Its that time of the year. A multitude of great music has been released in 2012. Some strong releases from new artists, as well as great albums from some well known players. There has been so much released that I did not have a chance to review all of it, or even listen to it as much as I would have liked. In the upcoming year, I will be adopting a more regular reviewing schedule, in order to better stay on top of what is currently blowing peoples ear drums and minds, but now is the time to look into the past and remember my ten favourite albums of 2012.
10. Death Grips - The Money Store
Death Grips has been extremely active in 2012. They released two full length albums, and as displayed by their choice of very not safe for work cover art for The Money Store and No Love Deep Web, they are still as potent and offensive as ever. Death Grips is a level of offensive that most shock bands cant reach. Rather than just having abrasive lyrics, or a scary persona, everything about the way that their music is produced, distributed, and presented screams counter culture in your face. The Money Store is also paced very well, as they seem to have become more focused on crafting a specific tone since the insanity of Exmilitary. The percussion is distorted beyond all sanity, and it backs MC Ride as he screams and yells about every offbeat topic under the sun. It is aggressive in the extreme, and it brings a smile to my face whenever I hear someone call any other rapper hardcore and I get to remind them that Death Grips exists.
9. Grizzly Bear - Shields
Shields is the third edition to Grizzly Bear's critically acclaimed discography. Even though it did not win any Grammys, which lead singer Ed Droste to seek come consolation from Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, it is still highly worthy of praise. Ed Droste and Daniel Rossen's voices soar brilliantly over the music as effortlessly as usual and the guitar work is complex and astounding. It all sounds very majestic and baroque, which is a bit of a departure from Grizzly Bear's serene, quite, and sometimes frustratingly opaque music, but they haven't left too much behind. It still has all the beauty and minute attention to detail of a Grizzly Bear release despite being more direct and faster paced than their earlier work.
8. Purity Ring - Shrines
Purity Ring sounds to me like the girl who lies to you by saying that "nothing is wrong." You want to believe her because she sounds so sweet, but it is glaringly obvious that something is terribly wrong. How this comes across in the music is that Megan James' voice often sounds innocent and childish, while the lyrics are anything but. They are consistently strange and morbid, and the subdued way in which she sings them is at odds with the way that the backing music, sometimes literally, screams and moans at you. The beats are composed of many strange and distorted vocal samples that add a level of emotional desperation to the already bizarre lyrics, and the hip hop styled percussion makes it all feel quite violent and aggressive. Finally, the huge bass sounds also add to the feeling of hysteria, as if someone is being swallowed alive by their own sadness, depression, and anxiety. All the while trying to smile and look pretty.
7. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid M.A.A.D. City
I think I was the more conflicted about my opinion on this album than any other album I listen to this year. The strong conceptual structure and deeply revealing lyrics make Good Kid M.A.A.D. City an involving listen all the way through, but for every part I really liked, I found parts that I really did not like. I found the choruses for several songs quite annoying, and the topic matter of songs like "BackStreet Freestyle" nearly had me skip them, but upon several listens, its evident that nearly everything I complain about is intentional. Kendrick Also has some very diverse beats that he raps over, which keeps the album active, and his features are all exactly where they need to be. It is an intensely personal redemption story, and the skilful way it is told leaves something that almost everyone can appreciate.
6. Portico Quartet - Self Titled
I don't know what genre I would describe Portico Quartet as. Their sprawling adventurous sound seems to draw influences from jazz, electronic music, and sound scapes, and leaves you with something that sounds quite refreshing and unique without being too strange or alienating. Their use of traditional instruments like the saxophone and the double bass to create electronic styled songs, sounds very visceral and emotive. It also gives the music some very rough and cold textures. There is also one moment on the track "Rubidium" where you literally hear something that sounds like a steal drum somehow become an electronic sample, and it felt to me like the capstone of the whole album. Portico Quartet makes a mean sound scape with a heart and soul that you can seriously dig your teeth into.
5. Beach House - Bloom
A definite challenge with making a dream pop album, is keeping it engaging while maintaining the slow whimsical atmosphere. Albums in this genre often walk the line of being lacklustre or too active, especially in the vocals. Beach House has hit this sweet spot with Bloom, and they do this without drowning everything in reverb in order to soften their sound. The vocals have a great tone, and a very confident delivery while maintaining this dreamy atmosphere. In fact, every instrument on this album is played boldly, slowly and methodically, but it all has a silky smooth sound that is very comforting. Beach House's Bloom sounds like a black silk dress. While simplistic, the way it is worn leaves you with a breathtaking sense of elegance and beauty.
4. John Talabot - fin
John Talabot's fin really sneaked up on me. When I was making this list I nearly forgot about it, but I realized that, taken together, these songs account for a large portion of my most played songs of 2012. fin sounds to me like the sound of the jungle waking up during a foggy morning. John Talabot builds a very dense, mysterious, and dark atmosphere throughout the whole album, and although the tone stays quite consistent, only breaking out of the haze into a more joyous celebration on the tracks "Journeys" and "Last Land," each song finds its own unique identity. John Talabot excels at more immediate builds in his music as well, using dynamic percussion to give his songs a real sense of movement and progression. This combined with sleepy synths and strange vocal manipulations, makes fin a very beautiful and unobtrusive listen.
3. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
The concept of this very modern R&B album is television. It is a good very symbolic choice, considering it consistently follows themes of emotional distance, inactivity, drugs, loneliness, and wealth. It is a subdued drama about the hollow lives of the young people in California's orange county. This concept also accounts for the diverse tones and musical ideas you will hear. Channel Orange really grew on me. Initially I felt Frank Ocean's focus on the culture in which he is immersed made the topic matter too monotonous, but each of the songs have such strong vocal delivery from Frank, I could not help but get drawn into the lives of these super rich kids.
2. Perfume Genius - Put Your Back in 2 it
If you're planning on listening to Put Your Back in 2 it, you better have a box of tissues close by. This album is short and powerful, which allows it to be slow and sad without ever being boring. Each song is focused, direct, and simple which really gives them all a hard emotional punch. Mike Hadreas' high voice and effortless vibrato also adds a touch of weariness to this funeral procession of songs, without making the songs feel hollow or boring. the instrumentation is sparse, but each chord seems to carry so much emotional weight, its hard to cast this quite downer aside, even if you want to.
1. Killer Mike - Rap Music
This album was an easy choice for my album of the year. Killer Mike's consistently bombastic southern personality fills each song to the brim, while El-P boldly backs him up with aggressive percussion, bubbly synthesizers, sizzling bass, and sanctified gospel organs that mesh quite well with Mike's lyrical style. Also, Mike's ability to speak as charismatically as a preacher on a range of interesting topic material, including his religiosity, Ronald Reagan, the prison system, the TSA, and reading keeps it mentally engaging all the way through. Between the strong verses, hooks, beats, and rhyme schemes, if there is anything this album lacks it is breathing room.
HAPPY 2013 EVERYONE!
THANKS FOR READING!
TOP 25 TRACKS STILL TO COME!
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