Now that the year is almost burned down, it’s time for my annual post of my favorite music from the year 2012. This year was simply incredible for good music. I mean, even the throwaway pop hits like “Call Me Maybe” and “Gangnam Style” were stupidly fun. <\/p>\n
It should be noted that these albums didn’t necessarily come out in 2012, but I bought them this year. <\/p>\n
The Top 5 are in no particular order:<\/p>\n
TOP 5<\/strong> Anberlin – Vital<\/strong> Kye Kye – Young Love<\/strong> Derek Webb – Ctrl<\/strong> M83 – Hurry Up We’re Dreaming<\/strong> The Next 5<\/strong> JT Daly – Memory<\/strong> Matthew Perryman Jones – Land of the Living<\/strong> Andrew Osenga – Leonard the Lonely Astronaut<\/strong> The Farewell Drifters – Echo Boom<\/strong> The Choir – The Loudest Sound Ever Heard<\/strong> I’ve created a playlist on Spotify<\/a> so you can sample some of the tracks from these CD’s… please support these great artists and buy their music!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Now that the year is almost burned down, it’s time for my annual post of my favorite music from the year 2012. This year was simply incredible for good music. I mean, even the throwaway pop hits like “Call Me … Continue reading
\nPaper Route – The Peace of Wild Things<\/strong>
\nI really thought there was no way that Paper Route could successfully follow up their last album Absence<\/em> with something as good or better, but I was wrong. I don’t know if this album is better than Absence, but it’s pretty close. It’s a bold and loud album with a lot of soul giving bones to all of the electronic gloss.<\/p>\n
\nI’ve only had this album for a month or so and it’s already on the list, that’s how good it is. Vital<\/em> is closer to that awesome formula of sound that Anberlin perfected on Cities<\/em> and New Surrender<\/em><\/p>\n
\nAn Estonian singer with trippy sounds, how is that not a great combination? It’s a peaceful album with soothing sounds and lyrics that relaxes me. The remix EP might be even better than the original CD.<\/p>\n
\nI’ve already written a post about this album.<\/a> The CD is great by itself, but when the album is combined with the EP SOLA-MI<\/a> released earlier in the year, the combination really rewards the listener.<\/p>\n
\nDreaming indeed, this 2 CD release feels like one long dream. From the catchy glowstick-happy single “Midnight City” to the instrumental tracks in between to the anthemic “Echoes of Mine”, the package is one long beautiful journey.<\/p>\n
\nAlso, in no particular order.<\/p>\n
\nA raw little EP where the lead singer of Paper Route reveals his heart a little bit, it’s not as polished and smooth as a Paper Route CD, but it’s got some catchy songs and showcases his individual talents.<\/p>\n
\nMore than his previous albums, MPJ seems to be channelling a little bit of David Gray on this album. That’s not a bad thing, mind you. It’s pretty consistent with his last two albums.<\/p>\n
\nA really bold project by Osenga. He’s cleverly disguised the album as a science fiction story, but at the core it’s an heartbreaking tale of loss and regret. Andy poured his heart into this album, even decorating his studio like a spaceship while recording to immerse himself completely into the story.<\/p>\n
\nBluegrass is getting a nice resurgence after Nickel Creek broke up a couple years ago and I love this thoughtful little CD of tunes that have me humming the tunes for a days after listening to the songs.<\/p>\n
\nIt’s been interesting to listen to The Choir as a band with no expectations and no pressures from a label. Sometimes I think they could be pushed a little more and it would improve the product, but on the other hand, their unfettered whimsy has been nicely balanced with a little bit of wisdom and age. <\/p>\n