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JUST WHAT WE NEEDED, ANOTHER BEST OF 2012 LIST: THE MUSIC
2012 is over, and musically, for my money, I have to say it was mainly a year of comebacks and disappointments – sometimes both at the same time.
Hey-oh!
That’s not to say there weren’t some albums that didn’t completely knock me out. But it seemed like most of the stuff I bought was either underwhelming (compared to previous releases by the same artist) or more of the same (not always a bad thing, but not something that demands repeated listening).
Consequently, while the first half of the Top 20 list is pretty strong, the second half is pretty weak compared to recent years. And as usual, it seems most of the really good stuff came from bands/artists with at least 20 years of experience. There’s only one debut album in my Top 20, and several “new” discoveries have been around at least a decade.
It’s also striking how many artists who made the top 20 are close to or over 60 years old. I’m just saying.
Anyway … here we go.
DISCLAIMER: Based on music I actually bought/acquired/downloaded between December 2011 and November 2012, and therefore a useless metric for everyone else.
TOP 20 DEF LPs/EPs/DOWNLOADS OF 2012
1. Rush, Clockwork Angels (Anthem/Roadrunner)
2. Bob Mould, Silver Age (Merge)
3. Dan Sartain, Too Tough To Live (One Little Indian)
4. Off!, Off! (Vice)
5. Corin Tucker Band, Kill My Blues (Kill Rock Stars)
6. The Cult, Choice Of Weapon (Cooking Vinyl)
7. Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Americana (Reprise)
8. The Raveonettes, Into The Night (The Orchard)
9. Andre Williams and The Sadies, Night And Day (YepRoc)
10. Johnny Dowd, No Regrets (Mother Jinx Records)
11. Mark Lanegan Band, Blues Funeral (4AD)
12. The Allah-Las, The Allah-Las (Innovative Leisure)
13. Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs, Sunday Run Me Over (Transdreamer Records)
14. Best Coast, The Only Place (Wichita)
15. Rich Hopkins and Luminarios, Buried Treasures (San Jacinto Records)
16. Hedgehog, Sun Fun Gun (Love Da)
17. Donald Fagen, Sunken Condos (Reprise)
18. Calexico, Algiers (High Note Records)
19. Gossip, A Joyful Noise (Columbia)
20. Regina Spektor, What We Saw From The Cheap Seats (Sire)
TOP 20 DEF LPs/EPs/DOWNLOADS OF 2012: EXTENDED PLAY
1. Rush
Clockwork Angels (Anthem/Roadrunner) Despite Rush being one of the most influential bands of my teenage years, they lost me in the mid-80s and I never imagined they would end up at the top of my year-end lists. But here they are with a steampunk concept album that’s arguably the most ambitious album of their career. I won’t say it’s their best ever, but I will say this is the album I’ve been waiting almost 30 years for them to record.
2. Bob Mould
Silver Age (Merge) Bob Mould is my guitar hero, but his “comeback” work has been off and on, with his last album, Life And Times, not really connecting songwise with me. This is most definitely “on”, with Mould – evidently inspired by playing his Sugar material on tour – returning to that loud-angry-guitar power trio sound with a vengeance. Ten songs and not a dud among them.
3. Dan Sartain
Too Tough To Live (One Little Indian) There’s a fine line between paying homage to the Ramones and simply copying them. Dan Sartain somehow manages to do both, writing an entire album of songs that capture the essence of what the Ramones represented both in sound and spirit. The best Ramones tribute since the Hanson Brothers.
4. Off!
Off! (Vice) The Black Flag/LA hardcore revival starts here, and as Off! is fronted by Keith Morris, why not? Morris had intended to reform the Circle Jerks, but when that fell apart he ended up taking his songs and teaming with members of Redd Kross and Burning Brides, and the results are glorious.
5. Corin Tucker Band
Kill My Blues (Kill Rock Stars) Yet another comeback of sorts, this one from Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney. This is actually her second CTB release (I missed the first one in 2010), and it’s ostensibly intended to be a dance record. Either way, it rocks the way you’d expect from someone in SK, and works for me in a visceral way that last year’s debut from Wild Flag (the post-SK band with Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss) didn’t quite achieve.
6. The Cult
Choice Of Weapon (Cooking Vinyl) Technically The Cult comeback started a few years ago, but they lost me after Sonic Temple, so I didn’t feel especially motivated to check out their new stuff. And I wouldn’t have bothered with this one either if bedsitter23 hadn’t recommended I do so. Ian Astbury’s lyrics are as cheesy as ever, but that’s part of the fun, and the music whips a snow leopard’s ass. Whether that’s a good thing or not may depend on whether yr introduction to The Cult started with Electric (as it did with me) or their prior goth incarnation.
7. Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Americana (Reprise) Young released two albums with Crazy Horse this year, but I knew in my heart that with Psychedelic Pill featuring songs half an hour long, I would only listen to it once. This is more my speed, and leave it to Young to come up with the idea of taking classroom standards like “Clementine”, “Oh Susanna” and “Jesus’ Chariot” and recording them crazy-Horse style. A textbook example of taking timeless songs and making them sound contemporary.
8. The Raveonettes
Into The Night (The Orchard) It was also a busy year for The Raveonettes, who released a full length LP (Observator) and an EP. I have both, and while Observator is more ethereal and dreamy, Into The Night is more about their fuzz-rock side, which tends to be the side of The Raveonettes I prefer. Both are good in their way, but this is the one I spent a lot more time with.
9. Andre Williams and The Sadies
Night And Day (YepRoc) And yet another comeback, this one from Andre Williams, who had a string of R&B hits in the 50s and 60s, and by the 70s was doing hard drugs and jail time. By 2006 he started working on this project with Canadian bar band The Sadies (who I’ve heard of but never really heard). Musically it’s decent blues-rock with some country twang here and there, but it’s the perfect background for Williams’ rough voice and dark humor.
10. Johnny Dowd
No Regrets (Mother Jinx Records) I’ve been a fan of Dowd for awhile, even though his albums are often impossible to get out here, so I know of him mainly via comps, samplers and the occasional collaboration. This album essentially sums up various relationships with different girlfriends (real or imaginary, I’m not sure) in his usual spoken-word drawl and electro-clash music. Dowd is probably an acquired taste for most people, but I liked this a lot.
11. Mark Lanegan Band
Blues Funeral (4AD) I know Lanegan more for his side projects and guest slots on other people’s albums than his solo work or even his Screaming Trees days. And I didn’t expect to like this that much – the idea of Lanegan exploring his Krautrock influences didn’t sound all that appealing on paper – but after overhearing it in a Fnac in Barcelona, I was impressed. It doesn’t always work, but when it does, it’s full of pulsating, subdued menace.
12. The Allah-Las
The Allah-Las (Innovative Leisure) Debut album from LA band that’s been lumped into the 60s psychedelic garage-rock revival in California (Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Sic Alps, etc) but go for Byrds-like jangle and surf twang than psych-out fuzzbox. It’s loaded with reverb and sounds excavated from the 60s, which is undoubtedly gimmicky, but the songwriting is above average for this kind of music. Bands like this usually don’t last longer than one album, but maybe they’ll surprise us. Also, great band name.
13. Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs
Sunday Run Me Over (Transdreamer Records) The latest set of ramshackle white-trash goth blues from Holly Golightly and Lawyer Dave. This is actually their second album this year (the first one – which I didn’t get a copy of – giving some older Golightly songs the Brokeoffs treatment), and it’s pretty enjoyable, although on occasion it feels like a retread of their last couple of albums. Still, it does have its moments, to include a game cover of Mac Davis’ “It’s Hard To Be Humble”, one of the most overplayed songs of its time.
14. Best Coast
The Only Place (Wichita) Second album from a California duo whose singer and songwriter, Bethany Cosentino, reportedly gave up a potential career as a teen-pop princess in favor of jangly sun-bleached indie pop. Musically they would fit in with any number of IRS bands in the 80s. My only real complaint is that many of the songs are not only in the same key, but damn near have the same chord changes. Individually, the songs are a delight but collected on an album, it’s a bit frustrating (unless that kind of thing doesn’t bug you, then it should be fine).
15. Rich Hopkins and Luminarios
Buried Treasures (San Jacinto Records) Rich Hopkins has been a musical fixture in Arizona since the 80s, and with Luminarios since the 90s, but I’d never heard of him until he made it onto an Uncut magazine sampler this year. This is his 14th album with Luminarios, and it’s pretty reliable southwestern indie rock, although standout track “Friend Of The Shooter” cribs heavily from Neil Young & Crazy Horse. If he doesn’t owe Neil royalties for it, he at least owes him a nice dinner.
16. Hedgehog
Sun Fun Gun (Love Da) All the way from downtown Beijing! They’re new to me, but they’ve been around since 2005 and this is their fourth studio album (and the first to be recorded and produced outside of China). Musically they’re somewhere between A Place To Bury Strangers and Buffalo Daughter (only with a slightly more obvious obsession with C86 bands) – so not exactly innovative, but I enjoyed the album a lot.
17. Donald Fagen
Sunken Condos (Reprise) Fourth solo album from one half of Steely Dan. Like Fagan’s other solo work, it’s basically the familiar jazz-fusion pop of Steely Dan with more introspection than usual. Many of the songs revolve around the idea of getting older and realizing that love and sex are a young man’s game that yr suddenly too old to play, which I find myself relating to these days (even though Fagen is at least 15 years older than me). There’s nothing here for people who aren’t onboard with Fagen/Steely Dan already, but I dug it.
18. Calexico
Algiers (High Note Records) Seventh studio LP (not including soundtrack work) from Calexico, who this time transfer their specialty of Tex-Mex-flavored songs and instrumentals from Arizona to New Orleans, though musically there’s not all that much difference – except that there aren’t very many standout tracks this time around. It sounds good, mind, but few songs make you stand up and take notice compared to previous albums. Still, it’s pretty captivating overall after a few listens.
19. Gossip
A Joyful Noise (Columbia) I like Gossip a lot, but at first listen I wasn’t that impressed with their latest, which saw them migrating further away from their punkish indie roots and more towards funky synth pop. I don’t mind that per se, but it seemed with this album they’d settled for fitting into the synth-pop genre instead of redefining it. But some of the songs grew on me anyway, so they made into my Top 20 after all.
20. Regina Spektor
What We Saw From The Cheap Seats (Sire) Fourth studio LP from Spektor, whose first two albums knocked me out but whose third album was (for me) a disappointing bid for mainstream appeal, with her goofy sense of humor dialed down too much. Her latest corrects that particular setting, and while the freshness of her style has worn off, it’s still engaging.
And there you have it.
Same time next year,
This is dF
Hey-oh!
That’s not to say there weren’t some albums that didn’t completely knock me out. But it seemed like most of the stuff I bought was either underwhelming (compared to previous releases by the same artist) or more of the same (not always a bad thing, but not something that demands repeated listening).
Consequently, while the first half of the Top 20 list is pretty strong, the second half is pretty weak compared to recent years. And as usual, it seems most of the really good stuff came from bands/artists with at least 20 years of experience. There’s only one debut album in my Top 20, and several “new” discoveries have been around at least a decade.
It’s also striking how many artists who made the top 20 are close to or over 60 years old. I’m just saying.
Anyway … here we go.
DISCLAIMER: Based on music I actually bought/acquired/downloaded between December 2011 and November 2012, and therefore a useless metric for everyone else.
TOP 20 DEF LPs/EPs/DOWNLOADS OF 2012
1. Rush, Clockwork Angels (Anthem/Roadrunner)
2. Bob Mould, Silver Age (Merge)
3. Dan Sartain, Too Tough To Live (One Little Indian)
4. Off!, Off! (Vice)
5. Corin Tucker Band, Kill My Blues (Kill Rock Stars)
6. The Cult, Choice Of Weapon (Cooking Vinyl)
7. Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Americana (Reprise)
8. The Raveonettes, Into The Night (The Orchard)
9. Andre Williams and The Sadies, Night And Day (YepRoc)
10. Johnny Dowd, No Regrets (Mother Jinx Records)
11. Mark Lanegan Band, Blues Funeral (4AD)
12. The Allah-Las, The Allah-Las (Innovative Leisure)
13. Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs, Sunday Run Me Over (Transdreamer Records)
14. Best Coast, The Only Place (Wichita)
15. Rich Hopkins and Luminarios, Buried Treasures (San Jacinto Records)
16. Hedgehog, Sun Fun Gun (Love Da)
17. Donald Fagen, Sunken Condos (Reprise)
18. Calexico, Algiers (High Note Records)
19. Gossip, A Joyful Noise (Columbia)
20. Regina Spektor, What We Saw From The Cheap Seats (Sire)
TOP 20 DEF LPs/EPs/DOWNLOADS OF 2012: EXTENDED PLAY
1. Rush
Clockwork Angels (Anthem/Roadrunner) Despite Rush being one of the most influential bands of my teenage years, they lost me in the mid-80s and I never imagined they would end up at the top of my year-end lists. But here they are with a steampunk concept album that’s arguably the most ambitious album of their career. I won’t say it’s their best ever, but I will say this is the album I’ve been waiting almost 30 years for them to record.
2. Bob Mould
Silver Age (Merge) Bob Mould is my guitar hero, but his “comeback” work has been off and on, with his last album, Life And Times, not really connecting songwise with me. This is most definitely “on”, with Mould – evidently inspired by playing his Sugar material on tour – returning to that loud-angry-guitar power trio sound with a vengeance. Ten songs and not a dud among them.
3. Dan Sartain
Too Tough To Live (One Little Indian) There’s a fine line between paying homage to the Ramones and simply copying them. Dan Sartain somehow manages to do both, writing an entire album of songs that capture the essence of what the Ramones represented both in sound and spirit. The best Ramones tribute since the Hanson Brothers.
4. Off!
Off! (Vice) The Black Flag/LA hardcore revival starts here, and as Off! is fronted by Keith Morris, why not? Morris had intended to reform the Circle Jerks, but when that fell apart he ended up taking his songs and teaming with members of Redd Kross and Burning Brides, and the results are glorious.
5. Corin Tucker Band
Kill My Blues (Kill Rock Stars) Yet another comeback of sorts, this one from Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney. This is actually her second CTB release (I missed the first one in 2010), and it’s ostensibly intended to be a dance record. Either way, it rocks the way you’d expect from someone in SK, and works for me in a visceral way that last year’s debut from Wild Flag (the post-SK band with Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss) didn’t quite achieve.
6. The Cult
Choice Of Weapon (Cooking Vinyl) Technically The Cult comeback started a few years ago, but they lost me after Sonic Temple, so I didn’t feel especially motivated to check out their new stuff. And I wouldn’t have bothered with this one either if bedsitter23 hadn’t recommended I do so. Ian Astbury’s lyrics are as cheesy as ever, but that’s part of the fun, and the music whips a snow leopard’s ass. Whether that’s a good thing or not may depend on whether yr introduction to The Cult started with Electric (as it did with me) or their prior goth incarnation.
7. Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Americana (Reprise) Young released two albums with Crazy Horse this year, but I knew in my heart that with Psychedelic Pill featuring songs half an hour long, I would only listen to it once. This is more my speed, and leave it to Young to come up with the idea of taking classroom standards like “Clementine”, “Oh Susanna” and “Jesus’ Chariot” and recording them crazy-Horse style. A textbook example of taking timeless songs and making them sound contemporary.
8. The Raveonettes
Into The Night (The Orchard) It was also a busy year for The Raveonettes, who released a full length LP (Observator) and an EP. I have both, and while Observator is more ethereal and dreamy, Into The Night is more about their fuzz-rock side, which tends to be the side of The Raveonettes I prefer. Both are good in their way, but this is the one I spent a lot more time with.
9. Andre Williams and The Sadies
Night And Day (YepRoc) And yet another comeback, this one from Andre Williams, who had a string of R&B hits in the 50s and 60s, and by the 70s was doing hard drugs and jail time. By 2006 he started working on this project with Canadian bar band The Sadies (who I’ve heard of but never really heard). Musically it’s decent blues-rock with some country twang here and there, but it’s the perfect background for Williams’ rough voice and dark humor.
10. Johnny Dowd
No Regrets (Mother Jinx Records) I’ve been a fan of Dowd for awhile, even though his albums are often impossible to get out here, so I know of him mainly via comps, samplers and the occasional collaboration. This album essentially sums up various relationships with different girlfriends (real or imaginary, I’m not sure) in his usual spoken-word drawl and electro-clash music. Dowd is probably an acquired taste for most people, but I liked this a lot.
11. Mark Lanegan Band
Blues Funeral (4AD) I know Lanegan more for his side projects and guest slots on other people’s albums than his solo work or even his Screaming Trees days. And I didn’t expect to like this that much – the idea of Lanegan exploring his Krautrock influences didn’t sound all that appealing on paper – but after overhearing it in a Fnac in Barcelona, I was impressed. It doesn’t always work, but when it does, it’s full of pulsating, subdued menace.
12. The Allah-Las
The Allah-Las (Innovative Leisure) Debut album from LA band that’s been lumped into the 60s psychedelic garage-rock revival in California (Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Sic Alps, etc) but go for Byrds-like jangle and surf twang than psych-out fuzzbox. It’s loaded with reverb and sounds excavated from the 60s, which is undoubtedly gimmicky, but the songwriting is above average for this kind of music. Bands like this usually don’t last longer than one album, but maybe they’ll surprise us. Also, great band name.
13. Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs
Sunday Run Me Over (Transdreamer Records) The latest set of ramshackle white-trash goth blues from Holly Golightly and Lawyer Dave. This is actually their second album this year (the first one – which I didn’t get a copy of – giving some older Golightly songs the Brokeoffs treatment), and it’s pretty enjoyable, although on occasion it feels like a retread of their last couple of albums. Still, it does have its moments, to include a game cover of Mac Davis’ “It’s Hard To Be Humble”, one of the most overplayed songs of its time.
14. Best Coast
The Only Place (Wichita) Second album from a California duo whose singer and songwriter, Bethany Cosentino, reportedly gave up a potential career as a teen-pop princess in favor of jangly sun-bleached indie pop. Musically they would fit in with any number of IRS bands in the 80s. My only real complaint is that many of the songs are not only in the same key, but damn near have the same chord changes. Individually, the songs are a delight but collected on an album, it’s a bit frustrating (unless that kind of thing doesn’t bug you, then it should be fine).
15. Rich Hopkins and Luminarios
Buried Treasures (San Jacinto Records) Rich Hopkins has been a musical fixture in Arizona since the 80s, and with Luminarios since the 90s, but I’d never heard of him until he made it onto an Uncut magazine sampler this year. This is his 14th album with Luminarios, and it’s pretty reliable southwestern indie rock, although standout track “Friend Of The Shooter” cribs heavily from Neil Young & Crazy Horse. If he doesn’t owe Neil royalties for it, he at least owes him a nice dinner.
16. Hedgehog
Sun Fun Gun (Love Da) All the way from downtown Beijing! They’re new to me, but they’ve been around since 2005 and this is their fourth studio album (and the first to be recorded and produced outside of China). Musically they’re somewhere between A Place To Bury Strangers and Buffalo Daughter (only with a slightly more obvious obsession with C86 bands) – so not exactly innovative, but I enjoyed the album a lot.
17. Donald Fagen
Sunken Condos (Reprise) Fourth solo album from one half of Steely Dan. Like Fagan’s other solo work, it’s basically the familiar jazz-fusion pop of Steely Dan with more introspection than usual. Many of the songs revolve around the idea of getting older and realizing that love and sex are a young man’s game that yr suddenly too old to play, which I find myself relating to these days (even though Fagen is at least 15 years older than me). There’s nothing here for people who aren’t onboard with Fagen/Steely Dan already, but I dug it.
18. Calexico
Algiers (High Note Records) Seventh studio LP (not including soundtrack work) from Calexico, who this time transfer their specialty of Tex-Mex-flavored songs and instrumentals from Arizona to New Orleans, though musically there’s not all that much difference – except that there aren’t very many standout tracks this time around. It sounds good, mind, but few songs make you stand up and take notice compared to previous albums. Still, it’s pretty captivating overall after a few listens.
19. Gossip
A Joyful Noise (Columbia) I like Gossip a lot, but at first listen I wasn’t that impressed with their latest, which saw them migrating further away from their punkish indie roots and more towards funky synth pop. I don’t mind that per se, but it seemed with this album they’d settled for fitting into the synth-pop genre instead of redefining it. But some of the songs grew on me anyway, so they made into my Top 20 after all.
20. Regina Spektor
What We Saw From The Cheap Seats (Sire) Fourth studio LP from Spektor, whose first two albums knocked me out but whose third album was (for me) a disappointing bid for mainstream appeal, with her goofy sense of humor dialed down too much. Her latest corrects that particular setting, and while the freshness of her style has worn off, it’s still engaging.
And there you have it.
Same time next year,
This is dF