Rolling "favorite music of 2012 so far" thread (albums and/or tracks edition)

Beak> isn't like Cattle Decap or nuthin but it's moody and gloomy and nauseous and abrasive and weird

I agree with that

I like your list. That pallbearer is way better than baroness though.....what is white suns?

Future is interesting to read about, didn't really strike me that much though

White Suns is a noize band who kind of mixes AmRep noise-metal with void-gazing feedback drones in fits and starts

go hard or go home imo

lol you can't have it both ways, either you go hard or you put baroness in your #1 spot

it would seem odd to me to feel very differently about the second and third.

why would it seem odd? they're very different albums with very different aesthetics over a decade apart.

― bitch I'm on the 242 (lex pretend), Saturday, July 21, 2012 9:41 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I was thinking more that I would expect people who love Third for its forbidding darkness to find that Portishead already anticipated a lot of that vibe, albeit not nearly as dramatically - esp. on "Cowboys", "Half Day Closing", "Elysium", etc. It seems odd to me that people could hate or dismiss it and then go on to love the next one.

It's my favourite as well.

the third isn't so stylebound.

My prob with 90s Portishead is I can't stand Beth when she tries to sing "jazzy". Thankfully, by Third she had cut that out.

I dunno, i know its schticky, but i kind of do feel like its 2012 and life is hectic (cash rules) and there's no time to be making or listening to soft shit.

― camp lo magellan (Whiney G. Weingarten), Saturday, July 21, 2012 9:52 AM (2 hours ago)

aero otm. i love that baroness album, but it's about as hard as a toasted marshmallow. it's like a comforter made out of chest hair. camping trips...

and portishead hasn't made a bad album

contendo OTM, all three Portishead albums are fantastic

I also agree with Tim in that I don't get how anyone couldn't see the roots of Third in Portishead

Agree that all three Portishead albums are great. I'd also add the Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man is rather brilliant too.

I know I'm a bit late to the party, but I'm loving Robag Wruhme's Thora Vukk lately

Okay, then--

Sa Dingding - The Coming Ones

Album of the year so far. Hairy warts and all.

just listened to a single off that sa dingding album. not sure i get it, entirely, but it's not like most things. doesn't really take off until 1:03...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQSM1qwNI3U

at first blush,Frank Ooean's channel ORANGE seems mostly undone by flaccid vocals, 'til the second half of long-ass "Pyramids" and tracks 14-17, which as an EP would make a pretty good Prince homage. Fave so far is "Bad Religion," "Any religion that gets you on your knees is a bad religion/Unrequited love is a one-man cult/Lookin' inside a styroofoam cup," or something close to that. Anyway, too true!

The Dirty Projectors, Swing Lo Magellan--maybe I was softened up for this by their Pitchfork Festival set, live on YouTube--the best PF set I saw on there and I saw most of 'em. But even though it was my fave, took me a while to get into that performance, just like all the others (vocal mix was a little off for that whole Webcast, seemed like). The album got me by the elbow right away, marching me up a swaying, strangely flexible path, but a groove, nonetheless--all sorts of zigzags, complicated as it has to be, but with plenty of immediate gratification, sloshing purple post-soul-chamber-rock, with daisy chains and field trips and school play backdrops--anyway, hope Frank Ocean checks it out, speaking of "keepin' it surreal," eh Frank. Novelty at worst, and while I once thought they might accrue Talking Heads cred without Talking Heads hits, now I'm not so sure they won't end up with both.

Also might be influenced by listening to it on wav files, but they're no better than CD (are they?)

no, and they could be worse

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3556865/Why-Sa-Dingding-has-China-in-her-hand.html

Sorry, somehow read that date as 2012 at first, not that it matters so much.

Hospitality - Hospitality

Ohmigod - this rules.

I've still only heard a couple of these Hospitality songs. It's a little interesting how it's got a jangly indie sound but it keeps doing these things (harmonically? someone with music theory please explain what I'm hearing in terms I won't understand) that are atypical of what I think of as indie rock (for what my narrow idea is worth). Like it might be more prog. sorts of turns in the music. I'm not crazy about the vocals, but maybe I could live with them. Also reminds me a bit of Company of Thieves in overall approach. (o. nate, have you heard them? I think you'd probably like them, though I don't know your taste that well. I'm still not completely sold on them--mostly based on vocal issues as usual, but most of the time they sound pretty good.)

I haven't heard Company of Thieves before, but I'm listening to them now on Spotify. I think I might like them, but I've got to listen some more. I think I know what you mean about Hospitality. Their songs are for the most part catchy jangle-pop in the vein of e.g., The Sundays or Thao and The Get Down Stay Down, but there are a couple of quasi-proggy left turns as well. My first guess was to attribute them to the presence of Nathan Michel on drums - if you've ever listened to his solo stuff it's full of that kind of proggy music-nerd playfulness - but I'm not really sure he's responsible for them. I like the Hospitality singer's voice, faux-English accent and all.

I don't know of Nathan Michel. Based on the live Company of Thieves I've heard, I think they might actually be better live, but I'm still getting familiar. This session has a lot of good material, if you can get past the annoying host (and there is lots of chatter otherwise):

http://audiotree.tv/session/company-of-thieves/

Or this actually live (meaning non-studio live) clip which I think is pretty good. I think their album from last year is uneven. Maybe there isn't enough differentiation between songs? I'm not sure. And I still need to listen to the first one more before commenting.

Whoa. Didn't even know about this show in general, and there they are:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7tlwbL0t3A&playnext=1&list=PLACEDA0E1CE8E955B&feature=results_main

I have never heard the Crutchfield sisters who are involved in 2 of Jon Caramanica of the NY Times fave indie-rock albums of the year (I have also not noticed anyone repping for them here, but maybe I mised the thread)

They’re 23 now, these twins, and even though the Ackleys are just a memory, the Crutchfields have continued, forming one band after the next, building a series of cult followings and arriving at the present moment with gale force. Separately they’ve made two of the year’s best and most affecting indie rock albums: “American Weekend” (Don Giovanni), by Waxahatchee, Katie’s solo project, which was released in January, and the self-titled debut album (on Salinas) by Allison’s band Swearin’, which was released in June.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/02/arts/music/allison-and-katie-crutchfield-twins-go-separate-ways.html?_r=1&ref=arts

I;ll have to check those out, Don Giovanni's releases are often to my taste (especially Screaming Females), and so far most of my faves this year are females: Fiona Apple, Bonnie Raitt, Patti Smith (despite sev xpost noted duds), and now I'm initially infatuated w Cat Power's Sun. Much more vigorous than expected, a post-break-up album as one-woman synth-pop combo (thought she had Jim White back on the drums, but it's her, damn). Most tracks seem similiar, but with good detail in arrangements sustaining alertness, and the last three tracks go in diff directions, zig-zag-zack, I guess Yaz might be a precedent, but she's never gonna be a big rich belter, just veering and glancing, no longer the waif though. Streaming here for a little while longer:
http://www.npr.org/2012/08/26/159919016/first-listen-cat-power-sun?ps=mh_fl

Female voices and what they sing also add a lot to xpost Dirty P.'s Swing Lo Magellan.

And don't forget the prev noted Neneh Cherry & The Thing's The Cherry Thing!

good call on the crutchfield albums - i hadn't heard them yet but (at least Waxahatchee) so far pretty

i'm loving the new cat power too.

dow, have u seen this thread? Songs Are Like Tattoos: Female Singer-Songwriter Rolling Thread

Hadn't seen that, thanks! I notice First Aid Kit on there, NPR's posted their set from this summer's Newport Folk.

Watched youtubes of the 2 Crutchfield sisters--Waxahatchee is folkier while Swearin' rocks more.

First Aid Kit also provides backing vocals on Ane Brun's "Do You Remember", one of my favorite songs from 2011. The parent album It All Starts With Onewas finally releaseed in the US in May and is a nice alternative to darker Kate Bush.

maybe like

Channel Orange
Armor On
Control System
Mala In Cuba
Art Dealer Chic, Vol. 1-3
Dark York
Nina Kraviz
Devotion
Pluto
Galaxy Garden

and

Adorn
Ima Read
Black Lipstick
Club Rez
Demonstrate
Druggys With Hoes Again
Birthday Cake (Funkystepz Miami Bass Mix)
JD & Coke
Fever
Stimela

albums

human teenager - animal husbandry
hank wood & the hammerheads - go home
grimes - visions
white load - wayne's world iii b/w godfather iv
ty segall & white fence - hair
trust - trst

Whole bunch of stuff I've been liking a lot in no particular order:

White Manna - s/t
Motion Sickness of Time Travel - s/t
Laurel Halo - Quarantine
Sun Araw, M Geddes Gengras and the Congos - FRKWYS 9
Julia Holter - Ekstasis
Belbury Poly - The Belbury Tales
Shackleton - Music For The Quiet Hour
Cooly G - Playin Me
Silent Servant - Negative Fascination
Claro Intelecto - Reform Club
Deepchord - Sommer
V/A - Shangaan Shake
Janka Nabay & the Bubu Gang - Eh Yay Sah
Batida - s/t
Paco Sala - Ro-Me-Ro
Gala Drop & Ben Chasny - Broda
Bear In Heaven - I Love You, It's Cool
White Hills - Frying On This Rock
Richard Youngs - Core To The Brave
Mirroring - Foreign Body
Vestals - Forever Falling Toward The Sky
Worm Ouroboros - Come The Thaw
Helm - Impossible Symmetry
Dustin Wong - Dreams Say, View, Create, Shadow Leads
Stealing Sheep - Into The Diamond Sun
Echo Lake - Wild Peace

^^^ Good list. What is "Janka Nabay & the Bubu Gang - Eh Yay Sah"?

He's a Sierra Leonian ex-pat who plays an electric version of traditional bubu music with a bunch of NYC people (folks from Gang Gang Dance etc). First track on that album is one of the most deliriously infectious things I've heard all year...

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

jason lescalleet - songs about nothing
michael pisaro - fields have ears (6)
skogen - ist gefallen in den schnee
boris hauf sextet - next delusion
ariel pink - mature themes
laurel halo - quarantine
deerhoof - breakup song
house shoes - let it go
ouija boys - NOT funny
en - already gone

faves so far

I last posted here on the vernal equinox, and with the autumnal equinox coming up, I'll append:

2:54 - 2:54 imagine curve with a plodding rhythm section. or garbage.
Ane Brun - It All Starts With One belated American release of remarkable nordic dark art-pop. think k.bush's 9th wave suite
Beach House - Bloom enough said hereabouts. this decade's fleetwood mac, without the internal tensions.
Blondes - Blondes organic sample house for diletantes. like me.
Gazelle Twin - The Entire City Remixed the debut was a ballardian vision of lisa gerrard v. fever ray. this plays with the memorable tracks in a idm/mnml direction
iamamiwhoami - Kin inevitably shadowed by the knife, but it holds up to repeated plays tremendously well
Monolake - Ghosts the most consistantly good downtempo IDM artist. They created Ableton was created to facilitate this
Niki & the Dove - Instinct does not improve upon the EPs. thats ok
School of Seven Bells - Ghostory crafty production serves a lesser batch of songs
Sun Araw, M. Geddes & the Congos - Icon Give Thanks falsetto harmonies make laptop exotica palatable
Yppah - Eighty One if boards of canada made a trip-hop album

That Janka Nabay & the Bubu Gang youtube is awesome! Thanks for the tip.

xps this is pretty great

^^^ love this

this would have been a big hit on outloud. :(

:(

Whole thing is up on Spotify cos it's on Luaka Bop and it's all good, but that's definitely my favourite song on it.

Yeah, I was just about to say I'd found it on Spotify. Giving it a spin.

my faves on the Janka are "Eh Mane Ah" and "Rotin"