CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS
Lobby => Music and Recordings => Topic started by: olor1n on January 01, 2013, 03:26:07 AM
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Apologies if this topic is a bit redundant. RD's "Good New Releases to check out" (http://www.changstar.com/index.php/topic,320.0.html) thread has been an excellent resource throughout 2012 and there may be some duplication from there. I hope this one at least serves to highlight the cream of the crop.
2012 has been a glut of outstanding releases IMO. I've narrowed it down to just a handful (coz I'm lazy) and I ask you do the same when listing your favourite albums. It's difficult to rank these releases, but the one that always comes to mind first when posing the "best of 2012" question is Kill for Love by Chromatics. I won't wax lyrical about it, or the others listed.
These are just some of my favourite albums of 2012. What are yours?
1. Chromatics - Kill for Love
(http://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000020696826-kxzj6w-crop.jpg?923db0b)
"Lady" - http://youtu.be/tbx8qRg6tPE (http://youtu.be/tbx8qRg6tPE)
2. The Walkmen - Heaven
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6_kGGi3TfqA/T63qxCoDqBI/AAAAAAAACm0/BdPXc1uYKlc/s1600/heaven.jpg)
"Heaven" - http://youtu.be/6QaFK_GvO_s (http://youtu.be/6QaFK_GvO_s)
3. Bat for Lashes - The Haunted Man
(http://cdn.pastemagazine.com/www/articles/2012/10/23/batforlashes-cover.jpg?1350992029)
"Laura" - http://youtu.be/UznHTBZIa8E (http://youtu.be/UznHTBZIa8E)
4. Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51bHHOiLRzL._SL500_SS500_.jpg)
"Just from Chevron" - http://youtu.be/OO2fKwaCo2k (http://youtu.be/OO2fKwaCo2k)
5. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
(http://descrier.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/frank-ocean-channel-orange-428x428.jpg)
"Lost" - http://youtu.be/VsCjM7Y5JNY (http://youtu.be/VsCjM7Y5JNY)
6. Angus Stone - Broken Brights
(http://cdn.7static.com/static/img/sleeveart/00/017/876/0001787672_500.jpg)
"Wooden Chair" - http://youtu.be/DqDT7mZVEq8 (http://youtu.be/DqDT7mZVEq8)
7. El-P - Cancer 4 Cure
(http://img.ceolte.org/pic_f/dcb38ac221d4ebc332b228985a49ea66_1337285390_el-p-cancer-for-cure__.jpg)
"Stay Down" - http://youtu.be/EN6in-2Cs1U (http://youtu.be/EN6in-2Cs1U)
8. Xavier Rudd - Spirit Bird
(http://media.musicfeeds.com.au/files/56c906d321bf58606ceb629d51ce41ae.jpg)
"Spirit Bird" - http://youtu.be/TmxSxKxBbQE (http://youtu.be/TmxSxKxBbQE)
9. Bahamas - Barchords
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51xK4uUa9NL._SL500_SS500_.jpg)
"Lost in the Light" - http://youtu.be/jPJNt1eTVNY (http://youtu.be/jPJNt1eTVNY)
10. David Byrne & St Vincent - Love This Giant
(http://static.nme.com/images/gallery/DavidByrneAndStVincentLoveThisGiant600Gb030912.jpg)
"Who" - http://youtu.be/hpPYKJAnwUo (http://youtu.be/hpPYKJAnwUo)
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Here's my "top 50" for the year...
http://www.head-fi.org/t/626954/the-diary-entries-of-a-little-girl-who-is-now-30-part-2/4230#post_9006421
Along with a bunch of honorable mentions (like 50 more...).
I dunno, the numbering was actually kind of spur-of-the-moment. Wasn't like I spent days pouring over which was #35 and which was #34 for example. The exception is the top 20 which I feel pretty strongly about.
Edit: For those who can't see head-fi or don't feel like browsing it:
50. School of Seven Bells "Ghostory"
49. Carter Tutti Void "Transcerse"
48. Hooded Menace "Effigies of Evil"
47. Chairlift "Something"
46. Glacial "On Jones Beach"
45. Dirty Projectors "Swing Lo Magellan"
44. Demdike Stare "Elemental"
43. Sigh "In Somniphobia"
42. Keiji Haino, Jim O'Rourke, and Oren Ambarchi "Imikuzushi"
41. Monolake "Ghosts"
40. Ty Segall "Twins"
39. Wild Nothing "Nocturne"
38. Bats for Lashes "The Haunted Man"
37. Actress "RIP"
36. Golden Void "Golden Void"
35. oOoOO "Our Loving is Hurting Us"
34. Emeralds "Just To Feel Anything"
33. Dreamscape "La-Di-Da Recordings"
32. Trust "Trst"
31. Oren Ambarchi "Audience of One"
30. Nadja "Dagdrom"
29. King Dude "Love"
28. Moss Icon "Complete Discography"
27. Kendrick Lamar "Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City"
26. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats "Blood Lust"
25. Kandodo "Kandodo"
24. Cloud Nothings "Attack on Memory"
23. How to Dress Well "Total Loss"
22. Six Organs of Admittance "Ascent"
21. La Sera "Sees the Light"
20. METZ "METZ"
19. Nada Surf "The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy"
18. Goat "World Music"
17. Scott Walker "Bish Bosch"
16. Redd Kross "Researching the Blues"
15. Big Boi "Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors"
14. Beach House "Bloom"
13. Chromatics "Kill For Love"
12. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti "Mature Themes"
11. Mount Eerie "Ocean Roar / Clear Moon"
10. Flying Lotus "Until The Quiet Comes"
09. Woods "Bend Beyond"
08. Deathspell Omega "Drought"
07. Chelsea Wolfe "Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs"
06. Stinking Lizaveta "7th Direction"
05. Death Grips "The Money Store"
04. Frank Ocean "Channel Orange"
03. John Talabot "Fin"
02. Frankie Rose "Intersteller"
01. The Swans "Seer"
* * * * * * *
Honorable Mentions
Mrs. Magician "Strange Heaven"
Julia Holter "Ekstasis"
Memoryhouse "The Slideshow Effect"
Porcelain Raft "Strange Weekend"
Admiral Sir Cloudsley Shovell "Don't Hear It... Fear It!"
Godspeed You! Black Emperor "Alleujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!"
Teitanblood "Woven Black Arteries"
Lone "Galaxy Garden"
King Dude "Burning Daylight"
Sea and Cake "Runner"
Worship "Terranean Wake"
Holly Herndon "Movement"
DIIV "Oshin"
Peking Lights "Lucifer"
Twin Shadow "Confess"
Ty Segall Band "Slaughterhouse"
Ufomammut "Oro-Opus Primum"
Purity Ring "Shrines"
Fresh & Onlys "Long Slow Dance"
Best Coast "The Only Place"
Tennis "Young and Old"
Chrome Waves "Chrome Waves"
Evoken "Atra Mors"
2:54 "2:54"
Holy Other "Held"
Gary War "Jared's Lot"
Tamaryn "Tender New Signs"
Oren Ambarchi "Sagittarian Domain"
KTL "V"
Beak ">>"
Ultraista "Ultraista"
Anaal Nathrakh "Vanitas"
Blut Aus Nord "777 - Cosmosophy"
US Girls "Gem"
Memory Tapes "Grace / Confusion"
Dum Dum Girls "End of Daze"
Mono "For My Parents"
Seapony "Falling"
Black Moth Super Rainbow "Cobra Juicy"
Om "Advaitic Songs"
Brian Eno "Lux"
Nite Jewel "One Second of Love"
Boyfriend "Egyptian Wrinkle"
Melody's Echo Chamber "Melody's Echo Chamber"
Tame Impala "Lonerism"
Soft Moon "Zeros"
Tim Hecker & Daniel Lopatin "Instrumental Tourist"
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Agree on Frank Ocean and the Wakmen.
In addition to the records i mentioned in the jazz thread, i loved the new dB's, Beach House, and Jukebox the Ghost records. Was completely fascinated by Silfra, the Hilary Hahn/Hauschka collaboration. The "new" (or newly discovered) Bill Evans and Wes Montgomery are mind-blowing in their own way. The first volume of the BBC Symphony/Gardner Szymanowski series is must-have.
For me, though, Accelerando is the record of the year. Vijay Iyer has, I think, moved past Brad Mehldau and Jason Moran and is the jazz piano guy to watch going forward.
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Don't worry about the duplications. I actually like seeing them.
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Jimmy Cliff / Rebirth.
He still got it baby! The entire album is strong.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAGIG5gORtI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAjHIOAbTmM
I posted this before. Hélène Grimaud & Sol Gabetta / DUO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtqGgXh3dLs
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I'll throw out some good ones that haven't been mentioned yet:
Air - La Voyage dans la lune
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Out of Frequency
Beth Orton - Sugaring Season
Bjork - Bastards
Cat Power - Sun
Craft Spells - Gallery
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (III)
David Byrne & St. Vincent - Love This Giant
Die Antwoord - Ten$ion
Divine Fits - A Thing Called Divine Fits
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
Hot Chip - In Our Heads
Jack White - Blunderbuss
Junkie XL - Synthesized
Pallbearer - Sorrow and Extinction
Oh Mercy - Deep Heat
Regina Spektor - What We Saw from the Cheap Seats
Saint Etienne - Words and Music by Saint Etienne
Simian Mobile Disco - Unpatterns
Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror
Squarepusher - Ufabulum
Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon
Van She - Idea of Happiness
Vitalic - Rave Age
The xx - Coexist
It will take me months to catch up on the other releases thanks to lists like the one above, probably months more for a best of ranking to coalesce.
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Gonna have to add a few more to my handful of favourites initially listed. There are some releases that I've now just gotten around to consuming that are really resonating.
I tried to narrow my initial list to only a handful to make it more accessible, but being reminded of other works makes it a futile exercise. 2012 was a great year for music.
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Thanks for starting this Jon. I've been wanting to start this thread for a month, but have just been super busy lately.
My personal favorite top 25 are:
1 ) Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel
2 ) Tame Impala - Lonerism
3 ) Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
4 ) Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
5 ) El-P - Cancer 4 Cure
6 ) Ty Segall - Twins
7 ) Mount Eerie - Clear Moon / Ocean Roar
8 ) Grizzly Bear - Shields
9 ) Beach House - Bloom
10) Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
11) Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, Mad City
12) Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
13) Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself
14) Father John Misty - Fear Fun
15) Flying Lotus - Until the Quiet Comes
16) Dinosaur Jr - I Bet On Sky
17) Chromatics - Kill For Love
18) Purity Rings - Shrines
19) Melody's Echo Chamber - Melody's Echo Chamber
20) The Walkmen - Heaven
21) Chris Cohen - Overgrown Path
22) Bats for Lashes - The Haunted Man
23) Brother Ali - Mourning in America...
24) DIIV - Oshin
25) Menomena - Moms
Great year for music, IMO. Looking forward to 2013 with new records expected from Atoms for Peace, Tegan & Sara, Earl Sweatshirt, Vampire Weekend, Phoenix, Arcade Fire, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Christopher Owens (Girls), Local Natives, Kurt Vile... I've seen Low, Beach Fossils, Foxygen, Asap Rocky and Jim James albums already floating out in cyberspace as well. headbang
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Sorry about tripping antivirus with the hot-linked album cover. Link removed.
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Had to add some other favourites and also applied an order to my initial list. Also working through albums listed by others that I've missed.
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Oh man. The Mount Eerie albums are magnificent.
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Oh man. The Mount Eerie albums are magnificent.
Yeah, they're great. I was fortunate enough to get them both on vinyl, as P.T. Evlerum puts a lot of care into their presentation. What made me really become a fan of his was "Dawn," a little wooden book filled with his journal entries from when he decided to drop everything in his life and move to the middle of nowhere in Norway. Reading that and listening to the recordings of covers from his days in Microphones, played with just an acoustic guitar, was like a life changing experience for me.
I also have his "Mount Eerie Pts. 6 and 7" ... this massive coffee table book filled with his stunning photography.
http://www.pwelverumandsun.com/book
Oh, and as a little fun aside: he released a 7" with every track of "Clear Moon" and "Ocean Roar" being played at the same time, on top of one another. He describes it as the condensed version, both cacophonous and overwhelming lol.
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Cool. Reminds me of Zaireeka, the 4 disc Flaming Lips release. That was a mess though.
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Zaireeka is my personal favorite Flaming Lips album lol. I love it.
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I must dig it up. I've only tried the simultaneous playback of the discs once. I might try one disc playing through the HD800 and another through the HD650. Get the dry hump mod going and the third disc playing through speakers.
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Yeah, those Mount Eerie albums are great. It's so layered that it gradually grew on me over the course of months.
Anyway, RD turned me onto him through his previous project The Microphones. I haven't explored The Microphones's whole catalog yet, but loooove these two albums:
The Glow, Pt 2:
(http://pad.indiemerch.com/i/7/7/77cc60d1b5.jpg)
It Was Hot We Stayed In The Water:
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YMOR4xQz2-M/TNgo13_TbfI/AAAAAAAAAK0/62g2h4cQcrY/s1600/Folder.jpg)
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Thanks Marv. I'll check those out as well.
Next week live in my neck of the woods: Death Grips (Thurs), Dirty Projectors (Fri), David Byrne and St Vincent (Sun). Bloody hell I've been so psyched for this.
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I somehow was quite disappointed by the new Tame Impala album. Sure it had two or three nice tunes but mastering was incredibad. Couldn't stand them for more than a few plays.
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The Microphones are awesome. Those are probably his best 2 albums. The Glow pt 2 is one of my favorite albums ever.
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(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/af/Death_Grips_-_The_Money_Store.jpg)
Death Grips - The Money Store
God damn this album is rad. Thanks for listing it MF.
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jeez..so much music i don't even recognize..makes me feel like i barely listened to any new music all of last year :)p12 Gonna have to spotify some of these now.
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I think most of my favorites have been mentioned, but I have a hard time thinking of albums in terms of the year they were released. I'll have to look at my smart playlist for new music in the last year.
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Off the top of my head, some good ones include ones form these bands, but can't remember the album names)
1939 Ensemble
Mbrascatu
Black Pussy
Glassbones
Helio Sequence
Sea WOlf
Hey Marseilles
Wolf Gang
Alt J
Monsters of Men
Water Tower Bucket Boys
Fruition
Marv Ellis
Chicharones
Xavier Rudd
El Ten Eleven
Lowerdens
2 door cinema club
Tycho
The Album Leaf
Horse Feathers
Don Williams
Nada Surf
Calexico
The Royal Concept
Aan
Boy Eats Drum Machine
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God damn this album is rad. Thanks for listing it MF.
When I first heard it, I didn't really get what the hype was about. Seemed like nothing Fever didn't already do with "Too Bad But True." But damn, there's so much going on in this album. It's like the "Obscura" of hip hop / power electronics. Really gets under your skin.
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The downside of a year in which so many good albums are released is that sometimes certain works are overlooked. Cat Power's Sun did not impress on initial listen, as it seemed a significant departure from her previous works. Select tracks became familiar through radio play but the album itself was cast aside as a disappointment. News of a Cat Power show here in March has prompted a revisit and damn this is a cool album. Reassessing this as one of 2012's best.
(http://www.matadorrecords.com/matablog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ole-773-Cat-Power-Sun.jpg)