Following in duga's footsteps, I have decided to list my 25 favourite albums of 2012. If it goes well and I am happy with how I have written them, I may add in 50 through 26, as they are all good releases as well. So here goes...
No. 25
BADBADNOTGOOD -
BBNG2
I started following
BADBADNOTGOOD late in 2011 and fell in love with their modern approach to jazz and classical music, especially strange and often brilliant covers. They have made a name for themselves in indie/underground/hipster circles and seem to have a very large and quite dedicated following. This is not only due to releasing fantastic material, but also their association with alternative Hip Hip acts, most notably
Odd Future. Whilst I loved
BBNG and both of their live albums, this has got to be my favourite so far. The opening and closing tracks, which are both covers, are particularly fantastic. If you want some fun, quirky and modern jazz, these guys should do the job.
No. 24
Amerigo Gazaway -
Bizarre Tribe: A Quest To The Pharcyde
This is a controversial choice as it is more of a mashup than an actual album, but who cares? I fu
cking love it. How to explain it... so you have
Tribe production mixed together with
Pharcyde verses, or you have
Pharcyde production mixed with
Tribe verses. If that doesn't sound appealing to you, there's no point checking it out as it does exactly what it says on the tin.
No. 23
The Shaolin Afronauts -
Quest Under Capricorn
Ahh this album was a brilliant bandcamp find (don't you just love those?) which completely took me aback. I will admit this album has gone down in my estimation since first listening to it, but it was probably the first truly "obscure" album I heard this year, and it kick started my interest in digging a little deeper than the surface. Anyway, a beautiful slice of Afro-Jazz which maintains interest despite it's length (maybe just under an hour). A quick youtube search should swing you either way, but I loved it.
No. 22
Swans -
The Seer
Right, this album is a monster. It's ferocious and has the most perfect album art of the year without any doubt. Whilst I will admit to having only listened to around four or five other
Swans albums beside this (with
Soundtracks for the Blind occupying my "favourite spot") I feel well versed on the aesthetic expected when coming into one of their records.
Gira nailed it yet again. Probably the most dense album I have ever listened to. There are three 19+ minute tracks (which are all amazing) laced with nuggets of godly bliss. My only issue is the length to be honest. I cannot sit through this without cutting it up with other albums in between but individually, every song is awesome.