#6 - Purity Ring – Shrines

#6 - Purity Ring – Shrines

It’s a good thing this album came out when it did. In a year when I was looking forward to the fellow-up to Passion Pit’s Manners, only to be immensely disappointed, Purity Ring gave me what I was looking for. Shrines is full of melodic and infectious songs that leaves you yearning for more.

This album shares only a portion of the levity Manners did. While upbeat, the tracks are quite dark. Like dancing with your shadow, it’s cheerful, but not overwhelmingly so. It also manages to be contain some of the sexiest music of the year.   

What really makes Shrines stand out though, is how it feels like it’s breathing. Waves of cascading synth could easily become annoying, but instead it links each song to one another.  The lungs on the front of the album cover are well placed. 

As far as album art goes, Shrines contains some of the year’s best . Bewilderingly cute and haunting characters – not unlike those found in the music.

Top Tracks: Crawlersout, Ungirthed, Lofticries, Grandloves, Belispeak, Saltkin

#7 - Bahamas – Barchords

#7 - Bahamas – Barchords

Afi Jurvanen knows how to write a love song. Instead of the fluff, he writes about what’s real. The dirt and grit found between the cracks that eventually form in many relationships. Barchords is a record about the fights, the fuck-ups, the longing, and sometimes - even the forgiveness. 

But where others could take those experiences and make them bitter, Bahamas forms them into the type of songs the blues were built for. 

Like love itself, it has its ups and downs. Barchords is full of cheerful tempos, sorrowful guitar plucks, and even the occasional punctuating trill of an organ. Every now and then back-up singers peek out from behind the curtains adding one more layer. Everywhere else is Jurvanen’s amazing voice carrying each song along.

These are the songs for the morning after. The ones where you reflect and sometimes realize it was your fault. And the other times when you know it wasn’t. 

Top Tracks – Lost In TheLight, Caught Me Thinking, Never Again, I Got You Babe, Your Sweet Touch

#8 - David Byrne and St. Vincent – Love This Giant

#8 - David Byrne and St. Vincent – Love This Giant

Every now and then this feels like a David Byrne record. Other times it feels like a St. Vincent album. More than anything, it feels like a proper collaboration with two great artists. Annie Clark and David Byrne pass the lead back and forth so well, it never feels like one is outshining the other. It works so well, that it seems like a no-brainer they would choose to make this record.  

That’s the odd thing too. When Love This Giant was announced, it seemed a bit like a gimmick. After listening though, that skepticism melted away with each song. 

Not that it should have come as much of a surprise. 

St. Vincent albums are usually a pretty fun mix of different tempos and styles. The same could be said for almost everything David Byrne has done in his long career. Shame on me for batting a lash when this record crossed my path.

 

Top Tracks: Lazarus, Who,Weekend in the Dust, I am an Ape

#9 – Real Estate – Days

#9 – Real Estate – Days

Yup, an album from 2011 is on my top records of 2012 list. So sue me. Here’s the deal; I don’t work for Rolling Stone, I think the people at Pitchfork would actually respect a choice this pretentious, and Consequence of Sound? Well, they’re still waiting by the phone waiting for Frank Ocean to call.

Days is one of my favourite surf-rock records since the Beach Boys stopped delivering. It has everything you need; long dreamy riffs, daydream-inducing lyrics, and more. Seriously, take this to the beach with you and stare at waves. It just sounds like what summer should.

OK, no more cheating. The rest are all from 2012. I promise. 

Top Tracks: Easy , Out of Tune , Wonder Years  , All the Same

#10 – Sharon Van Etten – Tramp

#10 – Sharon Van Etten – Tramp

One of those records where you find yourself searching why you love it so much. There’s always that one little thing you can’t quite put your finger on. It’s not incredibly unique, if anything it has a bit of a familiarity to it. But that’s not to say it isn’t original or even half-assed. 

At the core of Tramp, is Van Etten’s ability to write a strong song.  Some begin in the throes of heavy layers, others are bare and build up to it. Then there’s Joke or a Lie which drifts by dreamily with Van Etten’s soft voice guiding it along. She has one of those charming abilities to belt out lyrics or simply let them escape her lungs. One of my favourite lyrics of the entire year is found on the second track: “You’re the reason why I’ll move to the city, or why I’ll need to leave.”   

Then there’s the back-up. Featuring the likes of Beirut, the National, and Walkmen – quite possibly the reason Tramp feels so familiar. But in such a good way. 

Top Tracks: Serpents http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYgyQ20TJAs , Give Out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exJ3AG0JIeo , In Line http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRSD3l6ie1M  , We Are Fine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0B33EX5R5Y 

The Top Albums of 2012 

I get it, I really do. I do not spend nearly enough time on here actually posting anything. If I have one excuse, it's that I now write for a living. Finishing that only to add more on here, just feels...well, like more work!

But that is not to say I haven't been listening. In almost every waking minute, I have perked up my ears and enjoyed what 2012 had to offer. Hell, I even went back to 2011 and found far too many records I missed that year.

As always, this list is of course my preferences. You may not agree with them all. In fact, I almost guarantee that you will not. But my biggest goal, like in year's past, is to help you find something you may not have listened to this year. And even more so, find out what I missed so I can enjoy it in the new one.

If those wacky Mayan's were right, we're going to have one hell of a soundtrack when all that fire and brimstone starts raining down from the sky!

- MWB