Year-End Critics' Polls 2012

As usual, it begins Thanksgiving week. The first one I've seen is the Rough Trade shop. Not technically a critic's poll, but like some of the better on-line retailers like Aquarius and Boomkat, they have a staff who writes blurbs and votes. Bloggers and freelance/single/married/swingin' critics welcome to submit here too!

Rough Trade Shops Albums of the Year
http://www.roughtrade.com/site/content.lasso?page=AOY_2012_page1.html

01 Grimes - Visions
02 John Talabot - Fin
03 Toy - Toy
04 Allo Darlin - Europe
05 Goat - World Music
06 Damien Jurado - Maraqopa
07 Alt J - An Awesome Wave
08 Django Django - Django Django
09 Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
10 Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

I'd put money on Frank Ocean getting #1 in Pazz & Jop and several other places. It gives off AOTY vibes.

unless you listen to it

I knew you'd respond. That was my Lex batsignal.

Haha.

Yeah, Channel Orange is going to be #1 on a lot of lists.

Looks like Ocean is a good bet, and/or Kendrick Lamar. Swans, Grizzly Bear, Beach House, Death Grips, Tame Impala, Jack White and uh, apparently Fiona Apple.

I think the best part are seeing the lists for the first time from publications that focus on certain genres that I follow. Nowadays, the overall Pazz & Jop type of superpolls are predictable enough based on all the rating score aggragators like Metacritic, Any Decent Music, Best Ever Albums and Album of the Year.

I'm looking forward to lists from Rock-A-Rolla, Decibel, The Soda Shop, Heavy Planet, Captain Beyond Zen, Doomantia, The Obelisk, The Quietus, The Wire and Terrorizer.

"uh apparently" fiona apple made the best album by far of that lot

by far

Naw.

The ILM poll is always interesting too!

I like Fiona Apple but after several listens the album did nothing for me, and I chalked it up as not one of her best and forgot about it. I'm just surprised to see her name after not hearing much about her since the album's June release. Will definitely give it some more listens.

I would love for The Idler Wheel to blow me away completely, and in snatches it does, but it could never take the place of When The Pawn in my heart.

never much cared for Fiona's voice to begin with and it makes my skin crawl on the new one

if i was ranking fiona's albums i'd put the idler wheel behind the flawless when the pawn, but they're so different that it doesn't feel like a strict either/or assessment is adequate

"hot knife" blows me away, like, completely

Hot knife is amazing. The album isnt quite as consistant as when the pawn, but it's pretty high my list this year. Very different, in my mind to her other stuff, but that just might be from where I'm coming from no w as a listener.

"Hot Knife" is def. part of the "snatches". As it stands the album is in my top 20.

I've taken to The Idler Wheel faster than to any other Apple record.

just this morning "Jonathan" impressed me all over again

gross dude

lol

Frank Ocean is my current prediction to win P&J.

will there be a P&J?

channel orange is my favourite album of the year, without a doubt.

Alfred asked what I was going to ask. (And if there is one, will people vote?)

The game is afoot!

Decibel’s Top 40 Albums Of 2012

40 Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage
39 Meshuggah – Koloss
38 Agalloch – Faustian Echoes EP
37 The Shrine – Primitive Blast
36 Incantation – Vanquish In Vengeance
35 Samothrace – Reverence To Stone
34 Devin Townsend Project – Epicloud
33 Panopticon – Kentucky
32 Saint Vitus – LILLIE: F-65
31 Mutilation Rites – Empyrean
30 Author & Punisher – Urus Americanus
29 A Life Once Lost – Ecstatic Trance
28 Asphyx – Deathhammer
27 Farsot – Insects
26 Gaza – No Absolute For Human Suffering
25 Inverloch – Dark/Subside
24 Swans – The Seer
23 Horrendous – The Chills
22 Killing Joke – MMXII
21 Early Graves – Red Horse
20 Liberteer – Better To Die On Your Feet Than Live On Your Knees
19 High On Fire – De Vermis Mysteriis
18 Napalm Death – Utiltarian
17 Torche – Harmonicraft
16 Grave – Endless Procession Of Souls
15 Satan’s Wrath – Galloping Blasphemy
14 Testament – Dark Roots Of Earth
13 Cattle Decapitation – Monolith Of Inhumanity
12 Blut Aus Nord – 777: Cosmosophy
11 Municipal Waste – The Fatal Feast
10 Pig Destroyer – Book Burner
09 Paradise Lost – Tragic Idol
08 Royal Thunder – CVI
07 Enslaved – Riitiir
06 Neurosis – Honor Found In Decay
05 Pallbearer – Sorrow and Extinction
04 Witchcraft – Legend
03 Evoken – Altra Mors
02 Baroness – Yellow & Green
01 Converge – All We Love We Leave Behind

Decibel is always full of surprises. While Dawnbringer's Nucleus was #4 in 2010, the new one didn't even make the list. Gojira is a little low! I'm glad to see Baroness up there after the beatdowns it's received, but it's even higher than I'd expect! Pleasantly surprised to see Witchcraft and Royal Thunder up high, but then where are Graveyard and Christian Mistress? Neurosis are cool of course, but their labelmates/buds Ufomammut kick the shit out of that album. Similarly, I'd take the Conan album over Pallbearer's, which I like, but would rate it down closer to the Saint Vitus.

Pleasantly surprised to see Witchcraft and Royal Thunder up high, but then where are Graveyard and Christian Mistress?

Especially since the latter two are approximately 100x better than the ones Decibel liked.

yep. It looks like maybe 2 of their top 40 would be in mine, but then again I haven't heard about 1/3 of these.

The yep was for 誤訳侮辱 seconding fastnbulbous. I'm in total agreement on those two.

My annotation of the Decibel list:

40 Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage (should have been way higher, but I'm biased)
39 Meshuggah – Koloss (didn't like)
38 Agalloch – Faustian Echoes EP (didn't hear)
37 The Shrine – Primitive Blast (didn't like)
36 Incantation – Vanquish In Vengeance (haven't heard yet but I like the band a bunch)
35 Samothrace – Reverence To Stone (who?)
34 Devin Townsend Project – Epicloud (pfft)
33 Panopticon – Kentucky (who?)
32 Saint Vitus – LILLIE: F-65 (should have been higher)
31 Mutilation Rites – Empyrean (who?)
30 Author & Punisher – Urus Americanus (didn't hear)
29 A Life Once Lost – Ecstatic Trance (didn't hear, but I like the band, but I also like Emmure)
28 Asphyx – Deathhammer (meh)
27 Farsot – Insects (who?)
26 Gaza – No Absolute For Human Suffering (didn't hear)
25 Inverloch – Dark/Subside (who?)
24 Swans – The Seer (didn't like)
23 Horrendous – The Chills (who?)
22 Killing Joke – MMXII (meh)
21 Early Graves – Red Horse (didn't hear)
20 Liberteer – Better To Die On Your Feet Than Live On Your Knees (weird isn't the same thing as good)
19 High On Fire – De Vermis Mysteriis (sure, OK - not as good as the last one)
18 Napalm Death – Utiltarian (awesome; should have been top 5)
17 Torche – Harmonicraft (this is a Foo Fighters album and has no business in a metal poll)
16 Grave – Endless Procession Of Souls (yay, love Grave)
15 Satan’s Wrath – Galloping Blasphemy (didn't hear)
14 Testament – Dark Roots Of Earth (didn't hear - who did?)
13 Cattle Decapitation – Monolith Of Inhumanity (didn't hear but they've always bored me)
12 Blut Aus Nord – 777: Cosmosophy (didn't hear)
11 Municipal Waste – The Fatal Feast (didn't hear)
10 Pig Destroyer – Book Burner (OK but they've still never topped Terrifyer and never will)
09 Paradise Lost – Tragic Idol (didn't hear)
08 Royal Thunder – CVI (pfft)
07 Enslaved – Riitiir (yawn)
06 Neurosis – Honor Found In Decay (yawn)
05 Pallbearer – Sorrow and Extinction (yawn)
04 Witchcraft – Legend (their weakest album - wtf?)
03 Evoken – Altra Mors (who?)
02 Baroness – Yellow & Green (awesome record, should have been #1)
01 Converge – All We Love We Leave Behind (a very good Converge album, consequently deserving of #10 at best)

Samothrace are worth hearing. Given how well Baroness and Torche did, I wonder if the staff heard and considered other non-extreme metal along the lines of Wo Fat and At Devil Dirt. I like the High On Fire, but I rate Castle, Witch Mountain, Owl, Venomous Maximus, The Sword, Alunah, Black Moth, Kadavar and Heat over it.

i'm always surprised by how early these start coming out, kind of a bummer tbh

Need to get them out of the way before the Big One.

i'm always surprised by how early these start coming out, kind of a bummer tbh

yeah feels p shitty

how many lists are gonna have farrah abraham on it

Didn't wind up putting her on my year-end list for The Wire, but felt bad about the oversight.

ILM list will.

Flopson OTM

I only really care about The Wire list because I get clued into stuff I might wanna investigate that I wasn't already aware of

All other lists - including those I vote as part of - are more a "what do other ppl care about" exercise that's only occasionally startling

I fuck with the Fiona, which is the only album on my list that has any hope of going near #1

Oh my god, Fiona is gonna make The Wire list isn't she. The geezers who normally would vote for Robert Wyatt or Scott Walker are gonna vote for her aren't they. I wonder if the same will happen if Taylor Swift makes an art rock album a decade from now?

I thought Swift recorded one already...?

I usually listen to at least 600-800 new releases a year, yet all the year-end lists together still prompt me to check out at least another hundred albums I missed, and I usually find at least a dozen or so I like enough to make my top 100. So when anyone says none of the lists are useful, it sounds kind of unnecessarily . . . smug might be too harsh. Overconfident that you've heard everything that you'd like?

The geezers who normally would vote for Robert Wyatt or Scott Walker are gonna vote for Scott Walker imo.

i think the word is 'knowing', fastnbulbous. or 'complacent'.

fiona apple won't make the wire list

The only album I didn't hear on the Decibel list was Horrendous. I'm shocked Dawnbringer, Graveyard, and Christian Mistress didn't make it. As much as I like Witchcraft, it shouldn't be that high and is nowhere near the best album of its kind in 2012. Also, Profound Lore really got the cold shoulder for some reason...the label had an outstanding year in my opinion.

Also, Profound Lore really got the cold shoulder for some reason...the label had an outstanding year in my opinion.

I'm avoiding scrolling over the list, but this really does seem like a big oversight. Profound Lore really had a fantastic year. Just scrolling through their 2012 releases and I'm seeing tons of fantastic stuff - Pallbearer, Bosse-de-Nage, Indesinence, Yakuza, Dysrhythmia, Witch Mountain, Evoken, Aldebaran...

that's two in decibel's top ten...?

Well, like I said, I'm avoiding spoilers on that list, so I was just going on what Adrien said.

"Usefulness" is a relative concept. Xpost

Like, for instance, I'm not a fan of metal really. I don't have anything against it but. So the Decibel list isn't significant for me, though I'm not dismissing it... Does that make sense? I understand why it matters to other people.

xp I'm curious, what besides Graveyard do you consider of Witchcraft's kind that's better? Or do we have to wait for your list? ;)

The Fly:

40 - Allah-Las: Allah-Las
39 - Mystery Jets: Radlands
38 - Best Coast: The Only Place
37 - The Invisible: Rispah
36 - Liars: WIXIW
35 - Howler: America Give Up
34 - David Byrne & St. Vincent: Love This Giant
33 - Animal Collective: Centipede Hz
32 - Beach House: Bloom
31 - Here We Go Magic: A Different Ship
30 - Graham Coxon: A+E
29 - Poliça: Give You The Ghost
28 - TOY: TOY
27 - Chairlift: Something
26 - Bat For Lashes: The Haunted Man
25 - Melody's Echo Chamber: Melody's Echo Chamber
24 - Daughn Gibson: All Hell
23 - Twin Shadow: Confess
22 - Dirty Projectors: Swing Lo Magellan
21 - The Cribs: In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull
20 - King Tuff: King Tuff
19 - Diiv: Oshin
18 - Pond: Beard Wives Denim
17 - The xx: Coexist
16 - The Vaccines: The Vaccines Come Of Age
15 - Purity Ring: Shrines
14 - Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: Mature Themes
13 - Grizzly Bear: Shields
12 - Alt-J: An Awesome Wave
11 - Lana del Rey: Born To Die
10 - Tame Impala: Lonerism
9 - The Maccabees: Given To The Wild
8 - Kindness: World You Need A Change Of Mind
7 - Field Music: Plumb
6 - Django Django: Django Django
5 - Jessie Ware: Devotion
4 - Cat Power: Sun
3 - Frank Ocean: Channel Orange
2 - Grimes: Visions
1 - Sharon Van Etten: Tramp

that's an entire list of bands i didn't know released albums in 2012

Don't think it'll make my list but I finally got around to listening to that Jessie Ware record and its quite good.

ppl actually like that Grimes album, huh?

did you think all the people in the ilm thread were pretending?

which thread is that

I'm glad to see Grimes showing up on these lists, but disapointed that iamamiwhoami's Kin isn't and probably won't, although it's just as good.

which one?

the thread with 'grimes' in the title that has been full of chatter all year long that you can search for

I cannot tell the Grimes and Purity Ring records apart. Grimes is the slightly more gibberishy one, I think.

I've heard two of those.

oh cool is this the thread where we brag about how much music we didn't listen to

I listened to a lot of music.

Likewise, including the two I mentioned above. I just didn't like them.

40 - Allah-Las: Allah-Las (who?)
39 - Mystery Jets: Radlands (what is this? sounds dumb)
38 - Best Coast: The Only Place (never heard of this)
37 - The Invisible: Rispah (REALLY Invisible if you ask me)
36 - Liars: WIXIW (they put out an album this year? LOL)
35 - Howler: America Give Up (Who-ler is more like it because i dont know WHO they are)
34 - David Byrne & St. Vincent: Love This Giant (Ok wau D Byrne is still alive? what?!)
33 - Animal Collective: Centipede Hz (Didnt these guys just put out an album?!)
32 - Beach House: Bloom (Am I thinking of Beach Fossils? WHAT?)
31 - Here We Go Magic: A Different Ship (Great DISAPPEARING ACT because i have never heard of you)
30 - Graham Coxon: A+E (Huh+What?)
29 - Poliça: Give You The Ghost (Is this Stings band idk)
28 - TOY: TOY (never heard)
27 - Chairlift: Something (more like nothing because you are nothing to me wanted yall 2 know)
26 - Bat For Lashes: The Haunted Man (Saw the pube on the cover and passed)
25 - Melody's Echo Chamber: Melody's Echo Chamber (Accidentally deleted from iTunes)
24 - Daughn Gibson: All Hell (Not on Spotify so #NEAUX1CURRRRR)
23 - Twin Shadow: Confess (is this rap i dont listen to rap)
22 - Dirty Projectors: Swing Lo Magellan (lost CD before I could play it fuck)
21 - The Cribs: In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull (British band, refuse to play on principle)
20 - King Tuff: King Tuff (King Nothing is more like it who are these bands is the The Wire's list hahah)
19 - Diiv: Oshin (megaupload down can any1 get this for me help)
18 - Pond: Beard Wives Denim (sounds dumb)
17 - The xx: Coexist (heard one of their songs in a commercial two years ago PASS)
16 - The Vaccines: The Vaccines Come Of Age (THIS IS STILL A BAND HOW IS THIS A THING IS THIS A THING)
15 - Purity Ring: Shrines (Thought I heard this but it was "Grimes")
14 - Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: Mature Themes (This came out in 2008 I thought. Wait)
13 - Grizzly Bear: Shields (My file was corrupted idk)
12 - Alt-J: An Awesome Wave (?????)
11 - Lana del Rey: Born To Die (People really like this huh? I had no idea. People?)
10 - Tame Impala: Lonerism (Wow. Tame Impala is still around huh. Wow.)
9 - The Maccabees: Given To The Wild (\O_o/)
8 - Kindness: World You Need A Change Of Mind (??????????? where do you people even find this music)
7 - Field Music: Plumb (wut)
6 - Django Django: Django Django (how do i even google this HELLO)
5 - Jessie Ware: Devotion (i dont like metal it's stupid)
4 - Cat Power: Sun (Did we even have a thread on this?)
3 - Frank Ocean: Channel Orange (dumb pop R&B crap, next)
2 - Grimes: Visions (thought i heard this but it was Sky Ferrari)
1 - Sharon Van Etten: Tramp (never heard of this)

lol

just occurred to me that 2/3rds of GAPDYX dropped albums this year

Listened to Grimes when it came out. Listening again now. It's still a mess.

If we're comparing the two - someone mentioned it up there - the Purity Ring is much better.

several of these bands, like "toy" and "goat", i don't even believe in their existence

25 - Melody's Echo Chamber: Melody's Echo Chamber (Accidentally deleted from iTunes)

i listened to this one the other day! it sounded like it might potentially be up my street and i wanted to show willing. it was extremely boring.

8 - Kindness: World You Need A Change Of Mind (??????????? where do you people even find this music)

i wish i lived in a world where kindness prompted extreme bafflement (his music is terrrrrrrrible)

cat power is kinda confusing cuz i like her and i thought that album was a mess, and i thought that was the consensus

xp I'm curious, what besides Graveyard do you consider of Witchcraft's kind that's better? Or do we have to wait for your list? ;)

Spiders, Horisont, and Troubled Horse.

seconded on Spiders which is gonna be top-10-of-everything-in-2012 for me. they probably need a better name. and fonts that aren't free to download

http://www.svartrecords.com/shoppe/1464-1595-large/spiders-flash-point-lp.jpg

band line-up of guitar, bass, drums, harley & the hairiest looking choirboys i have ever

Can we all make a pact not to be a bunch of old wankers about the EOY lists this year?

Last year felt so solidly classic to me, as if the big important albums were very prominently foregrounded in my mind, whereas 2012 seems a lot more disparate - little discoveries and delights from all over the place; Young Smoke, Goat, Swans, and probably Scott Walker will place but there's no year-defining album a la 'Let England Shake' or 'Diamond Mine' this year (for me at least).

What does GAPDYX stand for? I know who it signifies, just not what it spells.

Grizzly, Animal, Phoenix, Dirty, Yeahs + ?

the XX

Thought it must be that, but they seem strange bedfellows to the others, to me (as do Phoenix, but that may just be the fact that they & The xx aren#t Brooklynites).

That Poliça album is very likeable unless you are a grouch. Some of the Gayngs guys are involved but it's a whole lot tighter and denser and funkier than them, plus the vocals are great.

massive grouchiness about polica over here

Lol whiney

End of year list predictions: Lex will complain that the Uncut list doesn't contain any R&B and just one token hip hop album.

Poliça sounds interesting - I liked the Gayngs album on the whole.

Sicko, it was more the ubiquity of those five/six albums in the 2009 EOY polls more than any narrative or generic strand. They dominated that year, but sentiment among Ilxors was that these were not particularly new! fresh! exciting! albums on the whole and signalled a trend towards MOR-values for the year.

xp It's not going to blow your mind or anything, but it's solid enough. Dark Star is probably the best song on it: http://youtu.be/h6WgWCIkH9U

I like that Sharon Van Etten album, but it's funny to me to see it as anyone's top pick. Otoh, it may actually be the best thing on that particular list.

cat power is kinda confusing cuz i like her and i thought that album was a mess, and i thought that was the consensus

― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Thursday, November 22, 2012 3:35 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

oh it's fucking terrible but of course people like it

Spiders, Horisont, and Troubled Horse.

I definitely support them all as primo candidates. Troubled Horse place highest for me, but still not quite surpassing Graveyard & Witchcraft.

As much as I like the Goat album, for some reason it bugs me that so many seem to rate their album but aren't at all interested in the other Swedish stuff, I feel like just cuz they toss in some Afro rhythms.

I tried the Troubled Horse album the other day - more late '60s garage-rock than I prefer. Generally speaking, the more shamelessly a Swedish retro band is ripping off the first November album, the better I like them.

Did you hear Captain Crimson?

As much as I like the Goat album, for some reason it bugs me that so many seem to rate their album but aren't at all interested in the other Swedish stuff

And the same goes for metal fans who listen to Witchcraft, Goat should be up their alley too. That's why I raved about it on MSN's metal blog in August, even though it's not really a metal album per se. After much hemming and hawing, I left it off my metal list...like Swans I'll give it a special mention instead.

I don't really get this at all tbh, I have no problem w/ anyone repping the Goat album but there's like one hard rock song on it and the rest of it bears no meaningful resemblance to the other "Swedish stuff"

wow! people actually like purity ring more than grimes? purity ring is really boring to me. like a mushy blend of chillwave, witch house, and uk bass. to me it works as background noise and little else. the grimes album, though, has identity! "vision" if you will, yuk yuk. i think it at least deserves points for being legitimately polarizing.

what was the big problem with the cat power album? i liked it.

Fucking chillwave. I'm so fucking sick of this ongoing wishy washy "our vocals are shit so let's cover them up by smothering them in cheap reverb effects and just pretend we're really really into Heaven or Las Vegas" aesthetic. It was alright for a little bit, but jesus can it stop now?

DEATH TO REVERBCORE

Sort of feel this has been a weak year even by the low standards of the sort of indie that habitually fills these polls but there's not really anything filling the void other than weaker versions of similar stuff.

weak year for music in general or?

No, a weak year for that strain of indie.

I know there's a school of thought that says that no year is worse than any other, and there's always good stuff to be found, but I'm sure I found more killer albums last year.

there were definitely fewer albums this year that provided that social rush of loads of people rallying round something to praise it - i think in my top 30 or so, miguel is the only one that kinda qualifies. maybe jessie ware but even that has a "will this do" air to it. even my favourite indie-leaning albums seemed to only get people who were already fans talking - school of seven bells, neneh cherry, fiona apple, even leonard cohen.

which isn't to say that the music i did love wasn't as fantastic as it always is, it's just that too few bothered with my favourites because they didn't have massive ~news pegs~

i think in my top 30 or so, miguel is the only one that kinda qualifies

I'm assuming Kendrick Lamar misses out on your top 30 then?

oh i forgot about that, it's between 20-30 at the moment

xposts it's just so prevalent, as though things haven't moved on since halfway through the last decade - distant, indistinct vocals; gloopy "textures"; general feyness; superficial keening and yearning and an overall lack of presence. I just don't feel inspired in any way by this stuff - and yet I guess I class myself as an alternative/indie fan deep down, but when I hear Grizzly Bear or whoever, I can barely make it through a song without getting frustrated. And yet when Animal Collective decided to lay off the reverb for once, they released a shit album that doesn't even compare to their legions of soundalikes. So it's lose/lose I guess.

listening to animal collective at any time is def lose/lose

It certainly feels like there's less of a unilateral pushing of certain releases. The only thing I can think of really is Bish Bosch (which isn't out yet) and to a lesser extent The Seer, but that's only from my own, Quietus-influenced perspective. That said there've been some classic moments (great year for footwork's upward rise for example), and I really like the current flavour of leftfield pioneers from this and last year - Julia Holter, Neneh Cherry & The Thing, Julianna Barwick, Swans, Scott, Colin Stetson, ummm, can't think of too many off the top of my head from this year but it's all been great and very inspiring.

I've heard dance fans bemoan the state of the genre this year; that there doesn't seem to be a thing to rally around - loads of individual micro-scenes rather than the usual cause celebre. I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing though. Dance music has come to operate so much around "now everyone listens to electro" "now everyone listens to minimal" "now it's dubstep" that maybe this breaking of generic barriers is sort of positive? I dunno.

I dunno in dance music this year the big thing has definitely been straight-up house music. The bobbins thread is a lot more slamming than in previous years, Hot Creations and Huxley and Maya Jane Coles are bleeding over into the garage interzone, throw jackin' in there as well and there's a definite 'story' there but not exactly a convenient rallying point.

there were several pretty great dance albums in 2012. andy stott, michael mayer, voices from the lake, lindstrøm, vatican shadow, smallpeople, blondes. dunno why people didn't rally round them, they certainly should have.

That Blondes album got a fair bit of buzz, in fairness. Obviously the Talabot one as well.

oh yeah i'm guessing talabot will prob be top 20 at least on the ilm poll

claro intellecto and silent servant albums were are both terrific, as are the collected untold eps from this year. have no idea whether any of these were a thing or not.

I think the main complaint was more that there was no "ah, hot new genre, everybody go apeshit crazy!" than a lack of decent releases. It seems to be more made up of individual artists and labels carving out their own particular niche. As I say, I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing.

I think the Talabot album is one of my favourite records of the year.

It's around this point in a decade that things tend to take a bit of a sea-change anyway. I think about the disparity and diversity of the pop charts in 1982, how new wave was turning into new pop, reggae into dancehall, disco into electro blahblah - it probably felt like a bit of a mishmash at the time, but in retrospect it was actually the true beginnings of what would come to define the rest of the decade. Similar sentiments with the mid-early 90s, 70s and 60s. To me it always feels like the first couple of years of a decade are a kind of "putting to bed" of the last decade before really kicking things off. But maybe not.

It's around this point in a decade that things tend to take a bit of a sea-change anyway

what

that's not how...time works

I dunno about on you guys' side, but tarp (lol) was def the big sound in dance music this year over here. Does seem like a better year for house than the past few though, yeah.

i think it does. generational shifts, economic patterns, the overall psychology that is wrapped up in "a new decade, time for something new" - i think it affects everything from the artistic instinct, consumer trends and label management decisions - it will affect the music that reaches us.

xpost

what's tarp, rev?

oh TRAP!

haha, i know nothing about trap. I'd like to though. I'm more interested in tarp though now you've said it.

oh yeah, lex - i listened to Armour On on the train today; really enjoyed it. must give it another listen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HzyUHxmkg0

^Total anthem. I have issues with the name "trap" and the lack of feminine pressure in the genre, but some of it's fun to dance to. There's a lot of really lazy stuff out there tho. I mostly try to avoid djs who lean too heavy on it, esp as such parties tend to attract too many bros.

still can't believe a bunch of dance geeks co-opted "trap" and are pretending it means something other than dope boy rap

and are being taken seriously by anyone, it's ludicrous

Oh yeah, I've heard that Hudson Mohawke track - it's cool, but I had no idea that's what trap was supposed to be. assumed it was dope boy rap.

would like to hear a footwork/trap crossover actually..

But it's basically almost exactly the same production style being reappropriated. But without rappers over the top I find it difficult to find much to latch on to.

(xpost - to Some Dude)

Unfortunately, no one's come up with a better word for this stuff. But my point is it's all over the place in clubs right now. xps

white electronic guys appropriating black electronic styles, i guess it's inevitable in all cases. similarly, it's hard to differentiate between the kind of music made by Rashad and that by Machinedrum even though there's a clear stylistic difference.

*differentiate in generic terms, that is.

Unfortunately, no one's come up with a better word for this stuff. But my point is it's all over the place in clubs right now. xps

the thing is it doesn't actually sound noticeably different to the stuff that was played in those clubs before people started using the word "trap"

well on the one hand it's good to acknowledge what they're biting but the way those people have basically taken ownership of the word to describe what they've been doing in the last year as opposed to Shawty Redd or something, it's all very "you didn't build that!" -- plus when you take into account the origins of the term it's kinda fucked up for some european dude to make an aggressive drum loop and go "look i've made a 'crack house' song lol!"

xpost what, like Night Slugs stuff, or?

i mean, those DJs and producers have been using southern hip-hop drums and dropping southern hip-hop tracks for years and years, i remember hudson mohawke playing a fabric set about half a decade ago that was full of this

also i don't know who the people actually using the genre name "trap" are, the only time i see it is when i see people mocking it (not that this isn't annoying in itself, the way they go on about it)

I suppose the reason I'm suspicious of it a bit is that I don't see it as having much connection to the rest of British dance music bar a bit of dubstep crossover. Also I find it difficult to imagine Hudson Mohawke doing anything without an annoying smirk on his face.

xpost yeah, but the point is (as far as i understand it) it's blown up beyond just one or two nerds playing around with a sound in their bedrooms and assimilated itself into an actual scene recognised by the dance/party mainstream beyond its initial intended audience.

well on the one hand it's good to acknowledge what they're biting but the way those people have basically taken ownership of the word to describe what they've been doing in the last year as opposed to Shawty Redd or something, it's all very "you didn't build that!" -- plus when you take into account the origins of the term it's kinda fucked up for some european dude to make an aggressive drum loop and go "look i've made a 'crack house' song lol!"

― some dude, Friday, November 23, 2012 4:32 AM Bookmark

Yeah, obviously. I kind of feel that the dumb name (which actually a lot of people making music in the style eschew for the same reasons) has become a stick to beat the music with, which isn't entirely fair, although by all means do shit on goddamn fucking UZ or whoever.

the thing is it doesn't actually sound noticeably different to the stuff that was played in those clubs before people started using the word "trap"

― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Friday, November 23, 2012 4:31 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

People were playing stuff that sounded like this at dance nights a couple years ago? I call bullshit. The only thing I can think of is "Wut", which I kind of look at as inadvertently kicking this whole thing off.

xpost yeah, hudson mohawke's name is very offputting. but the current state of UK bass music is pretty all-encompassing right now. I really like it - dubstep basslines, trappy-drums, housey melodies, female vocal samples - taking the Night Slugs sound and running with it in various directions I guess - fewer prescribed rules than how things were with dubstep.

Aquacrunk - The sound of urban glasgow/please explain this to me

People were playing stuff that sounded like this at dance nights a couple years ago? I call bullshit. The only thing I can think of is "Wut", which I kind of look at as inadvertently kicking this whole thing off.

hudmo is not exactly a new face

xp yes

Hudmo's old stuff sounds completely different iirc?

not so much that this constitutes a radical new direction

"fuse" was soooooooo amazing he will never ever top it ;_;

lol what the fuck is aquacrunk

As genre names go it managed to catch on even less then 'wonky'.

all I remember about the HudMo solo stuff I checked out was it was really garish and bad. I pretty much only checked for TNGHT cause I like Lunice.

Tom Hull and co's Turkey Shoot: they aim at Miguel, Kendrick Lamar, Lambchop, Grimes, etc.

Yeah, early HudMo just sounded like crap IDM tracks with Missy samples lazily pasted all over them; as if mashup culture had never died.

trap music biting the southern rap scene is a common misconception, all the producers are actually irish football ultras

The one you've all been waiting for:

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/top-albums-of-2012-so-far/

1. Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth
2. Rush - Clockwork Angels
3. ZZ Top - La Futura
4. Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
5. Neil Young - Psychedelic Pill
6. Aerosmith - Music From Another Dimension
7. Heart - Fanatic
8. Bob Dylan - Tempest
9. Kiss - Monster
10. Joe Walsh - Analog Man

I think the difference between now and 2008 or whatever, lex, is that it's now congealed into a genre with its own set of rules rather than just a few people shooting off in the dark. It reached its "wot do you call it?" moment (and has suffered greatly for it). Obviously, one side affect of this is that it allows for the laziness I mentioned earlier.

side effect, even

lol i have listened to 50% of the Ultimate Classic Rock list -- ZZ Top the only one that'll be in my year end list

Combined age of that top ten is like 5,000 or something. It's a fine tribute to medical science as much as anything else.

There's something perennially beautiful about the Classic Rock list's refusal to both to yield to fashion and to chase a kind of old-timer credibility and plump for Dylan or someone.

well, there are no new "classic rock" bands, and if there were they'd be even worse than the new records those ancients are still making

I've heard 6 off that Classic Rock list. Would rank what I've heard ZZ Top > Rush > Heart > Bob Dylan > Van Halen >>>>>>> Neil Young

it's Classic Rock magazine, the whole point is that it doesn't yield to fashion.

"making a halfway listenable album past the age of 55" is a genuine noteworthy accomplishment imo

well, there are no new "classic rock" bands, and if there were they'd be even worse than the new records those ancients are still making

Oh of course, but even so their resolve not to sneak in a Jack White or Alamaba Shakes or whoever is admirable.

My admiration has abated somewhat upon reading the gallery sidebar 'HOT ROCK DAUGHTERS - the baby girls of your rock gods are no longer children'.

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/top-10-leg-songs/

Lex's favourite, Uncut.

Oh fuck, it's 75. I'm not typing all that out. Dylan controversially beaten to top spot by Cohen.

Token modern hip-hop R&B: Frank Ocean, 5
Happily welcomed returning prodigal son: Bill Fay, 6
Obligatory acknowledgement of Lawrence: Go-Kate Mozart, 12

"making a halfway listenable album past the age of 55" is a genuine noteworthy accomplishment imo

― some dude, Friday, 23 November 2012 13:15 (19 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this might be for another thread, but why is this so often the case? I'm loving that in recent years, albums by (I'm gonna say their names again, sorry) Swans, Scott Walker, Tom Waits and a few others have proven to be exceptions to the rule, but for every one of these there are at least three hoary old rockers or idea-starved popstars churning out uninspiring bilge every year.

Uncut top ten:

1. Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas
2. Bob Dylan - Tempest
3. Jack White - Blunderbuss
4. Dr John - Locked Down
5. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
6. Bill Fay - Life Is People
7. Ty Segall & White Fence - Hair
8. Bear Shields - Grizzly
9. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Psychedelic Pill
10. Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball

With this lascivious little classic off just their second album, 1974’s ‘Get Your Wings,’ Aerosmith figuratively earned their ‘ready for prime time’ diplomas, graduating from semi-glam boys (and New York Dolls doppelgangers) to seasoned hard rock men about town. ‘Lord of the Thighs’ comes swaggering into view on Joey Kramer’s iconic drum beat before Steven Tyler starts slobbering his come-hither lyrics all over the object of his affection; aided and abetted all the way by Joe Perry and Brad Whitford’s slippery guitar licks and solos, which clearly can’t keep their hands to themselves.

this might be for another thread, but why is this so often the case

Inspiration and strong work ethics collide if you're a rock and roller over 50.

you can hear the trouser rubbing from here.

Yeah that ZZ Top is kind of great. I was kind of excited about the Van Halen at the time but have no desire to listen to it anymore. I'm a Rush but it leaves me cold just like everything they've done since 1985. Have not been motivated to hear Young, Aerosmith, Heart, Dylan, Kiss.

Another heavy rock album along the lines of the 'Swedish stuff' is Golden Void. Earthless’ Isaiah Mitchell moves to SF, gets married and writes some REALLY great songs.

xp Some of the malaise I'm sensing seems to be along the lines of what Simon Reynolds wrote about in last year's book Retromania in which he essentially bemoans the end of 'hot new genres.' I hope some might consider my response (here) and give themselves permission to just enjoy what they enjoy without worrying about how 'important' or groundbreaking its supposed to be.

8. Bear Shields - Grizzly

lol

haha

aw man, i really want to hear a south london grime artist called Bear Shields now

Bear Grills

Mojo

1 Jack White
2 Frank Ocean
3 Bill Fay
4 Leonard Cohen
5 Dexys
6 Black Keys
7 Django Djangp
8 Dr John
9 Julia Holter
10 Dyland
11 Scott Walker
12 Tame Impala
13 XX
14 Hot Chip
15 Cat Power
16 Bobby Womack
17 Mark Lanegan Band
18 Orbital
19 Advance Base
20 Lee Fields & The Expressions

man, that frank ocean really is gonna walk it isn't it? i've had it on my iphone for months now and haven't got round to hearing a single thing off it yet.

So glad to see Bill Fay doing so well in a few of these lists. Not just cos it's a good album but I mean really glad for Bill, the person.

Other Mojo polls

Urban

1 Spoek Mathambo
2 Main Attraktionz
3 Frank Ocean
4 Homeboy Sandman
5 JJ DOOM

Electronica

1 Actress
2 Christian Loffler
3 Laurel Halo
4 Jon Talabot
5 Dean Black & Inga Copeland

Jazz
1 Gareth Lockrane's Grooveyard
2 Tomasso Starace
3 John Turville Trio
4 Phronesis
5 Simcock Garland

Undeground
1 Julia Holter
2 Mount Eerie
3 Shackleton
4 Oren Ambarchi
5 Morten Feldman

Reissues
1 Can
2 the Beat
3 The Vlvet Underground & Nico
4 Sex Pistols
5 Darondo

Spoek Mathambo eh? nice one.

So glad to see Bill Fay doing so well in a few of these lists. Not just cos it's a good album but I mean really glad for Bill, the person.

Was just going to say; that album was nowhere as good as everyone wanted it to be.

fastnbulb: The exciting thing about "hot new genres" is that they don't sound like music you've heard before! I mean I hate to get all EPCOT WORLD OF THE FUTURE abt it, but yeah those Witchcraft and Grand Magus albums are great, but that Goat album is like beamed from an alternate reality

Jazz
1 Gareth Lockrane's Grooveyard
2 Tomasso Starace
3 John Turville Trio
4 Phronesis
5 Simcock Garland

Have heard exactly zero of these (my #1 jazz album is the Vijay Iyer one, #2 probably the Endresen/Westerhaus); anything worth checking out?

Also I think that Van Halen album is prolly the classic rock album of the year (but I didnt hear ZZ yet)

did actual jazz heads rate the neneh cherry & the thing album?

I think I've actually heard one of the songs off that Goat album (it was called Goatman I think) and yeah it was terrific.

Goatman, and yeah that track is great.

Unless it was Goathead which is also great ;)

did actual jazz heads rate the neneh cherry & the thing album?

this one did - free jazz and vocals is a p difficult thing to pull off, but it works so well here. great alb.

also, aside from one or two dodgy production choices and a certain lyrical... openness... that you just have to accept, the Bill Fay album IS as good as people say/were hoping. Parts of it are very beautiful, imho.

No sign in the old-man lists of my favourite old-man album this year, then: Loudon Wainwright III - Older Than My Old Man Now.

ha i just mentioned that in this thread: POX new albums from the 21st century by old fossils

Neneh Cherry + Thing is obv great; in my head I wasn't counting it as a jazz album but there's no real reason not to.

Unsurprisingly there's no mention of it in the Jazzwise magazine list:

http://www.jazzwisemagazine.com/news-mainmenu-139/69-2012/12580-jazz-breaking-news-courtney-pine-wins-jazzwise-album-of-the-year

TOP 20 NEW RELEASES 2012
1 Courtney PIne House Of Legends Destin-E
2 EST 301 ACT
3 John Surman Saltash Bells ECM
4 Christine Tobin Sailing To Byzantium Trail Belle Records
5 = John McLaughlin and 4th Dimension Now Here This Abstract Logix
5 = Gregory Porter Be Good Motéma
7 = Jeremy Pelt Soul Highnote
7 = Robert Glasper Black Radio Blue Note
9 = Branford Marsalis Four MFs Playin’ Tunes Marsalis Music
9 = Django Bates Belovèd Confirmation Lost Marble
11 Béla Fleck/Marcus Roberts Trio Across The Imaginary Divide Rounder
12 Christian Scott Christian aTunde Adjuah Concord
13 Esperanza Spalding Radio Music Society Decca
14 Phronesis Walking Dark Edition
15 Kurt Elling 1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project Decca
16 = Ahmad Jamal Blue Moon Jazz Village
16 = Roller Trio Roller Trio F-ire
18 = Simcock/Garland/Sirkis Lighthouse ACT
18 = Colin Towns’ Blue Touch Paper Stand Well Back Provocateur
18 = Billy Hart All Of Our Reasons ECM

7 = Robert Glasper Black Radio Blue Note

this is good though! i'd forgotten about it, gonna revisit

9 = Branford Marsalis Four MFs Playin’ Tunes Marsalis Music

awesome title

yeah it's really good jazz/noise/soul all at once. and fits in with this recent trend of avant/leftfield pop/rock albums that make good use of brass - Love This Giant, Black Vomit, New History Warfare, Alice by Sunn O))) etc...

that was about Neneh Cherry btw

Jazz-wise, I agree with Glasper, Spalding and Roller Trio (and Neneh Cherry). Would also add:
Troyka - Moxxy
Get The Blessing - OC DC
Brad Mehldau Trio - Ode
Neil Cowley Trio - The Face of Mount Molehill
Portico Quartet - Portico Quartet
Lund Quartet - Lund Quartet

i wish i knew stuff about jazz. maybe i'll give it a go in 2013.

i'm saving it for when i'm too old to go raving

which on the evidence of last weekend is not yet

if only i had the opportunity to go raving more.

Piccadilly Records

http://www.piccadillyrecords.com/shop/feature.php?feature=708

Smoke Faeries I once saw play as an acoustic duo and it was amazing. Then they got a band together and went really boring.

Is TOY any good?

I didn't like the Neneh Cherry & The Thing album very much at all, but I suspect that most people who did like Neneh Cherry way more than they like The Thing. Which is weird all by itself - I mean, she was an 80s one-hit wonder. Why does she have the cult following she does?

Here are the jazz albums that will be on the eventual BurningAmbulance.com Top 50 of 2012 (which is a single blended-genre list):

JD Allen Trio, The Matador and the Bull
Jeremy Pelt Quintet, Soul
Return To Forever, The Mothership Returns
Charles Gayle Trio, Streets
Bill McHenry, La Peur du Vide
Matthew Shipp Trio, Elastic Aspects
Fontanelle, Vitamin F
Wadada Leo Smith, Ten Freedom Summers
Branford Marsalis Quartet, Four MFs Playin' Tunes
Darius Jones Quartet, Book of Mae'bul (Another Kind of Sunrise)
Steve Lehman Trio, Dialectic Flourescent
Black Music Disaster, s/t
Ralph Bowen, Total Eclipse
Nicolas Masson, Departures
The Thing with Barry Guy, Metal!
Full Blast & Friends, Sketches & Ballads

I didn't like the Neneh Cherry & The Thing album very much at all, but I suspect that most people who did like Neneh Cherry way more than they like The Thing. Which is weird all by itself - I mean, she was an 80s one-hit wonder. Why does she have the cult following she does?

she carried on having hits here throughout the '90s

xxp TOY are pretty good IMO, krauty psychy indie rock basically, so make of that what you will. Think The Horrors previous last album but one.

I didn't like the Neneh Cherry & The Thing album very much at all, but I suspect that most people who did like Neneh Cherry way more than they like The Thing. Which is weird all by itself - I mean, she was an 80s one-hit wonder. Why does she have the cult following she does?

Uh oh...

And yeah, I love Buffalo Stance, but she's had much more than one hit, not to mention her role in Rip Rig and Panic. And I like this album equally for the Thing as for Neneh. The attraction is:

a: a pop/soul singer working in an interesting and unfamiliar medium
b: covers of new-wave/industrial/post-punk songs
c: connection to her father's work
d: it sounds fucking excellent.

I like that White Manna album that's at #3 in the Piccadilly list a whole lot. Kinda sounds like it could have been made at any point in the last 30 years, but all the same, it's a really satisfying blast of Stooged-up psych rock.

tbh there are so many pegs to the neneh cherry & the thing album that i'm surprised it's not showing up a lot more than it is

I voted for Orbital in the Mojo poll but didn't expect to see them in the Top 20. Dad-rave ftw.

Lists so far confirm that it's been a funny old year. Lots of albums that aren't quite as good as you want them to be. I mean, I love Leonard Cohen, I have every album and I rate the new one but AOTY? Really?

I have more Thing albums than Neneh Cherry albums fwiw.

Is it alright to ask what current discussers' likely AOTYs might be ITT?

you prob know mine already, but my top six are pretty much set in stone by now - dawn richard / taylor swift / angel haze / farrah abraham / nicki minaj / miguel

the 誤訳侮辱 comments about Nenah/Thing are wrong on every possible level

i mean, even the label servicing it is aiming at writers who are down with Sunburned Hand of the Man and Nissenmondai and shit

My album of the year is Pinkish Black's debut.

my album of the year is deeeeeeeeeeez nuuuuuuuts

Rev OTM! J/k

My album of the year is either by Penny Royale or Sontag Shogun.

after my testicles, Frank Ocean

is that a Lil Wayne line?

the 誤訳侮辱 comments about Nenah/Thing are wrong on every possible level...i mean, even the label servicing it is aiming at writers who are down with Sunburned Hand of the Man and Nissenmondai and shit

Oh, bullshit. It's being aimed at indie nerd boys who are all too predictably treating The Thing like Neneh Cherry's backing band. I mean, it's not that huge a leap since The Thing have covered PJ Harvey and Yeah Yeah Yeahs and White Stripes songs, and they play non-jazz venues and work with Steve Albini, all of which I have absolutely no problem with (I've agitated plenty of times for indie bands who swear they love jazz to take a jazz group on the road as an opener, for example), but if more than a half dozen of the writers fawning over the Cherry collab had even heard the group's first two albums (never mind the original Don Cherry, Joe McPhee, Frank Lowe, James Blood Ulmer etc. songs they were interpreting early on) I would be fucking shocked.

lol xp

dude the current crop "indie nerd boys" discovered music with Siamese Dream, dude, no one gives a fuck about Neneh Cherry except old people. if contemporary "indie nerd boys" gave half a shit about nenah cherry then evryone wouldnt have treated MIA like she invented the fucking wheel

i mean, i havent read a single piece of crit about the record, but p much everyone I know who stans for it is an old dork like me

also, i fawned over the record and have been lovingly reviewing The Thing's records for a hot minute now

an old dork like me

Ha ha, I think I'm ~10 years older than you.

It's being aimed at indie nerd boys who are all too predictably treating The Thing like Neneh Cherry's backing band.

lol @ weirdo clique records getting big on the back neneh cherry - i person who i had never heard of before - and not the jazz band whos last records were done w/otomo yoshihide and jim o'rourke

dude the current crop "indie nerd boys" discovered music with Siamese Dream, dude, no one gives a fuck about Neneh Cherry except old people. if contemporary "indie nerd boys" gave half a shit about nenah cherry then evryone wouldnt have treated MIA like she invented the fucking wheel

― tome crues (Whiney G. Weingarten), Friday, November 23, 2012 12:16 PM (34 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

haha Lamp read this post and raised his hand like "that's me!"

haha i stopped reading the thread after the comment i was responding to :/

... faced.

oh well its a p rad record fwiw, cool to hear that whiney was into it

lol @ weirdo clique records getting big on the back neneh cherry - i person who i had never heard of before - and not the jazz band whos last records were done w/otomo yoshihide and jim o'rourke

Thing albums with Otomo Yoshihide and Jim O'Rourke don't get written up on Pitchfork or talked up on NPR.

what kind of bogus life do you have to have led to have not heard of neneh cherry

i was raised in an igloo

I mean, no doy the NPR/Guardian/etc news peg is that "Ay, this person with multiple top 10 singles from the 80s (lol "one-hit wonder" fuck you)" is working with some spazz-jazz lunatics. But I would wager that a good majority of the people who actually enjoy/love/fuck with the record would/do listen with the Thing on the non-Cherry off-season

what kind of bogus life do you have to have led to have not heard of neneh cherry

― r|t|c, Friday, November 23, 2012 1:04 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Don't...you get fresh with Lamp

manchild, will he ever win

i was just asking myself, who's is that igloo on the street?

Also, I'm willing to bet that the two albums Neneh made with trip hop band CiRCKUs or whatever the fuck they were called probably soundscanned as many copies as any Thing record in America

this person with multiple top 10 singles from the 80s (lol "one-hit wonder" fuck you)

Here in America, "Buffalo Stance" hit #3 and "Kisses On The Wind" hit #8. I've never heard the latter song. So fine, she's a two-hit wonder. (Her other two charting singles in the US, "Heart" and "Buddy X," hit #73 and #43 respectively. I don't think those should really count for much, do you?)

"buddy x" counts for EVERYTHING

ROMEOOOOOO

I remember seeing "Buddy X" all over MTV

You never had Seven Seconds? Weird, that song was everywhere over here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utpvLjtPMlk

but even better

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDnoZh37uWg

WHAT ABOUT YOUR WOMAN
BUDDY MY FRIEND

xpost I'm just saying this isnt like some Jane Child shit here

first thing anyone has said on here that makes me want to hear something:

"but that Goat album is like beamed from an alternate reality"

also, you're not gonna GOTCHA PALIN me on some FAITH NO MORE ONLY HAD ONE CHARTING SONGS ROFLMAO FAIL WHALE shit because, critically, real talk, Nenah set the stage for Massive Attack, Portishead, Tricky, et al, and everyone acknowledges that

wait what's the name of the goat album i'll look for it on the youtube

i really liked one post buffalo neneh album can't remember title

Homebrew?

u can stream the goat here!

MAN! that album is great. that's the title. MAN.

"hornbeam" off man is such an underrated cut

might just listen to neneh all day

homebrew unfortunately had michael stipe on it meaning you could never play the album all the way through or own it cuz you might get stipe on your other CDs.

MAN is just a great under-heard/rated/etc 90's album.

But it did have "Move With Me" on it.

michael stipe's sex rap is the most hilarious thing i've ever heard

homebrew is great apart from that, cosign love for "move with me"!!!

Nenah set the stage for Massive Attack, Portishead, Tricky, et al, and everyone acknowledges that

Who is this "everyone"? I don't even remember people giving a fuck when she popped up on the Nearly God record. Maybe this is part of some elaborate mental game you're playing with yourself where you're pretending you're English, but if so I wish you'd leave me out of it.

Maybe this is part of some elaborate mental game you're playing with yourself where you're pretending you're English, but if so I wish you'd leave me out of it.

board description!

accusing whiney of pretending he's english is graduate-level flamebaiting, v. nice

By "everyone" I mean "every pop critic who doesn't make a big show about bragging about ignoring things that aren't in their microscopic insular wheelhouse and BLIMEY GOVNER MILK IS 45 P AT THE TESCO?!"

If only there was some time in history when american critics stanned for trip-hop

that would be really cheap milk. even for green mad cow milk that would be cheap.

http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/pictures/620xAny/3/9/6/16396_tesco-semi-skimmed-milk.gif

make a big show about bragging about ignoring things that aren't in their microscopic insular wheelhouse

wait how does this not describe 90% of your posts on ilx

Uh because I post in electronic and metal and world and pop and regional thug threads and generally have eclectic tastes?

Like I'm literally the dude going "you should know who neneh cherry AND the thing are" right now, but keep spending your thanksgiving weekend trolling me

asking one question isn't trolling, swinging into 500 threads screaming "everyone who likes this is a brony" is trolling

lol unperson kind of has a tired and offensive (much more so than wgw's) schtick too, brah brah

oh i know, whiney just described it in a way that seemed a lil too close to his own

Don't think I knew that The Thing had worked with Otomo Yoshihide. Dude is awesome, will look that one up for definite.

eventually all ilx schtickers will get old and end up like alexinnyc and be all "beyonce must burn in a thousand fires in hades...zzzzz...gottagofeedthebabybrb..." and all of this will just be a dream.

baby fell asleep on my chest while i was pestering whiney :)

sorry it's not the "faux concerned, avuncular meta-analysis of everyone's posting styles" schtick that great ILX poster some dude uses to wonderful effect 13 hours out of every 24-hour day

Oh of course your gonna post something cute before I zing you >:(

shhhh you'll wake the baby

lol

irl lol here

is this trap? a friend just sent it to me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs-GiF6_g8c&feature=BFa&list=PLC5193D73BCFBA141

hm weird

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs-GiF6_g8c&feature=share&list=PLC5193D73BCFBA141

k nevermind ill stop posting that

http://www.mixcloud.com/orangewarrior/orangewarrior-booby-trap-mix/

havent the foggiest if this is the creme de la creme or anything this is a random trap mix i checked out (and was mildly entertained by) a while back

honestly i cant be bothered to feel scandalised by this stuff or its nomenclature, it's just regular clubby shit but with the added facility of comedy thugged-out oompa loompa music

baauer is one trap producer i'm pretty into, his singles have been fun and he did this official remix of no doubt's 'settle down' which is legit delightful and one of my fave things of the year

http://youtu.be/cywS7P2JZgw

i #actuallyliked rustie's essential mix, not sure if that counts as trap edm but it was dope imo

the worst part is the ppl who try to make it seem like this is the same genre as young jeezy or something b/c they bit some drum kit ideas from rap music

yeah i mean http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap_(music_genre)

haven't read anything past the first post yet, but thread already delivers for reminding me about TOY! I'd never heard of them until two nights ago, driving across st. louis, 88.1fm blasting this weird fucking song, catchy but everything just kind of off, melodic but not predictable. in a very nice way! i hit the Shazam button and it informs me that it's "Colour's Running Out" by Toy.

not to be confused, apparently, with another band called Toy, who also had a self-titled album called Toy in 2006.

lol im cited & it contradicts the thesis of my piece u_u xxp

the worst part is the ppl who try to make it seem like this is the same genre as young jeezy or something b/c they bit some drum kit ideas from rap music

― D-40, Saturday, 24 November 2012 00:04 (9 minutes ago) Bookmark

do you really mean/have seen this or do you just mean toying around with the signifiers in a gross shallow way and then inferring the implication

40 Gojira – L’Enfant Sauvage (should have been way higher, but I'm biased)

I liked The Way of All Flesh as much as anyone on this board, I think, but I was a bit disappointed in L'Enfant.

Yeah, I was confused and thought Toy was the Norwegian band but it sounds like it isn't.

See, I think L'Enfant is a huge improvement over Way, which I actually think is the weakest of their recent albums. For me it goes L'Enfant, From Mars to Sirius, The Link, Way, Terra Incognita.

just generally, thread delivering like a mofo, thx ilx.

the worst part is the ppl who try to make it seem like this is the same genre as young jeezy or something b/c they bit some drum kit ideas from rap music

― D-40, Saturday, 24 November 2012 00:04 (9 minutes ago) Bookmark

do you really mean/have seen this or do you just mean toying around with the signifiers in a gross shallow way and then inferring the implication

― r|t|c, Friday, November 23, 2012 6:19 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

every online piece on 'trap' has the same narrative of 'first it was invented by trap artists then lex luger then tnght and diplo and flosstradamus'

For me it goes L'Enfant, From Mars to Sirius, The Link, Way, Terra Incognita.

I don't like From Mars to Sirius much either, and that seems to be the one most Gojira fans rate, so maybe I'm more of a Way fan than a Gojira fan.

I remember and prolly still own the album by the Norwegian Toy, it was decent but sounded exactly like Plone to the point where it was creepy

I <3 Chr15 W31ng4rt3n.

I like him well enough normally but when he starts speaking like Dick Van Dyke on plant food he owns the keys to my heart.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KBUBlNndeLU/T-Uuy91ZjAI/AAAAAAAACm8/lEUaVO84Qcs/s1600/welcome-home-giant-plastic-banner-1186-p.jpg

A pint of milk is actually 49p at Tesco so that was a pretty good guess.

This Goat album is kind of fun actually.

you think?

I love Leonard Cohen, I have every album and I rate the new one but AOTY?

I ignored that album, then a friend had an extra ticket to see him last night. Dude is nearly 80 and he was dropping to his knees repeatedly and popping back up like he's in his 30s, and played over 3 and a half hours! Amazing. It was a bit too much for me all at once, but great to hear my favorites live, and his voice is in better shape than it was a few years ago. I guess the story is while he was living with Buddhist monks his business manager ripped off around 5 million from him leaving him broke, so he came out of retirement and hit the road, and started having a blast. There's some great songs on the new album, sounds more consistent to my ears than say, Various Positions and I'm Your Man. Still, I don't think it'll crack my top 100.

is this trap? a friend just sent it to me

― flopson, Friday, November 23, 2012 1:25 PM Bookmark

naw, that's post-dilla "beat scene" type stuff, which is an entirely different thing. there is a bit of crossover between the two scenes, but the track you posted isn't it.

is this trap? a friend just sent it to me

― flopson, Friday, November 23, 2012 9:25 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

http://static.fjcdn.com/pictures/it_317e0c_887774.jpg

lol

Ahaha

swans
scott walker

okay I am listening to "Colour's Running Out" by Toy and it's p awesome!

First part of the Guardian's list (40-21) is here

Farrah at no. 32!

YASSSSS fiona, farrah, ANGEL HAZE, DAWN!!!!!

it's like i voted in it or something

(for real though i consider any list without dawn or angel haze to have rendered itself irrelevant because were you even listening to music in 2012)

That's an interesting list so far...any idea how many people voted?

35 voters, I think.

that's a pretty Lex-friendly list :-)

It's VERY Lex. I think he's been voting under multiple aliases.

there isn't even much that i actively dislike (kmt @ gentrified r&b poliça though), but i guess i should be steeling myself for the upper echelons of the list

Is Polica any kind of R&B? It never occurred to me - it's like How to Dress Well.

The nature of Guardian music writers has changed a great deal in last few years. There's a large number of young R&B/hip-hop writers who have little or no interest in guitar music, alongside the older guitar music writers who have little or no interest in R&B and hip-hop. And then there are the few who have an interest in both.

how to dress well gets slotted into this gentrified r&b "revival", sadly

he makes the worst music

That's what I mean - I hear it in HTDW but Polica isn't so blatantly playing with R&B tropes.

xp To me the list seems more polarised than ever. In the lower reaches there seem to be two entirely different constituencies alternating - did anyone vote for the Cribs AND Dawn Richard?

I'm still periodically surprised that anyone rates the Cribs, and that they've somehow avoided the fate of every other middle-ranking band from that era.

Yeah, I agree: a very polarised list.

you could ask who would possibly vote for both fiona apple and angel haze too though, but i did

You could argue it's balanced rather than polarized, or more balanced than these lists usually are, although that does depend on what fills up the top half of the list.

Voter fraud. People be voting for rap because they get free stuff all the time.

The Cribs got some indie cred for the Albini production job I think.

Can't stand the Cribs, but they get credit for constantly banging on about how indie they are, I think. Albini's just one facet of that. People like them because they represent Old Guard Uncorrupted Indiers Doing It Their Way Without Hype.

I actually really like that Cribs record. I also recently tried to listen to their debut and it was one of the worst pieces of shit I have ever set ears on, so I guess they improved.

Albini only produced one track.

ah okay.

I'm not saying it's bad at all - I like the variety - but it is polarised. It's a bit like the mid-80s NME with the soulboys vs the Smiths fans, only much more cordial. There are virtually two rival consensuses which rarely overlap.

Thumbs up on the Guardian list to Orbital (well, just about), Beach House (most definitely), Dexys, Mala, Jack White, Bright Light Bright Light, Actress (HELL YES), Dawn Richard, Jam City (sort of).

Old Guard Uncorrupted Indiers Doing It Their Way Without Hype

Pretty sure everyone was saying this in 2007 even when it was patently untrue, and I don't hear anything in their music that strikes me as demonstrably superior to The Rakes or The Enemy or whoever else has justifiably fallen by the wayside. And those guys didn't manage to get Johnny Marr on a record.

omg i forgot how much of a TREAT the guardian commenters were last year after we hit them with beyoncé and katy b

"Hey, Slater, what are you listening to?"
"Hey, preppie, you're behind the times. It's called 'trap' and it's the freshest thing since 'blip'."

xpost Didn't say it was true; just that it seems to be what people see the Cribs as representing (and how they present themselves).

So here's what the students at Oxford have been getting into:

http://oxfordstudent.com/2012/11/23/the-twenty-best-albums-of-2012/

(same old guff as all these other lists basically)

I haven't heard/probably won't hear the Liars album, but I keep misreading its title as WKIW.

I like the Leonard Cohen album a lot but come on young people sort yourselves out.

Don't know why I'm disappointed by that list really cos there are some solid records there but it is kind of sad that they're some of the same ones that this old man right here and probably millions like me are going to listen to on the bus on the way home.

XP what matt said

It truly is interesting that the only rap album to make the top twenty actually topped the list, but it isn’t that surprising.

truly

I haven't heard/probably won't hear the Liars album, but I keep misreading its title as WKIW.

Liars run hot or cold for me depending on the album, but this year's is hot!

Why would Oxford students listen to anythign different?

actually the oxford list isn't terrible really

you know what, I'm not going to be too concerned about tokenism when I like the choice that got in so much and I think it actually is that much better than all of the albums ranked below it

No response from Cambridge at time of writing...though Varsity does have a Lex-baiting article on "The rapid rise of the R&B sad boy".

Students are not really noted for making independent aesthetic choices.

as opposed to professional music critics

Yeah I could easily imagine a pro critic or even an ILXor submitting the same list. There must be better targets around to point at.

Yeah I'm not really casting aspersions, I was responding to Nick's post really, it's hardly surprising they're going for the usual critical faves.

grooving to kendrick lamar at oxford! nice.

i'm glad people like converge so much. there is so much shitty stuff that they have helped spawn (not their fault) and its nice that people can tell a good poignantly brutal album from a bad one.

has decibel put the last three converge albums at number one? they really like converge i guess.

i don't really feel like listening to frank ocean. do i have to? i could youtube him but i don't think i care enough...

usually i'm more curious when people talk about the same thing for months.

love converge - ss on the money

when frank ocean makes an Afro-Swedish voodoo rock album i promise i will check him out.

channel ORANGE has one great song and a bunch of okay-to-embarrassing ones

otm

Yeah, I'm just grumpy basically and prefer lists full of surprises (and that list had just one really [i.e. Converge are still hip? I like Converge btw]). But also there's this lurking feeling you get that they're just discovering new music through the exact same channels as everyone else, you don't get the sense that these people are fully immersed in any vibrant subcultures or anything (apart from the Converge guy maybe?), it's all just the *edgier* end of the same stuff that was in the Uncut list and that's kind of boring *shakes fist*

xpost

“Bad Religion,” “Thinking About You,” “Super Rich Kids” and “Lost” are all really good, but I haven't felt any need to play the rest of the record since my initial engagement with it.

Also when they go on about really liking the Jessie Ware album and then single out a particular track for praise ("listenable" - The Oxford Student), it would probably be a good idea to get its fucking name right.

Anybody have the full MOJO list?

channel ORANGE has one great song and a bunch of okay-to-embarrassing ones

I don't even know what the "one great song" is: "Bad Religion"? "Super Rich Kids"? "Thinkin' Bout You"? (These aren't necessarily my favorites -- I'm just guessing what the "one great song" is for someone who thinks the album has "one great song.")

Btw, my wife, who has a habit of ignoring albums and then suddenly obsessing over them, just got really into Frank Ocean.

...Which is to say that I've been listening to the album around the house lately, and it's been holding up nicely.

for me, the one great song is "Thinkin' Bout You"

Hah I thought I was a bit meh on the F Ocean album too but after reading this thread it turns out I actually like it way more than most.

don't listen to it often but channel o is a v good album imo

it is crafted to be an extremely easy thing to listen to, which will always attract the mindless indie schlubs, but then even its hardcore reppers havent been particularly perceptive about it either

i have basically come to conclusion that it's highly appreciable but idk i'm too old to really connect with what it's saying now, same way i unquestioningly loved the first n.e.r.d lp but wouldnt today. like oh life can be empty and superficial huh kiddo?

obv there's the other angle which is great brave art and all but i don't want to get all brandon sodabread about it

i have basically come to conclusion that it's highly appreciable but idk i'm too old to really connect with what it's saying now, same way i unquestioningly loved the first n.e.r.d lp but wouldnt today. like oh life can be empty and superficial huh kiddo?

I think this is very fair. The biggest issue I had with the album wasn't so much in how it sounds as it was in that the stories being told in most of the songs struck me as facile and, in at least one case, bordering on stupid; I really, really liked the whole woozy narrative behind "Novacane" so the last thing I expected was to feel divorced from and amused by the storytelling.

i think this is very fair so let me get some of that whilst still being unfair and equating young with being dumb

That Converge album is very very good and deserves its place in any end of year list.

I implied rather than equated, but otherwise OTM

Paste Magazine
http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2012/11/the-50-best-albums-of-2012.html

1. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
2. Father John Misty - Fear Fun
3. Titus Andronicus - Local Business
4. Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel...
5. Sharon Van Etten - Tramp
6. Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
7. Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
8. Japandroids - Celebration Rock
9. Beach House - Bloom
10. First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
11. The Men - Open Your Heart
12. El-P - Cancer For Cure
13. The Shins - Port Of Morrow
14. The Walkmen - Heaven
15. Jack White - Blunderbuss
16. Tame Impala - Lonerism
17. Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself
18. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M
19. Rufus Wainwright - Out Of The Game
20. The Mountain Goats - Transcendental Youth
21. The Lumineers – The Lumineers
22. Hospitality - Hospitality
23. Jens Lekman - I Know What Love Isn't
24. Justin Townes Earle – Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now
25. Grizzly Bear - Shields
26. Bob Dylan - Tempest
27. John K. Samson – Provincial
28. Divine Fits - A Thing Called Divine Fits
29. Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
30. David Byrne & St
31. The Avett Brothers – The Carpenter
32. Woods - Bend Beyond
33. Howler - America Give Up
34. Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory
35. King Tuff - King Tuff
36. Cat Power - Sun
37. Shovels & Rope – O Be Joyful
38. Dr John - Locked Down
39. Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas
40. Todd Snider - Agnostic Hymns and Stoner Fables
41. Of Monsters And Men – My Head is an Animal
42. Bettye Lavette - Thankful 'N' Thoughtful
43. Stars - The North
44. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!
45. Punch Brothers - Who’s Feeling Young Now?
46. Damien Jurado - Maraqopa
47. Baroness - Yellow & Green
48. Lord Huron - Lonesome Dreams
49. Kelly Hogan - I Like To Keep Myself In Pain
50. Grimes - Visions

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa they put frank ocean first

there is still a paste! apparently. who knew?

Easy to keep going when you cease publishing or paying contributors.

"20. The Mountain Goats - Transcendental Youth"

number 20 spot rightfully belongs to this album:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e0/Aerosmith_-_MFAD.jpg

Broadcast in from print magazine heaven. Yeah they ceased publication in Sep 2010. If the ghosts of magazines I actually liked could send in lists too, this thread would officially be super duper awesome.

I am surprised I haven't seen full lists for Uncut and MOJO yet. They're probably about 70% the same. More interesting lists will come soon. There's always lots of amazing albums that are overlooked by most of the lists. I wonder if anyone will give props to this...

http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/richmedia/images/cover.gif

Mojo

1 Jack White
2 Frank Ocean
3 Bill Fay
4 Leonard Cohen
5 Dexys
6 Black Keys
7 Django Djangp
8 Dr John
9 Julia Holter
10 Dyland
11 Scott Walker
12 Tame Impala
13 XX
14 Hot Chip
15 Cat Power
16 Bobby Womack
17 Mark Lanegan Band
18 Orbital
19 Advance Base
20 Lee Fields & The Expressions

― fun loving and xtremely tolrant (Billy Dods), Friday, November 23, 2012 8:21 AM (3 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

whoa i play autoharp and omnichord on mojo's #19 album of the year #bragging

Sorry, an error, not trying to be mysterious:
http://fastnbulbous.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/motorpsycho-death.jpg

skot ignore these fucks, channel orange is the best album this year altho rtc is maybe kind of otm to an extent. it's slightly flawed, but i haven't heard an album this year that isn't.

lee fields is awesome. don't know what his new stuff sounds like. i mean, i can guess what it sounds like. jack white is the exact opposite of awesome. jack white is horrible and should be put in prison!

lol at paste putting it at the top of that terrible list tho xp

jesus, now i don't know what to believe about frank ocean. you guys have me all bugaboo! i'll youtube some stuff later. maybe.

The Fly's Top 50 LPs of 2012

50 Trailer Trash Tracys - Ester
49 Lucy Rose - Like I Used To
48 Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action At A Distance
47 2:54 - 2:54
46 Egyptian Hip Hop - Good Don't Sleep
45 Errors - Have Some Faith In Magic'
44 Stealing Sheep - Into The Diamond Sun
43 Pulled Apart by Horses - Tough Love
42 Trash Talk - 119
41 Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon
40 Allah-Las - Allah-Las
39 Mystery Jets - Radlands
38 Best Coast - The Only Place
37 The Invisible - Rispah
36 Liars - WIXIW
35 Howler - America Give Up
34 David Byrne & St. Vincent - Love This Giant
33 Animal Collective - Centipede Hz
32 Beach House - Bloom
31 Here We Go Magic - A Different Ship
30 Graham Coxon - A+E
29 Poliça - Give You The Ghost
28 TOY - TOY
27 Chairlift - Something
26 Bat For Lashes - The Haunted Man
25 Melody's Echo Chamber - Melody's Echo Chamber
24 Daughn Gibson - All Hell
23 Twin Shadow - Confess
22 Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
21 The Cribs - In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull
20 King Tuff - King Tuff
19 Diiv - Oshin
18 Pond - Beard Wives Denim
17 The xx - Coexist
16 The Vaccines - The Vaccines Come Of Age
15 Purity Ring - Shrines
14 Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Mature Themes
13 Grizzly Bear - Shields
12 Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
11 Lana del Rey - Born To Die
10 Tame Impala - Lonerism
09 The Maccabees - Given To The Wild
08 Kindness - World You Need A Change Of Mind
07 Field Music - Plumb
06 Django Django - Django Django
05 Jessie Ware - Devotion
04 Cat Power - Sun
03 Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
02 Grimes - Visions
01 Sharon Van Etten - Tramp

F-a-duck I wasn't showing all messages and missed that it was already posted, sorry. Going back to wrk.

i have no idea what the fly is but i kinda wanna do a liveblog/youtube thread devoted to those albums. cuz i have no idea what most of them sound like. actually, if someone finds me the perfect indie schmindie year-end list (i haven't heard any of it, trust me) i will totally do that. that might be a winner though.

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa they put frank ocean first

I already thought Ocean had a decent shot at (a still-hypothetical?) P&J #1, but that seems like a bellwether.

oh he's gonna top a lot of lists, but coming from PASTE it's pretty lol (tho they won't be alone)

Oh sure, but that's what I mean: if even PASTE is putting him at #1, then that's a sign of many more to come.

I think the P&J #1's a done deal. Unlike (seemingly) most people on ILX I love Channel Orange so I'm fine with that. I don't think he'll be robbing any masterpieces.

frank will do really well in this poll too, tho maybe slightly under other polls if his average is like 2.2 or something

actually, if someone finds me the perfect indie schmindie year-end list (i haven't heard any of it, trust me) i will totally do that. that might be a winner though.

That Fly list trends a little cute for my tastes, but it's about as good a list of worthwhile indie-rock as I've seen this year. Not a bad place to start.

channel orange is the best album this year altho rtc is maybe kind of otm to an extent. it's slightly flawed, but i haven't heard an album this year that isn't.

― these bitches is my sons and i make dad jokes (The Reverend), Monday, 26 November 2012 21:20 (13 minutes ago) Bookmark

i haven't said anything about flaws - if what i've said can be construed as criticism it's personal and not universal. genuinely i think if i were a younger man i'd be all over it, really into it, but now i just get it and that's all really. what's the borges quote, "i was drawn to sunsets, slums and misfortune, now it is to mornings in the heart of the city..."

like i say though the craft at least can't be fronted on; breathes in all the right places, a better filmic album than kendrick's i'd say

Good to see LotusPlaza getting some love

I like that Stealing Sheep record in the Fly list quite a bit. I realise this description will probably be the kiss of death for it for most people here, but it's really charming gentle folksy psych stuff, reminds me a little of Gorkys circa the Blue Trees but it's a bit more pop than that.

Frank's second-best (by far) record in two years is gonna dominate these lists and run away w/ P&J :(

not that the other one was totally overlooked, i guess

what is the fly these days, i swear the last time i saw a physical print copy was like 2005

xpost Lotus Plaza will be top 5 for me. Love that record more every day.

Stealing Sheep is good too. I just discovered them from The Fly list last night.

Surprised to see that Django Django record everywhere so far. I like that album, but don't love it ... find it a bit tiresome about halfway thru. Were they the breakout indie stars in Europe this year or something?

xp and as that it was bit of stuff you leaf through sipping a terrible pint waiting for a band to come on at a gig, or thing you threw in a record store bag for the bus home

No wonder people think indie is a steaming pile of shit if that Fly list is hailed as a good round-up of the year. Jesus.

hahaha

"Gorkys circa the Blue Trees"

i liked that album a lot! and the one with the soda can on the cover. never heard their last album. maybe i should look for it.

a better filmic album than kendrick's i'd say

― r|t|c, Monday, November 26, 2012 1:44 PM Bookmark

Oh totally, and a big part of the reason is it doesn't push its filmic qualities in your face so much.

Frank's second-best (by far) record in two years is gonna dominate these lists and run away w/ P&J :(

not that the other one was totally overlooked, i guess

― alpine static, Monday, November 26, 2012 1:53 PM Bookmark

I didn't get over my skepticism of Nostalgia Ultra until I heard Channel Orange.

I really, really liked the whole woozy narrative behind "Novacane" so the last thing I expected was to feel divorced from and amused by the storytelling.

this

see i was relieved that the new one had no z-trip at coachella anecdotes

I really, really liked the whole woozy narrative behind "Novacane" so the last thing I expected was to feel divorced from and amused by the storytelling.

this

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, November 26, 2012 3:30 PM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i'm not sure what you mean here... you like the woozy narrative but felt divorced/amused by it at the same time? or divorced/amused by the storytelling on channel orange?

divorced from/amused by the storytelling on channel ORANGE

I didn't find his vocal lines particularly compelling either. Tracks like "Sweet Life" just sit there. In toto the album sounds like it could have been recorded acoustically in the seventies by a precocious singer-songwriter who doesn't come into his own until the third or fourth album.

It's not about the stories quite as much as the emotion he injects them with.

i still havent heard clockwork orange but when ppl say that his debut was SO MUCH BETTER im like, wow that sloppy comp of odds & ends & him doing eagles karaoke is better than his studio album?? makes me never want to hear it

"Swim Good" by itself is better than three quarters of Agent Orange.

finding djp and alfred way otm right now about *orange rhyming dictionary*

need a new thread polling deliberate mangling options of Ocean album title

don't sleep on my channel BORING from a couple months back

"Swim Good" by itself is better than three quarters of Agent Orange.

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, November 26, 2012 2:51 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

One song on one album is better than some but not all of the songs on another album? Case closed.

i still havent heard clockwork orange but when ppl say that his debut was SO MUCH BETTER im like, wow that sloppy comp of odds & ends & him doing eagles karaoke is better than his studio album?? makes me never want to hear it

― D-40, Monday, November 26, 2012 2:50 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Keep in mind that these people are dummies.

tbh I don't mind anyone loving Orange Blossom as long as they love Kaleidoscope Dream a bit more.

the big difference between nostalgia, ultra and chanel l'orange is that it's all about the third-person storytelling instead of the very first-person stuff of nos, ultra, but there's so much sympathy for these characters that it just kills me. he's not judging anyone, just presenting these often heartbreaking stories, like flipping through some reality tv shit

Kaleidoscope Dream >>> Orange You Glad I Didn't Say Channel

are first-person stuff and autobiography synonymous?

eagles karaoke is 1 of 14 tracks on nostalgia, tucked conveniently at the very end along with MGMT karaoke. i don't particularly like (or despise) either of those, and thus never listen to them ... as far as i'm concerned it's a great 11-track album with a few interludes and 8 songs that range from good to amazing.

I have a hard time understanding how that Titus Andronicus album made anyone's list.. very disappointing and I really tried to warm up to it.

are first-person stuff and autobiography synonymous?

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, November 26, 2012 4:01 PM (11 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

of course not, and obviously there is autobiographical and first-person stuff on channel orange, too, it's just that "frank ocean" becomes another character amongst the obviously not-frank ocean others, if that makes sense?

tbh I don't mind anyone loving Orange Blossom as long as they love Kaleidoscope Dream a bit more.

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 26 November 2012 22:57 (56 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Or speaking of filmic albums ARMOR ON ffs

of course not, and obviously there is autobiographical and first-person stuff on channel orange, too, it's just that "frank ocean" becomes another character amongst the obviously not-frank ocean others, if that makes sense?

yep -- thanks

i mean, swim good and songs 4 women and we all try and dust ... for me, that's case closed.

i like channel orange but it doesn't burrow its way into me like n,u did. i dunno. i ain't gonna be pissed when it wins P&J. it's better than that tune-yards album

also, i need to hear ARMOR ON.

you really do, it's fucking amazing

I played "Faith" one morning last week as the sun was rising and I thought fuuuuuck

tbh I don't mind anyone loving Orange Blossom as long as they love Kaleidoscope Dream a bit more.

― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 26 November 2012 22:57 (56 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Or speaking of filmic albums ARMOR ON ffs

― #YOLO ONO (lex pretend), Monday, November 26, 2012 3:03 PM Bookmark

My top three albums this year!

i still havent heard clockwork orange but when ppl say that his debut was SO MUCH BETTER im like, wow that sloppy comp of odds & ends & him doing eagles karaoke is better than his studio album?? makes me never want to hear it

― D-40, Monday, November 26, 2012 5:50 PM (15 minutes ago) Bookmark

yeah well this is bullshit

i agree in the sense that my favourite individual frank songs i think come from nostalgia, ultra, but channel orange works so well as an "album" that i can just put it on and sink into that world

channel orange and kaleidoscope dream are also 2 of my 3 favourite albums of this year, too, much like rev.

I can't fucking wait til everyone can hear Goldenheart

Me neither, so envious that you've heard it.

Goldenheart?

Channel Orange is great, but as a whole Swing Lo Magellan is better.

what

hahahaha

i love everyone's enthusiasm for i am curious orange, and i put on that album every few weeks bc everyone's investment in it is certainly interesting enough to me to want to figure it out for myself, and then twenty minutes later i forget that it's on.

i think "Pyramids" is pretty cool but the less ambitious normal-length songs on it are mostly pretty underwhelming to me, also dude sings like Omarion

omarion? reeeeally?

i love the falsetto on "thinkin' about you" but his usual singing voice, that sort of half-talking cadence feels really distant and uninvolving

oh he sounds totally like omarion, listen to the MMG album from this year xp

omarion is a good singer fwiw

what a relief that love/hate for OrangeyougonnalistentoMiguel ranges across the sexual divide.

be cool if he sounded like michael omartian

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i24QiEYkzTU&feature=relmfu

but anyway while i hated the rhetoric about "a change in r&b" that surrounded orange crush when it came out i really liked a lot of the stuff on the actual ilx thread about its qualities as an album, regardless of whether i'm into it or not.

did anyone else love "confess" as much as me or am i alone on this one?

i am currently cobbling together ARMOR ON with YouTubes.

have never purchased anything from iTunes and won't be starting now; is there another way to acquire this, non-pirate style? was there a physical release. (sorry, lazy question)

[but anyway while i hated the rhetoric about "a change in r&b" that surrounded orange crush when it came out

mmm it hasn't gone away

pretty sure Armor On was only officially released digitally, no CD -- Amazon has it on MP3 but no physical media.

is there another way to acquire this, non-pirate style? was there a physical release. (sorry, lazy question)

no, no (and yes, lol). it was self-released.

to answer another question, goldenheart is the album to which armor on serves as prelude; it was due out in october but because of armor on's success she got a last-min physical distribution deal so it's been put back to january so they can make the CDs or whatever you do. the album itself is done and kinda mindblowingly good.

xpost

it is still difficult to acquire pirate style, hence why i haven't.

i love everyone's enthusiasm for i am curious orange, and i put on that album every few weeks bc everyone's investment in it is certainly interesting enough to me to want to figure it out for myself, and then twenty minutes later i forget that it's on.

aka "this year's kid a."

Yeah, that sort of sums up my experience with it, tho I haven't tried super hard. It sounds fine when it's on, and I love "Super Rich Kids." Maybe the whole album will click with me at some point, but right now it mostly fades away for me.

huh. well, maybe i can acquire it some other way-style.

looking fwd to the album now. FIDLAR is out that day, too. good day.

I appreciate Frank Ocean's talent but so often he wanders off and starts singing about the most innane stuff in his pretty voice and it cheapens whatever he's trying to do. Yes, you can sing.. it still sounds dumb as hell when you sing stuff that you'd find in someone's facebook status update.

It's a nice album and it has grown on me for sure, but I really could not stand to listen to the whole thing when it first dropped in the summer. Super Rich Kids is great, Pink Matter with Andre 3000 is nice and Pyramids is a pretty good song but I have to admit I still don't quite understand the levels of praise that song alone has garnered

last time I listened to Channel Orange the song that really caught me was "Crack Rock"--the "crooked cop, dead cop" digression was more out-of-nowhere and poignant than you'd expect if you were just letting the album flow past you in the background

Goldenheart is a straight up appalling title.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ca/MK_Golden_Heart.jpg

Goat album and the Sharon Van Etten are the standouts from stuff I hadn't heard before they started appearing on year end lists. Looking back at the Van Etten thread and it seems her earlier albums are more enthused about than 'Tramp' but I'm not really feeling them tbh.

I was thinking more of the spectre of swordfighting fantasy thematic nerdery which I'm 95% sure Dawn will avoid but she's got form with this kind of thing.

why on earth would you think she'd avoid that

warhammer r&b is the next big thing

I heard a Game of Thrones reference in an afrobeats track the other day and a small part of me died.

i guess GoT references are the new Star Wars references

lord stark toyotaaa

A playa always pays his debts

In your face like a can of mace, your grace

don't hate the playa, hate the Game (of Thrones)

Chris Carter just RTed the list of Dublin record shop Elastic Witch so I figured I'd share it here. Bit more of my kind of thing included, I guess.

LIARS - WIXIW (Mute)
SUN ARAW, M. GEDDES GENGRES & THE CONGOS - ICON GIVE THANK (rvng intl.)
JULIA HOLTER - Ekstasis (rvng intl.)
VESSEL - Order Of Noise (triangle)
WHITE CAR - EVERYDAY GRACE (hippos in tanks)
GRIMES - Oblivion (4ad)
GRIZZLY BEAR - SHIELDS (warp)
SWANS - THE SEER (young god)
OWENSIE - CITIZENS (out on a limb)
CHROMATICS - KILL FOR LOVE (italians do it better)
FLYING LOTUS - UNTIL THE QUIET COMES (warp)
JOHN TALABOT - FIN (permanent vacation)
ARIEL PINK - MATURE THEMES (4ad)
SCOTT WALKER - BISH BOSCH (4ad)
DIIV - OSHIN (captured tracks)
PEAKING LIGHTS - LUCIFER (weird world)
MOUSE ON MARS - PARASTROPHICS (monkeytown)
HOLLY HERNDON - MOVEMENT (rvng itnl.)
PYE CORNER AUDIO - SLEEP GAMES (ghostbox)
KATIE KIM - COVER AND FLOOD (flaming june)
GOAT - WORLD MUSIC (stranded rekords)
SUNKEN FOAL - FRIDAY SYNDROME VOL. 1 (countersunk)
ITAL - HIVE MIND - (planet mu)
DAPHNI - JIAOLONG (jiaolong)
CARTER TUTTI VOID - TRANSVERSE (mute)
BEAK> - » (invada)
SEA PINKS - FREAK WAVES (c/f records)
UMBERTO - THE NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND SCREAMS (rock action)
VOICES FROM THE LAKE - VOICES FROM THE LAKE (prologue)

Compilations/Collections:
VARIOUS ARTISTS - STRANGE PASSION, EXPLORATIONS IN IRISH POST PUNK 1980-1983 (cache cache)
VARIOUS ARTISTS - PERSONAL SPACE, ELECTRONIC SOUL 1974-1984 (chocolate industries)

which, say 3, of those would you recommend the most emil.y?

Yeah, that is a decent list. That Sun Araw, Geddes Gengras & the Congos record is some kind of high-water mark in stoned sounds. I can't really think of much to compare it to, it's like a fucked-up dub reggae version of Skip Spence's Oar. So beautiful!

^^^
I haven't heard all that much new stuff this year, but that Sun Araw is up there with Swans for my favorite thing.

whenever i see that title i start singing: "bish bosch i was taking a bOth long about a saturday night..."

whenever i see the name sun araw i start singing rolf harris's sun arise in my head.

Yeah, that is a decent list. That Sun Araw, Geddes Gengras & the Congos record is some kind of high-water mark in stoned sounds. I can't really think of much to compare it to, it's like a fucked-up dub reggae version of Skip Spence's Oar. So beautiful!

― Albert Crampus (NickB), Tuesday, 27 November 2012 15:29 (11 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I was disappointed to be honest. Maybe I should give it another go but Sun Araw's sound gets really boring for me after a while.

the flylo record is aging well for me, i hear new things in it every time i put it on.

Guess it took me a little time to really warm to the Sun Araw, think you have just got to let go of the edge and just float around in it for a while. And the Congos sound amazing on it, so otherworldly. The really deep bass voice especially, that sounds majestic among all those discombobulated electronics.

Still need to hear Voices From The Lake, that record has been on my list for months and months.

It's okay, I didn't really understand the rapturous reception it got, but I'm not very good with non-melodic techno that isn't danceable. The textures were fantastic but it didn't really engage beyond that.

i'll give it another go Nick