With 2012 coming to an end, it's time to reveal my favorite full lengths of the year. I had a bit of a tough time coming up with this list, as a lot of the albums that I fell in love with were released very early in the year. That being said, some of my favorite songs of the year are on different releases than the list below. I'll get to those in another post, but for the time being... here they are!
Band Of Horses - Mirage Rock
It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of this band. Overall, this album didn't blow me away, but there are some moments on "Mirage Rock" that had me close to tears. Here's one of them...
Grizzly Bear - Shields
Oh Grizzly Bear, can you do no wrong? After seeing this band for the first time nearly 6 years ago, it was an absolute moment of perfection seeing them at Massey Hall a month ago. They have truly arrived, and this album has some of the strongest songs this Brooklyn 4 piece have ever written.
Divine Fits - A Thing Called Divine Fits
This is what happens when 2 of your favorite bands join forces and put out a really stellar, catchy rock record. Britt Daniel of Spoon, and Dan Boeckner from Wolf Parade/Handsome Furs hooked up and tracked this thing almost overnight. I had the chance to see them at Lee's Palace this year, and the songs translated almost better live, than on the album itself. Check it.
The Shins - Port Of Morrow
I spent a week in Florida in May. I listened to the same three songs on this album non stop for an entire evening, sitting around the pool sipping whatever, simply because my wife had fallen asleep and I just couldn't get enough. "The Simple Song" is beautiful, but "September" is a stripped down affair, and exactly what I want in a Shins album.
Jason Lytle - Dept. Of Disappearance
I loved Grandaddy. They were a band that spoke to me on so many levels, and when they called it quits, I like so many fans felt kind of ripped off. I'm thankful that I got to see them live more than once, but there was something so bittersweet about their departure. No big final "goodbye." Just interviews about going broke, and getting drunk. Well, Jason Lytle moved to Montana, and began to make records again, only this time under his own name. This album is as close to Grandaddy as we're going to get, and I'm okay with that.
The Tallest Man On Earth - There's No Leaving Now
There's something to be said about an artist who relies on just his voice, and a guitar. Kristian Matsson, a.k.a The Tallest Man On Earth is a prime example of the "less is more" ethos. The quality of the production on each of his records may be an aquired taste, but the songs on this record are so beautiful, that I tend to forget about all of that. One of my fondest memories of 2012, is riding the bus en route to the front gates of Disney World with this album on my ipod. I still get shivers thinking about that. I absolutely adore this album.
Joel Plaskett Emergency - Scrappy Happiness
The recording of this album was documented on a weekly basis, as Joel Plaskett returned with a true to form rock record this year. Friends and fans alike were treated to an in depth look at the making of their fifth proper full length, and I was lucky to have Joel in studio for an interview, and performance at 94.9 The Rock. It was also the first time I got to see him perform with a full band that night, and I became a hardcore fan instantly. Now I see what you have all been talking about for so long.
Beak - >>
This is one hell of a trippy album. Fans of Portishead know the name Geoff Barrow, and his side project Beak is a step towards a weird and wonderful world of minimal krautrock, and catchy, beat driven songs that didn't leave my ipod for weeks at a time. I remember playing this for a friend and saying "I'd love to do something like this." Easier said than done.
Sam Willis - Winterval
Last year I included an album called "Coracle" by WALLS. Sam Willis is one half of that group, and this is more of a dance album than anything his band has done. The title track is one of the more accessible of the collection, and was posted online months before the album hit shelves. I must have played it 1000 times while waiting for this release. This is the type of electronic music I gravitate towards, simply because it's tough to categorize. I just know it makes me feel good. Amen.
Damien Jurado - Maraqopa
I knew the moment I heard this album that it would make this list. Little did I know that it would become the best piece of music I would hear for next 10 months, as it was released in February, and still gets a spin once a week. 'Maraqopa' is a fictional place Damien Jurado dreamt of, then wrote, and recorded an album about that place. Listening to each song truly takes you on a psychedelic journey to that strange world inside his head. The production is remarkable, and the sounds are absolutely haunting. If you want to take a chance on one album from this list, make it this one. It's perfect front to back.
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