Best of 2012 Honourable Mentions

Touching on three releases I really liked but didn't make my Top 10 for 2012:

Dirty Ghosts - Metal Moon (Last Gang)

Allyson Barker is Canadian born and bred, but has been based out of San Francisco lately. Their music is noisy rock, with some new wave and psychedelic influences. I liked this album a lot, I was impressed by the loose, noisy rock side of it paired with a more melodic, catchy end. It's a nice mix of offbeat and accessible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZQXmmHb920


Men Without Hats - Love in the Age of War (Independent)

Montreal's Men Without Hats will always have a special place in my heart. During high school,  Folk of the 80s (Part III) got my through some rough times, and it still stands up as one of the best synth-pop albums ever recorded. This is the band's first album since 2003's poorly received No Hats Beyond This Point, and it's a solid synth-pop album with a classic sound. Granted, this style of music hasn't aged well, but this is a fine effort. The title track was very evocative for me; when I first heard it, I was struggling through a confusing relationship break up. It resonated well for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7zYQQA1Cwk


Grimes - Visions (Arbutus)

I'd be very remiss to not mention Grimes' meteoric rise this past year. Grimes, the Montreal-based Claire Boucher, has a breakout year on the hot, hot, hot record label Arbutus this year. Her voice is babyish and naive, the music is creepy, deep and gothy. Montreal has been the centre of artsy and strange music in Canada, and Grimes fits into that scene well. She should explode internationally in the coming years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FH-q0I1fJY

Best of 2012: #1 - Eight and a Half - S/T (Arts and Crafts)

Yes, I suck at numbering these things.. I should go back and renumber the last one, I will... eventually.

My favourite album of 2012 was a super-group of sorts. Eight and a Half's debut album was actually an album by three veterans of the Canadian indy rock scene: Justin Peroff of Broken Social Scene, and Dave Hamelin gna Liam O'Neil of The Stills. You'd expect the band to do some accessible indy rock, but they go off in a different direction here. Eight and a Half are deeply rooted in oddball synth-pop. While there's an indy rock style to what they're doing, most of the album is loopy, playful synths. This album was a very pleasant surprise when I first heard it, and it continued to get better with repeated listens.

Next up, a couple of honourable mentions...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsywCBZ7myI

Best of 2012: #1 - PS I Love You - Death Dreams (Paper Bag)

PS I Love You really stepped up their game for their second album, Death Dreams. Their first, Meet Me at the Muster Station, was a solid piece of noise-pop. The follow up amped up the noise and fuzzed out the music, adding a solid vibe of psychedelics into the mix as well. And, importantly, this album is all Canadian. PS I Love You hail from my birth-town of Kingston, ON. I'd hard to believe such a full-sounding noise was made by just two people. No album was better at noise-rock this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcDLLRXDadQ

Best of 2012 #3: Shrouded Strangers - Lost Forever (Izniz)

I heard this album very early in the spring of 2012 and I immediately thought it would definitely be in my Top 10 albums of the year. And boy did it grow on me as the year went on. I've discovered that I have a solid love for noisy psychedelic rock and this album captured the sound I love very well. Shrouded Strangers are a relatively new and young band from California, with only one other album under their belts. This album was released pretty much as an independent release too. It was a good year for psychedelic rock, with Tame Impala and Ringo Deathstarr already on my list. This was  the best psychedelic album I heard this year.

http://youtu.be/IdvzcrF_rHo

Best of 2012 #4: Tanlines - Mixed Emotions (True Panther Sounds)

Brooklyn's Tanlines straddle the line between 80s synth-pop nostalgia and modern edgy indy rock. Not really staying in either world, the duo bounces back and forth between genres. Their latest album, Mixed Emotions, is just their second to date and their first for the highly influential True Panther Sounds label. Teh music is tense, edgy, paranoid and ultimately a lot of fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKJ3z9Pa7AU

 

Best of 2012 #6 : Purity Ring - Shrines (Last Gang)

2012 was an amazing year for Purity Ring. The duo had been kicking around Toronto under other names (Gobble Gobble, Born Gold) until landing their sound with the dark electro-rock of Purity Ring. The band has a nervous tension, plied into 2-3 minute pop gems. They exploded into prominence in Canada this year, and landed an international distribution contract with the lauded 4AD label. A stellar debut from Purity Ring with Shrines. I'm sure we'll see more of this great band in the near future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqw4wo8vdY8

Best of 2012 #6: David Byrne and St. Vincent - Love This Giant (4AD)

David Byrne is one of my favourite musicians of all time. From his seminal work in skewed pop and new wave in the Talking Heads, his solo work ranging from classical to world beat music, collaborations with Brian Eno and Fatboy Slim (amongst others), and running is own Luaka Bop record label, there's not much he hasn't done. Still, he finds ways to reinvent himself constantly. His recent collaboration with Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) has borne some wonderful musical fruit. Byrne's offbeat take on pop is all over this album. Annie Clark brings a lush pop and jazz sense to the songs on this album. Definitely one of the best pop albums of the year.

http://youtu.be/trIG9vQbVXA

Best of 2012: Daphni - Jiaolong (Merge)

Canadian electronic musician Dan Snaith is no stranger to my ears. I've been a fan of his Caribou project since before he was forced to change it's name from Manitoba to Caribou. Caribou is no stranger to my best of charts either. Back in 2010, I picked Swim as my #3 album and in 2003, I chose Manitoba's Up in Flames as my favourite album of the year. Whereas Caribou put a pop-sheen on his electronics, Snaith's latest project, Daphni, is more more glitchy and noisy. He bases this project around a strong dance groove, with less emphasis on the psychedelic pop swirls Caribou is known for, an adding more glitchy, unsettling and noisy bits. It's a great effort, a bit divorced from his usual fare, but enjoyable nonetheless. Recommended for someone looking different from their dancefloor grooves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpK5GltULXI

Best of 2012: Ringo Deathstarr - Mauve (Sonic Unyon)

Last year, I picked Ringo Deathstarr's debut full length Colour Trip as my favourite album of 2011. This year, the Austin band put out two releases: a four track EP called Shadow, and another full length called Mauve. Mauve continued the bands shoegazer sound, but they were a little bit more focus, a little bit less noisy and a little bit more psychedelic. The album is just as enjoyable as Colour Trip, but in a very different way. Spacier, more mind-altering, less unsettling. Great effort!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ187y5sH3E

Best of 2012: #9 Tame Impala - Lonerism (Modular)

Australia's Tame Impala are a young band, just a few years old, but have quickly become one of the more respected psychedelic revival bands in the world. They came into prominence with their 2010 debut album, Innerspeaker. Lonerism continues what they started in 2010. Their sound is drenched in the classic 60s psychedelic rock sound, but also sounds fresh in the 2010s with a healthy dose of indy rock and electronics. Psychedelic music is definitely on the upswing right now and you can't go wrong with Tame Imapala. Good enough for #9 for me this year!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wycjnCCgUes

Best of 2012: #10 - Parallels - XII (Marigold)

We begin our review of my favourite albums of 2012.

Last year, I picked Parallels' debut album Visionairies at my favourite album of 2011. This year, their sophomore effort XII is #10 on my list. XII was very solid, but I feel the band suffered a bit with the departure of Cam Findlay back to Crystal Castles. The band is much more pop-oriented now, and much slicker, lacking the dark feel that Findlay brought to the synth-pop sound. Holly Dodson, nonetheless, stepped up as the front person for the band, and her vocals were silky smooth. This is one of the best snyth-pop releases of the past year. This is also the first of a crop of great Canadian albums to end up on my top 10 list.

Check out my Earshot review of the album here.

http://youtu.be/qu8Gbg1lxVE

My picks for Best of 2012

Here's my annual list of my favourite albums of 2012. I'll start recapping them from #10 to #1 in the next couple of days here. Tune in to CFBX on January 11th, 2013 at 8 PM Pacific, for the radio countdown. It was a great year for Canadian music!

1) Eight and a Half - Eight and a Half (Arts and Crafts)
2) PS I Love You - Death Dreams (Paper Bag)
3) Shrouded Strangers - Lost Forever (Izniz)
4) Tanlines - Mixed Emotions (True Panther Sounds)
5) Purity Ring - Shrines (Last Gang)
6) David Byrne and St. Vincent - Love This Giant (4AD)
7) Daphi - Jiaolong (Merge)
8) Ringo Deathstarr - Mauve (Sonic Unyon)
9) Tame Impala - Lonerism (Modular)
10) Parallels - XII (Marigold)

Honourable Mentions: Men Without Hats - Love in the Age of War, Dirty Ghosts - Metal Moon, Gang Signs - Gang Signs, Grimes - Visions, Howler - America Wake Up

Who We Lost in 2012

Larry Reinhart (Iron Butterfly)
Bob Weston (Fleetwood Mac)
Dave Alexander
Robbie France (UFO)
Jimmy Castor
Johnny Otis
Etta James
Whitney Houston
Michael Davis (MC4)
Pierre Juneau
Billy Strange
Red Holloway
Roland Bautista (Earth, Wind and Fire)
Davy Jones
Mike Hossack (Doobie Brothers)
Eddie King
Eric Lowen
Nick Noble
Jerry McCain
Earl Scruggs
Andrew Love
Graham Simpson (Roxy Music)
Greg Ham (Men at Work)
Levon Helm
Tommy Marth (The Killers)
Charles Pitts
Adam Yauch/MCA
Donald "Duck" Dunn
Belita Woods (Parliament)
Doug Dillard
Donna Summer
Robin Gibb
Doc Watson
Herb Reed (The Platters)
Bob Welch
Maria Cole
Kitty Wells
Larry Hoppen
Bill Doss
Tony Sly (No Use for a Name)
Hal David
Joe South
Andy Williams
Raylene Rankin
David S. Ware
Bill Dees
Natina Reed (Blaque)
Bob French
Martin Fay (The Chieftains)
Billy Scott
Ian Campbell
Earl Carroll (The Coasters)
Mickey Baker
Sarah Kirsch (Pinhead Gunpowder)
Dave Brubeck
Ravi Shankar
Willie Ackerman
Jimmy McCracklin
Lee Dorman (Iron Butterfly)
Mike Scaccia (Ministry)
Ray Collins (Mothers of Invention)

Same as it Ever Was: The Rolling Stone Best of 2012

It's time tos tart seeing lots of best of lists from music critics. Rolling Stone usually goes with a safe list, full of old, reliable favourites, eschewing innovation in preference of propping up established stars. This year sees little change to that formula.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-albums-of-2012-20121205

Yes, that's Bruce Springsteen at #1. He's been making the same album for 25 years, and it's at #1 this year. Other fossils filling out the Top 10: Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Green Day. Admittedly, noise rockers Japandroids are in at #9, but most of the Top 10 is old rockers and modern hit makers.

Cruising down the charts we have more of the same: Jimmy Cliff, Leonard Cohen, Dr. John, Dave Matthews, Donald Fagen? Really, Donald Fagen? And there's the modern guys paying tribute to older styles (John Mayer, Mumford and Sons), and your established hitmakers (Nas, Taylor Swift).

Interesting picks are there, but their further down the top 50, like Grimes, Grizzly Bear, Amadou and Mariam, Titus Andronicus and Escort (disco!).