Allo Darlin – Music For Kids Who Can't Read Good

musicforants.com's Best Albums of 2012

We’re quickly approaching the end of 2012 and/or the world depending on your interpretation of Mayan prophecy, and that can only mean it’s time to reflect on the best albums of the year. For me, one record stood head and shoulders above the rest in 2012, so album of the year was an easy decision, but there was much deliberation for the other 24 positions (plus, honorable mentions). This was one of the most diverse years of music in recent memory, with pop, guitar-oriented rock, folk music, indie-pop and electronica all being represented just about equally. It was also a year where lots of debut albums and new favorites dominated my listening, with 3/5 of the artists making their first appearance on one of my year-end album lists.

I want to thank you guys for continuing to read and support this blog. Next year, musicforants.com will be making some changes / transitions. I’m dedicated to continue sharing my music recommendations, mixes, lists, musings and whatever else, but for a variety of reasons, that won’t look the same in 2013 as it does now (stay tuned for more info on that). As always, feel free to leave a comment if you like what you see on this list and let me know if you have any of your own favorite albums to add. Have a wonderful holidays!

25. Father John Misty – Fear Fun

MP3 Nancy From Now On
MP3 Hollywood Forever Cemetary Sings

24. Hospitality – Hospitality

MP3 Eighth Avenue
MP3 Friends of Friends

23. Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan

MP3 Gun Has No Trigger
MP3 About To Die

22. Allo, Darlin’ – Europe

MP3 Capricornia
MP3 Tallulah

21. Jessie Ware – Devotion

MP3 Wildest Moments

20. Bowerbirds – The Clearing

MP3 Tuck The Darkness In
MP3 In The Yard

19. Cloud Nothings – Attack On Memory

MP3 Stay Useless
MP3 Wasted Days

18. First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar

MP3 Emmylou
MP3 King of the World

17. Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man

MP3 Laura

16. Titus Andronicus – Local Business

MP3 Still Life With Hot Deuce On A Silver Platter
MP3 In A Big City

15. Shearwater – Animal Joy

MP3 You As You Were
MP3 Breaking The Yearlings

14. Lord Huron – Lonesome Dreams

MP3 Time To Run
MP3 Brother

13. DIIV – Oshin

MP3 How Long Have You Known

12. The Mountain Goats – Transcendental Youth

MP3 Cry For Judas
MP3 Harlem Roulette

11. Sigur Rós – Valatari

MP3 Ekki múkk

10. Twin Shadow – Confess

MP3 Five Seconds
MP3 When The Movie’s Over

9. Hot Chip – In Our Heads

MP3 Don’t Deny Your Heart
MP3 Flutes

8. Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself

MP3 Eyeoneye
MP3 Danse Carribe

7. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart, Sweet Light

MP3 Hey Jane

6. Japandroids – Celebration Rock

MP3 The House That Heaven Built
MP3 Younger Us

5. Jens Lekman – I Know What Love Isn’t

MP3 I Know What Love Isn’t
MP3 The End Of The World Is Bigger Than Love

4. Chromatics – Kill For Love

MP3 Kill For Love
MP3 Lady

3. Beach House – Bloom

MP3 Myth
MP3 Lazuli

2. Grizzly Bear – Shields

MP3 Speak In Rounds
MP3 Yet Again

1. Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE

MP3 Pyramids
MP3 Thinking About You

Honorable Mentions:

Moonface – with Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery
Grimes – Visions
The Tallest Man On Earth – There’s No Leaving Now
Tame Impala – Lonerism
Chairlift – Something
Kindness – World, You Need A Change Of Mind
Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls
Porcelain Raft – Strange Weekend

Spotify Playlist: musicforants.com’s Best Albums of 2012

Thanks again to everyone for reading! Stay tuned…

musicforants.com's Best Songs of 2012

(photo by cubagallery)

These are 50 tracks that delighted, inspired and fascinated us in 2012 and that we think are worthy of remembering long after the year is over. We present them here in highly unscientific ordered list form, with Matt’s songs marked with a “-MG” and my choices with a “-TJ” next to them. To better spread the love, we’ve stuck with the one song per artist rule. Click here to download all the tracks in a zip and subscribe to our Spotify Playlist to stream them all. Enjoy y’all!

50. Porcelain Raft – Unless You Speak From Your Heart MP3

Porcelain Raft’s Strange Weekend is one of my favorite debut albums of the year, and this swelling synth-pop anthem is the shining moment. -TJ

49. Sharon Van Etten – Give Out MP3

“Give Out” is Sharon Van Etten exploring the tension of exciting possibilities that she knows will inevitably lead to resentment. It exists in this weird space of breakups that haven’t actually happened yet. -MG

48. Moonface – Teary Eyes and Bloody Lips MP3

One of our generations’s most gifted songwriters delivers this soaring new-wave guitar anthem that sits as one of the best (and most explosive) tracks in Spencer Krug’s extensive catalog. -TJ

47. The xx – Chained [stream]

Even if “Chained” wasn’t really indicative of the rest of The xx’s new album, it proved that their first round wasn’t a fluke. They sound even more sure of themselves here, stripping away their sound until we’re left with something simple and pure. -MG

46. Hundred Waters – Me & Anodyne MP3

Hundred Waters have proved to be one of the most promising new bands of the year with tracks like this otherworldly gem, filled with layers of vocals, synth textures and bubbling electronica. -TJ

45. Dirty Projectors – About To Die MP3

The best part of any Dirty Projectors song is trying to figure out why they put these particular sounds together, and “About to Die” provides plenty of puzzlers. It’s simultaneously weird and accessible, a combination few pull off as well. -MG

44. Bobby Womack – Please Forgive My Heart MP3

Soul legend Bobby Womack delivers a passionate, heartfelt vocal performance in this electro-soul confessional produced with gorgeous sonic flourishes by Damon Albarn. -TJ

43. Nite Jewel – One Second Of Love MP3

“One Second of Love” sounds homemade, but not lo-fi. It’s intimate, but still gives off the vibe that it could pour out of speakers if it needed to. -MG

42. Eternal Summers – Millions MP3

The Virginian indie pop duo, Eternal Summers captivate with this dreamy, sunkissed power-pop tune that captures the very essence of summer in a brisk 2 minutes and thirty seconds. -TJ

41. Death Grips – I’ve Seen Footage MP3

“I’ve Seen Footage” was Death Grips’ shot across the bow of 2012, and by the end of the year the band had courted more than their share of controversy. It’s a reminder of a simpler time, when they were just assaulting eardrums instead of offending eyeballs. -MG

Follow the jump below to see the rest of the list!

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Summer (Or What It Sounds Like) Vol. 3

(photo by gege.gatt)

After taking its sweet time last year, summer has struck back with a vengeance. At least here in the midwest, 90+ degree temperatures and clear, sunny skies are quickly becoming the norm. Of course, with summertime not only comes trips to the beach and increased slushie sales but exuberant, feel-good summer jams. As is our tradition here at Music For Ants, we’re providing a mix to soundtrack some of your 2012 summer memories. Download below or listen at Spotify. Enjoy!

MP3 Japandroids – The House That Heaven Built
MP3 Hospitality – All Day Today
MP3 GROUPLOVE – Naked Kids
MP3 Yellow Ostrich – Marathon Runner
MP3 Summer Heart – I Wanna Go
MP3 Eternal Summers – Millions
MP3 Beach House – Wild
MP3 Fanfarlo – Tightrope
MP3 Chairlift – I Belong In Your Arms
MP3 Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks
MP3 Last Days of 1984 – River’s Edge
MP3 Tennis – High Road
MP3 Niki & The Dove – Tomorrow
MP3 Xylos – Summerlong
MP3 Here We Go Magic – How Do I Know
MP3 Bear In Heaven – Kiss Me Crazy
MP3 Allo Darlin’ – Capricornia
MP3 Sleigh Bells – End of the Line
MP3 Kindness – Gee Up
MP3 TV Girl – It Evaporates
MP3 La Sera – I’m Alone
MP3 Canyons – When I See You Again
MP3 Jack White – Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy
MP3 Sophia Knapp – Glasses High
MP3 Best Coast – Up All Night

Download the full mix here: SummerMix-Vol3.zip (134.2 MB)
Spotify Playlist: Summer (Or What It Sounds Like) Vol. 3

Five Albums You Should Be Listening To Right Now

Editor’s Note: Matt (on behalf of musicforants.com) contributed this post to Nerve.com’s Five Albums series this week. Check out his list / remarks below!

Allo Darlin’ – Europe

At first, Allo Darlin’ seem like any number of cloying indie-pop bands, good for a few spins until the next identical thing comes along to fill the girl-playing-ukulele void. But throughout Europe, Allo Darlin’ rises above those cutesy trappings and displays the kind of pathos often lacking in their peers. These are songs of love and friends, both found and lost, but with the melancholy that comes with a few more years. And that added experience goes a long way; these are songs where things don’t always work out, but still end up OK.

MP3 Some People Say

Bowerbirds – The Clearing

The Clearing is a good album. Obviously this is the case or it wouldn’t be on this list, but it’s not the kind of good that makes you jump on your social media network of choice and exclaim its goodness to all your friends. No, The Clearing is the kind of good that takes a few listens to sink in, the kind that can get lost in the now-ness of blog shuffle. It’s carefully constructed folk music, packed with interesting flourishes and graceful melodies. Just be patient with it.

MP3 Tuck The Darkness In

Chairlift – Something

“I Belong in Your Arms” is a monster of a song, and on any other album it would tower above all the others. Fortunately for Chairlift, Something isn’t any other album. While “I Belong in Your Arms” is certainly a highlight, the other songs here keep pace with it just fine. Something harkens back to those early days of synthpop, when artists were having a blast discovering the possibilities of new technology. It’s that same sense of wonder and excitement that makes Something worth coming back to.

MP3 I Belong In Your Arms

Gentleman Jesse – Leaving Atlanta

Created in the wake of some hard times, Leaving Atlanta does what all good power pop music does and hides its troubles under a layer of bubblegum. Jesse Smith has a way with hooks, and every song is overflowing with bits that will keep you humming for days. And while it all seems like freewheeling fun, there’s still enough of an edge to hint at the sorrow below the surface.

MP3 Eat Me Alive

Screaming Females – Ugly

Screaming Females slay, destroy, wail, and whatever other buzzwords you want to throw at them. Frontwoman Marissa Paternoster is better at playing guitar than most of us are at breathing, and these songs are packed with as many tricks and solos as she can tease out of the instrument. But you’re only as good as the band behind you, and together Screaming Females create a raucous blast of noisy rock.

MP3 Expire

For The Actor Mix

“I mean, look at me— I’m an actor. An actor, for crying out loud. You know how much rejection I face every day? But in this business of show, you have to have the heart of an angel and the hide… of an elephant.”

Words of wisdom from the perennial actor / never-nude, Tobias Funke. Yes, not everyone’s cut out to be a a DeNiro, or a Regis, or a Pinkett-Smith, but there are a select few actors & actresses that have reached the pantheon of greatness, which is, of course, being memorialized in song. Such is the case in “Steve McQueen”, the beyond-epic track from M83‘s breathtaking album, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming released today, which got me thinking of other songs that were named after famous actors. Turns out there’s quite a few, so I collected some of my favorites (with help from facebook / twitter) and put them together for this mix. You can download all 21 songs of the “For The Actor” Mix below or listen to the playlist on Spotify. Enjoy!

MP3 M83 – Steve McQueen
MP3 k-os – I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman
MP3 Postal Service – Clark Gable
MP3 Jens Lekman – Waiting for Kirsten
MP3 Eels – Grace Kelly Blues
MP3 Gorillaz – Clint Eastwood
MP3 Bree Sharp – David Duchovny, Why Don’t You Love Me
MP3 Dogs Die in Hot Cars – Paul Newman’s Eyes
MP3 The Rolling Stones – Pass The Wine (Sophia Loren)
MP3 Madness – Michael Caine
MP3 R.E.M. – Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando And I
MP3 Allo Darlin’ – Woody Allen
MP3 Totally Michael – Winona
MP3 of Montreal – Dustin Hoffman Thinks About Eating the Soap
MP3 Braid – Harrison Ford
MP3 The Mountain Goats – For Charles Bronson
MP3 Bauhaus – Bela Lugosi’s Dead
MP3 Electrelane – John Wayne
MP3 Kim Carnes – Bette Davis Eyes
MP3 Sonic Youth – Madonna, Sean & Me (The Crucifixion of Sean Penn)
MP3 Billy Bragg & Wilco – Ingrid Bergman

***

Spotify Playlist: For The Actor Mix