Cloud Nothings – 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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Favorite Live Shows of 2012

As a result of certain life events due to transpire next year, I may not be going to concerts / festivals at the same rate I used to, so it’s a good thing that I went all out this year. This was my first year I went to Bonnaroo in addition to my usual Pitchfork Fest / Pygmalion coverage, and I got to see some of all-time favorite, bucket list artists for the first time like New Order, Jeff Mangum and the Beach Boys. Below are my 20 favorite live shows of the year. You can visit the musicforants.com flickr page to view all my concert pictures.

20. Santigold @ Bonnaroo (Manchester, TN)

MP3 Santigold – Lights Out

***

19. Wild Flag @ Pitchfork Festival (Chicago)

MP3 Wild Flag – Romance

***

18. The Head and the Heart @ Canopy Club (Urbana)

MP3 The Head and the Heart – Sounds Like Hallelujah

***

17. Alabama Shakes @ Bonnaroo (Manchester, TN)

MP3 Alabama Shakes – Hold On

***

16. Lord Huron @ Pygmalion Festival (Champaign/Urbana)

MP3 Lord Huron – The Stranger

Continue reading “Favorite Live Shows of 2012” →

Pygmalion Festival – Day Three (Grizzly Bear / Dinosaur Jr. / Cloud Nothings / UMO / Frankie Rose / Lower Dens)

Whereas most days at Pygmalion Music Festival you’ll find yourself bouncing around from place to place to catch all the good bands, for the grand finale everyone was centralized in one place, downtown Champaign at the Highdive Outdoor stage. It was an amazing set-up and led to perhaps my favorite day of live music in Pygmalion’s 8-year history.

After a number of local Champaign/Urbana acts warmed up the stages (my personal favorite being folk/pop quartet Grandkids), current Grizzly Bear-tourmates Lower Dens kicked things off with their atmospheric, guitar-driven Krautrock, playing a number of tracks from their acclaimed 2012 album, Nootropics. The band’s expertise is creating hazy, trance-like soundscapes so while much of their music is probably better suited to headphones listening, dreamy singles like “Brains” and “Propagation” were mesmerizing.

MP3 Lower Dens – Brains

Former Vivian Girls drummer Frankie Rose took the stage with her band for a early evening set of reverb-heavy indie-pop from her acclaimed sophomore album Interstellar. The band’s lush, super-melodic tunes like “Know Me” and “Night Swim” sounded great on stage and considering the smallish crowd at the outdoor side-stage, Rose put on an engaging and enjoyable set.

MP3 Frankie Rose – Know Me

Unknown Mortal Orchestra were one of my most anticipated acts of the night and they didn’t disappoint. The Portland psych trio injected a healthy dose of druggy guitar jams to the festival proceedings, led by perpetually laid-back singer-guitarist Ruban Nielson. What the band lacks in an energy though they more than make up for with their visceral, fuzzed-out sound, made even better by the impressive rhythm section that gives tunes like “Ffunny Ffriends” and new single “Swim and Sink” their intoxicating psych-pop bounce. Grizzly Bear were obviously taken by the band as well, thanking them multiple times during their set, and it’s easy to see why.

MP3 Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Swim and Sleep (Like A Shark)

It was a huge thrill to see Dinosaur Jr. at Pygmalion, given that they were one of the pivotal bands of the 80’s alternative rock scene, inspiring countless bands from Pavement to Nirvana. Unlike many of the bands from the pre-grunge era still kicking though, these guys are no nostalgia act. Following their reunion in 2007, they’ve released three solid albums and as they proved here, their live show destroys. On stage, the band is an ultra-tight three-piece, led by J Mascis’ incredible guitar heroics and cracked falsetto with powerful backup from Lou Barlow’s unrelenting bass and Murph’s thundering drums.

Dinosaur Jr. played just about the best (and loudest) set I could ask including all of my favorite classic tracks like “Keep Choppin'”, “Freak Scene”, “The Lung” and “Little Fury Bugs”. The highlight had to be “Feel The Pain” though, with it’s breakneck tempo changes and face-melting guitar solo. The band closed with their thundering cover of “Just Like Heaven” (complete with the abrubt ending), topping off an explosive set that proved beyond any doubt that J Mascis and co. still got it.

MP3 Dinosaur Jr – Feel The Pain

Cloud Nothings put on easily one of the most memorable sets at Pitchfork Festival this summer, partially due to the torrential downpour that they played through and eventually shut them down, so I was definitely looking forward to seeing them play a full set. The band absolutely delivered, playing a rager of a set and inciting one of the craziest mosh pits I’ve witnessed.

The band opened with their catchiest track, “Stay Useless”, but the bobbing heads and sing-a-long melodies quickly turned to fist-pumping and all-out thrashing as the band ferociously stormed through “Fall In”, “Cut You” and especially “Wasted Days”. Even sandwiched between veterans Dinosaur Jr. and indie royalty Grizzly Bear, the band more than held their own, playing an profoundly energetic, boisterous set.

MP3 Cloud Nothings – Stay Useless

Closing out this year of Pygmalion Festival was a performance from one of the most extraordinary bands working today (indie or otherwise), and the Grizzly Bear put one of the best shows I’ve seen at this or any festival. Opening with what happens to be my favorite song from their new album, “Speak In Rounds” the Brooklyn quartet awed the crowd with their unique brand of rock music that balances lush harmonies, dynamic instrumentation and complex yet engaging songwriting. The band just released their latest masterpiece, Shields an extremely ambitious, progressive that builds upon the band’s ten years of musical experience without attempting to replicate their previous albums, Veckatimest and Yellow House.

The new songs sounded breathtaking live, and provided a wonderful showcase for the band’s exceptional musicmanship, most notably Chris Bear’s improvisational drumming style and the band’s exuberant harmonies. “Yet Again”, “A Simple Answer” and “Sun In Your Eyes” stood out to me as highlights, joining the pantheon of great Grizzly Bear tracks like “Two Weeks”, “Knife”, “Ready, Able” and “While We Wait For The Others”, all of which were played on Saturday night to perfection. The band closed with an energetic performance of “On A Neck, On A Spit” before expressing their gratitude at being asked to play Pygmalion Festival. After witnessing their awe-inspiring performance, the pleasure was all ours.

MP3 Grizzly Bear – Speak In Rounds
MP3 Grizzly Bear – Yet Again

Follow the jump for lots more Pygmalion Festival Day Three photos. Click here to see the full set.

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Album Art Lover: Blurry

For this edition of my ongoing album art lover series (where I discuss album art trends and stuff), I’m focusing on the album covers using blur, an effect I’ve seen pop up more and more this year, from Cloud Nothings to The Antlers to Chromatics. Probably the most iconic blurry album photo is Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, which was thought to symbolize the dazed and druggy times of the mid-60’s (but was actually because it was freezing cold the day of the photo shoot).

From the 60′ on, blurry and out-of-focus album art continues to be popular aesthetic choice, used to evoke feelings of confusion, intoxication, dizziness or unrest, or it could just be that artists think it looks cool. Whatever the case, below is a mix of 15 albums featuring blurry covers. View the cover art and download an track from each album below, just make sure to take your dramamine first.