Contributors: Kyle Balzer, Dessa Bayrock, Joe Johnson, Michael Scoular, Nick Ubels, Tim Ubels – Email
Print Edition: January 16, 2013
25. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light
J. Spaceman’s latest space rock opus is gorgeous, sweeping, gospel-inflected and raspy as hell. Nothing particularly groundbreaking for Spiritualized, but a strong, consistent effort nevertheless. “Hey Jane” is an appropriately lengthy roundabout experience that handily primes the listener for the album to follow. There is a danger with artists who produce consistently high-calibre material in under appreciating the unique quality of each new release. Spoon is another great example of such a band. You’ve got to be careful not to ignore. – N.U.
24. Norah Jones – Little Broken Hearts
Some musical acts tend to get stuck in the same old rut, which is why nobody really knows where the Backstreet Boys are these days and why Snoop Dog evolved into Snoop Lion. Luckily Norah Jones has never had a problem with ruts – her sound evolves with every album she produces, and her music is never boring. Her 2012 offering of Little Broken Hearts is debatably her best work – her clear and effortless voice forms the core of the album, and we hear strong and simple bass lines carry over from previous albums as well. We see brighter tones, faster songs, and despite an album focused on the subject of heartbreak, it is both positive and cheerful. Jones perfectly bridges mellow with catchy – showing her jazz roots, electronic influence, and a touch of country that is both sweet and savoury. Must-listens from this album include the title track and “Say Goodbye” – a breezy anthem perfect for road trips and late night study sessions. – D.B.
23. Niki and the Dove – Instinct
A collective of three out of Stockholm, they’re producing some of the greatest electropop in years. Having only formed a little over two years ago, this freshman album is linked with explosive track after track. It would be easy to imagine hearing the entire playlist at a club, but just as well it works easily as a sit alone listen. It’s cool and clean, even when the distortion is kicking it. While it may not work for everybody, there is also a depth here that lends itself to seem more than a polished marketing effort that’s to be forgotten in six months. And it’s in this same strain of exploration that these songs are given meaning. The best thing I can say is that this is a moving album perfect for soundtracking the night. – J.J.
22. Julia Holter – Ekstasis
So much of Ekstasis seems to live in the space between waking and sleep – the space where memory sticks or falls away: “I can’t remember your face, but I want to” Holter re-calls on “In the Same Room.” From opener “Marienbad” onward the impression is of a lack of structure—spare synths don’t guide but exist as a frame to branch from, wrap around—Holter’s voice ascends into choral registers (“Four Gardens”) and solitary sketches (“Goddess Eyes”), going back and forth, calmness and rising waves, and in the end (“This Is Ekstasis”) Holter leaves a sprawling track, divided: “This is/is not the quietness,” “This is/is not the ecstasy.” – M.S.
21. Angel Olsen – Half Way Home
Emotion tempered by by maturity, tumult turned into serenity – this is a rhythm that can’t be matched by words, but Angel Olsen’s voice, leaping into registers unexpected before falling back into a kind of calm, makes Half Way Home a listen that surprises in its seeming limitless store of moments both tender and wise. There’s the temptation to try and assign something lofty, like one song as being above all the others for the year, and “Free,” on first and subsequent listens, in its untranscribable notes, could be that, but then there’s “The Waiting” and “Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow” and “You Are Song” and “The Sky Opened Up,” all short of length but persistent in memory, and all that can be said is that Olsen’s album is something sublime. – M.S.
20. Sara Watkins – Sun Midnight Sun
With the rich anthemic roar of contemporary bluegrass folk stampeding through this album it’s evident that Watkins is by far at the top of her game. Having previously been a member of the now defunct Nickel Creek, she brings a style that continues to hedge toward something a little different on her sophomore release. Together with Blake Mills producing, the two have crafted 10 wonderful tracks that seemingly float from Watkins’ violin through a warm wooden air that begins on an orchestral piece, “The Foothills”. Though, even despite such a strong atmosphere, this album isn’t stuck behind a closed door that the genre sometimes seems to find itself. Easily inviting, it has a tendency to not let you go. – J.J.
19. Patrick Watson – Adventures In Your Own Backyard
I’ve never loved a Patrick Watson album more than Wooden Arms, but it looks like I’m going to have to start. Adventures in Your Own Backyard touches a lot of the same notes, echoing without repeating, acknowledging and improving while constructing a monument. As the album title and title track suggest—I choose to think purposefully—the band has chosen to explore their own back yard. The gentle and almost imperceptible homage to Wooden Arms encourages the listener to take another look at the familiar and rediscover the kingdoms in our own backyards – finding the wonder in something every day with a pair of fresh eyes. All in all the album recalls and cherishes the songs from Wooden Arms, reworking it into something both new and simultaneously classic. – D.B.
18. Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel…
A glance at The Idler Wheel…’s track listing (“Left Alone,” “Regret,” “Periphery”) might suggest a tailspin of an album, and Fiona Apple’s stripping away of all sound save brushed, struck, drum palpitations and tumbling piano keys and her singular voice might denote a strained seriousness. But this album, this confession is anything but a wallow in heartbeaten misery, instead a laying out of breaking down as a documentation of staying up – “Every Single Night” continues for the forseeable future. Apple’s up-down lyrics argue against themselves, the authenticity of the album’s sound is broken through by outside noises, and even the note of dissatisfaction, uncrossable division, finds release in the raw voice of “Daredevil” and re-found summation of “Hot Knife.” – M.S.
17. Divine Fits – A Thing Called Divine Fits
While they aren’t exactly a supergroup in the same sense of Led Zeppelin in the 1960s, members of Divine Fits have a pretty brilliant history of making music. Consisting of members of Spoon, Handsome Furs and New Bomb Turks, Divine Fits is a fun diversion from each of their main projects and allows its members to push the expectations of a group-centered creative process, lending A Thing Called The Divine Fits a freewheeling nature, which is especially felt on the lead single “Would That Not Be Nice,” “Civilian Stripes” and their excellent cover of the Boys Next Door’s “Shivers.” This strange turnaround of the standard process wherein bands break up and solo careers begin, Divine Fits have instead momentarily teamed up to upgrade the genre of modern rock. – T.U.
16. Frankie Rose – Interstellar
Having built her name in the industry over a number of years with bands such as Vivian Girls, Dum Dum Girls, and the Crystal Stilts, Frankie Rose has now released her second solo album. And it’s one of those albums where it’s so difficult to pick a standout track, as each is just as magnificent as the next. It’s very much about going on a journey, perhaps traveling tranquilly through the interstellar. This is the result of the album having a strong mix of synth sounds which progress in a cool fashion. The album can work with individual tracks but it’s best taken in its entirety to truly appreciate it. – J.J.
15. Grimes – Visions
Whether discovering through repeated listens Claire Boucher’s lyrics are not nearly as abstract as they hit on first impression, or through interviews the undercurrents that power already-meaningful songs like lead single “Oblivion,” after a year with Visions it’s clear that while Grimes’ success has attracted attention to side projects and personality, it’s the music that remains the key, checking St. Augustine and Mariah Carey, pushing digital accumulation into new traditions, able to include both melodies and dissonance: soundscapes set up as a framework to work against. Even if the songs that stick out from Visions are the same 12 months later, the way Boucher’s voice is both close and distant, moves between the directness of pop and the ambiguity of personal poetry, makes each electronic reply a refresh – unlike the internet remix culture Boucher is often linked to, Visions, through time, never turns to static. – M.S.
14. Dum Dum Girls – End of Daze
End of Daze flashes by, changing keys despite retaining the weight that hangs over Dum Dum Girls’ every exhalation. Where on LPs like last year’s Only in Dreams, Dee Dee’s weary composition can be said to fall into patterns, never turgid but building to massive finalities like “Coming Down” that don’t top each other so much as continue, and continue, End of Daze, at 18 minutes condenses and cuts everything extraneous, establishing negativity (“I got nothing/left to say,” the hate that covers all on “Trees and Flowers”) but only that it might be overcome. “The buildings tower over me,” and echoes always hang around the background, but then album closer “Season in Hell” arrives already, guitars flitting, drums cracking, and the invitation, despite everything, of “doesn’t the night/look divine,” lets the soon-to-be-replayed album “end,” for a moment, the downtrodden mood. “Lift your gaze.” – M.S.
13. fun. – Some Nights
With the February 21 release of their sophomore album Some Nights, the sonic bombast trio of fun. took the music charts by storm producing and combining their vocal harmonies with a pop influence that’s infectious. Although the music itself is considered to be overloaded and surrounding to singer and frontman Nate Ruess, he’s able to use his unique voice to cut through the noise to deliver honest, heartfelt messages. Songs such as “We Are Young” (featuring Janelle Monae), “Some Nights,” and “Carry On” gave fun. an impressive year and the success of the entire album has earned the band a 2013 Grammy Award nomination . . . well, six to be exact. – K.B.
12. The Men – Open Your Heart
Propulsive, raw and rambling, The Men come close to embodying the Platonic ideal of debaucherous bar punks with hearts of gold everywhere. Stretching their legs and upping the melodic commitments from their first release, Open Your Heart blisters through 45 minutes of largely instrumental content that showcases the band’s road-tested marksmanship. The band careens dangerously about, playing with unsteady tempos, favouring grit and passion over accuracy. The songs themselves channel country and punk influences, most notably on the acoustic, Stones-esque “Candy”. – N.U.
11. Literature – Arab Spring
Combining full-blast rock, catchy melodies and romantic and social anxieties, Literature borrows musical touchstones from ‘70s act The Buzzcocks with a side of dancey post-punk brattiness courtesy of The Jam. Arab Spring, Literature’s debut full-length record doesn’t drag on, in fact it is over and out in a brisk 22 minutes and is to the point. There is nothing here that is incredibly new or revolutionary, as it gives a nod to its forbearers in the jangle pop and C86 mix tapes, but carry out these songs with impeccable skill that makes it clear that the band adores and consumes a great deal of music. It is completely irresistible, as this Austin, Texas band proves that great music doesn’t have to sound hard to make, even if it is. – T.U.
10. Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory
It’s a fair bet that on first listen, either “Fall In” or “Stay Useless” would be singled out as the best on the album. It’s true that these songs have something extraordinary about them, aside from being the most inviting. However, the rest advances with just as much weight. With this release the band turned darker and more melancholic. It’s quite raw and lo-fi with a general feel that its roots lie in emo, albeit quite a bit more grown up. Pushing through the distortion, lyrically what’s here is soul-bearing and you can’t help but feel that this album has been an outlet for lead singer Dylan Baldi. Attack on Memory closes with the amazing “Cut You”. – J.J.
9. HAIM – Forever
With only one EP released under their belt, a total of three songs plus a remix, HAIM brought something unique to the scene. Made up of the three Haim sisters from Los Angeles, along with their drummer, the band produces music that’s a little gritty and heart tearing as lead vocalist Danielle Haim pours her heart into each of the songs. Title track “Forever” easily has traces in the ‘80s, she bites into “Go Slow,” and “Better Off” is a unique play. One thing all the songs have in common is the angst with which they have at their core. With this one EP, they easily stand above a lot of the year’s music. – J.J.
8. Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball
Taking cues from his 2006 record We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, Bruce Springsteen uses the first half of his 17th studio album Wrecking Ball to protest the greed, hypocrisy, and corruption in the United States. The Boss opens the album with the driving “We Take Care of Our Own”, a track that harkens back to vintage E Street Band, and yields the same sentiment as the powerful opening tracks of 1978’s Darkness on the Edge of Town or 1985’s Born in the U.S.A. Like the latter song however, the casual listener could mistakenly interpret it as a patriotic anthem. The chorus declares, “Wherever this flag’s flown/we take care of our own,” yet the verses describe an America where this much-needed help never appears. – T.U.
7. Ty Segall – Twins
One of three albums issued from Segall’s San Francisco hideout this year, all under slightly different monikers, his only “solo” release outshines the rest and many other albums this year. Segall’s British-tinged and unhinged garage rock made a believer out of me with “Thank God For Sinners,” injecting vitality, danger, and shreds of roaring authenticity into a genre rife with posers and trend-hoppers since its 2000 revival at the hands of The Strokes and The White Stripes. Segall is a punk with a classical education and on Twins, he flaunts this with ringing double-tracked vocals, desperate harmonies, glam-rock strut, psychadelic tempo changes, and anxious guitar harmonies. That’s to say nothing of the haunting female gospel choir that opens “The Hill”. Overflowing with assurance and scrappy skill, Twins is the product of someone at the top of their game. – N.U.
6. Mac DeMarco – 2
Mac DeMarco’s greasy personality and willfully goofy behavior can be at times both charming and unsettling, but fortunately his talent shines through 2, his second release of 2012. The album, which lyrically revolves around an unstable family and a hopeless father with a heavy drug addiction, exhibits twangy and sun-soaked guitar rock in a style reminiscent of last years’ laidback masterpiece Days, by Real Estate. Every song on 2 has such a summery glow that it transports the listener away to a swinging hammock on some forgotten beach, with a beer in one hand and not a care in the world. Although 2 never shifts gears, it also never hits a speed bump, cruising along leisurely until it’s time to start the record over again. – T.U.
5. Tame Impala – Lonerism
On their second album, the Australian psychedelic outfit helmed by Kevin Parker strides through the insular and kaleidoscopic world of the loner. It is a celebration and examination of the late night life of someone who prefers their own company. It’s subject matter seems to betray is production: a home studio at Parker’s house which no doubt saw it’s fair share of after-hours shifts. There’s an element of determined perseverance that resembles the headspace of a long-distance runner from the opening drum-backed manifesto: “Gotta be above it/gotta be above it”. Parker drawls in a Lennon-esque voice that floats somewhere in a washed out, but uncluttered sonic landscape to flesh out his inner world. The lyrics are occasionally difficult to make out, but the feeling of cascading thought they convey is catching. Turn it up and plug in your headphones; everyone else is sleeping. – N.U.
4. Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo, Magellan
Swing Lo, Magellon is Dirty Projectors scaled back. However, even when the band does so, they are still more stylistically diverse than most bands in the pop genre. Their vocals are spastic and they make use of dynamic shifts in a relaxed and informal fashion. The album contains a loose folk vibe, straightforward arrangements, handclaps and finger naps and warmth not present on their previous releases, like 2009’s Bitte Orca. With Swing Lo, Magellan, Dirty Projectors have successfully continued their unique sound and made it more accessible, but in a curiously jarring and inaccessible way, and it’s enchanting. – T.U.
3. Best Coast – The Only Place
Hitting it big in 2010 with their dominance of the West coast lo-fi indie surf pop, they were back at it with their second release. The band, a duo of Bethany Cosentino on vocals and Bob Bruno, has made a notable change with this album in how they turned away from their earlier sound for a cleaner production. It kicks off with the fast paced track “The Only Place”, a composition of Consentino’s affection for the state of California. The rest of the album then turns things down a notch for a slower beat – almost as if it’s been derived from a sound of the ‘50s. The album essentially is smoother and reflective of Consentino’s life over the past couple of years. My only complaint would have to be how seemingly short the album can seem. But leaving the listener wanting more is never a bad thing, and hey, California may very well be the only place. – J.J.
2. Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE
Sometimes albums sneak up on you slowly. After a couple of listens, it suddenly clicks that there’s something special going on. Other times, all it takes is a single song to fall in love. For me, “Thinkin’ Bout You,” the second track from Frank Ocean’s stunning debut album, is that song. The moment Ocean’s voice floats upward into that impossible falsetto as he croons “I’ve been thinkin’ bout forever,” was my conversion moment channel ORANGE is a proficient and immersive late night taxi ride through Los Angeles that flirts with all manner of R&B tied together by Ocean’s intimate, melancholic lyrics and effortlessly soulful voice. Breathtaking, sprawling, heartbreaking, but not without a few lesser songs, channel ORANGE’s minor imperfections don’t make a dent in those overwhelming, transcendent and beautiful moments I keep coming back to. – N.U.
1. Japandroids – Celebration Rock
These are the “droids” you are looking for. The Vancouver rock duo Japandroids follow-up album to their 2009 success Post-Nothing, Celebration Rock is defined by an exciting sense of reckless youthful righteousness. Each track feels like it’s the album’s lead single, causing the listener to throw their fist into the air and raise a glass to last summers’ memories, knowing that there’s a much brighter future ahead. Japandroids conjure these images with fiercely distorted guitars, punked out energy and relatable lyrics about navigating life’s broken relationships and confessions of youth. There are no surprises here if you’ve heard their first album, just close your eyes and you’ll feel like you are in the middle of a crowd at the gig. – T.U.
Celebration Rock—in which driving guitars and drums are not monotonous, noise is never drowned, shouts are not without cares—a manifesto in progress, of love as a political act, revolutionary, against the morose, narcissistic static that is available as a retreat. “Younger Us” is what is wanted – the moments when this album was recorded, before we needed to hear it, before we came to this godforsaken university, before those mistakes? But this is sung to the future – a desire, opposing control, beyond ourselves, never reaching, always moving forward. “Now we know.” – M.S.
