My Year in Music (2012)
This was an odd year of music for me. The first half of the year didn't really come with many memorable albums. 40% of the albums on the final list come from the first half of the year, but that's after eliminating a bunch of late comers when whittling the list down. I think that forced me to push past my normal boundaries, hence the heavy focus on hip-hop. There were also a lot of releases that I was disappointed with from artists that I like. I'm thinking Chuck Ragan (yeah, that was late 2011, but it took me a while to get to it), Lucero, The Gaslight Anthem, Ida Maria, Bloc Party, and The Vindictives (my biggest disappointment!). Not that they were all bad, just utterly forgettable. Still, there are a few things that I think I will keep returning to for years.
Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
This is a super poppy, sing-a-long, punk album from a group that's been around a while. This is the first I've heard from them, and, after going back to listen to some of their old and "classic" albums, still my favorite. For a group that's been around for 20+ years, the album still sounds full of energy, and the modern mixing/mastering give the songs a fuller and more varied sound. It was a great album to listen to while driving around in the spring with the windows down.
City Mouse
I heard of this band on a sampler and knew I had to hear more. Too bad this four track EP seems to be all that they have released. It's a quick, upbeat, pop-punk album with female vocals. Just about perfectly catchy, though I wonder if that's only because it's too short to wear out its welcome. Hopefully there's a full length coming so I can find out.
Clutch - From Beale Street to Oblivion
Bluesy stoner rock. It's not something I normally go for, but I enjoyed "Electric Worry" and was told to listen to Clutch as a joke, so I picked this up. Like I said, not my normal thing, but this album rocks pretty hard and the songs have enough variety to keep me from getting bored with it. Just straight up rock and roll done well, not needing any gimmicks to keep my interest.
Mixtapes - Even on the Worst Nights
This release by the Mixtapes is very nostalgic. They are their normal super poppy selves, but the songs seem to struggle between growing comfortable with oneself and trying new things, between not listening/making the same old music and acknowledging where one's influences come from. Normally I shy away from overt nostalgia, at least as something I would want to hear again and again, but the Mixtapes struggles with this balance between looking forward and respecting the past makes it deeper than it seems at first listen.
Aesop Rock - Skelethon
This is by far my favorite album of the year. Aesop Rock starts off rapping fast and hardly lets up until the album is over. The music mixes it up on every track, but keeps up with non-stop lyrics. It's full of driving beats pushing the music forward. The only respites are Kimya Dawson on Crows and the short (about 1.5 minutes padded by 30 seconds of ambient sound on either end) Ruby '81 (probably my favorite track about a girl being saved by her dog). Aesop Rock jumps all over the place, having songs about hair cuts and frying donuts and not eating your greens. It's fun, it's fast, it rewards multiple listens, it's just great.
El-P - Cancer 4 Cure
Dan was pimping this album for a couple of months before I finally gave it a listen. It's a dark album with lots of heavy and low beats, which isn't immediately inviting. Getting past the music, you find songs about death, murder, and paranoia, especially from living in NYC. It's all surprisingly complex underneath, though. The lyrics are deep and require some effort to unpack. The music is varied and fits the subject matter perfectly. It took me a while to get into, but now I can't stop listening to it.
Astronautalis - This Is Our Science
If there ever was an indie hip-hop album, this is it. Not indie as independent, but indie as in indie rock. Astronautalis sings songs mostly about love and relationships (and science) and fills a lot of the music with piano. He brings in tons of "hip" guests on a lot of the tracks, the most indie being Tegan. Since I don't go for indie rock, these all seem like minuses. Instead, I instantly fell for this. I'm not really sure what buttons this hits. Astronautalis' voice is really great, which helps with all the parts where he sings instead of raps (usually over that piano). The lyrics are generally clever with lots of use of metaphor. There are so many instruments used in the mix that every song has its own sound. All in all, it seemed like a really fresh album that kept me coming back again and again.
Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come
I've been hearing about this album for a long time before finally getting it. I'm sad it took so long. It has a heavy hard punk sound, but with a very nice rhythm section underneath. You can dance to this music despite it's screaming vocals. The album is a tad long, but with so much variety and hooks that it keeps from over staying its welcome. Typical punk lyrics about distrusting the government, but the music makes the songs stand out.
P.O.S. - We Don't Even Live Here
This almost ended up on my "disappointments" list. After last year's No Kings by Doomtree, I expected a harder evolution of P.O.S.'s punk influenced sound. The lead single, "Bumper", pointed toward the same thing. I was a bit worried about the album after hearing "Fuck Your Stuff" (seemed a bit silly and childish), and then a stream was released online that made the album sound disjointed and all over the place. If it wasn't for a sale on Amazon, I probably wouldn't have ever picked this up. However, not expecting anything, my first listen after that completely changed my mind. No, this album isn't what I expected. It's more of a dark party album where P.O.S. wants us to dance with him at the end of the world. It's actually optimistic, as he just wants weed out the useless people in society so everyone else is free to make it a better place to live. Hell, even "Fuck Your Stuff" works in that context. I especially like the last few songs that devolve into catchy dance beats. I would have liked an album full of "Bumper", but instead, P.O.S. stretches his wings a bit and goes interesting places.
Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city
This is a concept album following the life of a kid in Compton. It starts off innocent enough, him looking forward to sleeping with his girl, but slowly turns darker as drugs and alcohol enter the picture, some crimes are committed (partially due to peer presure), and culminates with the death of one of his friends. The album leaves off a bit ambiguous with the kid looking to get revenge. It's a complicated tale, not always painting the lead character in the best of light and not always up beat and fun, but I keep coming back to listen to it again and again. I wasn't sure this would make my list, but it has been interesting enough to knock safer choices off. I hope I keep enjoying it as time goes on.
Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
This is a super poppy, sing-a-long, punk album from a group that's been around a while. This is the first I've heard from them, and, after going back to listen to some of their old and "classic" albums, still my favorite. For a group that's been around for 20+ years, the album still sounds full of energy, and the modern mixing/mastering give the songs a fuller and more varied sound. It was a great album to listen to while driving around in the spring with the windows down.
City Mouse
I heard of this band on a sampler and knew I had to hear more. Too bad this four track EP seems to be all that they have released. It's a quick, upbeat, pop-punk album with female vocals. Just about perfectly catchy, though I wonder if that's only because it's too short to wear out its welcome. Hopefully there's a full length coming so I can find out.
Clutch - From Beale Street to Oblivion
Bluesy stoner rock. It's not something I normally go for, but I enjoyed "Electric Worry" and was told to listen to Clutch as a joke, so I picked this up. Like I said, not my normal thing, but this album rocks pretty hard and the songs have enough variety to keep me from getting bored with it. Just straight up rock and roll done well, not needing any gimmicks to keep my interest.
Mixtapes - Even on the Worst Nights
This release by the Mixtapes is very nostalgic. They are their normal super poppy selves, but the songs seem to struggle between growing comfortable with oneself and trying new things, between not listening/making the same old music and acknowledging where one's influences come from. Normally I shy away from overt nostalgia, at least as something I would want to hear again and again, but the Mixtapes struggles with this balance between looking forward and respecting the past makes it deeper than it seems at first listen.
Aesop Rock - Skelethon
This is by far my favorite album of the year. Aesop Rock starts off rapping fast and hardly lets up until the album is over. The music mixes it up on every track, but keeps up with non-stop lyrics. It's full of driving beats pushing the music forward. The only respites are Kimya Dawson on Crows and the short (about 1.5 minutes padded by 30 seconds of ambient sound on either end) Ruby '81 (probably my favorite track about a girl being saved by her dog). Aesop Rock jumps all over the place, having songs about hair cuts and frying donuts and not eating your greens. It's fun, it's fast, it rewards multiple listens, it's just great.
El-P - Cancer 4 Cure
Dan was pimping this album for a couple of months before I finally gave it a listen. It's a dark album with lots of heavy and low beats, which isn't immediately inviting. Getting past the music, you find songs about death, murder, and paranoia, especially from living in NYC. It's all surprisingly complex underneath, though. The lyrics are deep and require some effort to unpack. The music is varied and fits the subject matter perfectly. It took me a while to get into, but now I can't stop listening to it.
Astronautalis - This Is Our Science
If there ever was an indie hip-hop album, this is it. Not indie as independent, but indie as in indie rock. Astronautalis sings songs mostly about love and relationships (and science) and fills a lot of the music with piano. He brings in tons of "hip" guests on a lot of the tracks, the most indie being Tegan. Since I don't go for indie rock, these all seem like minuses. Instead, I instantly fell for this. I'm not really sure what buttons this hits. Astronautalis' voice is really great, which helps with all the parts where he sings instead of raps (usually over that piano). The lyrics are generally clever with lots of use of metaphor. There are so many instruments used in the mix that every song has its own sound. All in all, it seemed like a really fresh album that kept me coming back again and again.
Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come
I've been hearing about this album for a long time before finally getting it. I'm sad it took so long. It has a heavy hard punk sound, but with a very nice rhythm section underneath. You can dance to this music despite it's screaming vocals. The album is a tad long, but with so much variety and hooks that it keeps from over staying its welcome. Typical punk lyrics about distrusting the government, but the music makes the songs stand out.
P.O.S. - We Don't Even Live Here
This almost ended up on my "disappointments" list. After last year's No Kings by Doomtree, I expected a harder evolution of P.O.S.'s punk influenced sound. The lead single, "Bumper", pointed toward the same thing. I was a bit worried about the album after hearing "Fuck Your Stuff" (seemed a bit silly and childish), and then a stream was released online that made the album sound disjointed and all over the place. If it wasn't for a sale on Amazon, I probably wouldn't have ever picked this up. However, not expecting anything, my first listen after that completely changed my mind. No, this album isn't what I expected. It's more of a dark party album where P.O.S. wants us to dance with him at the end of the world. It's actually optimistic, as he just wants weed out the useless people in society so everyone else is free to make it a better place to live. Hell, even "Fuck Your Stuff" works in that context. I especially like the last few songs that devolve into catchy dance beats. I would have liked an album full of "Bumper", but instead, P.O.S. stretches his wings a bit and goes interesting places.
Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city
This is a concept album following the life of a kid in Compton. It starts off innocent enough, him looking forward to sleeping with his girl, but slowly turns darker as drugs and alcohol enter the picture, some crimes are committed (partially due to peer presure), and culminates with the death of one of his friends. The album leaves off a bit ambiguous with the kid looking to get revenge. It's a complicated tale, not always painting the lead character in the best of light and not always up beat and fun, but I keep coming back to listen to it again and again. I wasn't sure this would make my list, but it has been interesting enough to knock safer choices off. I hope I keep enjoying it as time goes on.
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