Shredding 2012
Even as I'm sitting here, trying to assure myself I've listened to all the music I can squeeze into my spaced out head, I just know there will be some sleeper hit that I've missed. I think that's the best part of discovering music - unlike continents that can be mapped out, mountains scaled and oceans probed, new tunes will be constantly churned out from some dank underground rehearsal space, or a bedroom-cum-recording studio. Finding these special albums that leave a lasting impression is the hard part - but the promise of unearthing a new band or fresh LP makes sifting through the lackluster worth my while. Here is what I've dug, loved, sung along to, thrown the horns up to, or had revelations, while listening in 2012. (forget trying to rank them! I'm having a panic attack at the prospect of that!)
1. Foxy Shazam - The Church of Rock and Roll
This album cements its place on this list based on fun factor alone. Upon listening to pumping, anthemic songs like the so very cheesy 'I Like It' and the infectious falsetto vocals that beg to be mimicked on 'Wasted Feelings' (which is my ringtone because I'm a huge nerd like that), I realized how much I missed the Darkness. Not because I loved Justin Hawkins' cock rock romp at (albeit brief) rock stardom - but because I loved what they were about - unabashed fun. The Church of Rock and Roll preaches similar values, influencing devout music lovers to sing along to soaring choruses no matter how far out of tune you are and to pick up their air guitars without shame or fear of judgment.
Recommended tracks - Wasted Feelings, Last Chance at Love, Holy Touch.
2. Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
An Awesome Wave was an awesome ride I took all the way to shore - from the opening four tracks I was sold on the hodge podge, calculated sound of the quartet out of England. Deliberate, daring, and different, I think the real genius behind Alt-J's sound is the seamless switch between sounds that blur the boundaries of what indie music should sound like. It isn't the most revolutionary release- it still coasts on accessible melodies, anchored by a bouncing rhythmic section and Joe Newman's soaring and acrobatic vocals. It does seem to be a record for this ADHD generation - targeting filthy bass lines that toy with dub step, gentle crooning vocals over slow burners, twinkling keys blinking in and out of the records 13 tracks, all while doing it with assured and equal amounts of style and skill. I believe one of our problems today is that we're so overloaded with stimuli that it's hard to maintain attention for more than 2 minutes unless we're grabbed from the get go. Alt-J succeed in putting the listener in a vice grip off the mark, and don't let go until the closing bars of the 12 minute closer Taro that rides out their debut LP. Recommended tracks - Breezeblocks, Something Good, Tessellate.
3. Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory
While this record ushered in 2012, it's only a recent obsession of mine. What sold me was the 9 minute Wasted Days - if you can write a song that has me rocking out during your five minute jam session at the tail end of an already memorable song, and make that part my absolute favorite moment on the album, you're definitely doing something right! I love that 'don't give a fuck' attitude that permeates throughout Attack on Memory - edgy, raw, complimented perfectly by Ohio native Dylan Baldi's razor blade warble. If you like bands that put the raw in your indie rawk, are a stickler for great guitar riffs and appreciate walls of sound that assail your ears in the very best way, you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you passed up the excellent Attack on Memory.
Recommended tracks - The whole album! More specifically Wasted Days, Fall In, Stay Useless, Separation.
4. DIIV - Oshin
DIIV's own version of reverb laden shoe gaze/indie rock is solid and assured in it's execution - it would be a shame to forsake this as a carbon copy of Beach Fossils and the ilk. Songs like 'Follow', 'How Long Have You Known?', and 'Doused' speak volumes of Zachary Cole Smith's penchant for writing a killer tune. It's safe to say he wears his influences on his sleeve proudly, but the end product is so refined and immediately appealing that you can excuse the snippets of Beach House, the Cure et al. found within. Upbeat and driving without ever leaving you out of breath, DIIV have concocted a winning formula with Oshin, which feels as good as scoring the perfect day at the beach. No crowd, no stress, with the wind whipping through your hair through the car window, face still flecked with salt from the oshin.
Recommended Tracks - Follow, How Long Have You Known?, Doused.
5. The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
I remember how excited I was when this album dropped, which is a rarity of late. And I hate to say it, but maybe in this day and age, where music is so easily and readily accessible, I've grown a bit jaded. With an instant download on iTunes or an artist's bandcamp, there's a strange disconnect with artist and fan that belittles the universal reach and convenience that is the internet. I miss the tangible - clawing away the plastic that clings skin tight to the CD case, leafing through the art booklet and checking the liner notes. Instead of treasuring an album, wearing down your cassette or CD and your friends patience by always having your new favorite album blaring from your discman, I find myself with more music that I can enjoy, all hastily stashed digitally between dozens of artists in my digital music library that realistically won't get the attention they deserve. Brian Fallon's impassioned and heartfelt lyrics hearken back to simpler times, where we made mixtapes for that special someone, or lent your best friend since elementary school your absolute favorite album (beyond excited for their breathless revelations of their personal favorite track), and all this (whatever this may be) translates beautifully on Handwritten. Like writing letters long hand, rewinding VCR's, adjusting bunny ear antennae on chunky TV sets, The Gaslight Anthem's latest and greatest album is endearing, heartfelt, and special for a gang of intangible reasons. So maybe I don't miss the tangibles so much as I miss the excitement and wide eyed wonderment of the hopeless, sniveling awkward boy I used to be, journeying to find his footing and place in the world.
Recommended Tracks - 45, Handwritten, Biloxi Parish.
6. Grizzly Bear - Shields Ed Droste is one talented guy, with it being most apparent on the excellent Shields. Easily the most solid and complete Grizzly Bear record to date, this album houses so many highlights that if you really twisted my arm, I might concede that this is one of my favorite indie albums since The National's Boxer. Once the groove dials after the guitar intro in 'Sleeping Ute', the feeling that you have something special on your hands is palpable, a feeling that doesn't let up throughout the album's duration. It's crazy - I hyped this record up to Himalayan heights, and it delivered by record's end with barely the bat of an eyelash. I love how Grizzly Bear throw elements of freak into their folk, sidestepping sonic boundaries to create weird and beautiful sounds. 'Yet Again' might be my favorite song of 2012, and Grizzly Bear might just be my favorite band from Brooklyn.
Recommended Tracks - Gun Shy, Yet Again, Sleeping Ute
7. The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past
If The Gaslight Anthem's Handwritten tickled your pickle in the slightest, you owe it to yourself to give the Menzingers a shot. It may be the best decision you make before the end of the world (if this list reaches you in time!) I feel punk music has this ridiculous stigma attached to it these days - like it's not cool to like the genre, and I feel a lot of my friends unfairly write off punk. Which is crazy to me! It's by and far one of my favorite genres, and every time I talk about a punk band I really like and I see someone's eyes rolling, already writing off whomever I'm trying to talk up, I want to get punk rock on their face and punch an opening into their closed mind. There's cookie cutter mainstream punk, which to me classifies as pop music more than anything, and then there's punk. It's in the attitude, in the amount of fun you have while listening, it's the lines that the vocalist emphasizes that you live by, it's the feeling you get of sheer excitement when you hear a thumping bass line and that quick drum beat, its the live show where you leave soaked in sweat, beer and smiles. The Menzingers offer up more than a classic punk record - they offer a unique and emotive contemporary slice of Americana. You don't have to believe me. You could pass it up because it's punk and you don't like bands like Good Charlotte (God, neither do I), and I couldn't care less. I'll be too busy enjoying the best album of 2012. \m/ (-_-) \m/ Recommended Tracks - If I had to choose just a couple? Make sure you listen to Good Things, Sun Hotel, Ava House, The Obituaries.
8. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
If you like the Deftones, especially predecessors Diamond Eyes and Saturday Night Wrist, then you'll love Chino, Abe, Stephen, Chi (of course Chi gets a mention), Sergio and Frank's latest release. Koi No Yokan, loosely translated from Japanese as 'the premonition of love,' is an ironic title because from the moment I hit play I loved what was coming through my speakers. Chino is on point with his vocals, delivering a master class on why he is one of the best frontmen for one of the few metal bands to escape the 90's Nu-Metal scene unscathed with a sound that's still relevant. Abe thunders behind the kit with Stephen proffering down tuned riffs that groove, screech, wail and interlock with Sergio' second consecutive stint on bass duty in place of the recovering Chi. The slower moments drag slightly, but the quality never dips. If falling in love with this album is inevitable, I don't know if I can handle liking this album already more than I do! My heart might swell and burst, which would be pretty fucking metal indeed!
Recommended tracks - Leathers, Tempest, Gauze, Graphic Nature, Entombed.
Honorable mentions -
1. Deer Leap - Here. Home.
Check it if you like elements of post rock sprinkled into your punk/emo. There are so many jaw dropping moments in the opening track alone! I'd familiarize myself with Deer Leap pronto if you've never had the pleasure.
2. Departures - Teenage Haze
Lame album name aside, this is one of my favorite hardcore albums in recent memory! Great songwriting sets it apart, and if I had more time with it this might've scored a spot in my best of 2012.
3. Anberlin - Vital
If you like Anberlin, or punk/alt/rock that's centered around amazing vocals, this is one you can't pass up. Anberlin prove why they weren't just a passing trend in the pop/punk scene - they give you 11 solid reasons why you shouldn't discount them or their latest release.
4. Caspian - Waking Season
I'm going to call it right here, Waking Season is THE premier post rock album of the year. Caspian have always had a great sound which made them stand out head and shoulders above the post-rock populace, and Waking Season launches them into the upper echelon of post-rock prodigies like Mono, Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky.
5. Make Do And Mend - Everything You Ever Loved
Being released early in 2012 hurt this album's chances of placing on my list - I just overplayed it by the time December came around. That doesn't mean it's not a great record. Make Do And Mend shift to a more rock sound on their sophomore release, from their punk/post hardcore roots, which allows their song writing prowess to really shine through.
