2012 year-end list (top 25)

Instead of wasting your time watching the Grammy's, here are a few albums actually worthy of your attention. After another long hiatus, I finally posted to this useless blog again. It was a good year for music, and I reviewed over 200 albums this year. Here are 25 of my favorites:
 

	25) MONO - For My Parents. Temporary Residence. 2012-09-04. A gorgeous follow-up to their already impressive catalog. What stands out for me with For My Parents is their ability to step away from the genre, acknowledge their culture and create a piece of music that doesn't really fit into any classification. sample track: Dream Odyssey AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	24) Propagandhi - Failed States. Epitaph. 2012-09-04. Back with even more thrash, Propagandhi follow-up their 2009 masterpiece with another killer album. Though Failed States seems to lack the cohesion and flow that was present on Supporting Caste, the album features a collection of intense tracks that is sure to rip your face off. sample track: Status Update AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	23) Omar Rodríguez-López - Octopus Kool Aid. Rodríguez-López Productions. 2012-07-24. Let me set the stage: this is Omar's 22nd solo album, and that is only over the course of 8 years. In addition to his solo projects he is well known for his work with At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta, which tacks on another 15 or so albums. This doesn't even take into consideration all of the collaborations he has done, or the films he has worked on. Suffice it to say, the man is a creative machine. Within that enormous catalog of output, you can imagine the material varies quite a bit. I'm not a fan of all of his work, some of I adore, other pieces I can live without, but Octopus Kool Aid is a great addition to his resume. You'd never know that he was once the axe-man of a post-hardcore band. sample track: Where are the Angels? AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	22) Aussitôt Mort - Nagykanizsa. Destructure. 2012-02-??. French post-hardcore band Aussitôt Mort put together a more dynamic set of recordings than previous efforts. At over 35 minutes, these 5 songs show a more complex side that the bands previous output. stream online: FULL ALBUM AVAILABILITY: CD
	21) Dirty Three - Toward the Low Sun. Drag City. 2012-02-21. Another band that occasionally gets thrown in the post-rock category for absolutely no good reason. Toward the Low Sun is a delight that gets better with each listen. Dirty Three aren't afraid to try try new things, and their recent release shows off some of that experimentation while keeping their distinct sound. sample track: The Pier AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	20) Bosse-de-Nage - III. Profound Lore. 2012-06-26. This year's black metal album goes to Bosse-de-Nage! I discovered these guys on the split single with Deafheaven, and was highly impressed. For fans of Deafheaven, and Liturgy. sample track: The Arborist AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	19) Murder By Death - Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon. Bloodshot. 2012-09-25. On their seventh studio album, MBD releases their best work in years. The album is folky where it needs to be, but can kick up the energy that was present on previous releases like Who Will Survive, and In Boca Al Lupo. I was a bit disappointed with their last 2 albums, but Bitter Drink has rekindled my love for this band. sample track: Lost River AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	18) Regina Spektor - What We Saw From The Cheap Seats. Sire. 2012-05-29. If you can't enjoy Regina Spektor, there is something wrong with you. Her beautiful voice, whimsical song structures and catchy choruses make you want to turn the stereo up and dance. yes, I just wrote that. sample track: All the Rowboats AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	17) The Samuel Jackson 5 (self-titled). Denovali 2012-04-??. Samuel Jackson 5 is the fourth album from Norwegian post-rock vets. On this epic, the introduce vocals, which are surprising, yet fitting. sample track: Race to the Self-Destruct Button (live) AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	16) Pigs - You Ruin Everything. Solar Flare 2011-12-06. Unsane spin-off Pigs is one of those projects that is every bit as interesting as the members main project. You Ruin Everything was actually more enjoyable than this year's Unsane album, Wreck (which barely slipped off this year's top 25). sample track: Give It AVAILABILITY: Vinyl . Digital
	15) This Patch of Sky - Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine. self-released. 2012-03-15. TPOS is an instrumental rock band from Oregon. Though they tend to fall in with the lot of post-rock carbon-copies that are being churned out lately, Newly Risen is a beautiful effort worthy of a listen. sample track: Cities Beneath AVAILABILITY: Digital . CD
	14) The Saddest Landscape - After the Lights. Topshelf. 2012-02-14. I'll have one order of screamo, hold the emo please. sample track: The Urge for Permanence AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	13) Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind. Deathwish. 2012-10-09. Converge are definitely an acquired taste, but once you understand the music, you can't stop listening. All We Love is instantly addicting, and the brutality is so beautiful. sample track: Aimless Arrow AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	12) Metric and Howard Shore - Cosmopolis OST. Howe. 2012-07-10. Metric's second release this year. And while Synthetica was a great album (also narrowly escaping my top 25), the pairing with Howard Shore makes for some amazing music. I haven't even seen the movie... sample track: Long to Live AVAILABILITY: CD . Digital
	11) Old Man Gloom - NO. Hydra Head. 2012-06-26. NO is the poster child for the death of Hydra Head. Let's see: "an unwillingness to compromise our aesthetic standards, a tendency towards releasing challenging (i.e. unmarketable) artists." Check, and check. NO is an amazing work of experimental drone mixed with face-melting sludge. While it's sad to see labels like Hydra Head closing their doors, I hope that bands as creative as Old Man Gloom will have a home in the future. sample track: The Forking Path AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital . Cassette
	10) Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again. Interscope. 2012-03-12. And now for something completely different: Michael Kiwanuka steps into the music scene and becomes one of the most interesting artists of the year. Soul is cool again. sample track: Tell Me A Tale AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	9) Pelican - Ataraxia/Taraxis. Southern Lord. 2012-04-10. At just 17 minutes long, Pelican's 2012 EP lands a spot in this year's top-10. Opening the EP is a track entitled Lathe Biosas, a rock anthem if Pelican ever wrote one. AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	8) Chelsea Wolfe - Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs. Sargent House. 2012-10-16. Chelsea Wolfe became one of my obsessions this year, and with good reason. Her self-described brand of doom-folk is phenomenal, and this collection of songs, mostly performed acoustically, shows a softer side to this queen of darkness. sample track: Flatlands (live Glassroom Sessions) AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	7) Torche - Harmonicraft. Volcolm Entertainment. 2012-04-14. Harmonicraft is the feel-good sludge album of the year! (if that makes sense to you, you've probably already spun Harmonicraft dozens of times). sample track: Sky Trials AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	6) Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel.... Epic. 2012-06-19. After a seven year hiatus, Ms. Apple returns to the scene with her best work to date. There is no other way to put it, The Idler Wheel... is a masterpiece. This album has continually crept up the ranks in my list of favorites, and I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes my favorite album of 2012. sample track: Every Single Night AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	5). If These Trees Could Talk - Red Forest. Science of Silence. 2012-03-20. I blogged earlier in 2012 with props to ITTCT, and I can't give them enough credit. They stand out amongst the sea of delay-driven post-rock bands, and Red Forest is an album worth spinning over and over. sample track: No, just listen to the whole album, dammit AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	4) Japandroids - Celebration Rock. Polyvinyl. 2012-06-05. I've been a fairweather fan of Japandroids, and while I always thought there music was generally enjoyable, they never really struck a deep chord with me. That all changed in 2013 for me, as it seems for other people as well. Celebration Rock is the aptly named sound of summer. sample track: Continuous Thunder AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	3) Sigur Rós - Valtari. XL Recordings. 2012-05-28. For every note that Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust was, Valtari is not. Valtari is their most cinematic work to date, and probably not immediately accessible for most people. With each listen though, Valtari opens itself up and is a truly magnificent piece of music. Don't get too comfortable though, because 2013 is going to show yet another completely different side of Sigur Rós. sample track: Ekki Múkk AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	2) Marriages - Kitsune. Sargent House. 2012-05-01. It seems like everything Emma Ruth Rundle touches, turns to gold (Red Sparowes, the Nocturnes). I immediately fell in love with Kitsune, and the charm hasn't yet worn off. I'm excited that this "side project" is continuing, and it looks like we'll get another Marriages album in 2013. sample track: Ten Tiny Fingers AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital
	1) Baroness - Yellow and Green. Relapse. 2012-07-17. I've always liked Baroness, and I am particularly fond of their early intense stuff. I wasn't expecting much with Yellow and Green but was instantly blown away. Catchy rock hooks? mellow acoustic tracks? yeah. LISTEN. They caught everyone's attention this year, and at the peak of their success suffered a tragic bus accident in Europe that cancelled the rest of the years plans. That isn't stopping Baroness though. After multiple reconstructive surgeries, the band is ready to get back to music. sample track: Psalms Alive AVAILABILITY: CD . Vinyl . Digital