The darkest and weightiest of them all, as powerful as dark earth, Swans destructure and restructure your soul. Yet the flipside of this darkness is catharsis. This is sheer slow-burning force cleverly disguised as music.
In Death It Ends - Forgotten Knowledge
Eminently bewitching and tension-fueled, this music sends the listener on an incessant, futility-stained chase after ghosts, as these ghosts happen to come from one’s subconscious.
I stopped by Space's recent Best of 2012 sets (Part 1 and Part 2, last & the previous Wednesday), so there were about 60 songs to choose from. As we went along, Space pointed out songs that might fit into the top 2.
Grizzly Bear - Yet Again
"Shield from Grizzly Bear was one of my favourite albums... it completely took me by surprise," says Space
Palma Violets - Best of Friends
Palma Violets won the top spot on the NME best of 2012 list. (If you'd like to see the NME list, you can click here)
The Joy Formidable - Cholla
Thirdly, a song from an album that is due to be released on 21 January 2013:
Finally, listed below is Sirius XM Alt Nation's Best Alt-18 of 2012
1. Passion Pit - Take A Walk
2. Grouplove - Tongue Tied
3. The Black Keys - Gold On The Ceiling
Walk The Moon - Anna Sun
Silversun Pickups - Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)
Of Monsters & Men - Little Talks
Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know
Muse - Madness
Mumford & Sons - I Will Wait
The Wombats - Jump Into The Fog
fun. - We Are Young
Atlas Genius - Symptoms
AWOLNATION - Kill Your Heroes
Imagine Dragons - It's Time
Blondfire - Where The Kids Are
A Silent Film - Danny, Dakota & The Wishing Well
Metric - Breathing Underwater
Jack White - Sixteen Saltines
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.
This song makes me feel like I've been living in a postapocalyptic wasteland and I just found a time machine and instead of going back and changing the past I just go back to the 80s and drive around and have fun. I can't really ask for more from dance music.
Hammock - Departure Songs (album)
Track pick: Tonight We Burn Like Stars That Never Die
What a lovely album. It sounds like what the inside of a star's heart must look like. I love all of it. It's the perfect soundtrack for driving through barren landscapes at night - eerie, ethereal, celestial and sidereal.
I was just thinking about all the folks who spent the last week spinning the "Best of 2012" sets at various venues and when this came in I wondered if I could narrow down my favorite tracks to just 2, as well as make sure that the tunes were actually released in 2012 . :P Here's what i came up with...
Of Monsters and Men - 'Little Talks'
Sounding something like the epic love child of Florence & the Machine and Mumford & Sons; this track just gives one a specific sort of energy that I love. I like my Indie with a quick tempo and lush lyrics... its quite excellent and definately a new favorite.
The Coup - 'Magic Clap'
A terribly infectious indie dance/hip hop tune, yeah it sounds a bit like Outkast in the delivery... but more musically compatible with 'Timebomb' by Beck... try the 2 back to back and see if you like it like that.
A fantastically simple break up song. The more I play it the more I wanna keep playing it. recorded it says Recorded at The Shack-Up Inn, Clarksdale Mississippi & a couple of hotel rooms in New Orleans Louisiana & Tupelo Mississippi, it has a raw feel about it.
You use to love me but that was before, now you don't love me anymore.
Mother Mother is known very well for their punchy harmonies and amazing hooks. However, this track, appearing toward the end of their 2012 release, The Sticks, shows a side of the band that is surely darker, but without sacrificing any of the clever lyrics or catchy goodness.
Earl Sweatshirt - Chum
Not enough people are noticing that hip hop is changing. Narratives are being composed by lyricists who are appropriating an entire history of hip hop while being lyrically cutting-edge and progressive to the genre. Earl Sweatshirt, despite his age (he's only 18), is one of the best writers working today. His ability to deliver his words with such ease is just the icing on the cake.
