1. The Just Joans: “Buckfast bottles in the rain”
That Glasgow girl does my head in. And this album doesn’t make it any better. These songs seem to have been around for a while, but so has my heartache.
2. pg.lost: “Key”
I wet myself from pure pleasure every single time I listen to this delicious collection of songs.
3. Pelican: “Ataraxia/Taraxis” (EP)
Short but sweet. “The Creeper” from “What we all come to need” is one of my favourite songs by Pelican but other than that I felt their last album didn’t stand out as much as “City of echoes” or “Australasia”. “Ataraxia/Taraxis” proves that Pelican still has it in them.
4. Converge: “All we love we leave behind”
Dynamic, beautiful and brutal. Sweet, tender abuse. Converge played in Stockholm recently and the whole gig from start to finish can be enjoyed here: http://lukinzine.se/converge-live-pa-strand-i-stockholm/
5. Baroness: “Yellow & green”
I loved “Red Album” from the first time I heard it. “Blue Record” took longer for me to get into but when I eventually did it became one of my favourite albums ever. “Yellow & Green” doesn’t seem to be quite up there with Red and Blue, which is why it’s not my number 1 for 2012, but I might feel very different about this in a few months. My impression so far is that it’s lovely but lacking in heaviness.
6. Witchcraft: “Legend”
Even my dad likes this one and to my surprise I must say I prefer “Legend” to “Apochryphon” by The Sword.
7. The Sword: “Apochryphon”
Great riffs, of course, but also some good lyrics. I don’t think The Sword have received enough recognition for their lyrical skills:
“She wore a cloak of feathers and rode a mare of purest white. A silver chalice in her hand, a look of sadness in her eyes. A thing of beauty to behold but a sorrow to possess. She’ll take all that you offer until there’s nothing left.” I couldn’t have said it better myself! 🙂
Favourite songs: “Cloak of feathers” and “Execrator“.
8. Shining: “Redefining darkness”
I’m not yet convinced by their decision to sing in English, and “Halmstad” from 2007 still remains the band’s masterpiece, but this is still very good. One detail that I really like is the suicidal poem in Spanish that can be heard in the song “Hail darkness hail“.
9. High on Fire: “De vermis mysteriis”
Same old brutal stone age rock and roll.
10. The View: “Cheeky for a reason”
Guilty pleasure.
Weirdest release
“Human Don’t Be Angry” by Human Don’t Be Angry (aka Malcolm Middleton). I can’t decide if it’s really weird or really shit or actually quite good, and I’m guessing that’s exactly what the guy behind this wants us to think. Trying to push our musical imagination and boundaries? Funny, but I work full-time and I’m tired when I get home and I kind of liked the stuff you did before. This record will need some time before I know how I feel about it.
Other releases that deserve to be mentioned
Deafheaven’s cover of Mogwai’s song “Cody” is one of the best pieces of music I’ve heard this year and in my life as a whole. It makes my heart melt and cry at the same time. This song alone could have shared my number one together with The Just Joans but it feels wrong to include it in the list above when I don’t have a gramophone record player. Read more about Deafheaven’s latest release here. Thank you Cascadia Solidaria for introducing me to Deafheaven!
Sunshine Social: “The trek home”. The first time I heard Sunshine Social I was dead sure it was Frightened Rabbit, but it’s not. “The trek home” isn’t the most original EP to come out this year but it’s well crafted and beautiful. “Trust” is an amazing song but I’m not so sure about the bass player’s peroxide hair.
Frightened Rabbit: “State hospital”. Neither Aidan Moffat nor Frightened Rabbit are at their best on the song “Wedding gloves” but the rest of the EP makes up for it.
Satan Takes A Holiday: “Who do you voodoo”. “Destroyer” and “Who do you voodoo” are great songs (all fans of Queens Of The Stone Age should listen to the second song) and Satan Takes A Holiday are an amazing live act, but they don’t manage to keep my attention for a whole full-length album.
In another galaxy, far, far away
2012 was also the year when I started posting my own songs on Soundcloud. These attempts at songs obviously don’t qualify to play in the same league, or even the same galaxy, as the albums listed above but please take a few minutes to listen to what I have to say:
“All that was solid melts into air” seems to be the most popular song so far.
Some people also clicked to listen to “I have wiped you off my mind“.
My latest song is “How do I get to heaven without you?“. This version was recorded on my iPhone together with Hittekatten.
Albums from the last few years that have grown old with dignity:
Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat (2011): ”Everything is getting older”
King Creosote & John Hopkins (2011): “Diamond mine”
The Sword (2010): ”Warp riders”
Baroness (2009): ”Blue record”
Verse (2008): “Aggression”
Shining (2007): ”V: Halmstad”
Previous best of-lists
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KEAL for The Black Dandelions https://soundcloud.com/cykeloffret
Nice!!! Finally seeing your list too 🙂
Get on it young Rado! Only 19 days left of 2012 now!
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