Top Albums of 2012

fig 1. Rebecca Gates and the Consortium

My favorite albums of 2012. Enjoy.

Rebecca Gates - The Float 
Stream "Suite Sails" and "&&&" here

The Evens - The Odds 
Stream "King of Kings" here

Bob Mould - Silver Age 
Stream the entire album at Merge Records

A.C. Newman - Shut Down The Streets 
Download mp3 of "Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns"

Cat Power - Sun
Download mp3 of "Ruin" and "Cherokee (Nicholas Jaar remix)"

Sharon Van Etten - Tramp
Download mp3 of "Serpents"

Japandroids - Celebration Rock
Download mp3 of "Younger Us"

Archers of Loaf - Vee Vee (Best Reissue)

Top Tracks of 2012

fig1. Pontiak

Well, no post in over a year.  No good excuse for the long hiatus but an end of the year list is a good enough reason to break the cycle.  Instead of the traditional top 10/20/50/100 list, here are a bunch of songs that resonated with me in 2012 - no order, just placed into random groups at the last minute.

fig 2. Mean Jeans

 

Nothing Groundbreaking But Still Totally Rocks

Cloud Nothings - Stay Useless

Swearin' - Here To Hear

Mean Jeans - Anybody Out There?

fig 3. METZ

LOUD
Pontiak - Lions Of Least
METZ - Headache

fig 4. Sharon Van Etten

The Ladies
Sharon Van Etten - Serpents
The Mynabirds - Generals (link to free download via email)
Cat Power - Cherokee

fig 5. The Evens

The Old Guard
Bob Mould - Keep Believing
The Evens - King of Kings (stream)
Superchunk - Cruel Summer