Click here to see #30 - #21, including the new addition of Harmonicraft by Torche at #23.
#20
Grizzly Bear - Shields
Like Damien Jurado, Grizzly Bear channels that wonderful 70s sound on their newest album. Unlike Jurado, the album explodes right out of the gate. Their vocal harmonies ring clear over the fuzzy rhythm guitar, powerful percussion, and bright, acoustic leads. There's even some synth elements that create a slight experimental sound on a few tracks. What this all adds up to is an album that is wonderfully put together and one that is hard to ignore. Recommended tracks: Sleeping Ute, Yet Again
#19
High on Fire – De Vermis Mysteriis
The best metal release of 2012 comes to you courtesy of
California’s High on Fire. It’s an album that makes you feel like you’re
running through shards of broken glass at high speed one moment, and then slowly
wading through a mud-filled swamp the next. This album is tiring, brutal, and when you’re
done you want to dive right back into it. Recommended tracks: Fertile Green, SpiritualRights
#18
Perfume Genius – Put Your Back N 2 It
Ignore that album title. I know you’re thinking of skipping
this album because of it. Trust me, if you did skip over this, you’d miss out on a great album. Mike Hadreas’s wavering voice and slow piano lead you
through most of the album’s 32 minute run-time. While Hadreas
occasionally breaks into more robust compositions, the album is otherwise a great
example of minimalism in music. Put Your Back N 2 It is over far too soon, but
it leaves a lasting impression. Recommended tracks: No Tear, Normal Song
#17
Sigur Rós – Valtari
I’m going to come right out and say that this album might
not be for everyone. Sigur Rós is an acquired taste. If you’re willing to listen to something new, however, you’d do well to give Valtari a try. There’s not many bands better at this style of ambient post-rock music than Sigur Rós. Valtari is a
haunting, almost ephemeral album, and it’s one of the best forms of escapism I
know. When listening to Valtari, I’m transported to a rocky, fogged over
coastline somewhere in northern Europe. Join me there, won’t you?
Recommended tracks: None, just listen to the entire album. Trust me.
#16
Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind
Converge returned in 2012 with their first studio album
since 2009's Axe to Fall, and what a welcome return it is. With All We Love, Converge shows that they're still a
force to be reckoned with amongst the ever-expanding hardcore/post-hardcore scene
that they helped to create. The album shows that harsh vocals and blazing speed
are still welcome in those genres. Here’s hoping it won’t be another three
years before we hear from Converge again. Recommended tracks: Aimless Arrow, NoLight Escapes
Listen on Spotify
Transcendental Youth is a collection of short stories. Each one's main character (or characters) is an outcast in society, and their stories are told through somber and bouncy tunes alike. There's a couple of songs here that will stay in your head for a while. It's become one of my favorite albums with a story to tell, and it's an album I'm sure I'll return to quite often in the future. Recommended tracks: Lakeside View Apartments Suite, The Diaz Brothers, White Cedar
Listen on Spotify
If you have an R&B itch, this album will scratch it. It's strange hearing such soulful lyrics over a modern "indie" electronic soundtrack, but Tom Krell makes it work. The lyrics speak personally, and show that Krell's struggled through some things in his life, depression especially. This is the direction I'd like to see this genre take. Less focused on standard pop content, while still maintaining the infectiousness inherent in the genre. Recommended tracks: Cold Nites, Set It Right
Listen on Spotify
Sharon Van Etten reminds me of Laura Marling, which is a wonderful thing. Simple yet moving music whose roots are set firmly in folk standards. Lyrics that tell stories of triumph and heartbreak, and a voice that can carry the burden of both. Tramp is an album that you want to put on when you're feeling down and need to know that you're not alone in feeling that way. Recommended tracks: Kevin's, We Are Fine
Listen on Spotify
Dream pop, the genre wave that seems to be ridden by more and more acts every year, has a champion in Beach House. While Bloom isn't as "brave" as their last album, it's better in almost every other way. The duo's newest album helps listeners soar above the clouds, bouncing along to its cheerful-yet-subdued sound and only returning to earth when the album's last note stops. It's an album that's easy to get lost in, and one that makes you never want to be found. Recommended tracks: Myth, On the Sea
Listen on Spotify
Oh man, this album. I usually try not to love things because they make me nostalgic, but this album hit me hard. It brought back memories of late 90s pop-punk throughout the album's first few tracks, but as the album moves on it becomes a somber alternative, almost post-grunge, rock album. The Menzingers slow things down and tell a story worth paying attention to, but they sacrifice almost none of the energy that the album opens with. On the Impossible Past is my teenage years rolled up into one album, and for that reason alone, I love it. Recommended tracks: Gates, The Obituaries, Sun Hotel
#15
The Mountain Goats - Transcendental Youth
Transcendental Youth is a collection of short stories. Each one's main character (or characters) is an outcast in society, and their stories are told through somber and bouncy tunes alike. There's a couple of songs here that will stay in your head for a while. It's become one of my favorite albums with a story to tell, and it's an album I'm sure I'll return to quite often in the future. Recommended tracks: Lakeside View Apartments Suite, The Diaz Brothers, White Cedar
#14
How To Dress Well - Total Loss
If you have an R&B itch, this album will scratch it. It's strange hearing such soulful lyrics over a modern "indie" electronic soundtrack, but Tom Krell makes it work. The lyrics speak personally, and show that Krell's struggled through some things in his life, depression especially. This is the direction I'd like to see this genre take. Less focused on standard pop content, while still maintaining the infectiousness inherent in the genre. Recommended tracks: Cold Nites, Set It Right
#13
Sharon Van Etten - Tramp
Sharon Van Etten reminds me of Laura Marling, which is a wonderful thing. Simple yet moving music whose roots are set firmly in folk standards. Lyrics that tell stories of triumph and heartbreak, and a voice that can carry the burden of both. Tramp is an album that you want to put on when you're feeling down and need to know that you're not alone in feeling that way. Recommended tracks: Kevin's, We Are Fine
#12
Beach House - Bloom
Dream pop, the genre wave that seems to be ridden by more and more acts every year, has a champion in Beach House. While Bloom isn't as "brave" as their last album, it's better in almost every other way. The duo's newest album helps listeners soar above the clouds, bouncing along to its cheerful-yet-subdued sound and only returning to earth when the album's last note stops. It's an album that's easy to get lost in, and one that makes you never want to be found. Recommended tracks: Myth, On the Sea
#11
The Menzingers - On the Impossible Past
Oh man, this album. I usually try not to love things because they make me nostalgic, but this album hit me hard. It brought back memories of late 90s pop-punk throughout the album's first few tracks, but as the album moves on it becomes a somber alternative, almost post-grunge, rock album. The Menzingers slow things down and tell a story worth paying attention to, but they sacrifice almost none of the energy that the album opens with. On the Impossible Past is my teenage years rolled up into one album, and for that reason alone, I love it. Recommended tracks: Gates, The Obituaries, Sun Hotel
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