An Ear For An Era: 2012

And thus, we wrap around to where we started. Kind of. I started this thing in 2013. Which kind of means 2012 was the original planned stopping point. Kind of. I didn't think I'd get it done in a year. But what I'm getting at is that while this is not the last one of these I'm doing, it's the last one that will really be tied in to my life. Because my musical memories of 2013-2017 consisted of going through this project and sneaking in some new music in between. So I'm continuing this project just because 2013-2017 were neglected and I might as well listen to that stuff one more time and give my thoughts on it, whether they are interesting or not! Luckily, doing this project also kept me from acquiring as much new music as usual, so it should speed up a bit here.

So 2012 was a significant year for me and for music. The last "big one" you'll see on this blog. Maybe going forward (and I'm thinking way ahead now, since I have a bunch more entries to do), I'll turn this into an ongoing blog about my relationship with music. Whatever that means. And 2013-2017 will be that black hole.

I forgot to get started in that last paragraph. Too bad I don't know how to edit what I've written to make those two paragraphs one coherent thought. Oh well.

Oh, here's my 2012 list from 2012. I decided to stop ranking things that year because it was too hard to compare Frank Ocean to The Dirty Projectors. But seriously, read that. I read it after writing this and it was eerie how many things I described the exact same way 5 years ago. And some things I described much better there than here.

In 2012 I got married. That was the main thing. So my relationship with music was mostly in the fact that I was particularly sentimental toward love songs and such and was seeking them out for perfect wedding playlist choices. And then memories of driving around Napa Valley on our honeymoon listening to The 2 Bears. That's probably the definitive music memory for 2012 for me. Napa Valley and into San Francisco, listening to "Bear Hug" and going over the Golden Gate Bridge. See, that album Be Strong was a good one for both of us to like because it was the dude from Hot Chip but nobody knew about it. My wife (wife!) had reviewed it for a website she was working for at the time, gravitated toward it due to a love of said Hot Chip. It's basically Hot Chip but with more silly songs and guest vocalists. They also had a song called "Ghosts & Zombies" which worked for the wedding thing since wedding was horror themed. But I think my favorite song off that album was "Time in Mind."

The 2 Bears "Time in Mind"

I just jumped in there, didn't I? I mean, once I actually jumped? When I was listening to music this time I was thinking about themes and how I'd summarize the year, but I just put that there. And there's no turning back now. My backspace key is broken. It's a good thing I don't make typos.

2012 was characterized by some very straightforward music. Most of the best music of the year was pretty unambiguous. Usually my favorite music kind of hops genres and is hard to define. Not this year.

Of course, I'll start (not counting The 2 Bears) with the exceptions to that. There are a lot of releases in a year and they're not all going to fit into these boxes.

One of the hottest songs of the year to me was sponsored by Converse and it brought together some favorites that aren't that far apart but still not usually interacting. Three giant personalities that are usually enough on their own. I'm talking about a song that had contributions from Gorillaz (the official "artist"), Andre 3000, and James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. It was a thing that Converse had them do, and let me tell you, it is an entertaining track. Especially the long, uncensored version (which really has the LCD Soundsystem influences go off the rails along with Andre). If you didn't hear this in 2012, or you just forgot about it, here is a treat for you!

Gorillaz featuring Andre 3000 and James Murphy "DoYaThing" (short version, sorry! couldn't find the long version on YouTube anymore!)

THEESatisfaction melded together some different things as well. I call them hip hop, but it's more of a neo soul thing I guess? I don't know. Just spiritual and honest and smart and moving. Maybe? Check out awE naturalE, it is a great record and features Palaceer Lazaro (of Shabazz Palaces), the closest spiritual partner to this wild music that I can think of. Meanwhile, Robert Glasper fused together jazz and R&B and some hip hop on Black Radio. Such great soulful performances on there from the likes of Musiq Soulchild, Bilal, Erykah Badu, etc.

I just keep finding exceptions! I think my rule is nonsense but still a convenient way to break this up. But pop/R&B singer Neneh Cherry teamed up with avant-jazz group The Thing for The Cherry Thing and it is such a unique, special....thing. It's got covers of great songs by The Stooges and Suicide and Madvillain, and that Madvillain cover in particular ("Accordion") I love because it brings out MF DOOM's lyrics in such a new and unique way, more like poetry than rap, and I'd love to hear such a treatment of more rap songs because I appreciate his lyrics that much more now.

Kid Koala, ever unclassifiable. I generally put him under hip hop because turntables, but 12 bit Blues is straight up a turntable blues album. Like, classic blues. That guy! If you check out one song off this album, make it "8 bit Blues (Chicago to LA to NY)." Heavy Chicago blues. And turntables. And area codes. Just...the area codes. For Chicago, LA, and NY. That guy!

Deerhoof firmly belongs in the "undefinable" category, but Breakup Song is kind of their pop album anyway. They have always been gleefully weird and catchy, but Breakup Song might be their catchiest without making a whole lot of concessions to their signature weirdness. Does that make sense? Of course that makes sense. It's Deerhoof.

I think Swing Lo Magellan is my favorite Dirty Projectors album. It might be their most mature. With enough weird creative energy for me to list them next to Deerhoof but also enough pretty vocals, it i s a very realized sound from what seems to be a bunch of experts. But they have fun with it. Amber Coffman takes the lead a couple times on vocals and they are some of my favorite moments. And then the playfulness of songs like "Unto Caesar" where they kind of take on a looseness not unlike "Barbara Ann" by the Beach Boys, where they're just kind of showing off how easy it is for them to hit those perfect harmonies when they feel like it. And then on other songs, there is an intensity that the harmonies just amplify. It really is sad that the personal and professional relationship of David Longstreth and Amber Coffman fell apart as it did, but we'll always have this album.

Dirty Projectors, "Gun Has No Trigger"

I skipped out of the UMS for the night Saturday night to see Dirty Projectors that year. No regrets at all.

And now the straightforward stuff that I swear was the whole point I was getting at, I'm sure this is the focus!

Rock and roll just went straight out rock and roll in 2012. Cloud Nothings' Attack on Memory reminded me of Bleach era Nirvana, the changeups, the passionate grungey vocals (Cobain-style, not Vedder-style), and just the way they pushed everything to its limits, it really is one of the best pure rock albums of the past decade.

Similarly, The Men went balls-to-the-wall on Open Your Heart, OFF! had a self titled album that was just exactly what we needed, which is what OFF! is always best for: short fast punk songs, preferably under a minute but sometimes as long as a minute 37 seconds. Ty Segall Band put out Slaughterhouse which I think is the only Ty Segall album I have. They cover "Diddy Wah Diddy" by Bo Diddley, so that's great. Dinosaur Jr continued their reunion hot streak with I Bet On Sky. Screaming Females delivered big time on Ugly with the best vocals and guitar licks one could want. Even Titus Andronicus simplified their formula as well with Local Business, a decidedly not conceptual album (while fitting in a couple characteristically long confessional tracks). And METZ.

Jack White's solo debut Blunderbuss was I guess slightly more complicated than The White Stripes, but pretty much straightforward blues rock. I saw him at Red Rocks as well as at a tire shop in Denver on this album. My last hurrah of working weekends (oh yeah, I switched to weekdays in 2012!) was the ability I had to chase him down to see an intimate show at a random tire (was it a body shop? I don't know, something car related) on West Colfax and be in like the 2nd row. That was a thrill, let me tell you. Then Red Rocks that night. Oh, and our "end of the night" song from the wedding was his "I Guess I Should Go to Sleep." Good song!

Jack White, "I Guess I Should Go To Sleep"

Oh, and remember Alabama Shakes' debut album Boys & Girls? More awesome soulful garage rock! Fairly straightforward!

And finally, Japandroids' Celebration Rock may just take the cake for rock album of the year. Maybe. The pure mass of sound they put out as two people is just phenomenal. The passion, the whoa-oh-oh, it's just pure anthemic celebration. I guess that album title is a pretty good descriptor that I didn't realize was right in front of me. I also remember one night I was listening to it and it ends on a song called "Continuous Thunder" and it ended up being the same night as a huge thunderstorm in Denver. I kind of wondered if the album had called it into being, similar to a rain dance.

Japandroids "Continuous Thunder"

Small section in here for pretty-easy-to-classify Swedish indie pop artist Jens Lekman. I Know What Love Isn't is signature Jens Lekman, just easy songs with some truly insightful lyrics while also staying true and all that. Words. He's better at words than me. But this album has "I Want A Pair of Cowboy Boots" which is one of my favorites. "Just buy me a drink so I can refuse to raise my glass to these sad and worn out midnight shoes..."

And also easy to classify is straightforward pop music. Carly Rae Jepsen's Kiss came out in 2012 and while the album is uneven to say the least (she would get much more consistently great in a few years), it had the smash single "Call Me Maybe" which is great for all the unironic reasons. And that alone makes it worth pulling into the main part of the entry here.

Another usually easy to define genre is hip hop. It was a very good year for hip hop, if you remember 2012. El-P's Cancer 4 Cure saw the beginning of his mutually beneficial relationship with Killer Mike. Or did Killer Mike's R.A.P. Music come first? Either way, before they were Run The Jewels, the two collaborated quite a bit on two of the best hip hop albums of the year (and probably more than just the year). So I'll talk about them together here. El-P's started with an extended instrumental break that I remember people remarking made them think they'd accidentally gotten the instrumental version of the album. He just makes you wait for it longer than you may be used to. But once that hits, the words come hard and he does not let up. I don't know how to explain these albums! In terms of RTJ, they showcase the individual talents more than their combined efforts, and for that I hope they do some more solo material (while not wanting RTJ to end because duh).

Aesop Rock's Skelethon. It has some great moments of creepiness, particularly when they feature his newtime collaborator Kimya Dawson (which almost would put him in the "less classifiable" category, except that she doesn't sway the album out of hip hop territory. I will say that she brings her signature twee in to a great unsettling effect).

Nas put out an album as a reasonably old rapper called Life Is Good. I didn't think I'd be that into it but it must have been $5 or something. It ended up being one of the better "mature" hip hop albums I've heard. Still uneven (particularly when the song about having a daughter is followed up within a couple songs by less than savory language one wouldn't want to use with one's daughter) but there are some illuminating moments for sure.

The Coup made the revolution a party by the way. Sorry to Bother You is THE ONLY album you need for your revolution party.

Kendrick Lamar kind of broke my rating system with good kid, m.A.A.d city. Usually my ratings are there to indicate standout tracks so I know which ones to revisit (in addition to using them so they'll come up on various shuffly playlists, as I do). But the consistency of greatness on this album just kind of means the whole thing is to be revisited. Over and over. It's interesting to revisit this album now that he's put out a couple more. It might be my favorite of the three (not counting untitled unmastered). But it also has had the most time to marinate. I'm excited for the revisiting of TuPAB in the near future. The reason I'm not trying to really write about the music is because so many words are on the internet about this album. I don't really have anything to contribute. But just to say something, it is a refreshingly honest portrayal of life in Compton without being grandstanding. It's about difficulties and it's just about growing up. It's oft misunderstood but wise beyond its years. Or something. I don't know. It's one of the best hip hop albums in existence. And I get to see him live on Saturday (I had to throw that in there).

We can also put Frank Ocean firmly in the R&B category of the record store. Channel Orange is not a typical R&B album though. The pure honest heart on sleeve presentation and the deep, deep levels of creativity make this something truly special and it transcends any genre. Even though it evokes greats like Marvin Gaye and Al Green, it is so contemporary and original. Album of the year? Tough call, due to this year being this year. But maybe.

Frank Ocean, "Pyramids"

Also of note:

• Grimes' Visions was fantastic. I know she would go more pop and arguably better on her follow-up, but Visions was my intro to her and I love its experimentalism.
• Man, there was a giant box set of Bob Dylan covers that I got because it was a benefit for Amnesty International, but was that a slog to get through! No regrets for supporting it, but it had maybe an EP's worth of tracks I actually liked.
• John K Samson of Weakerthans fame went solo with Provincial. Definitely consistent.
• Leonard Cohen deserves more than a footnote, I'll try to put in a tribute with the 2016 entry. Old Ideas was fantastic though.
• Chromatics' Kill For Love. A great album for driving around a big city on a rainy night.
• Magnetic Fields checked in with Love at the Bottom of the Sea. As usual, it had a couple great songs and some filler. But I really liked "Andrew in Drag" and "Going Back to the Country."
• I'm not sure which category I'd put Sleigh Bells in above (which I guess puts them in the non-straightforward category!) because Reign of Terror saw them going a little more basic, dropping some of the hip hop influences in favor of making it closer to metal. So it's only joining together like three genres now, okay? 
• Revisiting The Shins' Port of Morrow was quite rewarding. I had thought I'd remembered it being dull, but this time it was a pure delight.
• of Montreal had two albums! And many genres as well!
• I think Heaven might have been the album that really made me appreciate The Walkmen.
• I feel like I didn't like The House That Jack Built by Jesca Hoop as much as I should have, considering it seems to expand on my favorite quirks of her first album. I wonder if it's related to the similarly timed release of Fiona Apple's The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do, which touches on similar styles and was just so great that it made others look bad. Not sure. But yes, I put that whole title in here. Confession: I used copy/paste for that one.
• Hot Chip also had an album as Hot Chip and it was great. It deserves to be not just a footnote, but I write about them a lot already!
• Same with Scissor Sisters. b is more greatness from them.
• Is Master of My Make Believe Santigold's best? Maybe, just maybe.
• Calexico, man. Calexico. Algiers is just like, what Calexico does. They could put out 10 more albums like this and I'd love them all.
• The xx managed to evolve enough for their sophomore album Coexist where I maintained interest, but they were nowhere near the year end list this time. I still enjoy them though.
• The Whigs' album Enjoy The Company was included in a random grab bag thing I got at the record store. Two words of advice: when you already have tons of music, don't go acquiring more stuff you've never heard of. However, sometimes you might get lucky and get something awesome.
• David Byrne and St Vincent teamed up for a pretty funky collaborative album. It's got hits and misses but the hits hit hard, like good classic Talking Heads. I'd like more of St Vincent's signature oddball guitar work, but the brass sounds good too.
• Divine Fits were a good way to hold us over until the next Spoon album.
• Big Boi took a step back with Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors. But still, Big Boi.
• The Evens! The Odds!
• Bat For Lashes! I got bored with her other albums for whatever reason, but The Haunted Man is the real deal!
• And always The Mountain Goats. Transcendental Youth is typical great Mountain Goats music.

2012 Playlist from 2012:
Comfort in Destiny: It Was 2012

1. Cloud Nothings "Separation"

2. Japandroids "The Nights of Wine and Roses"

3. Fiona Apple "Every Single Night"

4. Neneh Cherry & The Thing "Accordion"

5. THEESatisfaction feat. Palaceer Lazaro "Enchantruss"

6. El-P "For My Upstairs Neighbor (Mums the Word)"

7. Killer Mike "Go!"

8. Gorillaz feat. James Murphy & Andre 3000 "Do Ya Thing (Full Extended Version)"

9. Chromatics "The Page"

10. of Montreal "Spiteful Intervention"

11. Jens Lekman "I Want a Pair of Cowboy Boots"

12. The 2 Bears "Time in Mind"

13. Kendrick Lamar "good kid"

14. Frank Ocean "Bad Religion"

15. Robert Glasper feat. Musiq Soulchild & Chrisette Michele "Ah Yeah"

16. Bobby Womack "Stupid"

17. David Byrne & St. Vincent "Weekend in the Dust"

18. Jack White "I Guess I Should Go to Sleep"

Next is 2013:

Chance the Rapper! CHVRCHES! The return of Man or Astro-man?! The return of Janelle Monae! DELTRON EVENT II! My Bloody Valentine! (now I feel silly talking about the return of Janelle Monae since the other returns are after much longer hiati) Bowie! Daft Punk! (now I'm realizing that I'm getting older and all the more exciting albums are returns) Run The Jewels! Savages! Deafheaven! (now that's more like it, some new stuff) Elvis Costello with The Roots! Justin Timberlake! And more stuff! But not as much as I started to scale back on my music. Please keep reading this even though I said it would be less personal. You might get nostalgic for music from 4 years ago, right? Remember 4 years ago? Those were the days.