Top 10 Albums of 2012

It's that time of year again for the Top 10 Best Albums!  Despite everything that "This Christmas" by John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John stands for, the world did not -- in fact -- end as predicted by the Mayan calendar.  So, we forge ahead.  

And in that spirit: 2012's best albums.

TEN

THE LION'S ROAR - FIRST AID KIT

You know by now that I'm a sucker for the Swedes.  But they're not on the list because I'm a Swedophile; they're here because their music is as delicious as an Ikea meatball. Think of the Fleet Foxes, then make them Swedish women and - boom! - you have First Aid Kit.  What else do you really need?

 

NINE
BARCHORDS - BAHAMAS

Don't feel badly if you haven't heard of Toronto guitarist/singer/songwriter Afie Jurvanen, known as Bahamas.  You may have seen him traveling with Feist or Wilco, but this is actually his second solo effort.  On Barchords, his voice has a smooth sandpaper quality, and each song packs a slightly different punch.

EIGHT
HERE - EDWARD SHARPE AND THE MAGNETIC ZEROS
Was this recorded in 1968?  This album is a trip, in more ways than one. This group -- totaling two shy of a dozen, by the way -- manages to conjure up dreamy images reminiscent of the Woodstock era. Be sure to enjoy... but don't eat the brown acid!





SEVEN
BABEL - MUMFORD AND SONS
These guys kicked the door down with their 2009 album, Sigh No More, making a hard one to top. Babel sounds more mature; it may not contain many anthem songs or Top 40 hits, but it's a clearer picture of the band's talents and roots.





SIX
LOCKED DOWN - DR. JOHN

What happens when you put together the scorching-hot Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys together with an older New Orleans rock legend?  Magic! It's akin to when Jack White and Loretta Lynn teamed up in 2004 on Van Lear Rose.  On Locked Down, you feel like you're strolling along Bourbon Street in New Orleans -- unsure whether to grab a mint julep or run for your life.  The only slow song ("My Children, My Angels") is almost at the end of the album, and even then, it's got a groovy undercurrent. These guys have a voodoo witch doctor working in their favor.

FIVE
BOYS AND GIRLS - ALABAMA SHAKES
It's hard to believe this is a debut album. I think they're a shoo-in for the Grammy for Best New Artist -- with good reason.  I expect them to be on many more of these lists in the future.





FOUR

THE IDLER WHEEL IS WISER THAN THE DRIVER OF THE SCREW AND WHIPPING CORDS WILL SERVE YOU MORE THAN ROPES WILL EVER DO - FIONA APPLE

How about that for a title? And it's perfect -- because it's hard to know what to expect here: A fight, a nervous breakdown, a parade?  But it's that kind of anticipation and discord that makes it such a great album.

THREE

SOME NIGHTS - FUN.

Any top 40 radio station in the past three months could be described as: "'Some Nights' and probably some other stuff."  But there's a lot more to this album, which is filled to the brim with bitterness, angst, and hopefulness.  And, as a side note, the keyboardist is an avid fan of Weird Al Yankovic -- so what's not to love here?  It's the rare combo of talent, smarts, and catchiness that helps this album transcend most other pop music this year.





TWO
WRECKING BALL - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

Is there anyone more American than Bruce Springsteen?  Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, The Boss encourages us to roll up our sleeves and get through this recession together. And what better example of "We Take Care Of Our Own" than his support of New Jersey and New York during Hurricane Sandy?  Someone like Springsteen could have checked out a long time ago, but it's clear just how much he loves what he does and where he does it.  It's hard to judge each album as something new; it's too tempting to compare it to the rest of his works, to see where he's been and where he's headed.  But in that vein, this will stand alone as one of his great albums and a snapshot of a moment in time when we needed someone like him to pull us all together.





ONE

BLUNDERBUSS - JACK WHITE 
There's a documentary called "It Might Get Loud" -- and if you haven't seen it yet, then you should.  It begins with Jack White hastily making a crude guitar out of basic household objects on the porch of a home.  He does so swiftly and in full concentration, wearing a vest, bow tie and a hat. Cows graze in the grass behind him. 

Once built, he briefly plays the one-string guitar, picks up a cigarette and asks the camera guy "Who says you need to buy a guitar?"  

It's classic Jack White on so many levels.  He is, all in one living being, the history and the future of rock and roll.  So it should be with no surprise that his debut solo album post-White Stripes is my pick for the best album of the year.

Blunderbuss is full of the kind of innovation that we've all come to expect from him.  "Love Interruption" is one of the album's best songs, with White dueling on vocals with Ruby Amanfu.  Title track "Blunderbuss" seems to have an influence from White's current surroundings in Nashville, "Sixteen Saltines" is straight-up rock and roll, and "Take Me With You When You Go" is a blend between the two styles.

It's no wonder why Jack White was picked to join two rock legends in "It Might Get Loud": He's already achieved so much, but he has so much left to explore. 






OTHER RECOMMENDED READINGS:

-Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums of 2012


-Paste Magazine's 50 Best Albums of 2012

-American Songwriter's 20 Albums We Can't Wait To Hear in 2013

Top 10 Albums of 2011

10. Lonely Island, "Turtleneck & Chain"
Some people don't watch Saturday Night Live -- and for those who don't: This is what you're missing.  But many of these "Digital Shorts" are available on this 2011 album, so your ear buds will be satisfied even if you've never seen any of these clips and/or you live under a rock.



9.  Blitzen Trapper, "American Goldwing"
These guys find a great balance between rock, country, and folk.  There's a lot of talk about Portland's music scene -- but these guys seem to embody the entire essence of Oregon... a little urban, but mostly independent and rustic.  It's tough to pull off a sound like that and stay relevant, but they get the job done -- especially on American Goldwing.



8. Adele, "21"
If you haven't heard "Rolling in the Deep", then you're literally living in a hole deep within the Earth.  Kudos to Adele for naming this album -- and her first album -- the age at which she recorded it; most people in America are itching to have their first legal beer... she created a blockbuster album. So that's cool, too, I guess.




7. Cake, "Showroom of Compassion"
Whatever you think of Cake, you're probably right.  But Cake doesn't care, and they're still plugging away despite letting seven years pass since they produced a good album (Pressure Chief).  On Showroom of Compassion, they keep with their classic sound -- "Long Time" & "Mustache Man (Wasted)" (the video in which I may ending up having a cameo) show you that some things never change, in a good way.  Since it seems like most aging bands are getting introspective and nostalgic these days, it's nice to see Cake keeping true to what they do best.



6. Fleet Foxes, "Helplessness Blues"

It's tough to follow up on their debut album, but the sophomore effort certainly didn't disappoint.  I saw them live at McMenamin's Edgefield this summer, and I'm just sad that I didn't seem them while floating on a cloud instead.  A line from the title track is bold: "And now after some thinking/I'd say I'd rather be/A functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me."  It's that kind of humility that will keep them and their music great.

5. Portugal. The Man, "In the Mountain In the Cloud"

It's hard to believe that this is the band's seventh album -- but to their credit, it's the seventh album in five years.  It's got as much diversity as it does consistency.  The Alaska natives seem to be finding a groove in The City of Roses -- they tweet constantly, much of it Portland-based.  And despite an equipment setback at Lollapalooza earlier this year, they continue to gain momentum.  They made the Top Five this year -- hopefully they'll crack my top three with their next album.

4. Black Keys, "El Camino"
This duo shines in its simplicity: One guy on drums, the other playing guitar.  What else do you need?  They could play bigger, louder, more complex -- but it's the restraint that makes them as awesome as they are.  Their latest album is all rock... which I think is a step back from their 2010 album Brothers that showcased their range.  But they're the best lifeline between 1972 and 2011, and for that, they're easily one of the best albums of the year.





3. Charles Bradley, "No Time for Dreaming"
The best song of 2011 might just be "The World (Is Going Up In Flames)".  And who better to deliver it than the 63-year-old Bradley, on his debut album no less.  He's got all the flare and sound of a modern-day James Brown -- and the look of a man who's seen it all in his lifetime.  Hopefully we can all be lucky enough to find new success at his age.



2. The Decemberists, "The King Is Dead"
The Decemberists might be the best writers in modern music -- it's a blend of storytelling, polysyllabic phrasing, and on top of it all... a dark sense of humor.  And if that's not enough for you, they maximize the best of both worlds in "folk rock" with The King Is Dead.  "Rox in the Box," "Down By The Water" and "This Is Why We Fight" are all songs that hold their own in the modern rock circuit -- while songs like "January Hymn" and "June Hymn" satisfy listeners looking for something a little more folk.  It probably influences my decision somewhat that I saw them on the last leg of their tour... and it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen.



1. My Morning Jacket, "Circuital"
In the spirit of seeing a group live, I was fortunate to be able to watch MMJ in a venue of a few dozen people.  And it was only by dumb luck that I was watching them play selections from the best album of 2011 -- not even fully realizing it; most songs I was hearing for the first time (see below).

The first song, "Victory Dance" starts off with the strike of a gong -- a bold beginning, and it builds from there.  Then it seamlessly transitions to the title track, another tune that starts slow and gets bigger at just the right speed.  The album has it all: "Wonderful (The Way I Feel)" and "Movin Away" will make you smile and simultaneously pull at your heartstrings; "Holdin On To Black Metal" sounds like a School of Rock project gone awry in all the right ways; and "Outta My System" has the wisdom of someone who's been through it all but isn't too proud to acknowledge it.

This album will stand the test of time because it mixes great music with lyrics that seem almost cathartic -- it's as if lead singer Jim James has faced his demons, has forgiven them, and wants to find a state of musical nirvana.  If Circuital is any indication, MMJ is on its way to finding perfect harmony.

Below is a live version at the Bing Lounge, a small venue in Portland -- where I was fortunate to be able to see them perform some selections from the album:

Kenny Rogers & The First Edition, "But You Know I Love You"

Smooth as silk.