Bowerbirds – 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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Autumn (Or What It Feels Like To Fall) Vol. 3

After the record-breaking hot and humid summer we just had, Autumn and the cooler temperatures that come with it, is a most welcome change. Who doesn’t love pulling out their sweaters and scarfs, admiring the lovely shades of reds and yellows, and the smell of the bonfires and apple cider in the air? With the changing trees and temperatures, the music I most associate with the season is different too, focusing on the wistful, laid-back and mostly acoustic songs that wrap around you like a warm sweater. As we always do at Music For Ants, we’re proving a new mix of songs for you put on while you’re walking across the quad with leaves crunching under your feet or drinking your hot Pumpkin Spice Latte on the way to work in the morning. Download below or listen at Spotify. Enjoy!

MP3 A.C. Newman – I’m Not Talking
MP3 The Tallest Man On Earth – Little Brother
MP3 Memoryhouse – Heirloom
MP3 Father John Misty – Only Son Of The Ladies Man
MP3 The National – Exile Villify
MP3 Air Review – America’s Son
MP3 DIIV – Earthboy
MP3 Sharon Van Etten – Leonard
MP3 The Helio Sequence – October
MP3 Grizzly Bear – Gun-Shy
MP3 Wild Nothing – Through The Grass
MP3 Andrew Bird – Lusitania
MP3 Evans The Death – Letter Of Complaint
MP3 Sun Kil Moon – Among The Leaves
MP3 Bowerbirds – In The Yard
MP3 Band of Horses – Slow Cruel Hands Of Time
MP3 TW Walsh – Natural Causes
MP3 First Aid Kit – King of the World
MP3 The Walkmen – Song For Leigh
MP3 M. Ward – There’s A Key
MP3 Sarah Mary Chadwick – Fools Like Me
MP3 Farewell J.R. – A Thought, A Mind
MP3 Wilco – Rising Red Lung
MP3 The Mynabirds – Greatest Revenge

Download the full mix here: AutumnMix-Vol3.zip (177.99 MB)
Spotify Playlist: Autumn (Or What It Feels Like To Fall) 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

Winter (Or What We Mistake for December)

Photo taken by the amazing garmonique

I’ll be honest with you, this collection of songs was compiled with nothing but mixed emotions and by that I mean I wasn’t able to put my finger on any real understanding of what Winter should feel like. Happy or sad? The undertones of what is otherwise pleasing to look at in nature often strikes differently in the depths of the mind where everything tends to get lost. Although I guess that’s just it for me, using music as an instrument to bridge these contradictions and find a sense of acceptance–which is the only point I find myself able to move forward (into the new year, of course). Maybe unlike the rest, Winter is the only time we’re given the option to choose… and well, I chose for it to be beautiful. Oh, but now you’ve read too far into it. Here’s to stouthearted growth.

MP3 Young the Giant – Islands
MP3 Benoit Pioulard – Lasted
MP3 White Hinterland – Thunderbird
MP3 Holly Miranda – You and I Undercover (Steel Train Cover)
MP3 S. Carey – In The Dirt
MP3 Horse Feathers – The Drought
MP3 James Vincent McMorrow – If I Had a Boat
MP3 Wye Oak – I Hope You Die
MP3 Agnes Obel – Brother Sparrow
MP3 Laura Veirs – I Can See Your Tracks
MP3 Bowerbirds – Crooked Lust
MP3 Ravenna Woods – Simple Fates
MP3 Bear Hands – Julien
MP3 Jonquil – Compound
MP3 Winterpills – The Ballad of the Anxious Decoder
MP3 Sufjan Stevens – Heirloom
MP3 Damien Jurado – Rachel & Cali
MP3 Samantha Crain – We Are The Same
MP3 Laura Marling – New Romantic
MP3 Snowblink – Ambergris
MP3 British Sea Power – Baby
MP3 Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Simplest Love
MP3 The Walkmen – Torch Song

Spotify Playlist: Winter (Or What We Mistake For December)

Of Birds, Wooden and Bower

Two albums that I’ve been spinning this week are Bowerbirds sophomore album, Upper Air, and the debut of American Analogue Set / Broken Social Scene’s Andrew Kenny’s new project, The Wooden Birds. In addition to both having avian-influenced monikers, the bands both have a beautiful organic folk sound, which have provided a very enjoyable soundtrack for this sunshiny week.

Bowerbirds are a band I’ve been meaning to check out for a while after seeing them open for The Mountain Goats a couple years back and being impressed with their show. Their new album Upper Air, is full of exactly the kind of harmonic, mesmerizing folk tunes I needed to hook me in. I especially love the vivid sounds of “Northern Lights” with it’s rich instrumental layers of lightly strummed acoustic guitar and playful piano tinkering and eloquent, colorful lyrics .

MP3 Northern Lights

The Wooden Birds also specialize in folk songs, and while their songs are more intimate and minimalistic in nature, they are still quite lovely, evoking the lighter side of Neil Young (especially on first single “Sugar”). The songs are presented with tranquil arrangements and introspective lyrics. It’s definitely not music you’ll want to blast out the car, but for those quiet moments inbetween (best experienced on headphones), these songs are very effective and moving.

MP3 Sugar
MP3 Choke

(I’ve been working double shifts at work all this week and next so sorry if the posting is a bit lighter than normal)