Popular With Me 2012: Seraphina L’s favorite albums of the year
Seraphina Lotkhamnga on
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It’s been a great year of music. My ears have had such a good year that the task of selecting my top albums has never been harder. Perhaps it’s because I’ve whittled down my usual list of 25 albums to 20 this year. Some artists on this list made their L.A. debuts this year and some of them have been in the neighborhood for years.
Check out my top 20 albums of 2012, with my thoughts on the Top 10, and some honorable mentions after No. 1:
20. Emeli Sandé, “Our Version of Events” (Capitol)
19. Frank Ocean, “Channel Orange” (Def Jam)
18. Meiko, “The Bright Side” (Fantasy/Concord)
17. Lavender Diamond, “Incorruptible Heart” (Paracadute)
16. Deep Sea Diver, “History Speaks” (self-released)
15. Milo Greene, “Milo Greene” (Chop Shop)
14. Gary Clark Jr., “Blak and Blue” (Warner)
13. Races, “Year of the Witch” (Frenchkiss)
12. Beach House, “Bloom” (Sub Pop)
11. The Henry Clay People, “Twenty-Five For the Rest of Our Lives” (TBD)
10. First Aid Kit, “The Lion’s Roar” (Wichita)
Swedish sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg have always boasted ethereal folk harmonies, but they came out full force with their second album “The Lion’s Roar,” which had as much cohesive gumption as it had beauty. Saddle Creek’s Mike Mogis produced; Conor Oberst and the Felice Brothers contribute. “Emmylou” may be one of the sweetest songs of the year.
||| Previously: “Emmylou,” live review
09. Django Django, “Django Django” (Ribbon)
Everyone and their mother raved about Tame Impala and their psychedelic chops, but Django Django’s self-titled debut of their zany spin on ’70s music was my 2012 my pick instead. If you’re going to listen to a genre that’s been done a million times, you might as well listen to this Scottish quartet, which attempts to bring something new to the sound.
||| Previously: “Hail Bop”
08. Cat Power, “Sun” (Matador)
Fans may have waited six-plus years for new original material by Chan Marshall, but it was worth it. Her DIY foray into electronicic experimentation gave her new-found freedom that inspired cathartic jams like “Ruin,” “Manhattan” and “Time.”
||| Previously: “Ruin”
07. Nite Jewel, “One Second of Love” (Secretly Canadian)
Ramona Gonzalez always had the singing chops, but it wasn’t until she stripped all the DIY aesthetics that her vocals and gorgeous melodies splendidly shone through. Songs like “In the Dark” and “Autograph” are downright swoon-worthy.
||| Previously: “Visions”, Interview, “What We See” video, “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) ”“ Michael Jackson cover”
06. Wild Nothing, “Nocturne” (Captured Tracks)
Dream-pop master Jack Tatum finally came out of hiding with “Nocturne,” and with its brilliant play on light and shadow concepts, songs like “Shadow” and “Paradise” paid quite the homage to Sarah Records.
||| Previously: “Nowhere,” “Shadow,” FYF live review
05. Purity Ring, “Shrines” (4AD)
R&B made a strong comeback this year (there are six R&B artists all together in this list) but no other band like Canadian duo Purity Ring has composed such lush beats to go along their melodies. It was impossible not to bump “Fineshrine” and “Belispeak” this year.
||| Previously: “Fineshrine,” live FYF Fest review
04. Japandroids, “Celebration Rock” (Polyvinyl)
Certainly the Vancouver duo of Brian King and David Prowse have the right album title. Although only eight tracks and 35 minutes long, “Celebration Rock” is one hell of a ride and stays true to its name.
||| Previously: “The House That Heaven Built,” live review
03. Jessie Ware, “Devotion” (Cherrytree)
The Mercury Prize-nominated R&B singer from South London won over fans with her classy style. It’s been a while since we’ve heard a pop singer release an album as sensual and sophisticated as “Devotion.” Lyrics with substance and controlled vocals are secretly bringing all the Carly Rae Jepsens to their knees out of utter shame.
||| Previously: “Night Light” video, live review
02. Lord Huron, “Lonesome Dreams” (IAMSOUND)
Straying form their initial tropical sound and opting for a fuller folk-rock sound, Lord Huron surprised everyone with the gorgeous collection of songs on “Lonesome Dreams.” Brimming with heavenly odes to love like “Ends of the Earth,” Time to Run” and “She Lit a Fire,” it was a contender for the best local album of the year from day one.
||| Previously: “Time to Run”, “Time to Run” ”“ video, “Ends of the Earth”
01. Alt-J, “An Awesome Wave” (Canvasback/Infectious)
Mercury Prize winner Alt-J pulled in plenty of fans in with a tidal wave of eclecticism. The British rock band managed to create their own distinctive sound with elements of electronica, R&B, hip-hop, rock and folk. Once “Fitzpleasure” hit the Internet airwaves, 2012 was theirs.
||| Previously: “Tessellate,” video, “Fitzpleasure,” “Breezeblocks,” live review, “Buffalo”
Honorable Mentions
Letting Up Despite Great Faults, “Untogether”
Father John Misty, “Fear Fun”
2:54, “2:54”
Grizzly Bear, “Shields”
Polica, “Give You the Ghost”
The Raveonettes, “Observator”
Tame Impala, “Lonerism”
Frankie Rose, “Interstellar”
Santigold, “Master of My Make-Believe”
So Many Wizards, “Warm Nothings”
Nick Waterhouse, “Time’s All Gone”
Ringo Deathstarr, “Mauve”
Maybe my ears don’t quite work but I don’t get calling the music that Purity Ring makes “R&B”.
[…] artists, my year-end album list is a general one. (EPs are a different story.) In comparison to last year’s list, 2013′s lineup seems to be dominated by artists from across the pond – with a handful of […]