Well what do you know? I said tomorrow, and here it is tomorrow! Who woulda thunk it, eh?
So on we go...
14.
Diablo Swing Orchestra --- Pandora's pinata
I'm glad to see this on the lists of a few other members, as it is so weird it's almost impossible to describe. Okay then I'll try. Imagine walking into a thirties club with all that swing/big band music playing, when suddenly from the ceiling is lowered a 21st century metal band with an operatic diva singer and a few punk guitarists who somehow got pulled along for the ride. Got that image? Hear that sound? Not until you hear this album, you don't. And that's only half the story. Look, "expect the unexpected" is about all I can say. Deservedly one of the best albums of the year. And the weirdest.
Woo-hoo! "Exit strategy for a wrecking ball", "Kevlar sweethearts", "Of kali ma calibre", "Honey trap aftermath", "Justice for Saint Mary"
D'oh! Nothing
13.
Mystery --- The world is a game
With a vocalist known to fans of the "new" Yes and an incredible guitarist/keyboardist in founder Michel St. Pere, Mystery aim to put Canada on the progressive rock map. With this, their sixth album, they're well on the way to achieving just that. Throw in ex-Spock's Beard drummer Nick D'Virgilio and you have a prog rock album few aficionados of the genre should be able to resist. Only eight tracks, true, but one is eleven minutes long and another nineteen!
Woo-hoo! "Dear someone", "Time goes by", "Superstar", "Another day", "The world is a game"
D'oh! Nothing
12.
Magnum --- On the thirteenth day
Magnum are back with a powerful new album that ticks all the boxes and shows them as fresh and relevant as they've ever been. Their brief breakup seems to have been a good idea, as this and their last three albums just teem with purpose and intent. The interplay between Bob Catley and Tony Clarkin has never been better, and this album shows that Magnum are still a force to be reckoned with, even more than thirty years after their debut.
Woo-hoo! EVERYTHING!
D'oh! Nothing
and just so we can get to my top 10 from the next post...
11.
Half Moon Run --- Dark Eyes
Canada's best kept secret? Half Moon Run are a trio who produce beautifully sensitive bright pop/rock music, and this is their debut. It's full of songs that should be hits but quite obviously won't, but if they can make the break outside their home border they could be huge. One of the finds of the year, as far as I'm concerned, and only outside the top ten because of the other albums I had to include in it. Half Moon Run: remember, you heard it here first!
Woo-hoo! "No more losing the war", "Need it", "Drug you" "Nerve" "Judgement", "Fire escape", "21 gun salute"
D'oh! Nothing
So that's the first half of my top 20 albums for 2012 completed. Next post we'll be looking at the top ten: some great albums in there! Well,
I think they're great...
