NOTE: There's a good mix of local artists from Saskatchewan, which honestly has nothing to do with me trying to achieve a "ratio" or propping up friends that play music. The albums/artists are on this list because they are really really, REALLY good. I think it speaks to the level of talent in this Province. We should all be very proud!
Without further ado.. I present:
Nick Faye's Guide to the Best Music of 2012
10) Grizzly Bear - "Shields"
This album completely snuck up on me, which is pretty bizarre seeing as I jammed Vecktimest religiously over the last few years. I remember patrolling Facebook during a homework procrastination session earlier this autumn when I stumbled across the video posted below. Shields is a very good album, as Vecktimest was before it.
Highlights on the album include "Speak in Rounds", "A Simple Answer". "Yet Again" adds to the band's already impressive catalogue of great singles.
9) Japandroids - "Celebration Rock"
I took a trip to Montreal this past May. I spent most of my time riding bikes, eating bagels, drinking beer, and exploring the city. It was fitting that an adventure of this magnitude required a soundtrack to mirror the nature of my shenanigans. Celebration Rock provided the anthem for many a bike ride or drunken Metro ride back to Saint Henri.
The band released my favourite song off of the album, "Younger Us" as a single over a year and a half ago. Celebration Rock fed off of the same pulsing energy in the song, dripping with a careless youthful attitude that made it difficult not to emulate. The album is concluded perfectly by one of my favourite songs, "Continuous Thunder". In my opinion, it's one of the most appropriate final songs I've heard for an album in a while.
Fun Fact: My speed would increase by an average of 10 KM/H while listening to this album in my car!
8) Action Bronson - "Blue Chips"
I had a conversation regarding Action Bronson with a good friend of mine earlier this summer. This was his response after I asked him how he felt about Blue Chips: "He's filthy, and it's really good." I couldn't agree more. The mixtape was released FOR FREE earlier this year. Go download it. It's worth your computer's resources.
I really dig the Laissez Faire vibe of the mixtape. Many of the tracks include Action making "mistakes" or "screwing up". Instead of retaking the track, many of the cuts were left in the final mix. Whether or not this was intended or not, it managed to create a unique flow and make for some really cool listening. Action Bronson is one of my favourite artists in hip hop today, and Blue Chips is great.
7) Andy Shauf - "The Bearer of Bad News"
Not many artists are able to put out an awesome EP and an even better album over the course of 8 short months. Andy Shauf completed such a task when he released The Bearer of Bad News in November. I remember hearing the EP for the first time earlier in the year. I texted Andy to ask if I was crazy, or if I was hearing clarinets in his new songs. The answer was yes. There are LOTS of clarinets. He plays them in this album as well. It sounds awesome. CLARINET HEAVY.
I'm proud to call Andy Shauf a friend. The sky is the limit for this guy. It's been a pleasure to watch him and his songwriting evolve to where it is today. The man writes evocative and bone rattling songs that transport listeners to his world of heartbreak and darkness. I don't think I've ever shown his music to someone that didn't wind up purchasing one of his albums or attending one of his shows.
Highlights include "I'm Not Falling Asleep", "Wendell Walker" and "Jerry Was A Clerk". This man tells elaborate and interesting stories that are sure to grab your attention.
6) Zachary Lucky - "Saskatchewan"
It's no secret to readers of this blog that I love Saskatchewan. I spent a good chunk of my summer driving this province's highways as a consequence of splitting my time between Regina, my father's farm and Camp Monahan on Katepwa Lake. Saskatchewan was the soundtrack of the many long drives I was required to make.
I have listened to this album quite frequently since it's release this past March. Serene and reflective, Lucky has managed to create a perfect soundtrack to passing through ghost towns and family farms. The guitar work is superb, Carly Maicher's vocals perfectly complement the mix, and the pedal steel provided by Lucas Goetz (of The Deep Dark Woods fame) adds the necessary Western ambiance that the album needed.
As with Andy, I have been friends with Zach for a long time. Since our very first "mini-tour" some 4 years ago, he's continued to improve and this album is his best effort yet. Few musicians work as hard or tour as frequently as this man. His hard work is evident and on display in Saskatchewan.
5) Frank Ocean - "Channel Orange"
This was the undisputed "city-cruise album" of the year. I really don't have that much to say about this album other than that I think it's awesomeness speaks for itself. Frank Ocean absolutely destroys on this album.
There are a solid 5-7 songs that I would consider to be REALLY GOOD. My personal highlight is Earl Sweatshirt's perfect contribution to "Super Rich Kids".
So.. Here's where things get weird. I have a really tough time ranking things, especially when the "things" that I am required to rank are all music that I love. Thus, I have determined that I have a four way tie for best album of the year. Is this a cop-out? Yes. Do I really care? No. Drumroll please!
NICK FAYE'S TOP ALBUM(s) OF THE YEAR:
TIE 1) Ladyhawk - "No Can Do"
Anyone that knows me can attest to my love for this band. I started listening to Ladyhawk during my first year of University in Saskatoon, six long years ago. They were the perfect band for a 17 year old angsty student to sink his teeth into. Writing songs about young/naive love and blurry scenes from seedy bars (which my fake ID and I could identify with), the band was my best friend at that point of my life. I missed them play a show at Amigo's with Black Mountain that year, and I regretted it for the next five years.
The band stayed quiet in the years that followed. When they did play, it was always at inconvenient times. I took one of my favourite bands to be dead, as more time passed without any activity.
I took the bus to school this September. I stumbled upon a link to their first single, "You Read my Mind", off of their new album that was released in October as I was browsing my tweets waiting for the bus to leave. All I remember is listening to the song on repeat for the entire 55 minute commute (efficient Regina Transit is efficient...) with a goofy smile plastered on my face. Ladyhawk was back, and they sounded better than ever.
No Can Do is a good album. Focused and precise, the album hits everything that needed to be hit after their hiatus. "You Read my Mind", "Bed Bugs" and "Window Pane" are songs that are as sweet to my ears as honey is to flies. Perfection.
I finally got to see them live in October in Calgary. It was a special evening. I knew most words to every song except for one. Thank you Ladyhawk. Thank you for coming back into my life.
TIE 1) Bry Webb - "Provider" (released late 2011, but who cares)
Provider was released in November of last year. I don't really care that it wasn't released in 2012. It's my list, and it's close enough to the end of the year that I choose to include it.
To be honest, I had never heard of Mr. Bryan Webb (I was familiar with his previous band, The Constantines) until I saw him and his band live this past May. I went to watch Zach Lucky at The Artful Dodger. Despite being very sleepy I decided to stick around for the rest of the show. They were very good live, and I purchased the album on vinyl. Little did I know the musical impact Bry Webb would have on my year.
Provider is a rite of passage for a man deciding to make a drastic change in his lifestyle. Webb, the former front-man of the always popular Constantine's decided to trade his tour van for a baby stroller. He started a family with his wife and they had a child. This album is a documentation of this transition. Provider paints a portrait of a man coming to terms with the new responsibilities that come with fatherhood, and it does so beautifully. It speaks to me personally as a musician, as this is a reality that I may be faced with in the future.
Double steel guitars (pedal and lap), ambient tones and stellar reverbed vocals provide the soundtrack to this journey. Bryan is a masterful musician. The album shows that he can still write powerful and evocative songs. Personal favourites off of the album include "Asa", "Zebra", and "Lowlife". If there ever was a peaceful album to play as you fall asleep, this is it.
PS - It won't let me embed it to this page, but this is the video I wanted to post to the blog. Watch it.
TIE 1) Cloud Nothings - "Attack on Memory"
I have to tip my hat to Mr. Justin Schumacher for advising me to check out Cloud Nothings earlier in the year. I was in Montreal, looking for new music to listen to when I gave Cloud Nothings my first listen. Attack on Memory is a high octane musical journey that I am glad to have in my library.
The first two songs of the album are quite different from the rest of the album. "No Future/No Past" begins at a dark drone and continues to increase in intensity throughout the song. The drone builds nicely into "Wasted Days", which consists of pure intensity for almost nine minutes. I was pleasantly surprised that these two songs, although very good, were leading off the album. These two songs are drastically different from the rest of the album. It's different, but it works.
The remainder of the album is a mix of catchy/melodic garage rock that still manages to retain a healthy level of grit and polish. The album effectively explores themes of lost memories, vanishing youth and romance. Similar to Japandroids, Attack on Memory is a garage rock symphony that I've had the pleasure of enjoying over the last year.
TIE 1) Rah Rah - The Poet's Dead
I remember the first time I watched Rah Rah play live. They played at the Exchange in Regina with either Go Jeff!, Sylvie, or National Frost in 2007 - it's funny how time flies and people forget these details. They had only been around for a short time and the buzz surrounding their music was spreading across the city. I had yet to hear their music at that point, and I attended the show that evening with a pessimistic/negative attitude towards the band. I was preparing to hate their music solely based on the hype behind their music and that everyone else liked the band (I was an angsty/irritable teenager at the time). That first show was so much fun, and it was evident that the band had the songwriting chops and musicianship to succeed. That was the night I became a Rah Rah fan.
The Poet's Dead is the strongest statement the band has made in their 5 year career. Going Steady and Breaking Hearts were good, but they were simply appetizers for what was to come with The Poet's Dead. Top notch production, intricately placed/interesting instrumentals, and three distinctly different and talented vocalists make for a unique listening experience. Marshall Burns has always been great at telling stories, and Erin Passmore's voice is as soulful as it's ever been.
"Prairie Girl" is a great song, "Fake our Love" provides artistic insight into life as a musician touring on the road, and "First Kiss" was the perfect song for a dude (AKA - this guy!) trying to convince a girl to like him/dealing with unrequited love over the summer. These are awesome songs that you should be listening to.
I was privileged to have received an advance copy of the album in May from a friend. I listened to it in the summer. I listened to it in the fall. I'm listening to it now. I'll probably listen to it in the future. The band is comprised of some of the nicest and most legitimate human beings that have ever been involved with our local music scene. Regina is better for having them in our community, and we should all be proud of their success. This band is, and will continue to be great.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What do you guys think? Agree? Disagree with my choices? Feel free to provide your picks in the comments section!
No comments:
Post a Comment