2012 Year In Music

After doing a year end list last year, I felt compelled to tell you what I listened to this year.  Because I can.  There were a lot of great albums released this year and I did not hear much that I did not like, however, I do spend some time researching what I would to put onto my iTunes library.   I'm not quite a music snob, but I know what I like.  I would also like to note that this year I returned to purchasing music, which sounds like something terribly obvious, but also something of a debate this year concerning downloading vs. streaming.  I will note that I do not use Spotify.  Maybe this is just me being stubborn, but it also took me a while to stop buying CDs in favor of mp3s.  I just think that it's funny how the mp3 has become the new physical product, and even though more people are buying vinyl again, I just prefer to carry everything I want to listen to around with me.   I spend a great deal of time on the subway so I also spend a great deal of time listening to music.  And it is so easy to open your computer when you get home and press play and have music come out of your speakers. 

Anyway, I guess the point of all of this is that for me being a musician, I want to support fellow musicians, so I buy mp3 albums on Amazon and go to their live shows when they are in town. Spotify doesn't allow me to own a product that was created by an artist, so I do not use their service. Yet.

So here is what I listened to this year, in no particular order (More alphabetical than not).

Beach House "Bloom" - What can I say, this is just a great album, one that I'll be able to come back to for a long time. The songs are great, their sound is great. I can put this on and zone out, or just really listen and connect. I'm very glad I was able to see them perform this album because it really completed the experience for me. Well done.

Dirty Projectors "Swing Lo Magellan" - Another great one. I think 2012 was a year where I really started listening to great vocal groups, and listening for vocal harmonies and melodies, and this album is just spot on. And they replicate it live, as they should.

DIIV "Oshin" - This album just makes me feel good. It's not perfect, but it grooves and I don't have to think about it. This album sounds really good, and the guitar moves you right along.

Father John Misty "Fear Fun" - First of all, this album is hilarious. His lyrics are so clever, and even though they don't make a whole lot of sense, he is telling this great story and it just draws you into the music. And it's complimented by some great melodies. This is one I could just listen to over and over, and I'm looking forward to seeing him this month.

Frank Ocean "Channel Orange" - This guy blew up this year, and for good reason. This is a not only a great R&B album, it's a great album in general. I think he is a great voice for my generation, and based on what else is out there right now, that is saying a lot. I'm glad something like this can go mainstream because it deserves to. Well done.

Frankie Rose "Interstellar" - For some reason, I really connected to this album. I think it came out at the right time and the songs spoke to me, or something. Whatever, this album sounds great.

Grizzly Bear "Shields" - This is a band that is just consistently good, and this is a perfect example of that. This album makes me want to play and create music because it's so good. This is another one that I will continue to listen to and I really want to see them live again.

Lotus Plaza "Spooky Action at a Distance" - Another one that has a great guitar groove. And anything affiliated with Deerhunter is going to be good.

Lower Dens "Nootropics" - This album is full of great songs and is very creative. Everything works really well together and it sounds great. Well done.

Tame Impala "Lonerism" - This album is fucking awesome.


So that was my top ten, but here are some other stand-outs:

Ariel Pink "Mature Themes" - So weird, so good.

Bear In Heaven "I Love You, It's Cool" - A great electronic dance album, some great sounds.

Eternal Summers "Correct Behavior" - This a fun album with some great songs. A great summer album.

Melody's Echo Chamber "Melody's Echo Chamber" - Produced by the guy from Tame Impala, so you know it's good.

Wild Nothing "Nocturne" - A great end of summer album.

Mac DeMarco "2" - This dude is cool and writes good songs.


And here are some other artist that released some good stuff that I listened to:

alt-j, Animal Collective, Big K.R.I.T., Black Moth Super Rainbow, Cate Le Bon, Deep Time, Django Django, Dum Dum Girls, El-P, Grimes, Hundred Waters, Killer Mike, Lemonade, Mount Eerie, Nas, Oberhofer, Purity Ring, Sharon Van Etten, Taken By Trees, Tamaryn, Tanlines, Tennis, Torche, Twin Shadow, Usher "Climax," The Walkmen.

Looking forward to 2013.  Peace.