duga's Top 25 Albums of 2012

duga · 12-13-2012, 12:11 PM

Ok...next 5

20. Chairlift – Something

There are not many bands out there these days that are willing (or able) to clearly grow from one album to the next. Chairlift has done exactly that. They have gone from the 80’s reverence of their debut Does You Inspire You to full on mastery of everything the 80’s did right on Something. While some could argue that such emulation signifies a lack of creativity, when it is done with such purpose and creativity it’s clear that this is simply the music they want to create. My ears find nothing wrong with that. From the full on new wave pop on “I Belong in Your Arms” and “Ghost Tonight” to the very convincing Cocteau Twins inspired “Turning”, this is a very entertaining album.

19. Com Truise – In Decay

After his debut EP Cyanide Sisters, I lost track of Com Truise. That’s a shame because that EP was really good. In Decay is my reintroduction. While electronic music has saturated the market for a while now, there are still a few breaths of fresh air. Com Truise is one of the breaths. Combining Boards of Canada atmospherics with a more danceable approach, this album will hold me over until the new BoC album comes out (if it ever does). Is it bad to say I like Com Truise because there isn’t a new BoC album out? Maybe…but this album is still very enjoyable nonetheless. Turns out this is an odds and sods collection, and its still way better than their previous full length Galactic Melt.

18. Jack White – Blunderbuss

As much as I'm sure Jack White wants to carve out a new image separate from the White Stripes, he'll never really get away from that music. So I'll go ahead and say this…Blunderbuss is what the follow-up to Elephant should have been. While I respected Jack White's attempt at progression and Get Behind Me Satan had its interesting moments, it wasn't interesting enough to keep me hooked. I almost completely lost interest after Icky Thump and his other bands never really did much for me. I listened to this because I was bored one day and was pleasantly surprised. Everything Jack White does best is on here…heavy rockers like “Sixteen Saltines” and “Freedom At 21” hold up with the best of his past work. Slower acoustic numbers like “Blunderbuss” mesh nicely with the faster numbers. It’s hard not to enjoy this album.

17. THEESatisfaction – awE natural

Something I’ve been really interested in recently are the few artists out there proudly holding down the R&B fort. The genre has so much room for innovation, but the lack of interest in it has created a very stagnant genre. Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, and a few others come to mind…but it was THEESatisfaction that most impressed me this year. While the artists I just mentioned have expanded the genre, they still sound like a nostalgia act. THEESatisfaction have transcended that and brought R&B squarely into the 21st century. The songs are generally short, much like the attention spans of most listeners these days but they are somehow fully realized. Now that takes skill. Just try not to enjoy “Existinct”.

16. Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music

As much as I love a smooth rap album (just give me some Tribe and I’m a happy guy), sometimes I like it to be really ghetto. Killer Mike provides that fix and then some. It’s not just aggressive, but really catchy and memorable. There aren’t many instances where I’m inspired to memorize the lyrics to a particular song, but there are few occasions here where I really want to rap along to it and pump my fist. Just try “Go!”. I’ve also noticed a lot of rappers these days going into stuff about Reagan…why is he so popular to talk about now? “Reagan” is the one low-point of the album (but it is still mildly entertaining to hear Reagan being compared to the devil). Aside from that misstep, this is a really great album.

LoathsomePete · 12-13-2012, 12:20 PM

I quite enjoy rapping to "Go!" in the car, it reminds me of that scene early on in Office Space. As far as the song "Reagan" is concerned, I think it's a result of many of these rappers growing up in ghettos during the '80's and the Urban blight that resulted in some of the policies Reagan enacted. Urban blight is actually one of the aspects I really love about low grade '80's action movies like The Toxic Avenger and Street Trash.

Blarobbarg · 12-13-2012, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duga

17. THEESatisfaction – awE natural

Something I’ve been really interested in recently are the few artists out there proudly holding down the R&B fort. The genre has so much room for innovation, but the lack of interest in it has created a very stagnant genre. Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, and a few others come to mind…but it was THEESatisfaction that most impressed me this year. While the artists I just mentioned have expanded the genre, they still sound like a nostalgia act. THEESatisfaction have transcended that and brought R&B squarely into the 21st century. The songs are generally short, much like the attention spans of most listeners these days but they are somehow fully realized. Now that takes skill. Just try not to enjoy “Existinct”.

16. Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music

As much as I love a smooth rap album (just give me some Tribe and I’m a happy guy), sometimes I like it to be really ghetto. Killer Mike provides that fix and then some. It’s not just aggressive, but really catchy and memorable. There aren’t many instances where I’m inspired to memorize the lyrics to a particular song, but there are few occasions here where I really want to rap along to it and pump my fist. Just try “Go!”. I’ve also noticed a lot of rappers these days going into stuff about Reagan…why is he so popular to talk about now? “Reagan” is the one low-point of the album (but it is still mildly entertaining to hear Reagan being compared to the devil). Aside from that misstep, this is a really great album.

I love that THEESatisfaction record, but believe it or not, I actually forgot it was a 2012 release! For some reason I thought it came out last year. Weird.

As happy as I am to see R.A.P. Music on here, I'm surprised it wasn't higher on the list, and I'm very surprised to hear that you don't like "Reagan!" That's one of my favorite songs on the whole album, when I turn it on I'm waiting for it so I can star singing along.

**Janszoon** · 12-13-2012, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duga

16. Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music

As much as I love a smooth rap album (just give me some Tribe and I’m a happy guy), sometimes I like it to be really ghetto. Killer Mike provides that fix and then some. It’s not just aggressive, but really catchy and memorable. There aren’t many instances where I’m inspired to memorize the lyrics to a particular song, but there are few occasions here where I really want to rap along to it and pump my fist. Just try “Go!”. I’ve also noticed a lot of rappers these days going into stuff about Reagan…why is he so popular to talk about now? “Reagan” is the one low-point of the album (but it is still mildly entertaining to hear Reagan being compared to the devil). Aside from that misstep, this is a really great album.

Alright, you've sold me on checking this album out.

12-13-2012, 12:11 PM	#1 (permalink)
duga MB quadrant's JM Vincent Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 3,762	Ok...next 5 20. Chairlift – Something There are not many bands out there these days that are willing (or able) to clearly grow from one album to the next. Chairlift has done exactly that. They have gone from the 80’s reverence of their debut Does You Inspire You to full on mastery of everything the 80’s did right on Something. While some could argue that such emulation signifies a lack of creativity, when it is done with such purpose and creativity it’s clear that this is simply the music they want to create. My ears find nothing wrong with that. From the full on new wave pop on “I Belong in Your Arms” and “Ghost Tonight” to the very convincing Cocteau Twins inspired “Turning”, this is a very entertaining album. 19. Com Truise – In Decay After his debut EP Cyanide Sisters, I lost track of Com Truise. That’s a shame because that EP was really good. In Decay is my reintroduction. While electronic music has saturated the market for a while now, there are still a few breaths of fresh air. Com Truise is one of the breaths. Combining Boards of Canada atmospherics with a more danceable approach, this album will hold me over until the new BoC album comes out (if it ever does). Is it bad to say I like Com Truise because there isn’t a new BoC album out? Maybe…but this album is still very enjoyable nonetheless. Turns out this is an odds and sods collection, and its still way better than their previous full length Galactic Melt. 18. Jack White – Blunderbuss As much as I'm sure Jack White wants to carve out a new image separate from the White Stripes, he'll never really get away from that music. So I'll go ahead and say this…Blunderbuss is what the follow-up to Elephant should have been. While I respected Jack White's attempt at progression and Get Behind Me Satan had its interesting moments, it wasn't interesting enough to keep me hooked. I almost completely lost interest after Icky Thump and his other bands never really did much for me. I listened to this because I was bored one day and was pleasantly surprised. Everything Jack White does best is on here…heavy rockers like “Sixteen Saltines” and “Freedom At 21” hold up with the best of his past work. Slower acoustic numbers like “Blunderbuss” mesh nicely with the faster numbers. It’s hard not to enjoy this album. 17. THEESatisfaction – awE natural Something I’ve been really interested in recently are the few artists out there proudly holding down the R&B fort. The genre has so much room for innovation, but the lack of interest in it has created a very stagnant genre. Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, and a few others come to mind…but it was THEESatisfaction that most impressed me this year. While the artists I just mentioned have expanded the genre, they still sound like a nostalgia act. THEESatisfaction have transcended that and brought R&B squarely into the 21st century. The songs are generally short, much like the attention spans of most listeners these days but they are somehow fully realized. Now that takes skill. Just try not to enjoy “Existinct”. 16. Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music As much as I love a smooth rap album (just give me some Tribe and I’m a happy guy), sometimes I like it to be really ghetto. Killer Mike provides that fix and then some. It’s not just aggressive, but really catchy and memorable. There aren’t many instances where I’m inspired to memorize the lyrics to a particular song, but there are few occasions here where I really want to rap along to it and pump my fist. Just try “Go!”. I’ve also noticed a lot of rappers these days going into stuff about Reagan…why is he so popular to talk about now? “Reagan” is the one low-point of the album (but it is still mildly entertaining to hear Reagan being compared to the devil). Aside from that misstep, this is a really great album. __________________ Confusion will be my epitaph...

12-13-2012, 12:20 PM	#2 (permalink)
LoathsomePete Cardboard Box Realtor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Hobb's End Posts: 7,648	I quite enjoy rapping to "Go!" in the car, it reminds me of that scene early on in Office Space. As far as the song "Reagan" is concerned, I think it's a result of many of these rappers growing up in ghettos during the '80's and the Urban blight that resulted in some of the policies Reagan enacted. Urban blight is actually one of the aspects I really love about low grade '80's action movies like The Toxic Avenger and Street Trash. __________________ Last.FM 101 Albums That May Not Change Your Life, But I Really Like And You Might Too