2012 was a strange and difficult year, for reasons already overshared on my Facebook timeline (although as I look back on previous years’ lists, I always seem to preface my remarks with something along the lines of “It was a strange and difficult year,” so perhaps we should just assume that it was in the future and spare ourselves the formality of the statement). I will try to refrain from rehearsing 2012’s particular strangeness and difficulty here, as I will also try to moderate my use of adverbs to describe the impact of all this music on my embattled psyche. It has become apparent that adverbs seem to stand in, more and more, particularly in music criticism or conversation, for a lack of eloquence accompanied by a desperation to convince another concerning the excellence or abysmality (that’s probably not even a word) of a given single, album or other musical experience.
Strange and difficult as it was, 2012 was also a year of musical abundance. I cannot recall a year of so many interesting and novel musical issuances from artists both new and familiar. There have been years in recent memory when I struggled to find ten albums to write about. This year, I will struggle to limit myself to thirty. Whether this proliferation of interestingness is a by-product of paying more attention (I’m not really sure how I could pay even more attention to music than I do, though, honestly), of a broadening of my blog-reading, of a sheer increase in musical output, or of a confluence of all of these things combined with the perfect storm of multiple genres over-performing simultaneously, it is hard to quantify. But the result of all of this is a long list of fascinating releases from a wide generic spectrum.
Nevertheless, for all that it was a year of abundance, I came to realize as I perused and re-perused my ever-expanding list that 2012 was also, strangely (adverb alert), a year of minor masterpieces, of small triumphs and surprises, and of joyful moments and interludes rather than grand or epochal artistic statements that were insisting, sooner rather than later, on a place in the pantheon. There was, for me, no classic album in 2012. There was no “You Forgot It in People,” no “Boxer,” no “Turn on the Bright Lights.” The debut album from the xx in 2009 changed the landscape. Bon Iver’s self-titled album from last year changed the way I see the world. Broken Social Scene, the National and Interpol provided euphoria with those three aforementioned albums that made me feel younger, not quite immortal, but joyous in a sustaining way that resembled a very powerful club drug on timed release.
In 2011 Bon Iver’s masterpiece helped me anticipate loss and grief, which I knew were on the horizon. This year I used music to survive that grief and loss in ways that reflected it back to me, and in ways that studiously avoided it, depending on the artifact in question. Some of my abiding musical loves this year were deeply meditative reflections on absence and the past, on solitude and sadness, elegiac pieces that are really no different from my indie-boy taste of the last thirty-five years, except that this time I’m actually mourning rather than pining for a girl. Some of my other musical loves from 2012 reflect a desire to check out from that meditative activity and just rock out, or bliss out, or groove out. And then there were some things that I still couldn’t make up my mind about, even after months of listening. These were almost entirely electronic albums. They will remain in purgatory, pending further deliberations. And finally, there is the handful of albums that were just not all that, despite the critical momentum behind them. I’ll just say that I tried my best, and I still couldn’t get behind Ty Segall or DIIV.
The Top Twenty:
01) Divine Fits – A Thing Called Divine Fits
This is a remarkable album, particularly considering the stealth with which it arrived. Almost perfect, aside perhaps from the cover of “Shivers,” this is a tight, tense, extremely melodic and layered experience from start to finish. I would never have thought of putting Britt Daniel and Dan Boeckner together, just like I would never have thought of eating pork and clams together (thank you, Portuguese cuisine!), but it totally works. Perhaps not a classic, but it proved to be the album I kept coming back to over and over again.
02) Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
For the longest time I thought this would be the album of the year, because it’s so smart, surprising, complicated, strange, and fascinating. And perhaps it will stand the test of time and end up becoming that classic I was looking for. But in the end, the interludes between the longer songs (looking at you, “Fertilizer”) began to grate, and I couldn’t ever quite get over the presence of the evil John Mayer, so it slipped a bit. But “Thinking Bout You” continues to be a mindblowing experience, as does "Pyramids." This might well ripen into something for the pantheon. And I can’t wait to see what he does next.
03) Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory
This came out in January of 2012, but it didn’t come to my attention until November, because I’m an idiot. It turned out to be an incredible tonic, and I wished I’d known of it earlier, since I’m sure it would have helped me cope with stuff that hadn’t happened yet as of last January. This is a throwback album in some ways, filling in for some of what we continue to miss with the absence of Fugazi. It’s also very discreet, knowing when to quit (it’s only just over a half hour long). But in that short span it packs a wicked punch. If Green Day heard this, they would hang their heads in shame and quit the business for good. Here’s hoping they allow Cloud Nothings in rehab.
04) Tame Impala – Lonerism
I was skeptical about this at first, but thanks to Spotify, I was able to get over that and soon came to love the one-man psychedelia of Kevin Parker to the point where I couldn’t wait to own the actual artifact. I confessed my love of it to my record store pal, and his slightly withering response (“Is it better than the last one?”) made me doubt myself briefly, but I’m not at all ashamed of how this music makes me feel. It’s an addictive and tuneful noise that I couldn’t get enough of. It’s also remarkable how much great music comes out of Australia, and this is another fine example. Oddly reminiscent of the Delays, a band whom I adored, even though they were more fully poppy than this buzzy drone.
05) Mountain Goats – Transcendental Youth
I’m stepping slightly out of order here to address a cluster of bands who made music in 2012, including the #5 album on my list, Mountain Goats’ Transcendental Youth. At least two of John Darnielle, David Longstreth (Dirty Projectors) and Ed Droste (Grizzly Bear) seem like the kind of people who, in the idiom of my dear, departed mother, might iron their jeans, and their music reflects that rather neurotic impulse in ways that can tend to irritate. John Darnielle is pre-emptively forgiven because he’s a certified (and perhaps also certifiable) genius. The other two still have some catching up to do with me, because much of their work continues to be overly fussy and redolent of the prog-rock I was raised to abhor. In fact, back in 2009 I roundly dismissed Dirty Projectors and Grizzly Bear for their pretension. So imagine my surprise when they both turned in fascinating and accessible work this year, albeit still very complicated. More important, there seemed to be some resonant emotional availability on display as well. You can rely on John Darnielle for a regular dose of oversharing, but Longstreth and Droste seem less reliably emotive. For these and other reasons I think of these three albums, Transcendental Youth, Swing Lo Magellan, and Shields, as somewhat of a piece, although Mountain Goats are clearly the odd one out. A mixtape that sequenced “Lakeside View Apartments Suite,” “Gun Has No Trigger,” and “Yet Again” would win my heart hands down, were it not already won. Also, the video for “Yet Again” is compelling and brilliant. Well played, neurotic jeans-ironers. You did good.
06) Wild Nothing – Nocturne
Most of my adult music life has involved some attempt to find replacements for the Smiths and the Go-Betweens. For a while this involved a dalliance, for example, with Gene and the Auteurs, fine bands in their own right. The current candidate for that role is Wild Nothing, which is the first positive thing I can remember ever saying about Virginia Tech, where mastermind Jack Tatum matriculated. Who knew Blacksburg, Virginia could inspire such dreamy pop music. Of course, he lives in Brooklyn now, along with everyone else. And his songs don’t sound anything like the Smiths or the Go-Betweens. But they do transport, which I guess they’d have to if you were writing them in Blacksburg. No offence.
07) Lotus Plaza – Spooky Action at a Distance
Speaking of being transported, this Deerhunter side project (not Bradford Cox’s this time, but Lockett Pundt’s) is a total buzz from start to finish. It’s nice to know that there is music which renders drugs and alcohol unnecessary, but which can also be enhanced by such things (allegedly). This was a “grower,” but it didn’t take long to recognize that fact. This is the music of “atmosphere,” which people tend to underestimate.
08) Mount Eerie – Clear Moon/Ocean Roar
Speaking of atmosphere (you see how this narrative is going – transitions!), Phil Elverum is a master of it. He put out two albums in 2012,both of which were hard/impossible to track down in physical form, which makes a certain amount of sense, given that he is purveying an eco-genre of elemental ethereality (I just made that up, btw). He kind of takes the Pixies LoudQuietLoud gestalt and splits it up into the quiet album (Clear Moon) and the loud album (Ocean Roar) and the results are spectacular and bracing. If I’d heard these earlier (and they seem inseparable, hence the joint listing), they might well have ended higher up the list. So by March, 2013, they could be near the top. Which is how beanstalks grow, I suppose, speaking of ecological tall tales.
09) How to Dress Well – Total Loss
“All the new thinking is about loss. In this it resembles all the old thinking.” Thus did Robert Hass, with a twinkle in his eye, speak to our predilection for elegy. Tom Krell, who is How to Dress Well, doubles down here, not only replicating some of the old music, but some of the old thinking about loss. This is the big self-conscious album about bereavement that I listened to in a rather morose way for much of the year, even though it’s beautiful and uplifting. One of only two or three “electronic” albums that I can unequivocally put in my best-of list for the year. See below for comments on the others.
10) Shins – Port of Morrow
Turns out that you can’t keep the Shins down. This is a fantastic album, filled with complicated (and simultaneously very accessible) melody, harmony and lyricism. It kind of flew under the radar, because we take the Shins for granted, and because we might think their best work is behind them. We should think again.
11) AC Newman – Shut Down the Streets
AC Newman should join the Shins. This is also a fantastic album, the kind of thing that should be a huge hit (like, on the charts). We should be hearing these songs on the radio, like the regular radio. Another album about loss, sad to say. See: Robert Hass, above. This might actually be my favorite album of the year. I don’t know why it’s only at #11. Perhaps because Neko Case gets on my nerves these days, and she shows up here for some warbling duties.
12) Chairlift – Something
The biggest and most pleasant surprise of the year, and the reason blogs are important. This is a gorgeous synthy pop album that came out of nowhere and made me pay attention to it. Reasons not to give up on new music, just because I’m, cough, forty seven years old.
13) Grimes – Visions
Confession: I was too embarrassed to put this higher, even though I actually love it do death. My only reservation is that it isn’t grimier. If you’re going to call yourself “Grimes,” then go all in.
14) Black Marble – A Different Arrangement
Recommended to me by the same record store guy who dismissed Tame Impala, this album was underwhelming at first, but after a while the Stephin Merritt/electronica thing really started to work on me. Nice job, record store guy.
15) xx – Coexist
Who would have thought that the xx could have turned out to be a polarizing band, after the consensus over the first album. That phenomenon alone buys them a long leash in my book, and so I’m remaining loyal. This album wasn’t exactly a re-tread of the first one, and repays repeated listening, although as someone has already pointed out, they won’t be allowed to turn in a third album like this without suffering some serious slippage. The steel drums were a touch of genius by Jamie. Let’s hope that’s a sign of things to come.
16) Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan
See above, and also, I’m very surprised to be allowing Dirty Projectors to be darkening my door after their last two albums made me want to punch myself in the face repeatedly. Longstreth appears to have been able to get over himself just long enough to write some actual songs, with melodies and choruses, and they’re actually very good songs indeed. Keep it up, Longstreth!
17) Grizzly Bear – Shields
See above, mostly, although I will say that I think this album could end up being a lot more important than that 17th best thing that came out in 2012. I continue to struggle with their preciousness, but this is a very impressive piece of work. There’s a song right in the middle of the album (“A Simple Answer,” I think) that threatens to turn me into the Hulk every time I hear it, so dull and meandering is it, but apart from that, this is some serious and sustained work of great ambition, and they pretty much pull it off.
18) Chromatics – Kill For Love
Epic, filmic music. Genius decision to start with the Neil Young cover, and it goes well from there. Also, those two Johnny Jewel mixes (Black and White/Let’s Kiss) are good value for money (that is to say, they are free – seek them out on the internet).
19) Japandroids – Celebration Rock
I wanted to fall in love with this album, and I sort of did for a while before I realized that it didn’t line up with my humours. In other words, I couldn’t get behind something so celebratory at this point in my life, and because my irony meter was broken this year. But I recognize that in another year it might have been a lot higher.
20) Lemonade – Diver
Another surprise from the bloggers. Ambient washes. I was much taken with it.
The Second Tier:
21) The Walkmen – Heaven
I've never been a close follower of The Walkmen, but this one was affecting for some reason. I love Hamilton Leithauser’s vocals on this album. They remind me of someone (Julian Casablancas?). And of course it’s an album about growing up and owning things you were previously afraid of/uninterested in. Welcome to life. Ugh.
22) Jessie Ware – Devotion
There’s a lot of great r&b coming out of England lately, even if you don’t count Adele. Jessie Ware is leading the way (along with Delilah and Paloma Faith, below). “Wildest Moments” was one of the great songs of the year.
23) Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
I was super excited about this album, only to be slightly disappointed in it. Epic promised a lot more than this delivered, but there are definitely some very high points (e.g. “Serpents”).
24) Mark Eitzel – Don’t Be a Stranger
I’m not objective about Mark Eitzel. I even liked that ridiculous bouzouki album of AMC songs a few years ago. And the fact that he has a home on Merge makes me happy. This album made me cry quite a lot. Hence, #24.
25) Beach House – Bloom
This album was very disappointing, but that might be because the bar was set so high with Teen Dream. I’m continuing to wait for it to bloom like it said it would. I’m not giving up on it yet, though.
26) Bill Fay – Life is People
Another lovely surprise. I’d never heard of Bill Fay before. But I guess Jeff Tweedy had, since he curated (produced, sang, etc.) this project. An uplifting piece of secular spiritual music from the hinterland. I loved it so much, I gave it to someone for their birthday. So there.
27) Cat Power – Sun
Also disappointing, but Cat Power’s less-than-stellar offerings are still better than most people’s best. Plus, my wife really liked this album, so I’m giving it the proper respect. I wish it could have been higher, but it didn’t really catch fire for me.
28) Purity Ring – Shrines
I was really enjoying this, and thinking of placing it much higher, when there came a moment of excessive Bjorkiness that made me reconsider. Hence, #28.
29) Delilah – From the Roots Up
30) Paloma Faith – Fall to Grace
See: Jessie Ware, above, because I’m a big chauvinist who thinks that all white, British, female soul singers sound the same. JK.
EPs of the Year:
01) Dum Dum Girls – End of Daze
I really wanted this to be an album, because it was perfect except that it wasn’t long enough. So perhaps it’s just the right length after all.
02) Burial – Kindred
He can do no wrong.
03) Solange – True
Why not?
Purgatory:
I struggled with a lot of these zeitgeisty electronic albums, all of which I really wanted to like, so they’re being placed in the holding tank until I can figure them out, along with Fiona Apple’s latest, because I didn’t have a chance to listen to it enough to decide whether I love it or hate it.
Actress – R.I.P
Flying Lotus – Until the Quiet Comes
Jon Talabot – Fin
Fiona Apple – Whatever it’s called
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
Here’s something weird:
Big fan of Ben Gibbard and Aimee Mann. Both released albums in 2012. One of those albums contained a duet between the two of them. I had zero interest in either. Can’t explain it. It’s like I’m Benjamin Button. Just when you think I might be at the point in my life when a Ben Gibbard or an Aimee Mann album might “speak to me,” I become immune/allergic. Wait, that's nothing like Benjamin Button. Never mind.
Meh:
DIIV – Oshin
Ty Segall – All of it
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