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…

Pygmalion Festival – Day Two (Dirty Projectors / Best Coast / Lord Huron / Tennis / Hospitality / Hundred Waters)

One of the great things about this year of Pygmalion Music Festival is that since it was condensed to three days instead of the normal four days (or five, the case of ’10), the festival organizers were able to fit a ton more of amazing bands into one night, all killer no filler if you will. Friday night was the best example, starting with great sets by Tennis and Dirty Projectors at the outdoor stage in downtown Urbana.

All due respect to Best Coast, but as far as band’s that play retro, sunny pop music, Tennis were clearly the winners on Friday night. The band played a fantastic set, drawing from the band’s debut Cape Dory and their latest album Young and Old, that was carried by Alaina Moore’s mesmerizing vocals and charismatic stage presence. Highlights included some old favorites like “Marathon” (the first Tennis song I heard, and still my favorite) and “South Carolina” and some dreamy tunes from their new album including “Origins” and set closer “High Road”. On a chilly night in late September, Tennis made the whole crowd feel warm and fuzzy.

MP3 Tennis – High Road

After just seeing Dirty Projectors at Pitchfork this summer, I knew what to expect (lots of angular guitar, odd time signatures and vivid, alluring harmonies), but that didn’t make the experience any less engrossing. Dave Longstreth has lept up to become one of my favorite indie rock frontman, when he wasn’t pulling off the band’s super-intricate art-rock jams, he was cracking jokes about being able to see the Walgreens sign poking through the trees from the stage and discussing with the crowd whether the moon was waxing or waning. Again, the tracks from Swing Lo Magellan like “Gun Has No Trigger” and “About To Die” were the highlights for me although the extended noisy jam on “Useless Chamber” was up there as well.

MP3 Dirty Projectors – About To Die
MP3 Dirty Projectors – Gun Has No Trigger

I headed out during the last couple Dirty Projectors songs, just in time to catch the beginning of Hospitality‘s set. The Brooklyn band put out one of the best debuts (and best indie-pop records in general) of 2012 with their self-titled album earlier this year, and even though they were relegated to the small stage, they completely rocked it. The band worked through some of the ultra-catchy, jangly pop on the record like “Eight Avenue”, “Friends of Friends” and “All Day Today”, while emphasizing their impressive guitar-work to make up for the lack of horn section from the album. They even played a couple new songs, that showed just why they’re one of the most promising new bands working today.

MP3 Hospitality – Friends of Friends

If you had asked me what my most anticipated act for Friday night at Pygmalion Festival was, my answer would have been Lord Huron, hands-down. The band has been on my radar for over a year and a half when they released two amazing EPs, Into The Sun and Mighty. It’s been a long wait, but they are finally releasing their debut album, Lonesome Dreams next week and I was thrilled to be able to hear them perform a bunch of new songs and a couple old at the Canopy Club.

Singer / songwriter Ben Schneider and his fellow troubadours played an enthusiastic set of their unique, tropical-inflected rhythms and upbeat afro-pop percussion, immersing the crowd in their lush, breezy sound. The band has a knack for writing melodies that stick with you and that was certainly on display throughout their set, especially on their 1-2 punch to close of set of “Time To Run” and classic “The Stranger”. I only wish they had some more time, because I could have easily watched Lord Huron play all night.

MP3 Lord Huron – Time To Run
MP3 Lord Huron – The Stranger

To borrow from one of Best Coast‘s most overused lyrics, the band seemed a bit “lazy” on stage at their headlining Canopy Club set. Bethany Cosentino didn’t waste any time mentioning her displeasure with their late time slot, complaining that it was way past all their bed times, and the band generally gave off the vibe that she didn’t want to be there (in heavy contrast to the rest of the headliners, who seemed absolutely elated to be playing). Yeah, it was still decently fun singing a long to tunes like “The Only Place” and “When I’m With You”, but overall the band was flat and non-engaging. The very young crowd didn’t seem to mind too much, but I, for one, gave up after a few songs to check out Hundred Waters next door.

MP3 Best Coast – When I’m With You

It turns out the decision to give up on Best Coast early and catch Hundred Waters, was the best one I made all night. Even though the band were moved last-minute from the larger Channing-Murray venue to the Red Herring cafe (essentially a basement), they still managed to put on a captivating set and sounded incredible. The band’s experimental folk/pop was the perfect late-night chill/dance music with their rippling synths, syncopated electronica and inventive harmonies create their full, complex songs. Just watching the percussionist produce the lush soundscapes by twisting knobs and clicking colorful buttons was one of the most rewarding experiences of the festival for me.

MP3 Hundred Waters – Me & Anodyne

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

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

MP3: Hospitality – Eighth Avenue

You can always count on Merge Records to deliver the goods and they did so this week with the debut record from Hospitality, a band that plays the type of Belle & Sebastian-inspired jangly, wistful indie pop that always seems to hit the sweet spot for me. The first track on Hospitality’s self-titled debut is “Eighth Avenue” which opens with all the typical twee-signifiers, gently strummed acoustic guitar and airy vocals, but opens up to become a lush, brilliantly realized track with some quick tempo-changes and rowdy guitar noodling among the memorable melodies. Check it out below.

MP3 Hospitality – Eighth Avenue

Get Hospitality at Merge Records