Moby Tenenbaum

The two songs I selected mid-summer for Indie Cantina as best so far may still be my favorite songs of the year - 'You As You Were', by Shearwater and 'Marigold', by Alberta Cross, but it’s really impossible for me to identify a definite best two or even best 10. It’s much easier for me to pick my favorite two albums, although even that is difficult. So how about if I pick two of my favorite albums with representative songs from each?

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.