Blog

1. El-P - Cancer 4 Cure
Abstract Hip-Hop

2. Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind
Metalcore

3. Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory
Post-Hardcore, Indie Rock

4. John Talabot - Fin
House

5. White Lung - Sorry
Punk Rock, Noise Rock

6. Kraftklub - Mit K
Indie Rock, German Hip-Hop

7. Code Orange Kids - Love Is Love // Return to Dust
Hardcore Punk with Sludge Metal and Shoegaze elements

8. Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city
Hip-Hop

9. Marsimoto - Grüner Samt
Abstract Hip-Hop

10. Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
Southern Hip-Hop, Hardcore Hip-Hop

11. Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
Indie Pop

12. Max Richter - Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons
Modern Classical

13. Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light
Neo-Psychedelia

14. Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax II: Future Sequence
Progressive Metal with Metalcore elements

15. Dry the River - Shallow Bed
Indie Folk

16. Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Alternative Metal

17. Crystal Castles - (III)
…

The top 40 rekkids of 2012 (the worst fucking year ever)
I told you this year would suck.
I told you everyone would be hoping the world would in fact end.
It didn’t though (but My Bloody Valentine might still bring about the end of the world next year, ha ha ha)
….not only that, very few bands really delivered albums that captured the general feeling of wanting the world to end this year. You’ll see which. I’m a little surprised I ended up having more than 40 albums to put together. You had quite a few huge disappointments. . . . .you also had a couple of bands suddenly deciding to really try this year.
Here they are. . .




Here goes the list
40. Noisear – Turbulent Resrgence
It getting on this list has nothing to do with whether or not they ended the album with a long ass noise track or not. It's just that good.

39. Malignancy – Eugenics
it's rare that a tech death band can write shit so creazy, and still not just be an in-one-ear-out-the-other band. It sticks.

…

20 The Heavy - The Glorious Dead

19 Lawrence Arabia - The Sparrow

18 Howlin Rain - The Russian Wilds

17 Father John Misty - Fear Fun

16 Future of the Left - The Plot Against Common Sense

15 Lazarus & the Plane Crash - Horseplay

14 The Mountain Goats - Transcendental Youth

13 The Black Keys - El Camino

12 Todd Snider - Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables

11 The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know

10 Sun Kil Moon - Among The Leaves

9 Benjamin Gibbard - Former Lives

8 Baroness - Yellow & Green

7 Meursault - Something For the Weakened

6 Divine Fits - A Thing Called Divine Fits

5 Tom McRae - From The Lowlands

4 Anais Mitchell - Young Man In America

3 Josephine - Portrait

2 Calexico - Algiers

1 Shearwater - Animal Joy

Now that 2012 is over I've made a list of the favorite 25 albums that I listened to during 2012 (and some honorable mentions that were made of albums I liked and listened to a lot but didn't quite make the cut). Here it is:

1. The Menzingers - On the Impossible Past
2. Jack White - Blunderbuss
3. Mixtapes - Even on the Worst Nights
4. Menomena - Moms
5. 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
6. P.O.S - We Don't Even Live Here
7. Glen Hansard - Rhythm and Repose
8. future of the left - The Plot Against Common Sense
9. Aesop Rock - Skelethon
10. The Avett Brothers - The Carpenter
11. fun. - Some Nights
12. The Shins - Port of Morrow
13. Muse - The 2nd Law
14. Purity Ring - Shrines
15. Ramona Falls - Prophet
16. The Killers - Battle Born
17. Pepe Deluxé - Queen Of The Wave
18. The Mountain Goats - Transcendental Youth
19. Regina Spektor - What We Saw From The Cheap Seats
20. Lana Del Rey - Born to Die
…

The older I get, the less new music I seem to consume. I once had a constant craving for new music but I'd say those days are moving behind me as I have less and less time to devote to active listening. That said there are some new bands in my list year and some old favourites put out some steller albums. A great, great year for music anyway. Many thanks to friends that attended shows with me, came out record shopping, sent me a mix or offered suggestions to seek out.

These aren't really in any particular order (but maybe a bit):
Baroness – Yellow & Green
melvins lite – Freak Puke
Om – Advaitic Songs
Propagandhi – Failed States
Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage
The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet
Smashing Pumpkins – Oceania
Alcest – Les Voyages De L’Ame
The Wooden Sky – Every Child is a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun
Deftones – Koi No Yokan
Future of the Left – The Plot Against Common Sense
Graveyard – Lights Out
Why? – Mumps, etc
The xx – Coexist
Jack White – Blunderbuss

Other notable favourites from the year:
…

The older I get, the less new music I seem to consume. I once had a constant craving for new music but I'd say those days are moving behind me as I have less and less time to devote to active listening. That said there are some new bands in my list year and some old favourites put out some steller albums. A great, great year for music anyway. Many thanks to friends that attended shows with me, came out record shopping, sent me a mix or offered suggestions to seek out.

These aren't really in any particular order (but maybe a bit):
Baroness – Yellow & Green
melvins lite – Freak Puke
Om – Advaitic Songs
Propagandhi – Failed States
Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage
The Mars Volta – Noctourniquet
Smashing Pumpkins – Oceania
Alcest – Les Voyages De L’Ame
The Wooden Sky – Every Child is a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun
Deftones – Koi No Yokan
Future of the Left – The Plot Against Common Sense
Graveyard – Lights Out
Why? – Mumps, etc
The xx – Coexist
Jack White – Blunderbuss

Other notable favourites from the year:
…

Top 50 Artists

1 dEUS 220
2 Liars 196
3 Micachu 159
4 Do Make Say Think 152
5 Django Django 139
6 Four Tet 124
7 Future of the Left 122
8 Guided by Voices 118
9 Moonface 115
10 Disappears 114
11 Tim Hecker 111
12 The Fall 107
13 Lower Dens 89
14 Radiohead 82
14 SchnAAk 82
16 The Beta Band 76
17 Modest Mouse 75
18 David Bowie 74
18 Nine Inch Nails 74
18 The Wedding Present 74
18 Beak> 74
22 Triclops! 73
23 Madvillain 70
23 The Babies 70
25 Talk Talk 66
25 Viktor Vaughn 66
27 Swans 62
28 Sunset Rubdown 61
29 Stars of the Lid 60
30 Can 59
31 MEN 58
31 METZ 58
31 Stabil Elite 58
34 Belong 57
35 Gold-Bears 56
36 The Clash 55
36 Ramones 55
38 Silver Apples 49
39 Oval 47
40 Sonic Youth 46
40 Wolf Parade 46
42 Flamin' Groovies 45
42 R.E.M. 45
44 Tortoise 44
44 Tennis 44
44 Converge 44
47 Public Enemy 43
48 The Men 42
49 JJ DOOM 41
50 mclusky 40
50 Menomena 40
…

Another year passed. Who gives a fuck?

TOP 10 LP:

10. Future of the Left: The Plot Against Common Sense
In 2012 it's very hard to create epic music without being ridiculous. One possible method is to mix up epicness with great quantities of "motherfuckerness".

9. Global Goon: Quonk
Monstre compilation of the most bizarre acid songs I've ever heard in my life.

8. pozvakowski.: sevenpeopleleft
Way more noisy and aggressive like their previous works. Full with energy, gives you beautiful pictures of isolation.

7. Tim Hecker & Daniel Lopatin: Instrumental Tourist
Inspired, wonderfully psychedelic wall of sounds. Just as good as the artists.

6. Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet: Walk, Love, Sleep
Fucked-up jazz monsters, manifesto of serious madness.

5. Moritz von Oswald Trio: Fetch
Long, slow, dark, erotic, surprising - best soundtrack for being alone high and sad.

4. Kid606: Lost in the Game
I really like this new direction of Kid606. …