When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: DIIV WHAT:Oshin WHEN: June 2012 WHERE: Captured Tracks WHY: It's quite rare that a record will so immediately grab me by the heart as quickly as did DIIV's Oshin. I was only about ten seconds into my first listen when I realized that resistance was futile. This was a record that would not be ignored. I was ever so taken with the ice cold chill, the beautiful noise (like a more romanticized, less fuzzy Beach Fossils), the simple hazy splendor of it all. Oshin is like an endless sonic dream, billowy and soft and sun-dappled, with darker shadows lurking tantalizingly just out of sight (but appearing more and more as the record spins along). With this impossibly pretty, perpetually summer music, DIIV has, for a brief moment, thawed my cold black heart. MY JAMS: "Past Lives" "Human" "Air Conditioning" "How Long Have You Known" "(Druun Pt. II)" "Follow" "Sometime" "Oshin (Subsume)" "Home"
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: The Brian Jonestown Massacre WHAT:Aufheben WHEN: April 2012 WHERE: 'a' Records WHY: To say that there is Anton Newcombe and then there is everyone else probably sounds a bit overly dramatic, but sometimes I don't wonder if it's true. What begins with the trippy Eastern promise of "Panic In Babylon" soon shows itself to be what you'd expect from The Brian Jonestown Massacre, that is to say lots of amazing, intricate sounds swirled together into one hazy smoke puff of sexy nouveau psych rock noise. "Aufheben" might mean a whole lot of different things, and Aufheben might bring together a whole lot of different sounds, but both are pure Anton Newcombe, most definitely in rare form. Over 20 years on, and he's still more than got it. This is absolutely turning into a favorite of the BJM's catalog for me, and I can't urge you enough to drop what you're doing and have a listen. MY JAMS: "Vihollseni Maalla" "Gaz Hilarant" "I Want To Hold Your Other Hand" "The Clouds Are Lies" "Stairway To The Best Party In The Universe" "Waking Up To Hand Grenades" "Blue Order / New Monday"
Father John Misty is in town this fine evening, so it felt only right to share this here cover of one of my favorite FJM songs.
"Hollywood Cemetery Forever" is given a spooky, slinky, sludgy and rather sexy treatment by Los Angelinos Tashaki Miyaki. With ghostly, pouty lady vocals and just a touch of fuzz adding an overall haunting, almost forlorn vibe to an already great song, this one's definitely more than worth your time.
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: A Place To Bury Strangers WHAT:Worship WHEN: June 2012 WHERE: Dead Oceans WHY: If you like your music rough, fuzzy, and unapologetically loud, odds are you're already a fan of A Place To Bury Strangers. Latest long player Worship sees the band doing what they do best, that of course being spitting forth dark, provocatively pummeling, ferocious juggernauts of songs designed to assault your senses until you've no choice but to surrender. At times there's a fleeting, vulnerable tenderness to the onslaught of furiosity, adding the Achilles heel to an otherwise impenetrable hard edge. Completely mesmerizing, you could say that Worship is worthy of, well, worship. MY JAMS: "Alone" "You Are The One" "Mind Control" "Worship" "Dissolved" "Revenge" "Slide" mp3:You Are The One (A Place To Bury Strangers from Worship)
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: Beach House WHAT:Bloom WHEN: May 2012 WHERE: Sub Pop WHY: There is magic in the music of Beach House, it's as simple as that. What these Baltimoreans do on record is nothing short of casting spells. As beautiful, haunting, sparkling, and ethereal as ever, Bloom sees the band continuing on in the pursuit of fluid, textured, velvet perfection. You'd think by now they'd be bored with being flawless, but evidently not. MY JAMS: "Myth" "Wild" "Lazuli" "Other People" "New Year" "Wishes" "On The Sea" mp3:Myth (Beach House from Bloom)
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: Lower Dens WHAT:Nootropics WHEN: May 2012 WHERE: Ribbon Music WHY: I'm a staunch Lower Dens supporter, so it was only a matter of time before Nootropics popped up. It is, as expected, a beautiful record sonically. Filled to the brim with a cacophony of all manner of sounds, swelling and crashing all over the place, Nootropics is a beautiful animal, never standing still and constantly changing its' stripes. And as an aside, not to take away from the artistic merit of the record, but since I've commented on this before when it comes to Lower Dens, yes, friends, it also happens to make for some serious mood music. Trust me. MY JAMS: "Alphabet Song" "Stem" "Propogation" "Lamb" "Nova Anthem"
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: Moon Duo WHAT:Circles WHEN: October 2012 WHERE: Sacred Bones Records WHY: We already know I adore Wooden Shjips. It should logically follow that anything Shjips honcho Ripley Johnson is involved in, I will more than likely be more than a little into. Enter Moon Duo's 2012 effort Circles. Definitely in the same vein as Wooden Shjips, Moon Duo takes the hazy, crazy, skillfully scattered psych rock that is a Wooden Shjips hallmark and flips it on its head, speeding things up, adding in traces of poppiness and throwing in beats that you can almost, dare I even say it, cut a rug to. Pretty much masterful. MY JAMS: "Sleepwalker" "I Been Gone" "Sparks" "Dance Pt. 3" "Free Action" "Rolling Out"
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: Father John Misty WHAT:Fear Fun WHEN: May 2012 WHERE: Sub Pop WHY: Another record for whom I must credit others for having fallen in love with (thanks, Donny), Fear Fun grew on me quite a bit over the course of last year. Mister Josh Tillman, very sexily I might add, cavorts his way through the ghosts of faded, idyllic Hollywood, channeling at times shades of the Flying Burrito Brothers, Lee Hazelwood, and even Jerry Reed (yes, really). Tales are told with humor, but ever so bittersweetly, Tillman's croon at times angelic and at others deadpan ("My reality is realer than yours"). At the best bits, Fear Fun is untouchably good. And did I mention the sexiness of Mister Tillman? Just checking. MY JAMS: "Funtimes In Babylon" "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" "I'm Writing A Novel" "Misty's Nightmares 1 & 2" "Only Son of the Ladiesman" "This Is Sally Hatchet" "Tee Pees 1-12" mp3:Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings (Father John Misty from Fear Fun)
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: Tame Impala WHAT:Lonerism WHEN: October 2012 WHERE: Modular WHY: Sometimes even music writers need a little nudge. Thankfully, when it comes to Tame Impala, I had not one but two nudges (thanks, Brandi and Matt). If not for them, I might have missed out on the fluorescent, psychedelic dreamsicle space oddity fantasy that is Lonerism. Possessing one of my jams of the year, the powerfully pulsatingly sexy stardust groove machine that is "Elephant," Lonerism proves itself to be more than worthy of frequent listens. MY JAMS: "Enders Toi" "Mind Mischief" "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" "Elephant" "Nothing Has Happened"
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO:Young Prisms WHAT:In Between WHEN: March 2012 WHERE: Kanine Records WHY: When I first listed to In Between, I was a bit surprised by what I heard. I had expected more of that delicious, heavy darkness Young Prisms had so recently offered up, the heady aggression wrapped in layers of gorgeous fuzz. But In Between is a totally different animal. The fuzz is still there, mind, but in a lighter, floatier way. It's as if the midnight of Friends For Now gave way to the dawn, and even if bittersweet, it's going to be a beautiful day indeed. MY JAMS: "Floating In Blue" "Runner" "Midnight's When" "Better Days" "Sunshine"
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: Pond WHAT:Beard, Wives, Denim WHEN: March 2012 WHERE: Modular Records WHY: Is there an Australian equivalent of peyote? If so, that might partially explain Pond's Beard, Wives, Denim. A bit of a magical mystery tour, Pond gets a bit jammy, a bit glammy, a bit expansive, a bit celestial, and more than a bit out there. Sunshine supermen with a 70s slant, this band of Aussie space cadets comes across blissfully dazed and confused, daydream believers for the modern age. MY JAMS: "When It Explodes" "Sorry I Was Under The Sky" "Allergies" "You Broke My Cool" "Leisure Pony"
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: The Snowy Owls WHAT:Within Yr Reach EP WHEN: November 2012 WHERE: Self-released WHY: Let's talk about a pretty mess by this one band. I've been following The Snowy Owls for quite some time, and they never cease to impress me. Recently expanded to a quartet, the Richmonders wear shoegaze/dream pop/post punk influences on their collective sleeve, all the while casting a spell with their intelligent, utterly charming noise. Within Yr Reach is teeming with longing, joy, contemplation, and sheer delight. A pretty mess, indeed. MY JAMS: "Fortunate Isles" "Josef & Anni" "Cloud" "Falling"
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: Broken Water WHAT:Tempest WHEN: May 2012 WHERE: Hardly Art WHY: Sometimes yours truly likes it a little down and dirty. Naturally, I'm referring to my music. Broken Water, of the left coast, brings the scuzz and then some on the most excellent Tempest. It's a muddy, rough record, full of jaggedly eviscerating riffs and slightly off, slightly bored, and nearly confrontational vocals. Seriously, y'all, this is one hell of a record. If you missed it last year, now's your chance to right that wrong. MY JAMS: "Drown" "Orange Blossom Stains" "Underground" "River Under The River" "Chantal Seder"
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: Ringo Deathstarr WHAT:Mauve WHEN: September 2012 WHERE: Sonic Unyon WHY: When it comes to Ringo Deathstarr, I frequently cry "more, more, more" (apologies to Billy Idol). The Austinian trio is so very much in my wheelhouse, and Mauve is another no apologies romp through scuzzgaze, fuzzgaze, and shoegaze that leaves me a happy girl indeed. Whether it's Alex doing her finest ingenue vocals, or that overpowering wall of succulent, shattering guitar shenanigans, Mauve shows Ringo Deathstarr to be in fine fettle indeed. MY JAMS: "Rip" "Burn" "Drag" "Girls We Know" "Nap Time"
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: Echo Lake WHAT:Wild Peace WHEN: June 2012 WHERE: Slumberland Records WHY: There is an effortless ethereal aura to Wild Peace, as if the members of Echo Lake just woke up one day and made the beautiful magic happen by chance. Languid and liquid, the icy lady vocals and slow motionscapes create enchantment at every turn, while proving incredibly atmospheric. Wild Peace is a gem amongst records, and a must for anyone with an ear for the prettiest of sounds. MY JAMS: "Another Day" "Even The Blind" "In Dreams" "Swimmers" "Just Kids"
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: Ttotals WHAT:Silver on Black WHEN: August 2012 WHERE: Self-released WHY: Somewhere there exists a parallel universe, where there is only light and love and loud, loud music. Ttotals has come from this universe, temporarily residing in Nashville to spread their "Outer Blues" to the discerning listeners who understand. Controlled, fuzzy chaos ebbs and flows, a guitar churns mercilessly, and drums are pounded with cool, loving ferocity. And seriously, y'all, "Flowers Follow" is one of my favorite songs of the whole dang year. Dig in. Believe the truth.
MY JAMS: "Special A" "Flowers Follow" "Over The Years"
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: Violens WHAT:True WHEN: May 2012 WHERE: Slumberland Records WHY: Of all the bands that I listen to on a regular basis, Violens might be the only one I could genuinely say had a sense of elegance. There's a sophisticated slink to their sonic decadence, a cut of glamour, even when they're getting rough around the edges. Latest lp True shows this off from top to bottom with their chiseled cheekbone riffs and songs just this side of debauched, though impeccably elegant. Gorgeous. MY JAMS:"When To Let Go" "Sariza Spring" "Lavender Forces" "Watch The Streams" "Through The Window" "So Hard To See"
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: Django Django WHAT:Django Django WHEN: October 2012
WHERE: Ribbon Records WHY: It would be enough to say I like Django Django because of their Scottish origins (art school, naturally). But there's more to it than that. Essentially, they're like Hot Chip and The Beta Band gone to the Hacienda, completely off their heads and having a grand old time. Sweet mercy, my friends, this is a fun record, and utterly infectious to boot. Resistance is futile.
MY JAMS: "Hail Bop" "Firewater" "Waveforms" "Love's Dart" "WOR" "Life's A Beach"
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO:Eternal Summers WHAT:Correct Behavior WHEN: July 2012 WHERE: Kanine Records WHY: Has the rest of Virginia caught up to Roanoke yet? I'm not quite convinced (though Richmond is hot on its heels, to be sure). Eternal Summers is definitely at the top of the heap, and on Correct Behavior, it's even more evident. I've listened to this record an obscene amount, and it's just as good now as the first time. Their quirkiness is polished just so, and the electric rambunctiousness bubbles over to perfection. A heck of a fun little record, frothy but definitely not short of substance. MY JAMS: "Wonder" "You Kill" "It's Easy" "Summerset"
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO:The Dandy Warhols WHAT:This Machine WHEN: April 2012 WHERE: The End WHY: Once a rabid fan of the Dandy Warhols, my affection had waned somewhat over the past few years. This Machine brought me back to the fold. It's a record of nearly vintage Dandy sounds, throbbing psych rock and that breathy, can't be bothered sass of Courtney Taylor-Taylor's vocals. It's not a coincidence they've been around as long as they have, and if you've not yet tasted what these Portlanders can do, friends, I'd advise you do so now. MY JAMS: "Sad Vacation" "The Autumn Carnival" "Rest Your Head" "I Am Free" "Seti Vs The Wow! Signal"
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO:Thieving Irons WHAT: Behold, This Dreamer! WHEN: June 2012 WHERE: Self-released WHY:Behold, This Dreamer!holds a special place in my heart, as does Thieving Irons. The latest effort of ex-Pela guitarist Nate Martinez, Thieving Irons really reaches for the stars on this, the second full-length. Lush, beautifully-crafted songs strike emotional chords all over the place, still channeling Springsteen just a shade, and glow like downtown at midnight on a summer night. A must-listen for the sensitive soul. MY JAMS: "End of September" "So Long" "Sleepwalking Into The Ocean" "Poison" "Letters To Catherine" "Swimming With Minnows"
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2012, there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2012 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of quite a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it enough. A big thank you to all of the artists who created the music that I fell in love with last year. WHO: The Men WHAT:Open Your Heart WHEN: March 2012 WHERE: Sacred Bones Records WHY: I am easily bored, so I'm definitely thankful when bands don't stick with the same sound for the duration of an album. Obviously, then, The Men was destined to show up on my list, since their sound is actually comprised of a whole heck of a lot of various and sundry noise (country! punk! psych!). It's never a dull moment on Open Your Heart, and for those of us who like it loud and rather complex, The Men fits the bill quite nicely. MY JAMS: "Country Song" "Oscillation" "Candy" "Presence"
