Albums
of the year
2012
So it’s come to this has it? A year of music so good that for the first time I came close to wishing albums would stop being made, as anything new coming out will surely distract and take away time from enjoying the fantastic albums that came out already. I feel bombarded with so much good music, yet time to listen slowly dissolving away (as evidenced by my balding head). Granted, it’s very true that I may not branch out as much as one could, and the most frustrating part is half of what I am into based on this post (and my runners-up post next week) may look like I do nothing but wait for Pitchfork’s daily reviews to guide me on my way musically. Rest assured, that is not the case, and just merely a coincidence. Most of the times I’ve done these posts I’ve just said “HERE! This is where’s it’s at – and listen to this other person tell you why!”. Last year, I took the time to write up my own reviews (who’d a thunk it?), but after looking at my blog stats I saw that it really didn’t reach many people. Your loss! So instead of making this feel like a chore left unnoticed this year by writing relatively long reviews that would fall on deaf ears, I would simplify. In the end, let the music speak for itself, eh? Well, for the most part. So, here you go, my favorite albums of the year. I guess technically they are what I consider to be “the best”, but by saying that it means these then have to be put in some sort of order, and quantified some way. But I really can’t do that. Depending on the mood of the day, each one of these albums is “the best” at one time or another, so really out of all the albums I’ve listened to over the past year, these are my go to albums – my favorites – my “desert island discs” of sorts. I’ve shared one track from each album as well, songs that I think not only represent what is great about the entire album, but what may spark an interest in you to checking out the whole thing, because to me they are all worth your time and quite rewarding indeed. Enjoy with aloha, and as always, turn it WAY the hell up, and for crying out loud use headphones. Laptop speakers = death.
11
Purity Ring
Shrines
Purity Ring’s debut album Shrines is a wondrous little thing. It took a few listens to see what was going on here, as at first it felt very standard; fairly simple electronic beats with a breathy woman singing over it. Been there before, right? But then all the different styles of songwriting going on crept in and revealed themselves, from downtempo, to dubstep, to hip-hop to the strangely yet perfectly named witch house sound (see the appropriately named Salem for an example of that genre), these crafty Canadians mix it all together into a perfect balance, and incredibly make all of it sound fresh. Hearing people call it “future-pop”, it couldn’t be more ample. All the while the beats are accompanied by these grotesque, vividly horrific, yet strangely romantic lyrics belted by this young woman with her sweet ethereal croon. She has a real sense of what a strong pop melody can do to a song, and really if you can make lyrics like “Get a little closer, let it fold / Cut open my sternum and pull / My little ribs around you” sound sweet and charming, you are pretty much on to something or already at the top of your game. Maybe it’s just her voice, but her inflection to me is a great example of real genuine talent, making the entire album glow, and glow brightly, and the song I’ve shared, ‘Belispeaks’, should exemplify this. With a small dose of patience, this album will unravel between your ears as the perfect pop record, one for a sane world finally devoid of the utter bland.