Top 10 Rock/Other Records Of 2012

Well since I listen to so many other types of music, I decided just to call this list "Rock or Other", didn't really know what else to call it. I didn't have any Hip-Hop records this year that were Top 10 worthy(although MellowHype came close), so I guess that name is actually appropriate. I haven't been listening to what people like to call Country these days in quite some time, so again, the list was safe. Had there been tons of Experimental or Hip-Hop or Country or Jazz or....well, you get the idea, I would have composed a third list. But with this list and the previous Metal list I feel quite happy. As I said previously, I know there will be titles that I completely spaced it on, and well, no skin off my dick. So here are the records that really got me off this year:

10. Scott Walker-Bish Bosch:
This record just made the list, as it only came out 3 weeks ago. To be perfectly honest, I have only listened to the entire record 3 times. I just didn't have time or energy for me, with it being so close to the end of the year. But I can also honestly tell you that I know that I will be listening to it a LOT more in the future. So I know I would have felt guilty had I not put it on the list. Scott's music makes me scared and uncomfortable. I think that is very important in music or art. I don't want everything that I listen to make me feel sunny or happy. Music is there to make one feel varied emotions, and fear is a valid emotion. Not enough music makes people scared, and not enough people like feeling or getting something entirely different out of music. Scott has been making records longer than most of us have been alive, he employs so many avant garde recording techniques that I can't begin to list them all. Equally hard would it be to try and list people that he has influenced, but for a shortlist, how is David Bowie, Nick Cave, and U2. If you haven't heard Scott before, I can't honestly recommend this record to you, because chances are you will hate it. But if you know what kind of stuff Scott brings to the table, and some new elements interest you, get Bish Bosch.

9.Beachwood Sparks-Tarnished Gold
This is another record that arrived very late in the year. I actually listened to this one a lot more than the Scott record though. The is the first BS record in 11 years, but it actually sounds like they were never away at all. That's a very strange thing, for a band to take that long of a sabbatical and not reinvent their sound in any way. The only difference in this record and prior records is this one sounds exactly like a long lost Byrds record, where the others sounded like a big mish/mash of the California/Laurel Canyon sound. BS sparks probably saw where TONS of bands like Fleet Foxes and many others were making bank off of a sound that they helped invent, and never got any accolades for. So kudos to the guys for dusting off their guitars and coming back with one hell of a record. This is one of those "Sunday afternoon" kind of records, as I like to call them, and I am sure you know what that entails. Every song sounds like a lost nugget of AM radio gold. So all you hip-kids who love Fleet Foxes and legions of similar bands, check out the band that was doing it when nobody cared about it.

8.Julie Doiron-So Many Days
Julie Doiron is a lifer! She has been in the scene so long, and much to my chagrin, nobody really knows who she is. Such a pity, because she is a top shelf songwriter whose discography is as large as it is varied. She started back in the late 80's as the bass player in Canadian Noise/Indie Rock band Eric's Trip(yes slick, that is a Sonic Youth song title).That band was signed to Sub-Pop and continued on through the late 90's. During that band Julie made solo records under the name Broken Girl, and had a side band with her boyfriend called Elevator to Hell. When they broke up she started making the solo records under her name, and it's impossible to count all of her releases because she does so many splits/cassettes/7'. But "So Many Days" is like her 10th full length release. Her songs are always poetic and usually beautiful, and usually a hybrid of Folk/Country, but it's not uncommon for her to insert Noise or Drone or just Rock & Roll into her sound. This record though, is just straight up Country/Folk, and every song sounds like it should be played on the radio. Too bad it came out in Winter, because it is such a Summery record. So throw it on when you gets the Winter blues and are pining for the sun and the Spring!

7.Guided By Voices-The Bears For Lunch
Nobody is happier about GBV's return than me. But they are a band that is and have always been, insanely prolific. This is their third record of 2012 alone, and by far the best. I was actually quite nervous when hearing the first two releases, because of course, they had a few genius songs. But they were not good, complete records by any means. I was thinking that perhaps that they had lost it? Robert Pollard's last few solo records were very patchy affairs too. But when I put on "The Bears For Lunch" I was completely blown away! They had indeed saved the best for last! By good, I mean "Alien Lanes" good, yes, and even "Bee Thousand" good! Doubt me? Check it out and see.

6.Father John Misty-Fear Fun
Joshua Tillman was the drummer for Fleet Foxes, so you would think with that band getting huge, he would sit back and enjoy the ride? Nope, first he started making sparingly beautiful and confessional solo records under the name J. Tillman. These records were always good, but they were anything but a "good time". They were the kind of records you listened to with a broken heart, or to get through an extremely rough Winter. He quit the Foxes for good, and put out this record that surprised the shit out of me, and I am sure a lot of others. I for sure didn't know he had this in him! The records is definitely not a "downer", in fact, it is a record that I put on and it instantly makes me happy!! I listened to it a lot this year, it's good like "Transistor Radio"-era M. Ward. The songs are stylistically all over the place, but never sound haphazard or thrown together. Josh knew what he was doing when he put this record together. For a man that drums are his primary instrument, he sure knows his way around many more. He deserves all the success he gets.

5.Advance Base-A Shut In's Prayer
Advance Base is the new vehicle for Owen who was previously known as Casiotone For The Painfully Alone. I was a fan of his previous work, but like many home recorders, his work sometimes seemed a little thrown together. Also, he always seemed to have like 3/4 brilliant songs on a record, and sometimes a lot of filler. With his new name comes a new vigor, because every song of this record is fucking classic. He always seems like his songs are written for an imaginary John Hughes film, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. Owen has a really deep voice, not unlike Stephen Merrit from The Magnetic Fields, but way less dramatic. I listened to this record so mush this year, I left it on my Ipod for the whole year, and that is VERY hard for me to do. It is that good......you will listen to it over and over. Every song seems like a hit from some obscure 45 from years ago that you unearthed, and no one else has heard.

4.First Aid Kit-Lion's Roar
WOW......all I could say is WOW!! That was my reaction upon first hearing this record. These two Swedish sisters sing so lilting/beautiful together, they often bring me to tears. It's like the harmonies that they create together form these waves that creep inside you and make you feel warm/cozy and instantly make you happy. This record is the equivalent to that blanket/sweater/pillow that you have had forever that is so comfy that it makes you so instantly happy that you couldn't dare part with it. I've listened to this record so many times, I know every creak that the guitar necks make, and the plucks that the strings make. It is like the Civil Wars record from before, it deserves to be heard by many more people. Maybe Taylor Swift or someone else will hear First Aid Kit and take them out on the road, and they can become stars because NO ONE deserves it more than these two nightingales.

3.Ty Segall-Twins
I was late in the game on discovering Ty Segall. I'm not a hipster, so I don't always act like I have been a fan from the beginning if I haven't. Yes I was late to the Ty boat, but that is fine because now he has a plethora of releases for me to catch up on. To be fair, I did listen to one of his records a few years back, but at the time, it just didn't click. I have always known that time and conditions can ruin your enjoyment of a record. big time. So if I don't like something, and I know it is of quality, and something that is similar to what I would like, then I will always give it another chance. Boy am I glad I gave Ty Segall another chance! He is a Californian Garage Rocker, that makes songs that are just noisy enough, and just catchy enough to keep him on the fringe. The late Jay Reatard was a HUGE fan of Ty's, and I can hear a little of the late rockers style in "Twins". Ty is not just signed to one label, he is a free-agent that makes records for many labels. I am a huge fan of Drag City, so that was actually the reason that I picked up "Twins" and gave Ty that other chance. Have you given him one yet?

2.Swans-The Seer
HOLY FUCKING HELL! Nothing can prepare you for what "The Seer" has planned for you! It doesn't matter if you are a prior Swans fan, and you think you know what your getting. This record will blow your mind! It's a double disc masterpiece that have songs that sometimes stretch out to 26 minutes! Don't let that scare....no wait be afraid, be very afraid! Swans have mellowed with age, but their kind of mellow still blows away bands that are young and on fire. I can't say too much about the music, but you need to hear this.

1.Raymond Byron & The White Freighter-Little Death Shaker
Not just any record can be my Number 1, it has to mean many things to me. I have spent a long time with this record to be honest. Ray sent me a copy back in 2011, when it was first completed. You see Raymond Byron is the nom-de-plume of Raymond Raposa of Castanets, and back then the record was done, but I think Ray was in a "chrysalis" phase. After 10 years of doing Castanets, I think he was ready for a change. I would like to think that I am Castanets biggest fan. I've interviewed Ray, and the two of us have become friends, so it was beyond an honor to me, to receive the record so early. I would write him time to time and ask when the record was coming out, and there always seemed to be a delay. So I was blown away when I found out it was coming out, but it wasn't going to be a "Castanets" record! At first I was kind of hurt....I mean I fucking LOVED Castanets. But I realized it was just a name, and Ray is what was important, and somewhere inside, I knew it was too mature for a Castanets record. Little Death Shaker is a fucking barn burner!! There are no two ways around it. I am saddened to know that it isn't already a massive hit like it deserves to be! I really hoped that the name change, and the new band, would not only invigorate Ray, but drive the public to check out what might even be the record of the decade!! There are road songs, and Blues songs, beautiful heartbreaking Country songs, and even the trademark "Raposa noise freakouts" on this record. It flows so damned well, there is no doubt in my mind that God had a hand in sequencing it. This is one of those records that I want to make copies of and give to everyone that I know loves music, in hopes that someone will love it as much as I do. I reckon I might've listened to it 500 times already, and still not tired of it, to me that is a sign of a timeless record. Thank you Ray for bestowing that gift onto me, and making such a wonderful record that I know will be a part of my life for a long time to come!!

Top 10 Metal Records Of 2012

I do this list every year and it seems to get harder and harder to narrow it down to 10 releases. I listen to so much music, that it really is painful to pick only 10, and to be honest I don't have time to do 20 releases on both lists(I do a "rock" list as well. This year was no exception, there were so many fantastic releases, and I had to leave so many off that were good enough to be on the list(ie; Menace Ruine, Pig Destroyer, Anhedonist, Ghoulgotha, Revenge, and many more).But anyways, I am SURE that there is at least 2 records that I absolutely loved this year, that I just FORGOT to include. Like I said, when you listen to so much, it's hard to keep tabs. But here are the Ten that I remember, and I LOVED this year:

10.Liberteer-Better To Die On Your Feet Than Live On Your Knees:
This record was one that I listened to the whole year, and it stayed on my Ipod the whole time(one mean feat)! This record is sort of an anomaly to what I usually listen to, it's Grindcore, with military-styled cadences and horn sections. It sounds stranger than it is, and the effect is massive, and still very catchy(not in a "poppy" way, by any means). It is a side project of Matt from Cretin, and about a 1,000 other bands, check it out.

                                                                                                                                                                    

9.Circle Of Ouroborus-Abrahadabra:
Yes I know, that is also the name of the last Dimmu Borgir release. I really doubt that CoO knew this though. These 2 gentlemen live in their own universe, where all they do is make this other worldly music. I would almost hesitate to call them Metal, but I really don't know what else I would classify them as. They are extremely prolific, and no two records sound the same, which in my mind, is the main reason that the band is so relevant and mind blowing. If you haven't heard them, describing them is a very hard thing to do, but I like to call them "Ectoplasm Rock" because to me, if ghosts could make music, it would sound exactly like Circle Of Ouroborus!

8.Vassafor-Obsidian Codex
For some reason I was not that familiar with Vassafor before this release. It could be that most of their previous releases were either Demo or limited releases, or done on very small labels. Anyway, this new record is fan-fucking-tastic! It would be easy to dismiss them as part of this new dirty,super sludgy, evil Death Metal renaissance that has been going on the past few years, if it weren't for the fact that they were doing it before everyone else!! I would say that Vassafor has 3 main elements to their music: Death Metal/Doom Metal/ Black Metal....and you never know which style they are gonna pummel you with! Any true headbanger should do themselves a favor and go and pick up the Obsidian Codex now(or ask for it from Santa)!

7.Jute Gyte-Senescence
Jute Gyte is a very prolific Black Metal band from Missouri. It is made by one member, Adam Kalmbach, but don't dismiss this as your average USBM one man band project. This sounds absolutely NOTHING like Xasthur!! Adam also releases electronic music under the same name, so if you are not interested at all in that genre, you might wanna investigate before you get his music. His Black Metal is something that I cannot get enough of, it is so chaotic but has a way of sticking with you long after you've heard it. It's almost like the musical equivalent of being attack by a swarm of hornets and taking off running, then stepping on a broken soda bottle and having your foot cut to hell and back!! This shit is vicious! Adam has a Bandcamp page where you can buy his CD's(which are always housed in DVD cases) and the Black Metal ones are usually adorned with some amazing paintings. You can listen to them all, and he usually has a few that you can download totally free of charge!! Please stop by and support the guy. This is the kind of stuff that Southern Lord & Profound Lore need to be signing.

6.Bosse-De-Nage:III
This oddly monikered band hail from San Fransisco, and if you judge your Metal bands on appearances then you will surely be calling them Hipsters. That is......until you play this record!! This shit will rip your face off! This is one of the best Black Metal records to come out of the US in quite some time! It sort of reminds me of the last Cobalt record(minus the interludes), yes it's that good. It just sucks that Metalheads have a horrible habit of listening with their eyes. It sucks because there are many fantastic bands slipping through the cracks because purists look at their short hair and non-Metal appearance, and instantly scream"Hipster", and then of course, they are blacklisted(pun intended)! I can totally understand the Liturgy thing, because that guy just talks too much!! I hope that the reason people hated them so, was that, and because he spends too much time writing thesis statements about Black Metal. But of course, it's probably because he wears flannel shirts and braids? So Metal brothers, grow up and drop the pretense, bands can look like what ever they want, as long as they produce quality music, that is what it says it is:Heavy Fucking Metal, in some shape or form!! Well, this tangent has gone on too long, pick up the new Bosse-De-Nage record, even though they have short hair, and don't wear spikes, because it will blow you away!!

5.Incantation-Vanquish In Vengeance:
It was definitely the right time for Incantation to come out of the shadows and releasing this fucking beast of an album! There are about 200 bands in the underground aping the classic Incantation sound, but there are only a few that do it right(and they will make appearances on this list). Incantation are not like many of the classic-era Death Metal bands, they have not broken up(they haven taken long breaks), and they have never made a bad record(they might have made some that needed better production). I know that I can always count on this band since the day I purchased Golgotha, they have not let me down. So not much more to say, Incantation has made a new record, and it's fantastic, go out and BUY it, don't download it.....they are on a small record label.

4.Aevangelist-De Masticatione Mortuorum In Tumulus:
No one is more surprised than I am that there is so much Death Metal on this list! I am usually not much of a DM fan. Don't get me wrong, as a Metal lifer in my 40's, I was there since the beginning, and I LOVE the CLASSIC, evil, rank, and atmospheric Death Metal sound. Just like so many metalheads, I got burnt out on the 1,000's of cookie-cutter DM bands that ruined the scene. But like always, younger guys have came along, and listened to the right records enough to know what true DM is supposed to sound like. Aevangelist are one of those bands, and is the side-project of Rueben of BM beasts, Benighted In Sodom. Influenced of course by Possessed(Seven Churches), Incantation(of course), the good Death records, and a dash of Portal to fuck things up in a good way! This goddamn record is amazing!! If you like sick as hell, festering DM......RUN and get this record, you're ears will be festering!

3.Father Befouled-Revulsion Of Seraphic Grace:
Holy Fucking Hell!! Another masterpiece of Death Metal!! 2012 will not be the end of the word, but it will be known as the year that Death Metal starting ruling again! FB is another band that look to Incantation for inspiration(they are the best at it, and probably the first of this current"scene"). Justin Stubbs also known as Ghoat has been in the scene since he was just a youngster making some hellish BM as Hills Of Sefiroth. I have known him for a long time, and he is a honest, sincere, brother that lives and breathes METAL!! While most people like to focus on his day job as a mortician, I don't think he gets his due as a vocalist and guitarist. The whole fucking band is phenomenal(especially the ubiquitous Wayne on drums, who is a beast), but Justin can bend a riff and twist it, and slow it down till it sounds like it was created by Satan himself, as music for his house parties! His vocals are so deep that they almost occupy a(sub)level of their own. Sometimes I cannot even hear them, but they rumble in my guts, and let me know the devil is serenading me. This is the best Father Befouled record so far, the songs are really memorable this time. According to my Ipod counts, this was my 2nd most listened record this year. Do I really need to tell you to go and get this?

2. Vampyric Blood-Ordo Dracul
The elitist in me still loves to find that underground band that not many have heard of, If you are a Metalhead, then you know that feeling. Vampyric Blood is a relatively new Black Metal band out of Finland(the home of many of the best BM bands these days), and Ordo Dracul is their debut record. With only one Demo, and one split(with Drowning The Light) to their credit, this is a young band to have such a great sound. I continue to call them a band, but in fact, it's a one man project, but definitely has the vibe of a full band. This record snuck up and got me real good(hence it's high position), and quite honestly, I can't quit listening to it. It is one of the rare records that I have came across that actually has the vibe and atmosphere of a classic Black Metal band. In fact, if you had this recorded on a cassette and passed it on to a BM fan, I am sure they would believe that it was recorded in 1993. Don't expect this to have a great, or "studio" sound, because it doesn't, it sounds cavernous and hollow, and like it was recorded on a 4-track. But like I said, the atmosphere is so thick & heavy, if you are a sucker for such, this record will obsess you as well. Like the name, the sound is very "Vampyric", I can definitely say that Black Funeral and Crimson Moon are big influences. Also, Emperor's "Wrath Of The Tyrant" demo is not a long shot when giving a reference point for this record. If this had been released back in 1993, it might not be that special, because everyone was releasing similar product, with similar vibes. But now, in 2012, where this record sticks out like a juggalo at a Klan Rally, and NO ONE is doing anything similar to this, I fucking love it!! Cult as Fuck, and you will know it if it's for you!!

1.Panopticon-Kentucky:
WOW! How in the fuck did this happen? Didn't Panopticon top my Metal list last year? Absolutely! This band(again, just one gentleman) makes quality Black Metal. Well, to be fair, Black Metal is just a springboard for what he does. This record is a first of sorts, or least the first time I have heard Bluegrass being woven or used in Black Metal in any form. As strange as that might sound to your ears, the results are fantastic, and that is why Panopticon takes my top spot again this year. From my listening(which my Ipod says I listened to Kentucky more than any other record this year), Kentucky is a concept record about his home state, and the context in which coal mining simultaneously helped and destroyed the state. It is a debate which still goes on today, where some citizens still want the valuable resource mined from the hills, while others know the destruction that it does to the land, and miners which do it. Austin adds 3 traditional songs from that period, and it makes the record even more authentic. I have applaud his decision not to "Metalize" the cover songs, and to do them similar in style to the originals. The way that those songs contrast with the epic, Black Metal songs, is original and awe inspiring. This is one, if not the most, original Black Metal record I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. It's a shame not that many people have had the same chance. All of the"hip" labels need to pull their heads outta their asses and release some REAL music. In a perfect world, Metal labels would would have had a bidding war to release this masterpiece. But of course Southern Lord, Profound Lore, and many others just sat idly by, and let the record of the year(and possibly the Decade) through their slimy fingers. Listen up bros(and chickies) you DO NOT wanna miss out on this record, if you haven't heard it yet, let me stress this BIG TIME: GO OUT AND BY THIS FUCKING RECORD!! It will change your mindset, while it educates you. It's the most honest, heartfelt, and genuine records(despite the genre), I've heard in years. Guys will listen to many a record about Vikings prancing through the snow, and now we have bullshit like Pirate Metal(??), but here is a record that explores the roots of one of the richest heritages of a state in our own Country.....and YOU don't own it???