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Andrew Bird is one of those artists that makes it so hard to even begin to fathom his musical abilities. He has one of the most vast collections of songs I’ve seen and they are all so amazing that it is just hard to jump into without feeling like you are missing out on another one of his songs because you don’t have enough time in the day to listen to them all. None of these are bad things, and in fact just go to show how talented this guy is.

(I really love the whistling throughout this song.)

“Oh the calcium mines are buried deep in your chest.”

Andrew Bird - Oh No

-Trey

*For the record, I did not tag this post as “sounds like Sufjan Stevens”, although, if you have a good ear, you can make countless comparisons and see that both are on another level of music.

TOP ALBUMS OF 2012

I’m putting in an early bid for the top albums this year.  There is virtually no influence from any other publications… meaning, whatever Pitchfork or whoever decides is going to be their top albums, I have no idea.  This is just my opinion.

NOTE, the album title links open up Spotify, and there is one huge “best of 2012” playlist with all of these albums at the end.  Or click here for it.

10.  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

Yes, that is the album title, and Fiona’s first album in 7 years.  I was never a huge fan of her stuff, but this album made me take notice.  She shows up all the women in indie with this one.  Strong voice, strong lyrics, what more can you want.  LISTEN:  Every Single Night, Daredevil, Jonathan, Werewolf

9.  Hot Chip - In Our Heads

Hot Chip have been in the game for a long time and it shows.  They’ve matured their sound and put out the best indie dance record of the year.  More dance bands should take note, because songwriting is usually not the strong point of a dance album, but on In Our Heads, it is.  LISTEN:  Motion Sickness, How Do You Do?, Look At Where We Are, Now There is Nothing

8.  Beach House - Bloom

I’ll admit, I was a little worried when Bloom’s first single “Myth” came out; I felt like they had taken a huge step back from their last album, Teen Dream.  But that’s Beach House for you.  They never try to impress us, they just do their thing and do it well.  In a sense, they always just slightly tweak their main sound from album to album… they never go for a radical change, and they know this approach works best for them.  Every album of theirs has grown on me and Bloom is no different.  LISTEN:   Lazuli, Other People, Troublemaker, and Equal Mind (found on the b-side of Lazuli)

7.  Grizzly Bear - Shields

This was a tough album to put all the way down at #7, if you know me.  The early singles “Sleeping Ute” and “Yet Again” showed promise, but when I heard the whole album I was disappointed. Shields sounds like a mix of Yellow House and Veckatimest, but nowhere nearly as good as those two albums.  Grizzly Bear’s still my favorite band though (their live show is still amazing), and this album still deserves a top spot, just barely nudging past Beach House’s album.  LISTEN:  Sleeping Ute, Yet Again, The Hunt, Gun-Shy

6.  Father John Misty - Fear Fun

This album right here though nig…

This album came out of nowhere for me.  I hadn’t heard of it until recently but now that I have, I can’t put it down.  Father John Misty is Josh Tillman, better known as the ex-drummer of Fleet Foxes.  And if you like Fleet Foxes, there’s a lot to love here. Great melodies, a classic sound, and some bold lyrics about drugs (you can tell he really lives this folk shit, none of that plain rice shit you hear on the radio), Fear Fun unexpectedly jumped up high on my list. 

5.  Purity Ring - Shrines

I suspect this one is going to raise a few eyebrows for me putting it top 5 (actually, my friend raises an eyebrow just because I listen to a band called Purity Ring) but I don’t really care because it knocks so hard.  The formula is basically female vocals + bass heavy beats (listen to this fucking album with subs) with a witch house vibe to it, but without being sketch as fuck like witch house.  Now, I have been listening to this one for a while, and it hasn’t gotten old for me yet.  I want to direct some of the attention away from Grimes and throw it on Purity Ring.  LISTEN:  Crawlersout, Fineshrine, Ungirthed, Amenamy, Saltkin, Obedear, Lofticries

4.  Baroness - Yellow & Green

Baroness is the type of band whose shirt I could be wearing, it get “Instagrammed,” not even be the main focus of the photo and have someone comment saying, “Fuck yeah for the Baroness shirt.”  That’s a random example but I just like to point it out because it actually happened.

Anyway, Yellow & Green is a double album by the metal band Baroness and it made a lot of “real metal~” fans upset because the majority of Yellow & Green sounds more like alternative rock/indie music than heavy metal.  Which, to people like me who don’t only like metal, isn’t a bad thing at all.  I respect that they’re maturing and not trying to put out the same old metal shit every single time.  LISTEN:  MTNS. (The Crown & Anchor), Board Up The House, Little Things, Cocainum.  

3.  Tame Impala - Lonerism

This album is mindblowing.  It could have easily been my #1 if these next two records hadn’t been released. They’re not trying anything out of the ordinary either.  This is just psychedelic indie rock inspired by the 60’s and 70’s, but they make it sound so effortless.  And even though they make drug music, you don’t have to be on drugs to like it— the album just takes you “there.”  I also like the theme of “lonerism” here, with songs like “Music to Walk Home By” and “Why Won’t They Talk To Me” you feel that outcast vibe on the album.  The extended jams (if you like songs that go on past 5 minutes, this album is for you—I LOVE that shit), the bass grooves, the Pink Floyd - “Money” influence in the song “Elephant”…there’s a lot to love about to this album.  LISTEN:  Apocalypse Dreams, Mind Mischief, Music To Walk Home By, Why Won’t They Talk To Me, Keep On Lying, Elephant

2.  Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself

Andrew Bird.  This is a dude that gets overshadowed by Sufjan Stevens a lot, and their sounds are pretty similar.  But yeah… if your “sounds like” is Sufjan Stevens, chances are you’re a great artist, and Bird is.  Also, this is another difference between a band like The Lumineers and a great artist like Andrew Bird.  The Lumineers has a song that goes “I belong with you, you belong with me, whoa ohhaaahh.”  Andrew Bird on the other hand, doesn’t settle for that kind of patty-cake bullshit lyrics.  Not a weak song on this album either, I could recommend it all.  LISTEN:  Desperation Breeds?, Danse Carribe, Give It Away, Eyeoneye, Near Death Experience Experience, Fatal Shore

1.  Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d. city 

I don’t think this nomination should come as a surprise to anyone, because when it came out I let everyone know how dope it was for at least two weeks straight.  I think of it as an instant classic.

A lot has already been said about what makes this album so amazing:  great flows, the song versatility, the whole storyline and the skits that give the album the “short film” feel that Kendrick was aiming for, the sampling of both Beach House and Twin Sister (on songs “Money Trees” and “The Recipe,” respectively), great guest spots, etc.  so I won’t bore you with any of that.  I will instead say that Kendrick had a vision for this album and he nailed it.  This is a fully realized concept album that’s one of the best albums the rap genre has ever produced, and it wins out on all other “other genre” albums as the top album of 2012.  

LISTEN:  The whole album

What were YOUR top albums of 2012?  Do you disagree with anything on my list?  Am I crazy for putting Purity Ring at #5?  Overrated the fuck out of Kendrick’s album?  Does my taste in music flat out suck?  Share your thoughts.

THE BEST OF 2012 PLAYLIST

- Ryan