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.
5
Dead Can Dance
Anastasis
Dead Can Dance’s first album in 16 years is pretty much tied for album of the year with Lotus Plaza. It’s exactly what a follow-up to 1996’s Spiritchaser should sound like, and surprisingly the black veil has been lifted. Beneath all it’s dark “world music” sounds is a pop sheen – for a Dead Can Dance album of course – but it’s catchy none-the-less compared to their output from decades past, and it’s most welcome. Full of grooves and color, the entire album is a winner, and as hard as it was to pick just one song, I chose the lead off track ‘Children of the Sun’ to share. It doesn’t highlight the better singer of the two, Lisa Gerrard, but it’s one of the rare tracks where they sing together. Brendan Perry croons his lyrics about the bright possibilities of the future, despite the horrors of the world, and about each of our tiny yet meaningful places in the universe. Then for a brief but all encompassing moment Ms Gerrard joins him at the end in a signal of unity that you can really feel coming through the speakers, singing backup with the lyrics “Faith, hope, our charities / Greed, sloth, our enemies” – it’s a moment and a song that, despite not being the best track on the album, encompasses the feeling of the entire album. There aren’t many musicians out there that you can truly call artists with as much integrity as Dead Can Dance, and as such they are worth the time investment. A most enriching experience, live and on record.