radio silence is broken.
Here are my favorite records of the first half of 2012...
1. Japandroids-Celebration Rock (Polyvinyl Records). A genius mix of the barroom rock of The Replacements, the party anthems of The Hold Steady, the energy and adrenaline of Husker Du and early Bob Mould, and the piss and vinegar of Against Me. A perfectly sequenced and paced record…the worst track on the record is a Gun Club cover, and it’s excellent.
2. Gentleman Jesse-Leaving Atlanta (Douchemaster). After a pretty bad couple of years, Jesse makes an angry, angsty record that still epitomizes summer friendly power pop. Jesse’s well versed in the most potent power pop tropes (jangle, uptempo boppers) without ever sounding like a copycat. Great stuff, with a hopeful bitterness running under the surface.
3. Lucero-Women and Work (ATO Records). Another horn-fueled rocking Americana romp, coated with beer, whiskey, cigarettes, and regret.
4. The Twilight Sad-No One Can Ever Know (Fat Cat). Moving from a more melancholic folksy sound to something with much more post punk edge (think PiL, Cabaret Voltaire, Joy Division, Magazine) but still delivered with the thick brogue of James Graham, a notable change of sound without a loss of self.
5. Spiritualized- Sweet Heart, Sweet Light (Fat Possum). Another record of epics from J. Spaceman, whose back catalog is slowly becoming the best of the shoegaze era.
6. Maccabees-Given to the Wild (Polydor/Fiction). After being one of the many bands in the post punk revival (and not standing out in the shadows of Field Music, Maximo Park, Franz Ferdinand, and Bloc Party), the Maccabees have undergone an about-face and started writing widescreen epics that ape radio-friendly bands like Snow Patrol and Coldplay, without sounding like those bands. Really nice stadium friendly rock.
7. Richard Hawley-Standing At the Sky’s Edge (EMI UK). After five albums of moody, melancholic balladry, Hawley (no stranger to loud guitars with his past in Pulp and Longpigs) cranks up a loud, brash psychedelic record about (duh) living in Sheffield and losing friends.
8. Kevin Tihista-On This Dark Street (Broken Horse). After eight years of silence, Kevin Tihista is back with another collection of beautifully constructed chamber pop sugar cookies that hide jagged shards of bitterness and sarcasm in the lyrics. Very few people can deliver barbs with such gentle melody.
9. The Cribs-In The Belly of the Brazen Bull (Wichita). The Cribs were good before Johnny Marr joined them, so the naysayers who deride them now that Marr has left can miss this boat. A front-loaded collection of textbook Britpop that gets better the longer it sits.
10. DIIV-Oshin (Captured Tracks). I’ve listened to this at least a half-dozen times, and I’m not sure if there are real lyrics and, if so, what they are. Like the Cocteau Twins and early REM, what the words MEAN is irrelevant…these dreampop songs are about lushness and texture.
11. Exlovers-Moth (Rough Trade). There’s a new Stars record due in September. Until then, here’s a nice facsimile of a Stars record.
12. Beach House-Bloom (Sub Pop). I don’t have the same feelings about this record as most of the gushing reviews I’ve read do, but it’s a really nice, if a little same-y, dreampop. These guys do it as well as anyone, and there’s a shit-ton of dreampop being released these days.
13. Violens-True (Slumberland). The songs here remind me simultaneously of the 60’s, 80’s, and 90’s but somehow feel wholly original.
14. Hatcham Social-About Girls (Fierce Panda). Mixing the best of the jangly side of post punk (Elvis Costello, Orange Juice) with some twee and Britpop, these guys make catchy earworms that linger in your skull for days and days.
15. Mystery Jets-Radlands (Rough Trade). I know nothing about Eel Pie Island, where these guys hail from, but it must be a weird place. This band has a former bassist named Kai Fish and the guitar player’s dad was once a full fledged member. Also, judging from the albums listed in the glorious break up song “Greatest Hits”, they have great record collections.
16. Walkmen-Heaven (Fat Possum). I haven’t tracked the career of these guys (I really like “The Rat” but don’t know much more) but this is supposed to be their ‘mature’ record, I guess, because they have pictures of their kids on it. It reminds me most of REM’s Automatic for the People in tone and feeling, but I can’t really say why.
17. We Are Serenades-Criminal Heaven (Interscope). If you like vocal harmonies, lush keyboards, and generally melodic indie-pop, do yourself a favor and buy a copy of this for less than $4 on Amazon’s used marketplace and thank me later. My favorite Christmas song of the year is “Come Home”.
18. Beachwood Sparks-The Tarnished Gold (Sub Pop). These guys just sort of faded away after making a couple of really good alt-country records, but they return with something that shows that no beats have been missed.
19. Maximo Park-The National Health (V2). Back to a very refreshing well, but a little amped up and angry about politics makes this one of the more aggressively fun records of 2012. Great treadmill music.
20. Lightships-Electric Cables (Domino). Gerard Love, of Teenage Fanclub, steps out from TFC’s shadow with a record that could easily be a TFC record. Not exactly breaking away from a legacy, but I think playing to one’s strong suits is a wise move.
