregon's Landscape with the Flood of Detritus", "In a Big City" and "Still Life with Hot Deuce on a Silver Platter".
3) Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
While this album contains much of the similar Dirty Projectors sound, I must admit, I did not expect their follow up to the magnificent Bitte Orca to sound like this. Surely the simplest release the band's put out yet, this album proves that simple isn't always worse. Don't fret though, their are still trademark Projectors elements like Dave Longstreth's downright unique vocal stylings backed up with an all female chorale, slick string arrangements and the avant-garde nature that the band has made their own. All together this album is one that surely make many year end top 10s and deservedly so. Best tracks are "About to Die", "Offspring are Blank", "Dance for You", "Gun Has no Trigger" and "See What She Seeing".
2) Father John Misty - Fear Fun
I must admit, while I was, and am a J Tillman fan, I never expected any of his solo albums to be this good, no matter the alias he was operating under. It was a near toss-up for me between this record and my number one and with good reason. Telling a tale of drug-addled Californian decadence, Fear Fun is an album that would fit snugly in the California cannon of the 1960s. Tillman's voice steals the show deservedly so, It'll be interesting to see how the next Fleet Foxes record sounds without his harmonies. Best tracks include "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings", "I'm Writing a Novel", "Only Son of the Ladies Man" and "Tee Pees 1-12"
1) Japandroids - Celebration Rock
When I first heard the hype about lead single "The House That Heaven Built" on GOT around May, I decided it would behoove me to check it out. Well, 7 months later, the ferocious brand of Garage Rock that the Canadian duo from Vancouver brought to the table stands out to me as 2012's best record. An album of long nights out, of yearning for that last drink and of never giving up on your dreams laid out over 35 heart pounding minutes that leave you wanting more (so you just listen again). The band heavily refines their sound from their decent debut Post-Nothing and produces a record that, in my opinion, will stand the test of time as 2012's best. Top Tracks are "The House That Heaven Built", "Fire's Highway", "The Nights of Wine and Roses" and "Younger Us".
Honorable Mention: Jens Lekman-I Know What Love Isn't, The XX-Coexist, Frank Ocean-Channel Orange, Of Monsters and Men-My Head is an Animal, Andrew Bird-Break it Yourself
There you have it, I would love to see what all of you guys think were the year's best.
10) The Heist - Macklemore x Ryan Lewis
I'm normally not a huge hip hop fan, but this debut album by Seattle rapper Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, his producer is truly a sight to see. Years in the making and running the gamut from the jubilance of "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us" to the sincerity of "Same Love" and "Wings" this is a bright light in a relatively weak year for hip hop.
9) Bahamas - Barchords
Terrific album from Canadian Afie Jurvanen, known prior for session work with Feist and others. Very groovy, folky album with some great guitar licks and great lyrics. Standout tracks include "Caught me Thinking", "Okay, Alright, I'm Alive" and "Lost in the Light".
8) Jack White - Blunderbuss
Jack White picks up where the White Stripes left off with a really great rock record. Sure, it pales in comparison to the brilliant period of White Blood Cells and Elephant, but this record has some real gems. Top tracks are "Freedom at 21", "Sixteen Saltines" and "Love Interruption".
7) Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d. City
Quite simply the year's best rap album by a good margin. Hailed as the next rap protege, Kendrick Lamar is in many ways Compton's answer to Kanye West in terms of delivery and song style. This record is very raw, with Kendrick Lamar bearing much of his soul on each track. Best songs on this one are "Swimming Pools (Drank)", "Backseat Freestyle", "B*tch Don't Kill My Vibe" and "m.A.A.d. City"
6) Grizzly Bear - Shields
The rest of the list contains six downright outstanding pieces of rock and pop music. Starting with the brilliant Shields by Brooklyn based Grizzly Bear. Containing two of my favorite songs this year, Shields takes the bands sound from Veckatimist and refines it, adding more intricate layers and providing a few downright beautiful guitar melodies to boot. Standout tracks are "Sleeping Ute", "Yet Again", "Half Gate".
5) Passion Pit - Gossamer
Although not as good as Passion Pit's shimmeringly beautiful debut Manners, Gossamer is a great Passion Pit record in every way imaginable. Instantly catchy synth hooks combined with Michael Angelakos' jubilant falsetto masks lyrics of foreboding tales of mental anguish, relationships gone horribly wrong and deep insecurities. While the combination causes a degree of a dichotomy in the record, perhaps that's what the group wanted, and for the most part, it works beautifully. Top tracks include "Carried Away", "I'll Be Alright", "Take A Walk" and "Constant Conversations"
4) Titus Andronicus - Local Business
For a while after this album came it, I was compelled to put it number one. I didn't but it still stands out to me as one of 2012's best. A major departure from the New Jersey punk group's last album The Monitor, don't expect any 15 minute historical epics of song's with speeches interjected. Rather, this record strips away much of their previous low-fi sound to good effect. Very introspective lyrically, deals with the life of a punk in this confusing world we live in today. Top tracks are "Ecce Homo", "Upon Viewing Oregon's Landscape with the Flood of Detritus", "In a Big City" and "Still Life with Hot Deuce on a Silver Platter".
3) Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
While this album contains much of the similar Dirty Projectors sound, I must admit, I did not expect their follow up to the magnificent Bitte Orca to sound like this. Surely the simplest release the band's put out yet, this album proves that simple isn't always worse. Don't fret though, their are still trademark Projectors elements like Dave Longstreth's downright unique vocal stylings backed up with an all female chorale, slick string arrangements and the avant-garde nature that the band has made their own. All together this album is one that surely make many year end top 10s and deservedly so. Best tracks are "About to Die", "Offspring are Blank", "Dance for You", "Gun Has no Trigger" and "See What She Seeing".
2) Father John Misty - Fear Fun
I must admit, while I was, and am a J Tillman fan, I never expected any of his solo albums to be this good, no matter the alias he was operating under. It was a near toss-up for me between this record and my number one and with good reason. Telling a tale of drug-addled Californian decadence, Fear Fun is an album that would fit snugly in the California cannon of the 1960s. Tillman's voice steals the show deservedly so, It'll be interesting to see how the next Fleet Foxes record sounds without his harmonies. Best tracks include "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings", "I'm Writing a Novel", "Only Son of the Ladies Man" and "Tee Pees 1-12"
1) Japandroids - Celebration Rock
When I first heard the hype about lead single "The House That Heaven Built" on GOT around May, I decided it would behoove me to check it out. Well, 7 months later, the ferocious brand of Garage Rock that the Canadian duo from Vancouver brought to the table stands out to me as 2012's best record. An album of long nights out, of yearning for that last drink and of never giving up on your dreams laid out over 35 heart pounding minutes that leave you wanting more (so you just listen again). The band heavily refines their sound from their decent debut Post-Nothing and produces a record that, in my opinion, will stand the test of time as 2012's best. Top Tracks are "The House That Heaven Built", "Fire's Highway", "The Nights of Wine and Roses" and "Younger Us".
Honorable Mention: Jens Lekman-I Know What Love Isn't, The XX-Coexist, Frank Ocean-Channel Orange, Of Monsters and Men-My Head is an Animal, Andrew Bird-Break it Yourself
There you have it, I would love to see what all of you guys think were the year's best.
