Albums of 2012 - 24. Tindersticks - The Something Rain

24. TINDERSTICKS - THE SOMETHING RAIN

One legendary band follows another on this list. For those not in the know: (wiki:)

Musical style

Their sound is characterised by orchestral backing, lounge jazz, and soul; the orchestrations of multi-instrumentalist Dickon Hinchliffe (who left the band in 2006) and the baritone of lead vocalist Stuart A. Staples are the band's hallmarks.^[6] Tindersticks augment their instrumentation with Rhodes piano, glockenspiel, vibraphone, violin, trumpet, trombone, clarinet,bassoon, Hammond organ, and many more.

I saw Tindersticks in Reykjavik, 2008. That night was special. The instrumentation and the deep voice of the lead singer was comforting as the Icelandic air was starting to get cool in late September. My good friends were there and everyone, including myself was new to the band. But Tindersticks have this ability to warm you up and soothe. 

If you spin this ninth album of theirs, you'll hear that they open up with a funny, yet epic monologue in "Chocolate" and ends in a sweet twinkly instrumental of "Goodbye Joe," and sandwiched in-between are 7 sumptous tracks with well-written lyrics and that voice that for some reason reminds me of rubies. Just image association!

Albums of 2012. 25 - Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light

25. SPIRITUALIZED - SWEET HEART, SWEET LIGHT

Excerpts from my review in April for the Halifax Collect blog.

"This is the seventh Spiritualized album and while Pierce hasn't exactly let us down or required a “return to form” tag - this is not a football team – the timelessness is back that maybe lacked on 2008's Songs in A&E...

...“Too Late” brought me to tears when I first listened, which is no mean feat. I am considering doing some push-ups soon and I had a burger for breakfast too; I'm not a pussy. The lyrics of making ones mind up about love, despite the danger really does conquer all...

...Pierce twice uses his 11 year old daughter to sing on the album and amidst all the swirls of the the drug-induced “Headin...” - it's extremely arresting, vivid and somehow warm despite the bleak subject matter

...THIS MAN IS NOT RELIGIOUS- but what's wrong with “Jesus be my automobile / Drive me to heaven...? ”Well, it is highly melodramatic but so is the final ditty where daughter Poppy duets with Jason “Take the long way home / past the scary Jesus” - it's bold, incredulous and amazing and even brings the banjo along. Who'd have thought it?

...No one is invincible, especially not Spiritualized. It matters noteth. Maybe this is a little rich, a little corny, a little sentimental, a little unabashed. It matters noteth. It has heart, personality and is made of all the right stuff.."

BEST PLAYED: When you want something uplifting.

Albums of 2012 - 26. Death Grips - The Money Store

26. DEATH GRIPS - THE MONEY STORE

Never before did anything make an arrival with so much muscle. Punk, hip-hop and noise combined to swell into a pulverizing and colossal impact here. Death Grips uses booming, bassy production and the angriest roar imaginable in MC Ride. This is their first of two albums this year and the second on this list.

The Spaghetti Blogonese track of 2012 "I've Seen Footage" is on here, and this song, toward the second third of the album captures what this act are all about; disillusion, disgust with society, fear, rebellion, angst and vitality.

On that next, already know my gillicutti, like I told you...
Dont touch me
Whats up wit it
I stay noided, stimulation overload account for it
Desensitized by the mass amounts of shit

COLLOSAL!

BEST PLAYED: When you want to tear up some shit.

albums of 2012. - 27. Minotaur Shock - Orchard

27. MINOTAUR SHOCK - ORCHARD

Is this the best year ever for appropriately titled albums? Could well be. The organic nature to the folktronica is there for all to see and this stellar fifth effort from Bristol-based David Edwards is so autumnal that you could be making apple sauce in the kitchen and have the perfect accompaniment here.

Where Edwards was previsouly described as IDM, he's managed to shake off those shackles and the seeds have been sown. Excuse my cheesy cliches here but nature is cyclic and so is cliche. Justification enough? NO? Well if you're angry at my attitude, then listen to this instead and it'll put in the right frame of mind. With 10 tracks, and most over 5 minutes, you have something, in-depth, bullshit-free and as fresh as the wind blows. Gag me. No more cliche.

BEST PLAYED: When making apple sauce in the kitchen.

Albums of 2012 - 28. Zammuto - Zammuto

28. ZAMMUTO - ZAMMUTO

Using the glee of Dan Deacon (featured elsewhere on this list) and the inevitable influences of parent band The Books, Nick Zammuto dropped a clever album of electronic sonic experiments where the music spaghetti's itself all over. Most of the vocals are through a vocoder and where The Books sampled a lot of obscure snippets, Zammuto makes them all himself.

This isn't the strangest album on this list, but it's not far-away. It's one of the most fun, but it possesses a depth that repeated listens reward. For example, the strings on "Idiom Wind" really  complement the curious vocalists musings "You're an educated man....you're an idiom babe."

No amount of listenings could dub this boring. I could see how someone could cite this as album of the year for its sheer originality, it's mentalist doodles and an exciting platform for further Zammuto outings. Also with song titles like "F U C-3PO" - you can't go wrong!

BEST PLAYED: When you want something with unexpected twists.

Albums of 2012- 29. James Yorkston - I Was a Cat from a Book

29. JAMES YORKSTON - I WAS A CAT FROM A BOOK

This Scottish folk musician has been slowly coming to my attention over the last few years. I'd heard a couple of his songs before on compilations and stuff but never listened to a full length album. I'm aware of his soothing voice though; it's really affecting.

This album is really tender, nuanced and musically diverse. Opener "Catch" tells a story about tall tales "catching each other out". I don't know what the tall tales are that Yorkston is singing about always, even his words I can't always make out, but it's not about a visually arresting narrative here, instead the sum of the parts of this album make for something very pretty.

Not too twee. Beautiful instrumentation. Lovely vocals. All together, one of the folk albums of the year.


BEST PLAYED: When wanting something lovely.

Albums of 2012 - 30. Dan Deacon - America

30. DAN DEACON - AMERICA

Extremely experimental producer rolls out his most focused record yet. Like the title would suggest, it plays like a landscape and essentially is a record of two halves. The first half is quite bonkers in true Deacon style and the latter section employs more orchestration and grandiosity to culminate in a thrilling final section.

In fact, there are four "USA" parts, reaching asmooth transition for the last 20 minutes or so. It doesn't sound too measured or anything like that, because that was a concern, as previously, Deacon was bouncing about all over the shop. Yea his previous records featured cartoony splatterings of Porky Pig and Woody Woodpecker as samples. However, I prefer this more refined approach. Maybe I'm in the minority, but this record does it for me more than his previous work. Though I'm a goofy prick myself, I like the less poindexer side of Dan for sure.

BEST PLAYED: When you want something sprawling and highly original. Maybe when you're flying to America.

albums of 2012 - 31. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles III

31. CRYSTAL CASTLES - CRYSTAL CASTLES III

I got into these guys only this year, which is essentially a late start, especially considering they've been knocking out albums since 2008. Nevertheless whatever CC did  before 2012 I had the utmost respect for as they are a heavyweight chiptune act that have certainly had more buzz made by the blogs than a busy little bumblebee making honey on a  honey farm. But still I needed to go a bit deeper.

Now, I like the ravey sound of Crystal Castles and they sound both dark and sweet. Some of the titles on this thing alone just stand up tall as dark and twisted and it's a pleasure and a half to see this band come into their own. In particular"Wrath of God," "Sad Eyes" and "Child I Will Hurt You" come on through as if you're just crying out for a vampire to bite into your neck. A late one this year, as only released in mid-November, but I've been all over it lately. A true contender.

BEST PLAYED: When wanting a love-bite on the dance-floor.

albums of 2012 - 32. Wild Nothing - Nocturne

32. WILD NOTHING – NOCTURNE

Hard to approach this one. Shoegaze and 80’s and indie revival. Whatever I guess.  Genres are hard to talk about, especially when you don’t know much. I started blogging about music when I was 16 and I don’t want to stop now. This shit continues until I dies or go crazies.

Anyway, I’m supposed to be good at this! This is a good one. It’s a dreamy kind of album. It’s Wild Nothing’s second and it’s another opus. It’s mega focused. It could be higher up on the list for sure. There’s been so much quality this year. In my opinion it’s the best year for music since 2001.

Think great vocals, feel-good-malarkey and a trunk load of goodness. “Only Heather” at  Track 5 provides the peak and following up is “This Chain Won’t Break” making the best filling of a sandwich since a ploughmans. I like a ploughmans. What’s your favorite sandwich filling?

BEST PLAYED: When you want an 80’s blast.

albums of 2012 - 33. Matthew Dear - Beams

33. MATTHEW DEAR – BEAMS

This is the man! Playing with vocal snippets and looping them all over the fucking shop. When you are male and feel like a piece of shit but want to dance to it, here is what you can listen to. When you’re female and want some artistic masculinity then grab this. When you’re transsexual, or when you’re an dog listen to this.Reverse d-o-g and you get g-o-d.  I love Matthew Dear.

Opener “Her Fantasy” sounds like Pacman eating up shit over Balearic beats and later “Fighting Is Futile” messes you around in the most amazing restless way when you should “Take a trip upon something else…I feel exodus when I feel golden.” Right.A great sound. When “Ahead Of Myself” comes along, it becomes clear that all the male arrogance is testosterone and... Yes, sometimes the male can be a cunt but when it’s this confessional, surely it can be forgiven?

BEST PLAYED: When you want to express regret.

albums of 2012 - 34. Jessica Ware Devotion

34. JESSIE WARE – DEVOTION

What a great voice.  Jessie Ware completely lets loose over distant production. Her voice is kept down in the mix quite a lot and backed up as background vocals, for lack of a better word. This album really blends Italo-disco style mixing with soul to create a startling piece of work.Think I heard it on the radio first time through. It felt like a great feeling. What a clunky sentence to write. Nonetheless, I get a hark to the past with Aaliyah; “No To Love” reminds me of the late R & B babe and then “Night Light” comes on and her vocals are all up in the mix, it’s great.Man, I’m listening now, and it feels vital. My friend just commented how she thinks Jessica looks like Michael Jackson. It was a shrewd thing. Or maybe not. It takes me bad. A well produced soul record or disco album or anything with heart will always grab me. I recently bought some DJ equipment and music like this would be something I’d like to feature, not a huge pop fan but  I do love a good hook, like Captain Hook.

BEST PLAYED: Anytime, it’s just ace!

albums of 2012 - 35. Clams Casino - Instrumentals 2

35. CLAMS CASINO – INSTRUMENTALS 2

Hip-hop is probably the genre that I get most fascinated and bored by. I love it when rappers spit beats. Killer Mike is close to topping this list. I like aggression. I like production. I like intuition. I don’t like single-minded albums. A whole album about cruising around L.A. bores me in the same way an indie album just about drinking lager would.

However, something is happening in the creativity process now. Producers are doing well. People are collaborating. Things are meshing, evolving. Clams Casino dropped his amazing first installment in this instrumental mixtape series last year and this one nicely curves in from there. That one nicely fascinated, and this one conveniently freezes in some distant production, taking in some Burial influences.  And of course, not to mention, the legendary J. Dilla. I’m well up for a load more. I trust he’ll continue to sort it out.

BEST PLAYED: When wanting some great production.

albums of 2012 - 36. Hot Chip - In Our Heads

36. – HOT CHIP – IN OUR HEADS

Wow. Album number five already? Time does zip by. This album zips about too. Hot Chip are truly a great band that need to be celebrated. While they haven’t ever 100% blown me away with their shit – this is actually their first entry on my blog unbelievably – I feel this is right up there with their best material. Some bands cannot be ignored.  Consistent disco dynamite.

They first really started to resonate when I went to a house party in Miami for Halloween – at least I think it was! – in 2006. “Over and Over” off The Warning was a stand-out track that really made me dance on my heels. Not high-heels. But then, sometimes there a few tracks off that album, and the next two, that didn’t hit home so well. I think that that’s their issue sometimes.;they’re so immediate. But subtlety was never their shtick. I’ve grown to learn how to take Hot Chip; at face value. They were buzzed about too much, but now they’ve been left alone, In Our Heads does precisely that, get inside the noggin to get that foot tappin.’ Maybe not a perfect album band but still, a great collection of songs from a top, top band.

BEST PLAYED: To beat your indifference towards life.

Albums of 2012 - 37. - Dolphins Into The Future - Canto Arquipélago

37. – DOLPHINS INTO THE FUTURE - CANTO ARQUIPELAGO

I don’t meditate. Not really. I enjoy doing deep breathing to get to sleep, but still; I often strike a chord with one or two meditative albums each year and here is one of them. Part field-recording and part synthed, this Belgian-based artist blends natural and synthetic tones to embed a very focused sound. However I don’t feel this music focuses my mindset when I wanna type this blog, for example. I wanna just lie down on the bed and make dolphin sounds. Better still would be to swim with dolphins and see if they dig this ambient excellence.  Luscious stuff. Here are some tags from Last. Fm:

dreamtime taped sounds dreamy drone drone ambient ecco jamz electronic everythingexperimental favorites field recordings first track is a rocker and will send you high in a cloudless mandarin orange sky till you hit the spot and drink the juice hallucinating mirror images hypnagogic pop

BEST LISTENED TO: When swimming with dolphins.

albums of 2012 - 38. Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold

38. PARQUET COURTS - LIGHT UP GOLD

Stories in punk. Nice narratives that aren’t too dumb.  Quirky. Retro. From New York City. Though not the sound of NYC as it incorporates Texas members too.  Lean and economical. Fun.  Nice name. Good vocals. A nice band chemistry. A late discovery this year for me. Hard to say more; I will add a quote:

“Parquet Courts are a New York/Texas based band featuring A. Savage an amazing musician known for his contributions to Teenage Cool Kids, Wiccans, and Fergus & Geronimo. Parquet Court’s sound is hard to pin down. Parquet Court’s sound is a mish mash of sounds including psych punk made popular by bands such as Woods and Later-era Meneguar to more straight forward punk. Added to this beautiful mess is a post punk sound influenced by bands such as Sonic Youth, Guided By Voices, and Built To Spill. This style might not be for some, but people open to hearing something new and different really need to give Parquet Courts a listen. Great stuff! Enjoy!”

The Elementary Revolt ---August 2012---

BEST LISTENED TO: When you want some no-nonsense light punk with a storyline.

albums of 2012 - 39. Grimes - Grimes

39. GRIMES - GRIMES

Fashion. I usually detest the buzz, though maybe I get a kick off of it (“Off of” – Are you turning American? – Anglophile Ed) It sometimes feels good to get the blogs to discover things for you, especially if you’re the worker-man down the pit like me. Before I heard Grimes, I thought I’d hate her. She’s played on catwalks. She’s topping a lot of the end of year polls. Why do I write end of year polls? Well, it allows me a backward path for the future. I like to discover new things. I can go back and listen to a track like “Genesis” in the future and feel like it did when I heard it ; like fucking gold. I like to stay current, but I’m also afraid of a lot of new material. Especially in the current time when there could be a handful of albums every day to wade through. Fortunately though I had the time for Grimes, a lovelily produced album of electronic pop, Check her out.

BEST PLAYED: When you’re trying on some new clothes.

albums of 2012 - 40. The Electric Anthology Project - The Electric Anthology Project Of Dinosaur Jr.

40. THE ELECRTIC ANTHOLOGY PROJECT – THE ELECTRIC ANTHOLOGY PROJECT OF DINOSAUR JR.

The bassist from rock band Built to Spill takes some songs from one of the best bands of the past few decades and adds some Casio Keyboard style reworks. The grunge is lost and replaced with exactly what it says on the tin; electric stuff. Cover and opener “Sludgefeast” sounds like a Nintendo game. Luckily enough, there’s plenty going on for it not to sound like the annoying 32-bit electronic genre that I’m not really fond of. Basically this is on the right side of spazzy. The vocals of Dinosaur savior J. Mascis feature higher up in the mix all the way through to add a new dimension to this bands sound. Guitars kick in on the tremendous “In A Jar” and the moods of angst and  exaltation fizzle up to grandiose effect on “Kracked.” For me, the best is saved till last on “Feel The Pain;” again two polarized emotions intertwine lovelily. A velociraptor of an album. Oops.

BEST PLAYED: When you want happiness to override angst.

albums of 2012 - 41. - The Chromatics - Kill For Love

41. THE CHROMATICS – KILL FOR LOVE

“Okay here in my lecture I’m going to talk about active and passive listening with music. Active listening is when you stick on an album and are all over the songs like cream is all over blancmange. The listener actively talks about his favorite songs to others. There are peaks and troughs and a load of sauce, think Action Bronson, the chef turned rapper who you’ll see feature elsewhere on this list.

Passive listening, on the other foot, can be applied to this album by The Chromatics. They have a Drive mentality, as per the movie. Long journeys. Comfort in sound. If it was a dessert it would be a massive bottle of water. Maybe not particularly memorable, but vital to get you through the day and night. In fact it’s so coherent, a bit like this speech. Think electro and slow ballads and many orchestral moments over a 90 minute cruise down the road. Captivating. Like a semolina."

Professor Bolognese ---December 2012---

BEST PLAYED: When driving .

albums of 2012 - 42. Goat - World Music

42. GOAT – WORLD MUSIC

A psychedelic rock opus that shifts styles with ease. It’s a ritualistic feast of treats and no I don’t have a goat in my house. I feel that if I did have a goat in my house, then it would clash with the pig. But then again I’m sure there are many farms on the planet where these two beasts live in comfort and don’t bite one-another.

Goat are a collective from rural Sweden who wear masks when they play live.  Some of the tags up on the interweb have them down as harsh or metal but I firmly disagree. They blend heavy psychedelic rock with world folk tendencies. This truly does sound like a global album. It’s colossal. I think I’ll let it groove some more around these parts and I can see it having a big future impact with me, as it’s pretty recent that I got into it.

BEST PLAYED: When you want global styles with a bonkers twist.

albums of 2012 - 43. Blondes - Blondes

43. BLONDES - BLONDES

I  have a pig in my house. It goes oink and it dances to this. The pig likes to wear a blonde wig and dance to this impressive debut album from Brooklyn’s indie-house boys. The pig in my house can dance because I trained him and he’s quite the mover.  I sometimes stand it up and hold two trotters and try to twirl it but it’s too heavy. Never mind though.

This year has had some good electronic shit come through, from Nathan Fake to Blondes to John Talabot; we’re in good hands. The pig in my house is in good hands too as I want to dance with this pig for quite some time. Just wish it would stop wearing my blonde wigs!

BEST PLAYED: When you want to dance with a pig!

albums of 2012 - 44. Guided By Voices - Let's Go Eat The Factory

44. GUIDED BY VOICES – LET’S GO EAT THE FACTORY

At the top of the year this came out and it was a good start to 2012. A lot of sketches, some might argue, but I loved how Guided By Voices flit from idea to idea, often in under 2 minutes. They’ve got just under 20 albums in their back catalogue now; so fucking prolific since 1987. There’s much music to read about and discover nowadays and even though I saw these guys live in 2003, I’d honestly forgotten how exploratory they were. Well shame on me. I'm a mockery of a sham. This is hardly meat and potatoes rock. It’s a burst of styles and a kaleidoscope of a journey. It’s a timeless sounding rock album that could serve as a good introduction to their prior work. This doesn’t need to be daunting though. I know that I for one am going to delve into their old stuff with glee.

BEST PLAYED: When craving creativity from an often turgid indie rock horizon. 

albums of 2012 - 45. Nathan Fake - Steam Days

45. NATHAN FAKE –STEAM DAYS

And yes, this is his real name. From Norwich, Norfolk ,in the UK, Nathan Fake came on to the scene in 2006 with the giddy and wonky ambience of debut LP Drowning In A Sea Of Love. He followed this up with a mini-album in 2009 entitled Hard Islands whose title definitely signaled the shift towards a harder techno sound. I saw him DJ in Reykjavik in 2008 and his music spazzed around but was still danceable. I really enjoyed that night, even though I abused the publication I worked for by getting in for free. This third effort is a messy ride again, as it fuses the two styles of ambient glow and techno glare to commendable effect. You can stick it on when doing shit around the room or use it as a headphones record. It’s not made for the club but can definitely get you in the mood while you pre-game you party penguins you!

BEST PLAYED: When pre-gaming to go out.

Albums of 2012. - 46 - Frankie Rose - Interstellar

46. FRANKIE ROSE – INTERSTELLAR

A darling of an album. Derived from Italodisco and synthy treats.  It starts with an absolute trembling, walloping opner in “Interstellar” – the title track starts off with a wallop and a tremble. To be honest, from there on in you think you’re gonna here the perfect album of all heaven and it doesn’t do it. But what Interstellar does do is get some focus and momentum, it’s the first track that jumps off the cliff and the rest of the album that feels like it’s learning to fly. It doesn’t seem to make any sense at all but I think it’s about escapism. Some albums could have better track sequencing and this is one of them, but nevertheless they hold up and who fucking cares really. I’m not here to analyze the shit out of tracks,just when she sings: “All that I want is a pair of wings to fly”- I'm sold and I hope that she can make an even better album that really soars into the sky but still this is mega. Mega heaven. Did I just say that?

BEST PLAYED: When jumping off a bridge.

Albums of 2012 - 47. - Death Grips No Love Deep Web

47. DEATH GRIPS – NO LOVE DEEP WEB

I just poured dome Drano down the plughole tonight and it’s highly corrosive. So is this. These guys pack some muscle and they have caused a shit-storm already - all over the interweb and with their record label, who dropped them for releasing this LP ahead of time.  Death Grips had a meeting  n a payphone with their fans by calling it and arranging a play of this album in October, to the wrath of Epic Records. I’m not sure if that matters but I’m gonna hype them anyway and say they’re the best thing since sliced bread. Do you not like toast? Fuck off you cunt. It just feels so angry and unlike anything else. Perhaps it can recall Rage or Cypress but it’s turned up to the power of max and and and and and and and………..

BEST PLAYED: When you want to release some anger.  

Albums of 2012 - 48. Dean Blunt & Inga Copeland - Black Is Beautiful

48. DEAN BLUNT & INGA COPELAND – BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL 

Where to start? Lo-fi production. The hiss of vinyl. Flitting about with styles.  Messy. Yet most of the tracks are numbered:(FUCK THIS GAP AND BLOGGER! DUNNO HOW TO FIX IT - ed)"2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15" And they sound massively messy but mostly serene.  Most tracks are around 2 minutes long. The concept is all about sifting through vinyl I think. Also the title of the album is a bit of an irrelevance but grabs attention nonetheless. Despite the raw ambiguity in my review here also, I think it’s best used for people who want to make a mix and put some of this shit through in an interlude or a body wanting to smoke a bowl of weed and feel some cool sensations. I don’t smoke weed; I mean I have but it’s not for me. This album on the other hand most definitely is.

BEST USED: When making a mix or getting off your tree.

Albums of 2012 - 49. Mark Lanegan Band - Blues Funeral

49. MARK LANEGAN BAND –  BLUES FUNERAL

This guy has been one of my favorite vocalists for god knows how long. He’s younger than me; he’s 48 and it sounds like he’s drank a centaloun of whiskey and coughed up a fromage of cigars. He’s the master of noir-blues and this one here has got a shade load of soul again. He doesn’t disappoint. I’m liking it when he just sings and his production is distant in some of these tracks whereas in others like the disco-oriented “Ode to Dad Disco” it’s turned right up. I’d hardly call this experimental though, it’s more another unshakeable effort from a voice that’s both damaged and comforting.  It’s perfect for rainy weather. It started my year off with a dirty warmth and comes back full loop as Taipei pisses it down again outside near December. Cheers Lanegan to your whiskey tears!

BEST PLAYED: At midnight when it's pissing it down outside.

Albums of of 2012 - 50. Django Django - Django Django

50 – DJANGO DJANGO – DJANGO DJANGO
 This one built up quite a bit of momentum over the year, as an early 2012 release meant for a steady increase in attention. It’s nice when a record doesn’t get overhyped right in the beginning and then spins around like a Kathryn Wheel when the British Mercury Music Prize winner is declared in November. Django Django derive from the Beta Band and share their penchant for confident and smooth vocal harmonies. However, where the Beta band used bongos and such, Django Django utilize a lot of electronic production and drum machines to make things cosmic. It’s a little bit showy without being too subterranean; it packs the grooves but hardly blows over in the wind. It’s the sound of some experienced musicians having a lot of fun. So with their Mercury nomination lately: it has boosted awareness twofold. It's more likely to put them on the map rather than have them,crash and burn. Full beams ahead.

 BEST PLAYED: For starting the day to get in a good mood.