Here are my Top 25 albums of 2012. Enjoy.
Other Albums Considered:
These might have made it had I gotten a chance to listen to them a little more (except for Band of Horses, which I just didn't like).
HOSPITALITY - Hospitality
AMANDA PALMER - Theatre Is Evil
KENDRICK LAMAR - good kid, m.A.A.d city
FRANK OCEAN - Channel Orange
CLOUD NOTHINGS - Attack On Memory
BAND OF HORSES - Mirage Rock
MATTHEW E. WHITE - Big Inner
SIGUR ROS - Valtari
BEST COAST - The Only Place
#25
NICK
WATERHOUSE
Time’s All Gone
If
you loved Fitz and the Tantrums, check out Nick Waterhouse. I haven’t had much of a chance to get really
deep into this album, but I loved it the first listen through, and it
immediately conjured up the Fitz and the Tantrums in my mind. The first track drew me in, with heavy use of
saxophones, trumpet, and general R&B sound.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think this was a new release from Fitz
and the Tantrums, but I think this one actually might be better than their
debut release. Check it out.
Check these tracks out:
#24
THE
WELCOME WAGON
Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices
The
Welcome Wagon’s debut album, Welcome to
the Welcome Wagon, was one of my favorite albums in 2008. The product of a Presbyterian pastor and his
wife, and produced & heavily influenced by Sufjan Stevens, the first album
was a unique take on traditional sounding gospel music. It was “Sujfanized,”
which I loved. Their second album is
somewhat of a departure from the Sufjan style of music. His influence is missed (in my opinion), but
this is still a great non-traditional gospel album. This album moves away from the Sufjan style
of music to a more rock mixed with country style, which works for the duo (FYI,
Sufjan was still involved in this record, it just isn’t dominated by his style
of music like the first album was). Lyrically, their songs are better than
almost any other gospel music out there, which tends to be dominated by cheesy,
substance-less feel-good pop rock (sorry if that’s your style...there are still
some songs I like from those artists, but generally, I have a hard time getting
on board). If you are looking for
thoughtful, beautifully written gospel music, this is for you.
Check these tracks out:
#23
FORT
ATLANTIC
Fort Atlantic
I
probably love this debut album from Fort Atlantic a LITTLE more because they
are from Birmingham, and I love to see local Alabama bands succeed and put out
quality music. This is a quality album.
I heard it described as “melodic dream pop.” Songwriter,
multi-instrumentalist, and producer Jon Black, who’s the main guy behind this
band, called this first effort a “compelling mixture of heartbeats and hard
drives.” One of my favorite songs of the
year came from this album, “Let Your Heart Hold Fast,” and I was pleasantly
surprised to hear it played in the mid-season finale of How I Met Your Mother this past week. A truly excellent song. Support this band, check them out.
Check
these tracks out:
#22
THE
WALKMEN
Heaven
I’ll
admit I haven’t listened to much of The Walkmen’s previous catalog of music—the
only of their other 6 albums I’ve listened to is 2010’s Lisbon. But The Walkmen have a very recognizable
sound that I love. I don’t know how to
describe it, just check out some of the tracks below. This album has gotten me a lot more
interested in checking out the rest of their albums. All in all, a great record that might have
been higher on my list had I listened to it more (which can probably be said of
a number of the albums I have in the latter half of the list). Check them out.
Check
these tracks out:
#21
M.
WARD
A Wasteland Companion
M.
Ward’s A Wasteland Companion is the
first solo album from Ward I’ve ever listened to, and I liked it a lot. I’ve loved M. Ward as the other part of She
& Him, and I’ve heard his work in various other compilations, but I never
got around to checking out his solo work until this album. Some of the reviews I read of this album
criticized it for being too much like his earlier work (considering this is his
seventh LP), and I’m sure that’s a valid criticism, but considering I haven’t
listened to those previous releases, I really enjoyed it. “Primitive Girl” is one of the catchiest
songs I heard all year, and I loved Zooey Deschanel’s appearance on a couple of
the songs in a backup vocal role. Check
it out.
Check
these tracks out:
#20
THE
TALLEST MAN ON EARTH
There’s No Leaving Now
This
is a great release from The Tallest Man On Earth that probably would be higher
on my list had I listened to it more.
There’s something unique about Kristian Mattson’s voice that makes his
music great. However, this album seemed
to kind of blend together more so than his last one did, making it somewhat
boring and tedious at times. But overall,
I really enjoyed it, especially the title track, which departs from his usual
sound, being entirely piano-based. I
think it’s the best track on the album, and I wish more like it would have
appeared this time. Overall, worth
listening to.
Check
these tracks out:
#19
THE
SHINS
Port of Morrow
I
love The Shins, they’ve been one of my favorite bands since I really started
getting into music. I was very excited
about this LP, especially after their single “Simple Song” came out. Very catchy, easy to listen to. It got a ton of listens in my iTunes. However, the LP wasn’t as good as I hoped it
would be. I was just never able to get
into it like I did with their previous releases. I still think it’s good, thus why it’s
appearing on this list (another of my all-time favorite band’s newest LP, Mirage Rock from Band of Horses, didn’t
even make my list of 25 best albums this year...). If you’ve been a fan of the Shins in the
past, you’ll like this record. If you’ve
never listened to the Shins before, I’d recommend starting with Chutes Too Narrow before getting into
this one.
Check
these tracks out:
#18
THE
XX
Coexist
I
first saw this band live at Bonnaroo a few years ago. Their music feels very light, very bare, and
I like it. This album takes that concept
even further. This album is very
mesmerizing, and if you aren’t careful, it can put you to sleep. Some might question the legitimacy of an
album that can put you to sleep, but I promise it’s not boring. It’s just...calm. Nothing wrong with that. Check it out.
Check
these tracks out:
#17
EDWARD
SHARPE AND THE MAGNETIC ZEROS
Here
The
band’s second album hits a lot of high points, but is a bit of step down from
their first album. I’m not sure what it
is about this album that doesn’t allow it to live up to the first one. I think it might be that a breakout track
like “Home” is lacking from this release.
However, it still has a lot great tracks, and I very much enjoyed this
album. If you liked the first one, check
it out.
Check
these tracks out:
#16
REND
COLLECTIVE EXPERIMENT
Homemade Worship By Handmade People
It’s
rare that I even give listens to bands labeled “Christian & Gospel,” since
the quality of that genre overall has just been lacking in my opinion—very
cheesy, very Nickelback-like, very little substance. Even rarer still when such an album makes my
top albums list of the year.
Unfortunately, albums like this are the exception rather than the rule
in this genre, but I really gravitate to those few that come along (The Welcome
Wagon was another). One might listen to
this album and describe it as “the Mumford & Sons of Christian music”—I’d
say that’s fairly accurate since that’s how I’ve been describing it to
people. It has the greatest renditions
of “Be Thou My Vision” I’ve ever heard, updated with modern words (“You Are My
Vision”). I listen to this album and
find myself thinking, “Wow... wish the worship at churches I go to would be
this powerful.” If you find yourself
wishing there was a good Christian band out there with some substance, this is
it.
Check
these tracks out:
#15
FIONA
APPLE
The Idler Wheel is Wiser Than the Driver of the
Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
Fiona
Apple wins the longest-ever-album-title award...in fact, I was several listens
in before I even read the entire title because it was always cut off in my
iTunes. This album might have been
higher on my list if I had given it more listens. Despite the advice from those who professed
to love this album, I only checked it out a few weeks ago. Oh well, better late than never. I absolutely LOVE the first track on the
album, “Every Single Night,” (probably one of my favorite tracks of the year). If you listen to no other track on this
album, at least listen to this one.
Check
these tracks out:
#14
FATHER
JOHN MISTY
Fear Fun
Father
John Misty is J. Tillman, formerly of Fleet Foxes. You can definitely hear some Fleet
Foxes-influence in these tracks, perhaps some John Denver as well. I don’t have a lot to say about this album
except that it’s folk-ing great. If you
loved Fleet Foxes, you’ll love this one too.
Also, the video for Hollywood Forever Cemetery features my favorite
Parks & Rec actress (Aubrey Plaza).
It’s weird, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from something she stars
in. Check it out.
Check
these tracks out:
#13
THE
AVETT BROTHERS
The Carpenter
The
Avett Brothers entered a new chapter of the band’s life with their last release,
I and Love and You, which was rated
#1 by Paste Magazine that year, but left a lot of fans disappointed because of
how different it was from previous releases (ironic, since we complain about
bands sounding the same album to album [Mumford & Sons], yet complain when
they change things up too...). This
album, to me at least, returns a little bit to their previous sound. It’s a bit more stripped down than I and Love and You, and features a few
of their best tracks from any record (“The Once and Future Carpenter” and
“Through My Prayers”). It also features
my LEAST favorite Avett Brothers song ever, which is sad to say (“Paul Newman
vs. The Demons”). I don’t know what it
is about that song, but I skip it every time.
Despite this, The Avett Brothers still put out a solid release in The Carpenter.
Check
these tracks out:
#12
ANDREW
BIRD
Break It Yourself
I’ll
always be a big Andrew Bird fan, so it will take releasing total crap for me to
dislike one of his albums, however, this one just doesn’t quite do it for me
like some of his earlier works. Don’t
get me wrong though, this album is great, and still features some incredible
violin coupled with world-class whistling.
You won’t be disappointed. I do
think this album was a step up from his last LP release, Noble Beast. He released a
companion album (which I didn’t consider for this list), but it might be just
as good as the album. The man is
talented, give it a listen.
Check
these tracks out:
#11
KATE
MILLER-HEIDKE
Nightflight
One
of the greatest things about seeing Ben Folds Five live this year was Kate Miller-Heidke. She opened for him, and I was blown away by
her voice. I immediately went down to
the merchandise table and bought this album, and promptly listened to it
multiple times on the way back from Atlanta.
This album features some entertaining and detailed narratives, including
a song about flying at night and the annoyances that come with it. She’s a woman after Ben Folds’s heart with
song titles like “The Tiger Inside Will Eat the Child” (don’t let the title
fool you, this is an excellent and beautiful song). I would highly recommend Kate Miller-Heidke
if you’re looking for a woman with a strong voice.
Check
these tracks out:
#10
FIRST
AID KIT
The Lion’s Roar
I
confess to only discovering this band after checking out Paste’s top 50 of
2012, but I’ve listened to it probably a dozen times since then, and it cracked
my top 10. This Swedish girl-duo got its
start a few years ago and released an incredible cover of Fleet Foxes’ Tiger Mountain Peasant Song. This album, their sophomore effort, is
phenomenal. These two young girls create
an impressive sound, backed by a full band, and write some beautiful
lyrics. Don’t miss this one.
Check
these tracks out:
#9
MUMFORD
& SONS
Babel
Mumford
& Sons sophomore album is...strikingly like the first in many many ways,
which led me to have a hate/love relationship with this album. At first, I really didn’t like this album as
a whole very much, purely because of HOW MUCH it sounded like the first
album. And with more and more
listens...well, it still sounds like the first one, but I’ve gotten past that
because I think the songs are just better than those on their first album
(kinda wish this would have been their first album). There are a couple of songs on the first album
I still tend to skip, but I don’t find myself doing that on the second
one. Many will criticize this album (and
rightly so) for Mumford’s lack of variety in their songs—they each have the
same formula, and you can always pinpoint musically where each song is
going. For me, I’m ok with that—for
now. Eventually, Mumford & Sons is
going to have to do something new to keep my attention, but for now, I still
love their sound, and this album is worth listening to.
Check
these tracks out:
#8
SHOVELS
& ROPE
O’ Be Joyful
Coming
from South Carolina, this band has a similar kind of history as the
(currently-defunct) Civil Wars have.
Shovels & Rope is guy/girl duo that both had solo careers going,
with Carry Ann Hearst having a bit of country background, and Michael Trent
having a rock background. And that
combination comes out wonderfully in their sound. I’d say the country part comes out a bit
more, and for some reason I love it. Not
to mention, the first and most popular track is entitled “Birmingham”... so
that’s pretty neat. I only recently
heard of this band...but the quickly jumped up my list. It’s a good one.
Check
these tracks out:
#7
BEACH
HOUSE
Bloom
This
is Beach House’s fourth LP, coming two years later from their breakout album Teen Dream that was so good, it seems
like it would be hard to top. I’m not
sure if this one is as good as Teen Dream, but I’d say it’s almost there if
not. Most of the time I spent listening
to this album came with headphones, laid back with eyes closed, falling
asleep. The album almost always seemed
to put me in a dream state, having a kind of ethereal quality. Don’t miss this one.
Check
these tracks out:
#6
BEN
FOLDS FIVE
The Sound of the Life of the Mind
If
you know me at all, you’re first thought here is probably, “What!? A Ben Folds
album is not in his top 5??” Alas,
friends, it’s true. As much as I loved
this album, it just didn’t quite bring the magic as the Ben Folds Five of old
did. This is the first Ben Folds Five
album in 12 years, since The Unauthorized
Biography of Reinhold Messner, which some would argue is Ben Folds’s best
LP overall. Ben Folds has put out a
number of solo works since then, some outstanding, some lacking in areas, so I
was extremely excited to hear the old trio would be getting back together to
write some music and release an album, and while it didn’t quite live up to Ben
Folds Five in their prime, it’s still very good, and ranks as one of Ben
Folds’s best LPs since the breakup of the Five.
The first track, “Erase Me,” recalls Ben Folds Five in the Whatever and Ever Amen era, and gives
promise to the rest of the album. Some
tracks live up; some just don’t quite get there. However, I was very pleased with this album
overall, and look forward to the possibility of the trio making another album
in the next couple of years.
Also...they
are still incredible live. This was my
second time seeing the Five play, and it was every bit as good as I remembered
the first time, perhaps better.
Check
these tracks out:
#5
THE
LUMINEERS
The Lumineers
There’s
a trend upcoming for my top 5—all debuted full-length LPs for the first time as
a band or solo artist. I guess 2012 was
just a great year for first time bands to release albums. Starting here with the Lumineers, this band
had the same effect for me as Head and the Heart did last year, and Mumford
& Sons the year before—instant connection with a couple of songs on the
album with it’s lyrics or it’s upbeat melody.
For Mumford & Sons, it was with Little Lion Man, and the incredible
harmonies and stringed-instrument craziness.
For the Head and the Heart, it was with Rivers and Roads, and the
increasingly sad sentiment of how fast life changes and the pain of leaving
friends and family behind. For the
Lumineers, it was Ho Hey, and the incredible joy found within it’s words and
music—“I belong with you, you belong with me / You’re my sweetheart.” The album has a number of happy as well as
somber tunes, a good balance of joy and pain, and every bit worth the listen.
Check
these tracks out:
#4
TIMBERWOLF
Timberwolf
Full
disclosure—I love this band even more because he’s related to @Michala Moses,
and because so, he sent me a personal video via Facebook. But don’t worry, that didn’t influence my
ranking THAT much. However, I absolutely
love this album. It starts with one of
my favorite songs of the year, “My Life In a Cave”... about living out the rest
of his life out in cave, to the hilarious song about stalking his ex-girlfriend
and playing tricks on her, to the epic 8 minute long “Winchester,” complete
with syncopated drum-gunshots, and the repeated promise “When I find you / and,
I’m gonna find you / I won’t let you go.” Let’s make this guy a big name so he
will come over from California and tour down south, would really love to hear
him live (@Michala?).
Check these tracks out:
#3
ALABAMA
SHAKES
Boys & Girls
Hailing
from good ole’ Athens, Alabama, Alabama Shakes have skyrocketed onto the
national stage in a short amount of time, landing themselves critical acclaim
from a number of music publications, and deservedly so. I’ve been fortunate enough to hear the Shakes
live three times this year, first in Tuscaloosa for a tornado relief concert,
again opening for Jack White at the Ryman, and finally in a jam-packed crowded
little bar called Egan’s on the Strip in Tuscaloosa under the pseudonym “Boys
Room”. All three were mystifying rock
experiences. The first time, I only knew
one song, but was blown away by lead singer Brittany’s incredible range of
voice. The second time, I was amazed
seeing how early the crowd showed up for an opening band, how quietly they sat
listening, and the long, loud standing ovation given following the chilling
ending to the incredible “I Ain’t the Same.”
The third time, jam-packed inside a tiny bar where I couldn’t even see
them—but worth it all the same.
Their
debut album was much anticipated, and it lived up. It was hard to see how the Shakes would match
the intensity of their hit single “Hold On,” but I don’t even think that’s the
best track on the album. I love how
Brittany can go from screaming to beautiful high range vocals song to
song. The only “complaint” I have, which
isn’t much of complaint, is that the intensity of their live performances is
lacking on some tracks, but that doesn’t bother me too much—it just gives me
something to look forward to when I get to see them live. GET THIS ALBUM, you won’t regret it.
Check
these tracks out:
#2
JACK
WHITE
Blunderbuss
Jack
White’s first full-length solo debut is one of his best works, in my
opinion. This is now his eleventh (I
think) LP, along with his releases with The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and
The Dead Weather. This album is best
heard live, which I had the chance to hear the majority of at the Ryman this
past summer. White plays with two bands,
one all male and the other all female. I
got to hear the all male band, which was incredible. No offense to Meg White, but his current
backup band(s) are way better than Meg could ever hope to be. They absolutely killed—I’m certain the couple
of White Stripes song performances were way better than they ever were in the White
Stripes touring days.
As
far as Blunderbuss goes, I couldn’t
have asked for more in Jack White’s solo debut.
It feels familiar, harkening back to the old White Stripes days, yet it
is no reproduction of those albums. The
best way I can describe this album is that is brings the best of all three of
Jack White’s previous bands together under one LP. I had a hard time choosing between Blunderbuss, My Head Is an Animal, and Boys & Girls as to which one would
actually be #1, #2, and #3, I honestly think any of them could have been my #1,
it merely came down to number of listens from all three. However, this album is worthy of a #1
ranking.
Check
these tracks out:
#1
OF
MONSTERS AND MEN
My Head Is an Animal
This
is Of Monsters and Men’s full-length debut, and it is a doozy. Led by a guy/girl duo (Nanna Bryndís &
Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson) from Iceland, this is folk-rock at its finest. It features alternating vocal leads between
Nanna and Raggi and beautifully meshed harmonies, but some of my favorite
moments come when they sing in unison (in different octaves), which happens
frequently—my favorite moments come in “King and Lionheart”, where the entire
song is sung in unison. It’s also my
favorite, because the lyrics scream “zombie” when I read them (check out the
lyrics below, maybe it’s just me...) Their voices match so perfectly, and are
backed up by excellent ensemble of various instruments, with a number of extremely
upbeat, dance-worthy tunes and a number of slow selections as well.
I
generally judge my favorite album of the year purely by the number of listens
it gets, this one got the most. There
was a period of about two months during the summer where this was the only
album I listened to. If you listen to no
other new album this year, make it this one.
I still haven’t seen this band live, but I’m looking forward to catching
this show more than any other in the near future, hopefully. You try blasting this album with your windows
rolled down driving down the highway and not feel irrepressible joy.
Check
these tracks out:
“King and Lionheart”
Taking
over this town, they should worry
But
these problems aside I think I taught you well
That
we won't run, and we won't run, and we won’t run
That
we won't run, and we won't run, and we won't run.
And
in the winter night sky ships are sailing
Looking
down on these bright blue city lights
And
they won't wait, and they won't wait, and they won't wait.
We're
here to stay, we're here to stay, we're here to stay.
Howling
ghosts they reappear
In
mountains that are stacked with fear
But
you're a king and I'm a lionheart
A
lionheart
His
crown lid up the way as we moved slowly
Passed
the wondering eyes of the ones that were left behind
Though
far away, though far away, though far away
We're
still the same, we're still the same, we're still the same
Howling
ghost they reappear
In
mountains that are stacked with fear
But
you're a king and I'm a lionheart.
And
in the sea that's painted black
Creatures
lurk below the deck
But
you're a king and I'm a lionheart
And
as the world comes to an end
I'll
be here to hold your hand cause
You're
my king and I'm your lionheart
A
lionheart
