Year End List: 2012
Another week, another year-end list from the archives of… my year-end lists. In 2012, I migrated my lists to my Tumblr for a single and solitary year. I must have been in-between digital homes. This is also a notable year for me, because I believe it was one of the first years that I dove head-first into Rdio.
If you weren’t around for Rdio’s service, it was truly head-and-shoulders above any offering we have today. For me, the secret ingredient was their social implementation - including an activity tab for all the users you follow. This way I could see albums being added to collections, and if it was a user whose taste I trusted, that meant an immediate add to my collection. Rdio also had a place for reviews, another thing that would show up in your activity feed. Basically, you not only had your own discovery loop, you had access to everyone else’s. Hell, you could take a trip over to a user’s profile and see their “Heavy Rotation” selection and get a sense of their taste that way.
I discovered so much new music and acts this way… when Rdio died and I had to move to Spotify it was a real eye-opener. And not in a good way.
Anyway, here’s some quick thoughts on 2012’s year-end list of favourite records in hindsight:
For reasons beyond me, apparently this year I not only included “Honorable Mentions” but I also included a Bonus Album. Not sure why, but it’s certainly something I never did again.
In hindsight, I’d likely put the Sundials record on my main-line list instead of in the honorable mentions because I listened to the hell out of that album. That, and the Now, Now album.
Vcheka… it really sucks this record isn’t readily available on streaming services or elsewhere. There’s a page for it, but it’s not available (at least here in Canada.) At the very least you can hear one song on Soundcloud.
If I had to pin-point one album that didn’t stick in my mind off my list, it’d be the Ladyhawk album. Not that it’s a bad record, but it just didn’t grab me upon revisiting it for this list.
2012 is the year I finally “got” Death Grips, I guess. I tried and tried to get into their mixtape but Money Store was the one that opened the door for me.
Young Man… this is one of those “forgot about this album and I’m glad I get to listen to it again with semi-fresh ears.” What a stunning album!
I got to see Aesop Rock for the first time in concert this year, on their Skelethon tour, so that rules.
I don’t mention Duster in my review for Helvetia even though I know for a fact I was already listening to them. I wonder if I wasn’t aware of their connection at this point?!
That B. Fleischmann record “I’m Not Ready For The Grave Yet” continues to be a real sleeper of a record; it’s gorgeous and catchy and emotional and very very good.
Anyway, let’s get to the original list and write-ups!
I’ve never been one for labeling my end-of-year album lists as the “best of the year”, so here’s my list of 20 albums that I loved quite a bit this year. They’re all entirely worthy of your time, and they’re all albums that I spent the year listening to again-and-again. To me, that’s the true test of a great album.
Classics of Love - Classics of Love
Holy shit, Jesse Michaels is back in top form here. I loved me some Common Rider – I know a lot of people thought them "soft”, but I dug Unity Music really hard. Classics of Love has Jesse back to short-form, high-energy punk-rock with just a hint of ska. This is awesome.
Birthmark - Antibodies
Thought this was a let-down at first, but upon revisiting over the year I decided that I love it. Nate Kinsella has been putting out fantastic albums under the name Birthmark for a few years now, and they’re all pretty overlooked.
Young Man - Vol. 1
Hoping this doesn’t get passed over on end-of-the-year lists – it has been a staple of my listening ever since it came out. What an incredible record.
Mike Wexler - Dispossession
A creeper of a record, subtle and psychedelic hooks that sneak up and get stuck in your head. Unreal atmosphere and production.
Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory
What is there to say about this album that hasn’t already been said? A huge step for this band. I’ve put every album they’ve released on my year-end list without fail for a reason.
Aesop Rock - Skelethon
Aesop Rock doesn’t disappoint on his latest album, which says a lot considering how much I loved None Shall Pass.
Swearin’ - Swearin’
This album rules, straight up. If you’re into that 90s indie-rock fuzz-pop – think The Thermals, hints of early Built to Spill and Guided by Voices’ low-fi edge filtered through a poppy-punk aesthetic – then get this asap!
Ladyhawk - No Can Do
Out of nowhere, Ladyhawk put out a new record! I really liked Shots from 2008, so this is a welcome surprise. It really picks up tempo-wise in the middle stretch with the furious Rub Me Wrong and Sinking Ship back-to-back.
Helvetia - Nothing in Rambling
When I found out that two of these guys are currently playing in Built to Spill, I figured I’d have to check out their album ASAP. Turns out, I should have been up on this band earlier. What an output and they’re still going strong.
Sleeping Bag - Women of Your Life
So stoked on this album! Sleeping Bag’s self-titled had some of the catchiest indie-rock going right now (Case in point: "Slime”) and I have to say, it’s just as good as their last record. This thing is absolutely stuffed with hooks.
Window Twins - Wish
This collaboration between Tim Cohen (of The Fresh & Onlys) and Jon Bernson (of Exray’s) flirts with darkly fuzzed out lo-fi folk, bass-driven grooves with mixed-percussion, and guitar pop. One song might sound like a distant, foggy Radiohead song ("Old People”) while another might flirt with jazz (“Wine into Water”) – they’re all nice though, making for an interestingly varied listen.
Pretty & Nice - Us You All We (EP)
Holy addictive. Warm indie-pop melodies with a retro aesthetic – allmusic wasn’t far off when they name-checked Squeeze and Costello on their LP review (think Argybargy era, by way of modern indie-orchestra production)
Death Grips - Money Store
As punishing and brutal as it is impeccably performed – and that’s pretty impressive. Took me a while to warm up on their mixtape and The Money Store, but I’m glad I stuck with it.
B. Fleischmann - I’m Not Ready For The Grave Yet
Great experimental electronic that plays with emotional lyricism, weird vocal-samples and some great moments of guitar flourishes. "Tomorrow” and “Beat Us” back-to-back pack a wallop.
Vcheka - Vcheka
What a find this was. Post-rock peaks and valleys meet funk-jams by way of math-rock? Whatever it is, it fuckin’ rules.
#1 Dads - Man of Leisure
A wonderful album of mostly somber indie-folk that reminds me a bit of Dan Mangan, with comforting melodies and lyricism over warm instrumentation and arrangements.
Toys That Kill - Fambly 42
With Fambly 42, Toys That Kill have put out what might be their most immediate – and quite possibly best – album to date. Garage-punk fans rejoice.
Ghibli - Rare Pleasures
An album entirely created out of samples taken from YouTube videos. It’s like Ghibli put every genre of pop music out there – from electronic, RnB, dance, disco, chillwave and back again – into a magic bullet and pulsed this album into existence. If The Go Team’s sample-heavy debut was heavily influenced by the chillwave and dance scene, this might just be what it would sound like.
BONUS ALBUM!
No idea how it slipped my mind, but Tearjerker’s Hiding EP from this year is fantastic, and might just be my favourite release out of the Toronto scene this year. Please go listen to this album!
Honorable Mentions:
White Rabbits - Milk Famous
Now, Now - Threads
Gregory Pepper and His Problems - Escape from Crystal Skull Mountain
Dark Time Sunshine - ANX
Miike Snow - Happy to You
Waxahatchee - American Weekend
Sundials - When I Couldn't Breathe
Arc in Round - Self-Titled
PAWS - Cokefloat!
Julir Doiron - So Many Days
JP Haynie - Family River
Pascal Savy - The Silent Watcher
The Casket Girls - Sleepwalking
Melody's Echo Chamber - Self-Titled
The Sea and Cake - Runner