Catching Up: The Best Of 2012 That I Missed
It’s not too late to squeeze in a few more from 2012, right? Part of what I love about best of, year end lists is that it gives me a window into all the stuff other people enjoy (stuff I may have missed). Let’s face it – there is too much music out there for any one person to keep track of. So here is, a scant few weeks into 2013, a list of the best albums from 2012 that I was not aware of until 2012 was already shut down and placed in cold storage.
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Mac DeMarco – Rock And Roll Nightclub
I really shit the bed in 2012 by neglecting Rock and Roll Nightclub in favor of DeMarco’s other major release that year, 2. And while Rock and Roll may be an EP, its long enough for full-length status, and to my mind it packs in exponentially more excellent weird pop than its full-length cousin. And 2 was no slouch, mind you, but if you are even considering listening to either, Rock and Roll Nightclub should be considered mandatory listening.
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Blu & Exile – Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them
I try and keep up with talented up-and-coming rapper Blu’s exploits but somehow they keep blowing under my radar. Flowers is the second collborative album that Blu has crafted with production partner Exile (the first was breakout 2007 album Below The Heavens). If you are down with jazz-oriented, Pete Rock influenced production style and fantastic lyricism then you might be as into this as I was.
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Tara King, Th – Uncolored Past (Pt.I & II)
Though i did manage to review this one, it wasn’t until my year end “best of” list was already written in stone. If I had been a little quicker on the uptake this Parisian bands Broadcast-esque baroque pop debut would have definitely had a high rank.
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Georgia Anne Muldrow – Seeds
I am still trying to figure out how I personally feel about this record, but one thing I don’t doubt is that relative newcomer Georgia Anne Muldrow is extremely talented. The singer explores her Badu-esque roots throughout Seeds, set to the tune of Madlib’s flawless production.
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Sam Flax – Age Waves
Sam Flax is yet another artists in the same grain as the current throwback, weird-pop genre as Ariel Pink. His newest record though, Age Waves, shows that he’s a cut above the rest.
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Broadcast – Berberian Sound System Soundtrack
Broadcast’s Trish Keenan may have tragically passed away in 2011, but the duo had already recorded enough material to still release the soundtrack to Berberian Sound System in 2012. The soundtrack, which is to an independent film about a Giallo film composer who is slowly driven insane, is an incredibly eerie and funereal listen. It isn’t the “classic” Broadcast sound by any means, but its still a testament to how amazingly talented the pair was. Hopefully sole remaining member James Cargill continues to make music.
