I am enamored with Jacco Gardner’s debut album. Cabinet of Curiosities is a lovely collection of neo-psych/baroque songs that can be likened to the Zombies and Love.
(Source: Spotify)
A Crispy Realization
If you haven’t listened to the new My Bloody Valentine album, you are missing out. I basically ignored the Superbowl because I am mesmerized by this ethereal gem. It took them 20 YEARS to release this album, but it’s shoegaze perfection and worth the wait. Stream m b v on their YouTube page.
❝
- NPR, All Songs Considered
I used to answer “What kind of music do you like?” with silly generalizations along the lines of “Oh, you know, sad-bastard music, by and for emotionally stunted men in their 30s,” or “Anything in which bearded men have feelings while a woman from Portland plays a cello” — if nothing else, that sort of gag deflects from the conversational expectation that you’re going to start listing and ranking obscure bands, in order of coolness.
But these days, I often revert to sweeping generalities — “Anything that evokes intense emotions,” “Any music I can feel in my blood,” that sort of thing. Mostly, that particular kind of question is a litmus test in only the most general sense: The person, whom you’ve likely just met, is usually just looking for any answer that doesn’t boil down to, “Music? Bleh.”
❞- NPR, All Songs Considered
I cannot get enough of this new track by Unknown Mortal Orchestra, entitled So Good At Being In Trouble.
(Source: youtube.com)
New Music Round-Up
New year, new releases!
- First & foremost, I cannot recommend the new Foxygen album enough! We Are the Ambassadors of Peace & Magic is psychedelia perfection and has been at the top of my playlist queue for quite some time. Stream it on Pitchfork Advance immediately, and if you haven’t seen them live, I’d highly recommend buying tickets to one of their upcoming shows before they hit it big. After seeing them 5+ times in concert, I can honestly say, I still never know what to expect! Their antics are entertaining, but more importantly (?), their music is excellent.
- Almanac by Widowspeak is full of dreamy hooks and atmospheric tracks. I am hooked on their shoegaze sound and Molly Hamilton’s captivating vocals. Check it out on NPR First Listen.
- Christopher Owens released his first solo album this week, entitled Lysandre. The internet has been abuzz for months about his sudden departure from the critically aclaimed band, Girls. Unfortunately, I do not think this album is nearly as good as anything released by his former band. I appreciate the attempt to create a concept album that intergrates the same musical motif on each track, and there are certainly beautiful moments (namely, A Broken Heart), but I find it to be a relatively uneventful collection of songs overall. Musically, it reminds me of the About a Boy Soundtrack by Badly Drawn Boy, without the charm.
- David Bowie released a new song this week after TEN YEARS. I was reticent to listen to it, as Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars are two of my favorite albums of all time. Surprisingly, Where Are We Now? is a lovely track that manages to be age-appropriate and nostalgic, without losing Bowie’s identity as a songwriter. I am looking forward to his upcoming album, to be released later in 2013.
Here are my Top 25 albums (in order) + Top 10 EP’s (in order) + 25 Honorable Mentions (alphabetized, in no particular order) of 2012! It’s all aggregated in the above Spotify playlist for your listening pleasure, so sit back and enjoy!
Top 25 Albums
- Tame Impala -Lonerism
- Father John Misty - Fear Fun
- Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
- Sharon Van Etten - Tramp
- Beach House -Bloom
- Fiona Apple -The Idler Wheel
- First Aid Kit - The Lion’s Roar
- Lower Dens - Nootropics
- Grizzly Bear - Shields
- Mac Demarco - 2
- Purity Ring - Shrines
- Frankie Rose - Interstellar
- Bat For Lashes - The Haunted Man
- Shearwater - Animal Joy
- Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Mature Themes
- A.C. Newman - Shut Down The Streets
- Matthew E. White - Big Inner
- The Walkmen - Heaven
- Will Stratton - Post-Empire
- Angel Olsen - Half Way Home
- Jessica Pratt - S/T
- Allah-Las - S/T
- chris cohen - Overgrown Path
- Damien Jurado - Maraqopa
- Ty Segall/Ty Segall Band/Ty Segall + White Fence
Top 10 EP’s
- Foxygen - Take the Kids Off Broadway
- Dum Dum Girls - End of Daze
- Daniel Rossen - Silent Hour/Golden Mile
- Guards - S/T
- Poor Moon - Illusion
- Lana Del Rey - Paradise
- Dirty Projectors - About To Die
- Sky Ferreira - Ghost EP
- FIDLAR - Don’t Try EP
- Pure Bathing Culture - S/T
Honorable Mentions (alphabetized, in no particular order, among LP’s)
- Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
- Andy Burrows - Company
- Animal Collective - Centipide Hz
- Ava Luna - Ice Level
- Chairlift - Somthing
- Dan Deacon - America
- Eternal Summers - Correct Behavior
- Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE
- Grimes - Visions
- King Tuff - S/T
- La Sera - Sees the Light
- Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action at a Distance
- Melody’s Echo Chamber - S/T
- Nick Waterhouse - Time’s All Gone
- Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold
- Patrick Watson - Adventures in Your Own Backyard
- Pond - Beards, Wives, Denim
- Poor Moon - S/T
- Porcelain Raft - Strange Weekend
- Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light
- Tennis - Young & Old
- Thee Oh Sees - Putrifiers II
- Weird Dreams - Choreography
- Wild Nothing - Nocturne
- Young Magic - Melt
(Source: Spotify)
The newest album by Bat For Lashes is absolutely ravishing. Reminiscent of Kate Bush, The Haunted Man is ornately orchestrated and full of lush melodies.
(Source: Spotify)
