My favorite album of the year is probably Fanfarlo’s 'Rooms Filled With Light', the sophomore album of a British quintet. What I love about Fanfarlo is that they set the bar really high and throw everything they’ve got at you - guitars, horns, reeds, electronic effects, glockenspiel (yes, glockenspiel) and they make it work. I also love their attention to songcraft, particularly in terms of building tunes level upon level. This song, 'Deconstruction', is a good example of that.
Another great album, which might rank number two (at least right now) on my Best of 2012 list, is 'Poles', by the Belgian/Austrian/Spanish/Italian four-piece Lonely Drifter Karen. They remind me of Fanfarlo in their commitment to highly intelligent songcraft and also feature a frequent affinity for quasi-worldbeat rhythms and sounds that I really like. This track, 'Brand New World', is representative.
