Well, since the world hasn't ended and we haven't all been caught up the kind of scenario outlined in the Loss Adjustor I thought I'd post my personal highlights of 2012 which I think has been a particularly good year for new music.
Albums of the Year (in no particular order)
Django Django Melody's Echo Chamber Tame Impala - Lonerism Beak >> Geoff Barlow & Ben Salisbury - Drokk Unthanks & The Rastrick & Brighouse Brass Band - Diversions Vol. 2 Go-Kart Mozart Are On The Hot Dog Streets Laetitia Sadier - Silencio Scott Walker - Bish Bosch Beaulieu Porch Julian Cope - Psychedelic Revolution First Aid Kit - The Lions Roar Moon Duo - Circles
Disappointment of the Year
Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light
Worst of the Year
Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
Film of the Year
Sightseers
Now it's your turn.
-- Edited by saw119 on Saturday 22nd of December 2012 05:49:17 PM
-- Edited by saw119 on Saturday 22nd of December 2012 06:05:57 PM
Loved the Django Django and Hawley albums. Sweet Heart Sweet Light was an odd one. Some great songs but some MOR as well, but the weird thing was the production on it. For someone like Pierce, who is famous for taking ages getting things sounding perfect, I thought some tracks sounded really muddy and all the poorer for it.
Only tried the new Animal Collective one once but I found that a letdown.
-- Edited by liltman on Saturday 22nd of December 2012 05:20:38 PM
Oh fun! I kind of agree with you about the Spiritualized album being a disappointment. I thought it was kind of bland for him, but all my friends had been raving about it.
Anyway here's my top 10 list for albums:
Fiona Apple-The Idler Wheel
Frank Ocean-Channel Orange
Beach House-Bloom
Animal Collective-Centipede Hz
Richard Hawley-Standing at the Sky's Edge
Tame Impala-Lonerism
Lotus Plaza-Spooky Action at a Distance
David Byrne at St. Vincent-Love this Giant
Toy
Dirty Projectors-Swing Lo Magellan
I thought Bat For Lashes had an amazing cover for the Haunted Man but the album itself didn't do anything for me. But I've never been really into her music to begin with.
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I felt that often Pierce's voice was too high in the mix and the rest of the instruments were kind of indistinct and just sort of chugged away in the background in a nondescript fashion, really quite bland at times.
I haven't bought that many albums this year so apologies that my list is biased towards albums I've actually heard: Rant by The Futureheads, Keys to the Kuffs by JJ Doom, In Our Heads by Hot Chip, ill Manors by Plan B, Love at the Bottom of the Sea by The Magnetic Fields and um, The Ecstatic by Mos Def even though I've been listening to it for three years now.
Dirty Three - Towards The Low Sun Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Allelujah! Don't bend, ascend! Brian Eno - Lux Leonard Cohen - Old Ways Moon Duo - Circles Spiritualized - Sweet Heart, Sweet Light Cheval Sombre - Mad Love Earth - Angels of darkness, demons of light II
Still haven't got round to checking out the Goat album which is supposed to be spectacular. The new Saint Etienne had some greta moments but was overall a bit daft for me. ...trail of dead has to be the most disappointing album this year for me, if only because I never expected anything special from the Sigur Ros one in the first place.
The only new albums I've listened to this year - Richard Hawley, The XX, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith. I'm not great at keeping up to date with music. Gonna listen to some of the things you guys just recommended and be dragged into the 21st Century.
Top Songs The Exact Colour of Doubt - Liars Nobody's Business - Rihanna Feat. Chris Brown Tidal Wave - The Laurels Awake - Electric Guest Say Arr Ee - Bullion
Other 2012 Tunes that I really liked Oblivion - Grimes SEOD - Kindness Sunshine Punch - Day Ravies Its not easy being mean - Good Heavens Crystallized - Melodys Echo Chamber He's in Stock - The Twerps All Through the Night - Wolf & Cub Bendin' - HTRK Ruin - Cat Power Holes - Electric Guest This Head I Hold - Electric Guest Under the Gun - Electric Guest Amber - Electric Guest
Top Record To be honest I don't have an all time fav record from 2012. Lots of records I got into but not listening to them 6 months on - well not all the way through. But look for lists sake I'm going to say my fav record of the year was Bish Bosch purely because its a Scott Walker record. I have it on vinyl, CD and MP3 format. Committed.
Tame Impala - Lonerism Grizzly Bear - Shields WIXIW - Liars Sebastien Tellier - My God is Blue Electric Guest - Mondo Lower Spectrum - From Here on In EP The Laurels - Plains Nuggets - Antipodeon Interpolations of the First Psychedelic Era.
-- Edited by cutcopy on Tuesday 1st of January 2013 09:06:29 AM
-- Edited by cutcopy on Tuesday 1st of January 2013 09:07:34 AM
Didn't immerse myself in enough new albums to give a definitive list. Fair play Calum, I've heard of about two of yours! You study music though I think, so I'm not gonna feel that bad about it.
Here's my top tracks:
Laura - Bat For Lashes I Like To Shift Girls - The Rubberbandits Simple Song - The Shins Motion Sickness - Hot Chip I Follow Rivers - Lykke Li Myth/Wishes - Beach House Off To The Races - Lana Del Rey When I Was Wild/The National Health - Maximo Park Gravedigger's Song/Grey Goes Black - Mark Lanegan Nowhere Is Home/She Got A Wiggle - Dexys Don't Stare At The Sun - Richard Hawley Breezeblocks - Alt J