musicforants.com's Best Albums of 2012

(photo by cubagallery)

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

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24. Hospitality – Hospitality

MP3 Eighth Avenue
MP3 Friends of Friends

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23. Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan

MP3 Gun Has No Trigger
MP3 About To Die

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22. Allo, Darlin’ – Europe

MP3 Capricornia
MP3 Tallulah

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21. Jessie Ware – Devotion

MP3 Wildest Moments

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20. Bowerbirds – The Clearing

MP3 Tuck The Darkness In
MP3 In The Yard

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19. Cloud Nothings – Attack On Memory

MP3 Stay Useless
MP3 Wasted Days

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18. First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar

MP3 Emmylou
MP3 King of the World

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17. Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man

MP3 Laura

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16. Titus Andronicus – Local Business

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

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15. Shearwater – Animal Joy

MP3 You As You Were
MP3 Breaking The Yearlings

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14. Lord Huron – Lonesome Dreams

MP3 Time To Run
MP3 Brother

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13. DIIV – Oshin

MP3 How Long Have You Known

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12. The Mountain Goats – Transcendental Youth

MP3 Cry For Judas
MP3 Harlem Roulette

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11. Sigur Rós – Valatari

MP3 Ekki múkk

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10. Twin Shadow – Confess

MP3 Five Seconds
MP3 When The Movie’s Over

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9. Hot Chip – In Our Heads

MP3 Don’t Deny Your Heart
MP3 Flutes

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8. Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself

MP3 Eyeoneye
MP3 Danse Carribe

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7. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart, Sweet Light

MP3 Hey Jane

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6. Japandroids – Celebration Rock

MP3 The House That Heaven Built
MP3 Younger Us

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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

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4. Chromatics – Kill For Love

MP3 Kill For Love
MP3 Lady

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3. Beach House – Bloom

MP3 Myth
MP3 Lazuli

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2. Grizzly Bear – Shields

MP3 Speak In Rounds
MP3 Yet Again

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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!

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

MP3: Father John Misty – Nancy From Now On

You’d think a person would be crazy to leave a gig in Fleet Foxes especially after a milestone record like Helplessness Blues, but that’s exactly what J. Tillman did to focus on his solo career. He’s no stranger to the solo game with seven albums under his own name, but for his latest, Fear Fun, he’s adopted a new moniker, Father John Misty. The standout track is “Nancy From Now On”, a song that immediately hooks you with it’s vintage acoustic guitar, a smooth, What’s Going On-style rhythm section and Tillman’s swooning falsetto. While I’ll miss his contributions to Fleet Foxes, I’m thrilled that he’s making songs as captivating as this one.

MP3 Father John Misty – Nancy From Now On

Fear Fun is out now on Sub Pop Records.