BRENT’S LIST OF 2012
ALBUMS
1)
Edward Sharpe & the Magentic Zeros – Here –
No one wanted to dislike this album more than me. And I ended up loving it. Its
hippy dippy sound won me over somehow. I
think maybe to humble me in 2014. Next year I’m goiong to have to tell everyone
that my favorite album from last year was Edwad Sharpe and then get made fun of
or rejected.
2)
Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself/Hands of Glory –
I’m putting these together and subtracting points for editing. Two really good albums that could have
potentially been a single great one. Saw
him in concert this year, and he was better than I’d ever seen him – though that
may have been due to the fact that it was sit-down event.
3)
Celebration Rock – Japandroids – I like this
album as much as Cloud Nothings, but Japandroids were on my radar longer, so
I’ll give them the slight nod. Chuck likes them a lot. I like Chuck.
4)
Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory – I can’t wait
to hear what kind of crappy album this band is going to make next, but this one
is excellent. Sounds like early grunge.
Pre-Pearl Jam grunge.
5)
Sleigh Bells – Reign of Terror – Sleigh Bells should
teach a class to all young bands on how to take what you do well on your first
album, and then do it again on your second album. It must be hard to do, because bands like XX
and How to Dress Well couldn’t manage it this year.
6)
What We Saw From the Cheap Seats – Regina
Spektor – Regina Spektor is never going to make the next Pet Sounds. But she’s a gifted musician and she writes
catchy little songs that usually move me in some way. I like her.
7)
I Like to Keep Myself in Pain – Kelly Hogan – I
have loved Kelly Hogan for a long time. She is the touring backup singer for
Neko Case, and she’s always been charming in that role. She had some stuff out in the 90’s that wasn’t
all that great, but this one is good.
Charming rockabilly/country/torchsong stuff. Highly recommended.
8)
First Aid Kit –The Lion’s Roar - Out Jens
Lekmaned Jens Lekman this year. Prescious little melodies and lyrics over and
over again.
9)
The Only Place – Best Coast – God, these songs
are so simplistic. But I truly enjoyed
them all year long. I don’t know
why. Like a modern day version of 50’s
pop.
10)
Sharon Van Etton – Tramp – Nice collection of
tragic little songs. When I listend to
it at the end of the year, I was surprised that I didn’t like it better.
11)
Moonface – Heartbreaking Bravery – Anthemy songs
that pound away at you. Repetitive, but
dense and enjoyable – which is a hard thing to do.
12)
Heartless Bastards – Arrow – I think this band
is led by a woman, but I’m not sure. It reminds me of pop pusic from the 80’s.
I don’t know why. Like the Joan Jett variety.
Tough girls hanging out in satin jackets.
13)
Perfume Genius – Put Your Back in 2 It – Slow
sad songs. Reminds me of Sufjan Stevens’
Michigan album, combined with a little Elliot Smith, or Antony and the
Johnsons.
14)
Wild Nothing Nocturne – New wave music from the
80’s done well. I don’t even like that
brand of music, but I respect it when it’s done well. Like Junior Boys.
15)
Waste Up, Kneez Down – Christeene – Skuzzy drag
queen pop by my friend Paul. Solid
production. Clever lyrics. I liked it.
Probably not for everyone
16)
Jens Lekman – I Know What Love Isn’t - Jens
Lekman – I love Jens Lekman. This album wasn’t his best, but it was a pretty
weak year. Some good songs. Not enough humor.
17)
Lana Del Ray – Born to Die – What I like about
this album is that there are so many things about it that offend my
sensibitlity, yet I keep going back to it.
I though that Video Games was one of the best songs I had heard in a
long time. But the rest of this thing is
kind of a mess. Yet I contitnue to listen.
18)
Mountain Goats –Trascendental Youth – Every so
often Mountain Goats make a good album.
This was one of those times.
Great lyrics. Strong melodies.
19)
Justin Townes Earle – Nothings Gonna Change the
Way You Feel About Me – I like this guy, dammit. All his albums sound the same, but I’m buying
it.
20)
M Ward – A Wasteland Companion – M Ward makes
albums that I like. This wasn’t the best one he ever made, but it was still
better than most of the crap that got carted out this year.
21)
Allo Darlin – Europe – They’ve taken over the
Camera Obscura mantle of Belle & Sebastian soundalike. I gues that’s just
going to keep getting passed off. The lead singer is Australian though. So
that’s an issue.
22)
Chairlift – Something – Uplifting inide dance
music. Not really edgy. But spirited and sincere.
23)
Liars – WIXIW – Liars seem to be trying really
hard. They make me want to like them,
despite the fact that I’m not given to what they do. This is my favorite album of theirs.
24)
Tennis – Young & Old – This album was better
than their last one – which is saying something. Since their last one was a breakthrough
album. It’s catchier, and I connected
with it more consistently emotionally. I found the last one to be someone shallow.
25)
Dr. Dog – Be the Void – I like Dr. Dog better
than anyone I know. But this was my
least favorite of theirs. Sounds like
they could have used some helpful editing.
No more songs about futuristic characters called “Warrior Man.” Okay, Dr Dog?
26)
Passion Pit – Gossamer – I like what this band
does. They aren’t that great, but they
hit all the notes they’re suppsed to hit. Which is more than I can say about a
lot of other bands that have met with some succcess.
27)
Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves of Destiny
- Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose – Hit and miss effort, but the highs were some
of my favorite highs of 2012
28)
Royal Baths – Better Luck Next Life – It’s the
same creepy sound over and over again. They get it right once, and then they
waste about 40 minutes trying to do it again.
29)
Divine Fits – A Thing Called Divine Fits – This
is the guy from Handsome Furs and the Guy from Spoon. I like both of those
bands. This project wasn’t their best work. If each of them do B work on their
own. They got together and did C+ work. Boo.
30)
Damien Jurado – Maraqopa – I wish I had listened
to this more. He seemed like he was
trying to stetch out his sound on it.
Like there are some head-bobbing moments on here. I don’t know.
I should probably include this on the albums I didn’t have enough time
to judge list.
31)
Menomena – Moms – Good stuff here. Menomena needs to quit with the dumb
word-play on their song names, but I think they’ve picked up where Folk
Implosion left off. Which isn’t a bad place to start.
32)
Stars – The North – Undervalued band makes an
album that hits on all the things they do well.
Sad songs and dance tracks.
Hooray.
33)
Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel…. – Super dense.
Nothing to sink ones teeth into, but a big hunk of creative energy. Basically her and a piano. Kind of makes me
uncomfortable to listen to it.
34)
Laura Gibson – La Grande – Laura Gibson won me
over in concert a while back. It doesn’t come across in her albums, but she has
a really eery steel guitar sound that mixes well with her equally creepy voice.
35)
Fanfarlo – Rooms Filled with Light – I tried to
get into this album, but we never got past the early fascination phase. I thought it was good, but it never grabbed
me.
36)
Strange Land – Yellow Ostrich – Their songs are
catchy and difficult at the same time.
But also kind of grating because of how they are delivered.
37)
Theresa Anderson – Street Parade – She writes
nice songs and dresses them up with quirky production. To varying degrees of success.
38)
Grizzly Bear – Shields – This band is so
overrated. They aren’t bad. But their on par with a whole host of so-so
bands that don’t seem to be as well-loved as they are. This album was some of
their best work – which is to say it was ok.
39)
Lambchop – Mr M – I like Lambchop, but you need
to spend a lot of time with it, and as you can see, I don’t really have that
kind of time.
40)
Cat Power – Sun – Starts off great! Then there are about 10 straight songs about
being yourself, or following your heart.
Chan Marshall writing 15-year-old level poetry. Very disappointing
41)
Shins – Port of Morrow – This isn’t The Shins –
I don’t care what anyone says. Which is
not to say it’s not ok. It’s just not
the Shins. And it’s kind of boring.
42)
Dr. John – Locked Down – The guy from Black Keys
produced this. But at the end of the day
it’s another Dr. John album. Not that
bad. Just played out.
43)
Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls – I don’t like
this band that much. And the fact that
others really like them makes me like them less. Plus, Chelsey doesn’t like the way the lead
singer didn’t doll herself up for their video.
44)
The Walkmen – Heaven – The frustrating thing
about The Walkmen – well, there’s two things. 1) They seem like they should
play the type of music I like. 2) They made “The Rat” which is one of my
faorite alltime songs several years ago. Yet they continue to make boring music
that I can’t listen to more than once or twice.
I think I’m giving up on them.
45)
Frank Ocean – Channel Orange – Many people are
saying that this album is the best of the year.
Which means that they think an album with numerous non-musical
interludes is the album of the year. Which means I don’t agree.
46)
The XX – Belong – Oh, XX. You completely lucked into your first album,
didn’t you? All the ingredients of the first one, with none of the charm. Boring.
47)
Tilly & the Wall – Heavy Mood – Tilly &
the Wall used to be a knock down, drag our assault on all things lame. Now they are old, and they don’t know what to
sing about, or how to sing about it.
It’s sad. I don’t like it.
48)
Conduits – Conduits –Local shoegazer band.
Sometimes I can get into this. Most times I can’t.
49)
Beach House – Bloom – I have every Beach House
album. I don’t know why. They play these meditative melodies that don’t have
any hooks in them. I like hooks. No more
Beach House for Brent.
50)
Dan Deacon – Electronic music and I don’t get on
all that well. This was ok electronic
music. Some of it I liked. But only in
that passing “this isn’t that bad” sort of way.
51)
Yeasayer – Fragrant World – Yeasayer isn’t for
me. Which doesn’t mean that this album is no good. It’s just that it didn’t do
anything to make me like them any more than I did before.
52)
III – Crystal Castles – This band lost all of
the magic of their first album, and don’t seem at all interested in getting it
back.
53)
Kids These Days – Traphouse Rock – A bunch of
Chicago youngsters who thought they could change the world with their little
songs. They were wrong.
54)
The Flaming Lips - The Flaming Lips and Heady
Fwends – Don’t waste your time on this pile of mess unless you really like The
Flaming Lips. Ugh.
55)
The Big Pink – Future This – There’s no
“Dominoes” on this album. Which is to say that there wasn’t much reason to
listen to it.
56)
Imperial Teen – Feel the Sound – All I remember
from this album is thinking “That doesn’t sound like a band called Imperial
Teen.”
57)
Jack White – Blunderbuss – Jack White is lost.
This album is a waste of time.
58)
Benjamin Gibbard – Former Lives - Benjamin
Gibbard is lost. This album is a waste of time.
59)
Islands – Asleep and Forgetting – I’ll be
honest. I didn’t listen to this that much. I don’t really like Unicorns and
Islands. I don’t know why I downloaded it.
60)
How To Dress Well – Total Loss - Yes. It was a total loss. Boring version of their last boring album.
61)
Animal Collective – Centipede Hz – I can’t
listen to this fucking album. Jesus.
62)
Yann Tierson – I don’t know why I downloaded
this. I had no intention of listening to
it. I have an older album of his and it’s
largely background music.
63)
Freelance Whales – Diluvia – Unsufferable for at
least five reasons. None of which I will
go into here.
64)
Kiriyama Family – Kiriyama Family – Oh man. I
didn’t like this.
65)
Maps & Atlases – worst of 2012. Made me run to my computer to advance it when
this album came on.
ALBUMS THAT I CANNOT
RATE BECAUSE I GOT THEM TOO LATE IN THE GAME
1.
The Avett Brothers – It’s not looking good.
2.
Corin Tucker Band – Corin Tucker made a lame
album last time around. This one has
more promise.
3.
Horse Feathers – I can’t tell if I haven’t been
able to listen to this enough, or if they have failed to make an
impression. Time will tell.
4.
Lower Dens – no idea
5.
Mac Demarco – this guy makes me uncomfortable
with his loosy goosy songs. I’m inclined
not to like him because he seems overly confident.
6.
The Mynabirds – This album has the most promise
of any of these so far.
7.
Purity Rings – see: Lower Dens.
8.
Titus Andronicus – I keep forgetting this album
came out.
