Best Of 2012
The world’s gonna end in December, but who cares? Certainly not the bands & artists putting out this great music. Here are our picks of the best albums of 2012 so far. We’ll update throughout the year so make sure to keep checking back!
My Head Is An Animal – Of Monsters And Men Baby – Tribes Attack On Memory – Cloud Nothings Breakfast – Chiddy Bang Given To The Wild – The Maccabees The Lion’s Roar – First Aid Kit Something – Chairlift A Flash Flood Of Colour – Enter Shikiri Future This – The Big Pink Home – Young Jesus
The six winners of 2010′s Músíktilraunir competition in Iceland offer up one of the best albums to come out of the folk-rock explosion of the past few years. The perfectly composed folk rock sound comes off almost effortlessly with tight harmonies, duets, instrumentation, and diverse styles. Move over Mumford & Sons.
Key Track: Little Talks
Grandiose, textural, bombastic, subtle, introspective, boisterous. Few debuts are this cluttered with sounds & thoughts, but few debuts are ultimately as strong and fresh as this. It’s the garage band that got into the studio to find their legs and was able to capture the best of both worlds.
Key Track: Walking In The Street
With their third album, Dylan Baldi’s makeshift misfits finally deliver that undoubtedly great album. The lyrics display a sense of anxiety of identity as they proclaim “I thought would be more than this,” but the delicate tweaking of the lo-fi sound shows that the band is more than this. So much more.
Key Track: Stay Useless
One of rap’s most heavily anticipated debuts doesn’t disappoint. Still infusing Indie rock and rap, the duo offers up more party staples and deep introspections in an amazingly concise manner. Foregoing the petty self-indulgences of the entire hip-hop genre, Chiddy gets to the point & slams it home perfectly.
Key Track: Happening
Adding an electronic ting to a rock soul, the London quintet carefully tiptoes the line between stadium & indie sound. Evoking memories of bands like Arcade Fire & Kings Of Leon, they succeed by still sounding fresh & unique. The Maccabees deliver strong here with their best album yet to kick of 2012 right.
Key Track: Pelican
The Swedish folk duo shows off the dark side of life & love just as clearly & brightly as they do the light side with their sophomore release. Infusing the great sounds of the past (Fleetwood Mac) and the success of today (Fleet Foxes), the band blends a seemingly harmonious album in terms of style & message.
Key Track: Emmylou
Aptly-titled, Something is surely what you get when you mix in genres like Chillwave, New Age, R&B, Pop, Indie, and even some folk styles. Serving as the backdrop to poignant lyrics full of angst and reflection, the band is obviously not settling for haunting houses anymore. The duo’s new goal: your soul.
Key Track: Sidewalk Safari
Dripping with a distinct political message, the alternative metal troupe shows off its versatility to deliver that message as poignantly as possible. Frivolous & solemn, beautiful & horrific, anxious & brave; all these describe pieces of the message that gets serenaded & shouted to us in each song.
Key Track: Meltdown
With a big debut to follow, The Big Pink deliver a much more mature & versatile collection of electro-rock. From ambient to fist-pumping, the songs fit just as perfectly in the club as they do in your car on the way to work. They still sound nothing like their namesake, but I think The Band themselves would approve of this work.
Key Track: 1313
Borrowing a lot from the playbook of The Head And The Heart both stylistically & marketing wise, the Chicago quartet emerges with one of 2012′s most unique releases. A quasi-concept album, the tale of David haunts the album and compels you to each & every lyrical line & new composition hoping for resolution.
Key Track: Home
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