Goofle11's Top 25 Albums of 2012
 

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

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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

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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 fucking 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

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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

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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.

Great stuff, I look forward to the rest. You seem to have a great taste in music which is just far enough removed from mine that I'm hoping to find some gems in here. Like...


This. This sounds like something I would absolutely love. I need to check this out immediately.

That's basically exactly how I feel about this album...it's long with nuggets of bliss. I can get through one disc in a sitting, but definitely not both.

Goofle, I am anticipating greatness from this list, and will likely check out every album that I have no heard yet that you post. There's a reason I nominated you for best music taste on MB. :)

Thanks guys. :)

I need to brush up on my writing skill, but I suppose it's not really a huge issue on lists such as this.

No. 21

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Billy Woods - History Will Absolve Me

When it comes to Hip Hop in the last few years, a lot of things have changed. You have a resurgence of Independent artists gaining widespread appeal and also an increased interest in experimentation. The backlash of this is even more saturation of the market, even more sub-par music gaining indie cred and an all-round lack of genuinely interesting music. Then you have albums like this. Politically astute, interesting production, high quality lyricism and just a fantastic release.

No. 20

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Chino XL - Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary

If you are not familiar with Chino XL's work, he is a highly praised quick-fire punchline rapper with a conscience. This album follows in that vein with an inordinate amount of material (35 tracks, most of which are 3-4 minutes). If fast paced intelligent rap is your thing, and you are familiar with his work, this album should interest you. My only issue if the sheer amount of tracks and some lame hooks. The track Fathers Day is incredible.

No. 19

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Stephen O'Malley & Steve Noble - St Francis Duo

This is an obscure find and one that I wasn't sold on at first, but I listened to it with a pair of headphones and it blew me away. Epic improvisational drone album that consists of four tracks around the 20 minute mark. Similarly to The Seer, I don't always feel like listening to it all the way through, but the drones on this thing are repetitive and hypnotising.

No. 18

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Clams Casino - Instrumentals 2

If there is anyone more responsible for the rise of "cloud rap" I would be surprised because this guy has almost perfected that style of beat making. He has worked with many of the "cloud rappers" (who are often pretty shitty) and his beats alone have essentially enabled them to become major superstars. An improvement on anything he released prior to this and something I keep going back to. If only the majority of Cloud Rappers would vanish into thin air.

Stephen O'Malley put out new shit? Sold!

No. 17

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Big K.R.I.T. - 4Eva N a Day

This mixtape was not exactly a shot in the arm, as I has previously enjoyed everything K.R.I.T. had released, but I was surprised at just how consistently good it was. In previous releases the quality ranged from excellent to eh, but there isn't a bad song on this in my opinion. I love the Burial-esque feel at the start of the album and his more southern flavored beats that follow help to redefine stereotypes. Great album.

No. 16

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Normal Love - Survival Tricks

I found out about this album through the vinyl community on youtube (of which I am a casual observer) and it blew me away. Annoyingly there doesn't seem to be anyone who has actually listened to it besides me and a select few. Anyway, it's some of the best Avant-Garde/Prog/Experimental music I have heard in a while.

I definitely liked 4eva N a Day more than Live From the Underground, and it's only more impressive considering it's a mixtape, which is something I did not know. Good list so far, I can't wait to see your top 5, even though I can already hazard a guess at what they are going to be.

Hopefully there's a few more surprises in store. I just deleted an entry by accident so I will do one later/tomorrow.

I love that Normal Love album as well. I was actually trying to remember the name of the album, because I kept on trying to search "No Love" no wave band, but all I got was out of context Death Grips articles. Just thought I'd let you know that you're not alone on that one.

it's been three days man :)

I shall do an entry tomorrow for sure.

No. 15

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Brother Ali - Mourning in America & Dreaming in Color

I have always been a fan of Brother Ali, although rarely listening to his work on a regular basis. Over the past few months I have developed a great love for his work and currently rate him in and around my Top 10 MC's of all time. Always thought provoking, in a wide range of subject areas, and able to spit some of the hardest bars you will ever hear. With soulful beats from sole producer Jake One, he manages to create a very cohesive and concise Hip Hop album that follows a narrative flow.

No. 14

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Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do

So Fiona returned to our ears in 2012 with this album. I don't think I have read anything but unanimous praise, and I will now add my own stamp of approval. This is comfortably my favourite album of hers (to be honest I don't officially love/really rate any of her other albums) and an album that will stick with me for a long time. Beautiful lyrics, great vocals and wonderfully understated instrumentation. Well done Mrs. Apple.

No. 13

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Beach House - Bloom

I love this acts aesthetic, always have done and probably always will. This album essentially continues on from Teen Dream (my favourite Beach House release so far) and gives us a giant slice of Dream Pop laced with simple but beautiful melodies and perfectly harmonised vocals. The first four tracks are perfect, the rest is good/great.

No. 12

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Non - Back To Mono

I hadn't heard of this band (or at least they weren't in my conscious) but damn, this was some crazy shit. Noisy, industrial, abrasive etc. I have since listened to some of their earlier work and it certainly stacks up in their discography. There's not much else to say other than - if you like this kind of stuff, you will more than likely enjoy this.

No. 11

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Himanshu - Nehru Jackets

As a long term fan of Das Racist (aside from their first "official" album, Relax) I came into this slightly apprehensive, as the dynamic between Heems and Kool AD were what made them interesting, and I couldn't imagine one carrying an album. Boy, was I wrong. Heems and producer Mike Finito pulled this off with aplomb. The beats are hazy and all over the place, lyrically ranging from hysterical to relatively serious/intelligent and consistently engaging.

No. 9

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Pigs - You Ruin Everything

I hadn't heard of this album or band until I looked at bob's list of 2012 albums on RYM (the cover caught me) and I loved it. Sludgy, noisy, heavy and a kind of punk edge, which was unusual for me. Consistently great and an album I will keep in mind for some time.

interesting that Boyd's album made you list :)

Excellent choice. I'll also finally check out that Fiona Apple album.

Yeah, Fiona's album is on my list as well. It really is great (but please give it more than one listen).

Damn, Goofle. You are really making my list look positively mainstream. I want to check these albums out, but I'm having a hard time finding half of them.

Let me know which ones you can't find and I'll see if I can get a link.

Thanks for the comments guys. Should have another three or four up tomorrow. Going to start going into more detail on the following ones.

I'm brand new. I'm posting a reply in this thread to see how it goes. These are excellent choices, they are wonderfully well rounded and diverse, and there are more than a few presented for me to check out.

-Ghost Jam

I want to check out Badbadnotgood, Amerigo Gazaway, Clams Casino (actually I could probably find this one, but if you have a link off hand that would be great), Himanshu, and Pigs. Thank you kindly, sir.

Is it true... that you can't see clearly outside cause of all the marijuana smoke?

Amerigo Gazaway - Amerigo Gazaway's bandcamp page. Can download it for free, as well as his other material which is worth checking out.

BADBADNOTGOOD - As above for BBNG

Download Heems’ Nehru Jackets Mixtape « The FADER

Download Clams Casino’s Instrumental Mixtape 2 « The FADER

Can's find the Pigs album unfortunately.

Yes.

That and all my blindness.

(I'm not really blind)

Nah...you just catch the aroma more often than usual.

-Amendment 64 Ghost Jam

Do you partake?

Gonna leave this till Boxing Day.

Why most certainly.

Hey THERE'S my signature!

woohoo.

-Happy Ghost Jam

I'm moving there in 5 years and I'm gonna write novels. And smoke as much legal weed as I want. Then maybe, we can hangout.

I'm in!

-Friendly Stoney Ghost Jam

Hi, my name is Vince.

No. 9

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Hop Along - Get Disowned

Most of the hipster kids I know seem to be aware of this album, but not many more. Either way, I absolutely love it. Not often do I get heavily into an emo/folk-punk record, probably because I am not usually an emotional person, but this did just that. It's not an album I can describe in great detail as it is pretty simplistic in every regard, but I feel like the emotions transcend that simplicity and encapsulate you.

No. 8

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Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - Son of a Bitches Brew

This album (as you have probably guessed from the title) is an interpretation of some of Miles Davis' classic songs. The twist you get here is that they are performed in the style of Psychedelic Rock, as opposed to more traditional forms. It's noisy, acid tinged, jazzy and just fucking great. I will admit that I don't particularly make a connection/comparison with the original material as I am not 100% familiar with everything Miles put out, but I feel as though he would co-sign this album without hesitation.

nehru jackets was this year? **** i woulda put that on my list

:rofl:

Oh damn, I didn't realize she put something new out! How do you think it compares to Freshman Year?

Not heard that album. Shall check it out and report back.

Trade you links?

That can be arranged :)

Get Disowned is better, but it's a good album.

I've heard Miles Davis originally did Bitches Brew and his other Fusion experiments to create Jazz that could be considered in the same realm as Jimi Hendrix and similar Rock groups, so that sounds like a solid (as well as intriguing) project, and one that I will be checking out. Thanks!

And You know, I'd always heard the name Acid Mothers Temple and thought "I need to listen to those."

No. 7

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Death Grips - The Money Store

As you guys probably already knew, I am a huge Death Grips fan. I don't buy into the idea that they are truly creating something new, that they are pushing barriers or that they are just so FUCKING EXPERIMENTAL!!!!! I just really like their music. Their debut, Exmilitary, is an album that has cooled on me quite a lot since I first started listening to it and I am at the point where I like around half of the tracks a lot and just don't care for the other half. However, with The Money Store, Death Grips have created an album that I can quite happily listen to from start to finish with no complaints whatsoever. There's a larger variety of beats (which is my issue with No Love Deep Web) and more changes in mood/direction. Some of the best noisy Hip Hop of all time has been made by this band, I hope they don't become a joke.

No. 6

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Divorce - Divorce

This is another album I discovered through bob's RYM list, and he may have posted about it on here as well. It's one of those albums that if you don't truly crave to listen to, it probably won't have any impact whatsoever. It's so noisy, ear cutting, violent and did I mention that it's noisy? Sweet nectar to my bloody ears, moreish gore.