Your Top 10 Albums of 2012

Gucci Little Piggy · 06-18-2012, 12:25 PM

Oh yeah I should listen to more of DSO, considering I already really liked The Butcher's Ballroom. Maybe their new stuff will end up in my top 10 of this year. Then again, I have a LOT to listen to.

LoathsomePete · 06-18-2012, 12:59 PM

I haven't been particularly blown away by much this year. There's been a lot of okay or good albums, but nothing transcendent. I also haven't had much to listen to from genres outside of metal, but here's a list of the albums I have been enjoying or see myself still enjoying come December 18, 2012.

10. Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory

Sure the album is a little schizophrenic as it bounces between post-hardcore and pop-punk, but the band is still young enough to be enduring. It's almost like they just discovered all these really cool bands from the '80's and are in such a hurry to tell everyone about them. I would have rearranged the track order a little bit and had "Wasted Days" as the closer, but with it being the second track it definitely does take hold of you and keeps you there till the (anticlimactic) end.

9. Matt Elliott - The Broken Man

This is such a miserable sounding album and was absolutely the perfect backdrop for the dreary months of January/ February. Lengthy acoustic folk songs about loneliness, heard break, and misery, delivered in a tone that really sounds like it understands those mind states. Definitely not for everyone, but I sure as hell loved it.

8. Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pandora's Pinata

I've enjoyed their music stretching back to their 2006 debut, but while their music is at least refreshing, I found it only worked in small doses. I enjoyed key tracks off their first two albums, but never found myself particularly engaged listening to the whole thing. Luckily this changed with Pandora's Pinata which is a trippy uh.. trip through jazz infused metal that keeps you hooked all the way through till the strange almost dub-steppy end.

7. Paradise Lost - Tragic Idol

One of my favourite bands of all time is Type O Negative. I love their melodramatic sense of pacing and their slight sense of self-deprecating humour. Paradise Lost has the former but plays the rest of it straight, which is pretty funny for a band that changes styles more than most metalheads change their underwear. Tragic Idol is an unrelenting cheese-fest that isn't being ironic or played for laughs, but it does so with such conviction that it doesn't make you feel embarrassed belting out the chorus while in the car with friends. I'm very excited to see them with Katatonia, Stolen Babies, and Devin Townsend in September.

6. Death Grips - The Money Store

I almost don't want to put this up, but so far this is really the only hip hop album that has really stayed with me throughout the year. Killer Mike's album had some awesome beats but were somewhat marred by his lyricism and propensity to get bogged down with conspiracy lyrics. Big K.R.I.T.'s album was good and I will definitely go back to revisit it later in the year, but it didn't leave that same sense of immediacy that Death Grips did. Now maybe this feeling won't be here by December 18, maybe the gimmick will wear off, but considering they have a new album coming out in the fall I doubt it. Whether you like their take on hip hop or not, they're here to stay and they want you to know that.

5. BADBADNOTGOOD - BBNG2

I do think these guys rely a little too much on the "Nobody in the making of this album was over 21" shtick which I'm guessing is suppose to make you really impressed by their prowess, but the thing is if you listen to the album without knowing that tidbit you'd already be impressed by their musical abilities. Jazz fusion can be a tricky genre to critique or even describe, but this album really does its best to not go overboard in any one area and tries to give each genre its own fair play. It's free from their website so there's no reason not to at least give it a try.

4. Lunar Aurora - Hoagascht

Generally I'm pretty picky when it comes to atmospheric black metal, as is so often the case the band just tries to be Agalloch or Burzum. While the Burzum influences definitely shine throughout Hoagascht, the album does have a certain sense of identity all of its own and it does stand out among the other atmospheric black metal albums also released this year. It's been a great album while on the treadmill at the gym, and has even found its way into my CD rotation in my car. If you're true kvlt I can't see you getting much out of this album, but if your head isn't lodged up your arse you can probably get a couple of really good plays with this, and maybe even an mention at the end of the year.

3. Sigh - In Somniphobia

I'm really liking this album more than 2010's Scenes From Hell because it really feels like a callback to 2001's Imaginary Sonicscape but without feeling like a carbon copy. It's definitely an attempt to make lightning strike twice, and while the walking creature isn't exactly the same thing, it's likable enough to give it your time.

2. Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas

If there's one thing Leonard Cohen continues to do well, it's give a real sense of sincerity to his music. There isn't one song on this album that feels phoned in or even that sappy. While I've heard some people criticize the backing instrumentation as sounding too cheap, I find it sounds more worn out, kind of like how I'm think Leonard himself feels. I mean the guy is past 80 now and he's still releasing music, not necessarily out of love of doing it, but as a means of financial support. In a way it kind of reminded me of William Shatner's 2004 magnum opus Has Been (seriously if you haven't heard this album, GO GET IT!), a sense of losing your place in the world, but being unable to find where your new home could be.

1. Killing Joke - MMXII

Words cannot accurately describe how much I love Killing Joke. Besides being one of the most important bands in alternative music history, inspiring every band you probably like that wears the label, they've given so much of themselves to the industry and haven't really received much in return. I've been hard pressed to find a lot of people on this forum who want to talk about them, and have had even less success in the real world. Yet despite all that they keep on making music, and not just half-arsed music like some other bands from this time period, but music that actually feels new, while still retaining the qualities of their past selves. Their 2010 album Absolute Dissent felt very much like a 21st century album, and was far heavier than much of the music bands half their age were putting out, MMXII conversely feels like a 20th century album, that's been pushed through the filter of 21st century technology. Not only that, but this feels almost like it's a glance at their 30+ year history, rather than Absolute Dissent's latter material focus.

So that's my list, I expect to see at least 3-4 of these on my end of the year list.

**Janszoon** · 06-18-2012, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoathsomePete

2. Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas

If there's one thing Leonard Cohen continues to do well, it's give a real sense of sincerity to his music. There isn't one song on this album that feels phoned in or even that sappy. While I've heard some people criticize the backing instrumentation as sounding too cheap, I find it sounds more worn out, kind of like how I'm think Leonard himself feels. I mean the guy is past 80 now and he's still releasing music, not necessarily out of love of doing it, but as a means of financial support. In a way it kind of reminded me of William Shatner's 2004 magnum opus Has Been (seriously if you haven't heard this album, GO GET IT!), a sense of losing your place in the world, but being unable to find where your new home could be.

He's not past 80 yet! But I do agree he's probably feeling pretty worn at this point, especially since he's been writing about being old for several decades now. I also agree with you about the instrumentation—IMO it's far better than on his last few albums. It has a rougher sound to it, which suits him much better than the muzak-ish style he had been using for a while.

LoathsomePete · 06-18-2012, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

He's not past 80 yet! But I do agree he's probably feeling pretty worn at this point, especially since he's been writing about being old for several decades now. I also agree with you about the instrumentation—IMO it's far better than on his last few albums. It has a rougher sound to it, which suits him much better than the muzak-ish style he had been using for a while.

80+... 77... it's all the same. I think once you hit 75 it all just blurs together in a miasma of "what's that sonny?"

RVCA · 06-18-2012, 01:50 PM

1. Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I
2. iamamiwhoami - kin
3. High on Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis
4. Last Step - Sleep

still looking out for QOTSA, Baroness, Tegan and Sara, Pinback, Gojira, and a number of others

Justthefacts · 06-18-2012, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoathsomePete

I haven't been particularly blown away by much this year. There's been a lot of okay or good albums, but nothing transcendent. I also haven't had much to listen to from genres outside of metal, but here's a list of the albums I have been enjoying or see myself still enjoying come December 18, 2012.

10. Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory

Sure the album is a little schizophrenic as it bounces between post-hardcore and pop-punk, but the band is still young enough to be enduring. It's almost like they just discovered all these really cool bands from the '80's and are in such a hurry to tell everyone about them. I would have rearranged the track order a little bit and had "Wasted Days" as the closer, but with it being the second track it definitely does take hold of you and keeps you there till the (anticlimactic) end.

9. Matt Elliott - The Broken Man

This is such a miserable sounding album and was absolutely the perfect backdrop for the dreary months of January/ February. Lengthy acoustic folk songs about loneliness, heard break, and misery, delivered in a tone that really sounds like it understands those mind states. Definitely not for everyone, but I sure as hell loved it.

8. Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pandora's Pinata

I've enjoyed their music stretching back to their 2006 debut, but while their music is at least refreshing, I found it only worked in small doses. I enjoyed key tracks off their first two albums, but never found myself particularly engaged listening to the whole thing. Luckily this changed with Pandora's Pinata which is a trippy uh.. trip through jazz infused metal that keeps you hooked all the way through till the strange almost dub-steppy end.

7. Paradise Lost - Tragic Idol

One of my favourite bands of all time is Type O Negative. I love their melodramatic sense of pacing and their slight sense of self-deprecating humour. Paradise Lost has the former but plays the rest of it straight, which is pretty funny for a band that changes styles more than most metalheads change their underwear. Tragic Idol is an unrelenting cheese-fest that isn't being ironic or played for laughs, but it does so with such conviction that it doesn't make you feel embarrassed belting out the chorus while in the car with friends. I'm very excited to see them with Katatonia, Stolen Babies, and Devin Townsend in September.

6. Death Grips - The Money Store

I almost don't want to put this up, but so far this is really the only hip hop album that has really stayed with me throughout the year. Killer Mike's album had some awesome beats but were somewhat marred by his lyricism and propensity to get bogged down with conspiracy lyrics. Big K.R.I.T.'s album was good and I will definitely go back to revisit it later in the year, but it didn't leave that same sense of immediacy that Death Grips did. Now maybe this feeling won't be here by December 18, maybe the gimmick will wear off, but considering they have a new album coming out in the fall I doubt it. Whether you like their take on hip hop or not, they're here to stay and they want you to know that.

5. BADBADNOTGOOD - BBNG2

I do think these guys rely a little too much on the "Nobody in the making of this album was over 21" shtick which I'm guessing is suppose to make you really impressed by their prowess, but the thing is if you listen to the album without knowing that tidbit you'd already be impressed by their musical abilities. Jazz fusion can be a tricky genre to critique or even describe, but this album really does its best to not go overboard in any one area and tries to give each genre its own fair play. It's free from their website so there's no reason not to at least give it a try.

4. Lunar Aurora - Hoagascht

Generally I'm pretty picky when it comes to atmospheric black metal, as is so often the case the band just tries to be Agalloch or Burzum. While the Burzum influences definitely shine throughout Hoagascht, the album does have a certain sense of identity all of its own and it does stand out among the other atmospheric black metal albums also released this year. It's been a great album while on the treadmill at the gym, and has even found its way into my CD rotation in my car. If you're true kvlt I can't see you getting much out of this album, but if your head isn't lodged up your arse you can probably get a couple of really good plays with this, and maybe even an mention at the end of the year.

3. Sigh - In Somniphobia

I'm really liking this album more than 2010's Scenes From Hell because it really feels like a callback to 2001's Imaginary Sonicscape but without feeling like a carbon copy. It's definitely an attempt to make lightning strike twice, and while the walking creature isn't exactly the same thing, it's likable enough to give it your time.

2. Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas

If there's one thing Leonard Cohen continues to do well, it's give a real sense of sincerity to his music. There isn't one song on this album that feels phoned in or even that sappy. While I've heard some people criticize the backing instrumentation as sounding too cheap, I find it sounds more worn out, kind of like how I'm think Leonard himself feels. I mean the guy is past 80 now and he's still releasing music, not necessarily out of love of doing it, but as a means of financial support. In a way it kind of reminded me of William Shatner's 2004 magnum opus Has Been (seriously if you haven't heard this album, GO GET IT!), a sense of losing your place in the world, but being unable to find where your new home could be.

1. Killing Joke - MMXII

Words cannot accurately describe how much I love Killing Joke. Besides being one of the most important bands in alternative music history, inspiring every band you probably like that wears the label, they've given so much of themselves to the industry and haven't really received much in return. I've been hard pressed to find a lot of people on this forum who want to talk about them, and have had even less success in the real world. Yet despite all that they keep on making music, and not just half-arsed music like some other bands from this time period, but music that actually feels new, while still retaining the qualities of their past selves. Their 2010 album Absolute Dissent felt very much like a 21st century album, and was far heavier than much of the music bands half their age were putting out, MMXII conversely feels like a 20th century album, that's been pushed through the filter of 21st century technology. Not only that, but this feels almost like it's a glance at their 30+ year history, rather than Absolute Dissent's latter material focus.

So that's my list, I expect to see at least 3-4 of these on my end of the year list.

Cloud Nothing's Attack On Memory is a fantastic album. Definitely one of the best so far this year.

Paedantic Basterd · 06-18-2012, 06:43 PM

At the moment my list looks something like

10. Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action at a Distance
9. Mirrorring - Foreign Body
8. Dr. John - Locked Down
7. Tindersticks - The Something Rain
6. Belbury Poly - The Belbury Tales
5. Frankie Rose - Interstellar
4. John Talabot - Fin
3. Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory
2. The Flaming Lips - The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends
1. Of Montreal - Paralytic Stalks

Much better year than 2011 already, though I expect only a few of these to remain in the top 10 as I get on with it, if that.

LoathsomePete · 06-18-2012, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

At the moment my list looks something like

10. Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action at a Distance
9. Mirrorring - Foreign Body
8. Dr. John - Locked Down
7. Tindersticks - The Something Rain
6. Belbury Poly - The Belbury Tales
5. Frankie Rose - Interstellar
4. John Talabot - Fin
3. Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory
2. The Flaming Lips - The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends
1. Of Montreal - Paralytic Stalks

Much better year than 2011 already, though I expect only a few of these to remain in the top 10 as I get on with it, if that.

That album may wind up on my revised list come December, I absolutely love the first track.

hip hop bunny hop · 06-18-2012, 07:35 PM

boo. No fans of the new Revenge? It managed to reinvigorate the extreme metal sound by seemingly narrowing influences, narrowing the sounds used, and being incredibly reactionary:

^^^ it's wonderfully narrow-minded.

Duraddict · 06-19-2012, 12:59 PM

Lana Del Rey - Born to Die

Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball

Civil Twilight - Holy Weather

I've been a bit disappointed with music in 2012. MDNA (Madonna) and Vows (Kimbra) both fell below my expectations. I'm still waiting on the new Alanis and the new Duran Duran live record.

06-18-2012, 12:25 PM	#31 (permalink)
Gucci Little Piggy Music Addict Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 315	Oh yeah I should listen to more of DSO, considering I already really liked The Butcher's Ballroom. Maybe their new stuff will end up in my top 10 of this year. Then again, I have a LOT to listen to. __________________ My Last.fm. Please add me. Now. NOW. FUCK THE PORN IT CAN WAIT. My RYM thingy I now have a tumblr and I do stuff on it

06-18-2012, 12:59 PM	#32 (permalink)
LoathsomePete Cardboard Box Realtor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Hobb's End Posts: 7,648	I haven't been particularly blown away by much this year. There's been a lot of okay or good albums, but nothing transcendent. I also haven't had much to listen to from genres outside of metal, but here's a list of the albums I have been enjoying or see myself still enjoying come December 18, 2012. 10. Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory Sure the album is a little schizophrenic as it bounces between post-hardcore and pop-punk, but the band is still young enough to be enduring. It's almost like they just discovered all these really cool bands from the '80's and are in such a hurry to tell everyone about them. I would have rearranged the track order a little bit and had "Wasted Days" as the closer, but with it being the second track it definitely does take hold of you and keeps you there till the (anticlimactic) end. 9. Matt Elliott - The Broken Man This is such a miserable sounding album and was absolutely the perfect backdrop for the dreary months of January/ February. Lengthy acoustic folk songs about loneliness, heard break, and misery, delivered in a tone that really sounds like it understands those mind states. Definitely not for everyone, but I sure as hell loved it. 8. Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pandora's Pinata I've enjoyed their music stretching back to their 2006 debut, but while their music is at least refreshing, I found it only worked in small doses. I enjoyed key tracks off their first two albums, but never found myself particularly engaged listening to the whole thing. Luckily this changed with Pandora's Pinata which is a trippy uh.. trip through jazz infused metal that keeps you hooked all the way through till the strange almost dub-steppy end. 7. Paradise Lost - Tragic Idol One of my favourite bands of all time is Type O Negative. I love their melodramatic sense of pacing and their slight sense of self-deprecating humour. Paradise Lost has the former but plays the rest of it straight, which is pretty funny for a band that changes styles more than most metalheads change their underwear. Tragic Idol is an unrelenting cheese-fest that isn't being ironic or played for laughs, but it does so with such conviction that it doesn't make you feel embarrassed belting out the chorus while in the car with friends. I'm very excited to see them with Katatonia, Stolen Babies, and Devin Townsend in September. 6. Death Grips - The Money Store I almost don't want to put this up, but so far this is really the only hip hop album that has really stayed with me throughout the year. Killer Mike's album had some awesome beats but were somewhat marred by his lyricism and propensity to get bogged down with conspiracy lyrics. Big K.R.I.T.'s album was good and I will definitely go back to revisit it later in the year, but it didn't leave that same sense of immediacy that Death Grips did. Now maybe this feeling won't be here by December 18, maybe the gimmick will wear off, but considering they have a new album coming out in the fall I doubt it. Whether you like their take on hip hop or not, they're here to stay and they want you to know that. 5. BADBADNOTGOOD - BBNG2 I do think these guys rely a little too much on the "Nobody in the making of this album was over 21" shtick which I'm guessing is suppose to make you really impressed by their prowess, but the thing is if you listen to the album without knowing that tidbit you'd already be impressed by their musical abilities. Jazz fusion can be a tricky genre to critique or even describe, but this album really does its best to not go overboard in any one area and tries to give each genre its own fair play. It's free from their website so there's no reason not to at least give it a try. 4. Lunar Aurora - Hoagascht Generally I'm pretty picky when it comes to atmospheric black metal, as is so often the case the band just tries to be Agalloch or Burzum. While the Burzum influences definitely shine throughout Hoagascht, the album does have a certain sense of identity all of its own and it does stand out among the other atmospheric black metal albums also released this year. It's been a great album while on the treadmill at the gym, and has even found its way into my CD rotation in my car. If you're true kvlt I can't see you getting much out of this album, but if your head isn't lodged up your arse you can probably get a couple of really good plays with this, and maybe even an mention at the end of the year. 3. Sigh - In Somniphobia I'm really liking this album more than 2010's Scenes From Hell because it really feels like a callback to 2001's Imaginary Sonicscape but without feeling like a carbon copy. It's definitely an attempt to make lightning strike twice, and while the walking creature isn't exactly the same thing, it's likable enough to give it your time. 2. Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas If there's one thing Leonard Cohen continues to do well, it's give a real sense of sincerity to his music. There isn't one song on this album that feels phoned in or even that sappy. While I've heard some people criticize the backing instrumentation as sounding too cheap, I find it sounds more worn out, kind of like how I'm think Leonard himself feels. I mean the guy is past 80 now and he's still releasing music, not necessarily out of love of doing it, but as a means of financial support. In a way it kind of reminded me of William Shatner's 2004 magnum opus Has Been (seriously if you haven't heard this album, GO GET IT!), a sense of losing your place in the world, but being unable to find where your new home could be. 1. Killing Joke - MMXII Words cannot accurately describe how much I love Killing Joke. Besides being one of the most important bands in alternative music history, inspiring every band you probably like that wears the label, they've given so much of themselves to the industry and haven't really received much in return. I've been hard pressed to find a lot of people on this forum who want to talk about them, and have had even less success in the real world. Yet despite all that they keep on making music, and not just half-arsed music like some other bands from this time period, but music that actually feels new, while still retaining the qualities of their past selves. Their 2010 album Absolute Dissent felt very much like a 21st century album, and was far heavier than much of the music bands half their age were putting out, MMXII conversely feels like a 20th century album, that's been pushed through the filter of 21st century technology. Not only that, but this feels almost like it's a glance at their 30+ year history, rather than Absolute Dissent's latter material focus. So that's my list, I expect to see at least 3-4 of these on my end of the year list. __________________ Last.FM 101 Albums That May Not Change Your Life, But I Really Like And You Might Too

06-18-2012, 07:35 PM	#39 (permalink)
hip hop bunny hop Music Addict Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,381	boo. No fans of the new Revenge? It managed to reinvigorate the extreme metal sound by seemingly narrowing influences, narrowing the sounds used, and being incredibly reactionary: ^^^ it's wonderfully narrow-minded. __________________ Have mercy on the poor.

06-18-2012, 01:50 PM	#35 (permalink)
RVCA （￣ー￣） Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 3,270	1. Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I 2. iamamiwhoami - kin 3. High on Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis 4. Last Step - Sleep still looking out for QOTSA, Baroness, Tegan and Sara, Pinback, Gojira, and a number of others

06-18-2012, 06:43 PM	#37 (permalink)
Paedantic Basterd Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,184	At the moment my list looks something like 10. Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action at a Distance 9. Mirrorring - Foreign Body 8. Dr. John - Locked Down 7. Tindersticks - The Something Rain 6. Belbury Poly - The Belbury Tales 5. Frankie Rose - Interstellar 4. John Talabot - Fin 3. Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory 2. The Flaming Lips - The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends 1. Of Montreal - Paralytic Stalks Much better year than 2011 already, though I expect only a few of these to remain in the top 10 as I get on with it, if that.