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

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

Eight and a Half - Guest Blog on RDM Music

My first guest blog is up over on RDM Music Blog, on Canadian band Eight and a Half. This should be the first of a monthly guest blog on Canadian music I'll do for them. I've already got two more reviews in the works. Head on over and support them!

http://rmdmusicblog.com/2012/07/20/album-review-eight-and-a-half-go-ego-electronicexperimental/

http://youtu.be/mWnq8op-IN8