My favourites of 2012

1. Mystery Jets- Radlands

Having improved, developed and progressed with every release since the 2006 debut 'Making Dens', I was highly anticipating a new Mystery Jets album. Their last two, 'Twenty One' and 'Serotonin' are outstanding from start to finish. The former is an effortlessly classy indie album charting the drama and emotion of being the age in the title. The latter is more matured and reflective. Both highly, highly recommended. Blaine Harrison, the singer/song writer, is an amazing talent. When details of 'Radlands' emerged I started to worry. I was prepared for a new album not to live up to the previous two, having loved them so much. But hearing the band was relocating to Texas to record, and then seeing the album cover featuring them in blue denim/cowboy boots etc and framed by the outline of the Lone Star State, I feared the worst. The album opens with the title track 'Radlands' and thankfully it's a case of evolution not revolution as there's far more that's familiar than different. Blaine Harrison's lyrics are always intelligent and engaging and perfectly suited to his voice which is a key part of the Mystery Jets unmistakable sound. By track two the relief flowed over me as it was clear they had done it again and delivered something special. The 'scope' of the album and the themes and subject of the songs is much wider, looking out at the world and a person's place in it rather than a focus on personal emotions and relationships. Lead single 'Someone Purer' is the best example of this-

'I was gripped with a bitter fear, worried
The one thing that I loved,
Back when I was just a kid,
Might now never be enough,
That the body I was in,
Might belong to someone else,
Someone kinder, someone surer,
Someone innocent, young and beautiful,
Someone purer'

I've thought before that Blaine's vocals are quite Ray-Davies-like at times (quite noticeable on 'You Had Me At Hello') so I was delighted to hear The Kinks name-checked on 'Greatest Hits', along with Bryan Ferry, Paul McCartney, ABC, Belle and Sebastian and more. Any fears that this very English indie band had gone native over in the US were utterly dispelled on this track that could have come from The Kinks themselves, full of 'sha-la-la's'. The fact is I could mention every single track on the album individually and rave about it but I'll round off with the undoubted stand-out, 'Lost In Austin'. Another track concerned with big thoughts about life-

'Is there a world more lonely than ours,
Out there beyond the stars?
Is there another me,
Looking back across the sea?

I wonder if he knows
I wonder if he cares
I wonder if he ever wonders
I wonder if he asks

Am I just a blind spot in his eye,
Am I just a reflection of the light?'

Relatively heavy for a Mystery Jets track, the chorus is yelled out over guitars and drums- 'Take me to the edge, I'm not scared. I want to feel the cold wind in my hair. And if we fall off, it doesn't matter, we'll do it all again'. Captures the essence of a man facing up to the vastness and uncertainty of the universe with defiant abandon. A fantastic album, for the 3rd time in a row.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XILvOrna0RA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV36ryOcAtA

2. Tame Impala- Lonerism

Fitting that this should be runner-up to Mystery Jets, I only played it thanks to a Tweet of theirs proclaiming Lonerism to be 'the great lost Beatles album we never knew was made'. I'd heard the name and seen them mentioned by the likes of Noel Gallagher before, but for some reason in my head had them confused with Tinie Tempah and Noel's word or not, that sort of music will never be my cup of tea. Upon discovering Tame Impala make 'psychedelic hypno-groove melodic rock music' (their description), I gave it a try. Can't give it much higher praise than to say I agree with the Beatles comparison. The vocals, the drums, the harmonies, the Strawberry Fields-distortion. Not much variety on the album, but when you sound like The Beatles, who'd want it?! Reminds me in places of The Vines and The Sleepy Jackson too, two more bands with a healthy love of the Fab Four- strangely enough all three of them are from Australia. Definitely some shared DNA there. Musically, not... literally. On 'Mind Mischief' in particular the singer manages to somehow sound like Lennon AND McCartney at the same time. Like 'Wings' fronted by John instead of Paul.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF5E2X55_kg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wycjnCCgUes


3. Devin- Romancing

Genuinely surprised/disappointed this hasn't had much exposure. Proves it's not what you know but who you know because all it should have taken is a bit of radio play or even to have a song on an advert (Willy Moon/iPod) and this could have been the soundtrack of the summer (had we had one...). Like The Hives this comes from the 'big dumb fun' school. A 50's throwback tearing through some good time rock 'n' roll via garage punk. All the necessary elements are present and correct without bringing anything new to the fore but you can't begrudge that when it's done so lovingly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obSyjnkcti8

4. Citizens! - Here We Are

A nice surprise, this year's 'Passion Pit'. Very 'off the radar' and checked out on the off-chance. Danceable indie electro-pop, synthised riffs and beats under a vocalist that is not a million miles away from Brandon Flowers. A modern take on 70's and 80's influences there are hints of Bowie, Bolan and OMD's Andy McCluskey on opening track 'True Romance'. 'Caroline' sounds like The Killers played at slightly too high speed, with the singers aforementioned vocals. 'Let's Go All The Way' is another very Killers song, actually bringing to mind 'All These Things That I've Done' in the chorus. Centrepiece of the album is 'I'm In Love With Your Girlfriend' which builds to an industrial glam-stomp that you can picture a Marc Bolan or Brian Molko, feather boa and all, belting out with all their androgynous might. I'm no dancer but this is not an album you listen to sitting still- every track is indie-disco gold and a remixers dream. From start to finish it plays like a night out on the town, down to the hazy, slower paced 'end of the night' closer 'Know Yourself'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EySm81Q6qIU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzvbLmlzE1k


5. Alabama Shakes- Boys & Girls

Tipped these at the start of the year and was vindicated very early on with their first live show in the UK causing a stir not seen since The White Stripes debuted to a tiny crowd that had the record labels in a frenzy. Currently on a massive tour they've already progressed to larger venues and sold them out in minutes. Amazing that the singer Brittany Howard is just 22, possessing such a big soulful voice. 'You Ain't Alone' could be an Al Green song. The big soul ballads sit well alongside a couple of more straightforward blues-rock efforts. The musicianship is great but the big draw is the voice whether hitting the high notes or tearing through a gravelly lament such as on 'Heartbreaker'. Probably my highlight of the album, Howard doesn't hold back and gives it her all building to the howl of 'how was I supposed to know?'. God help the man that wronged her as I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of a woman who can shout like that...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEwM2iy_J8E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HxNtWEIKhQ



6. Muse- The 2nd Law

If you'd told anyone listening to 'Showbiz' (Muse's debut album), at it's 1999 release that it would come to be seen as some of their more restrained work I'm not sure what you'd make of that. Although the cover art is typically stellar it's their most grounded and Earth-bound lyrically, but still angsty, dramatic, histrionic with it. A massive album I loved at the time and still do now. And with every subsequent album their ambition, scale and success has only grown. Already by album two (Origin Of Symmetry) with the likes of 'Space Dementia', a 6-minute gothic/operatic/classical space epic, they were leaving the confines of other mere indie bands far behind. And 'Citizen Erased', a sprawling, discordant overblown 7-minutes of everything that makes Muse 'Muse'. 'Absolution', 'Black Holes And Revelations' and 'The Resistance' followed. Intergalactic wars, conspiracies, global catastrophies, usual run-of-the-mill sort of stuff really. Containing everything AND the kitchen sink. Long story short, I'm a fan. And although I could go on a lot more about the last three albums, I'll leave it there, and on to The 2nd Law; Opening with what must surely be their audition for a crack at a Bond theme (they HAVE to do one, please!), 'Supremacy'. 20 seconds in, the strings start up and I don't know how they didn't have to pay Monty Norman royalties. Military drums and a distinctly Shirley Bassey reminiscent vocal rolling along quite nicely, until Matt Bellamy launches his first falsetto to mark the half-way point of the track. Anyone not seeing silhouttes of naked, dancing ladies by the time he sings...;

'You don’t have long,
I am on to you.
The time, it has come to destroy...
Your supremacy'

...has never seen a Bond film in their life. Track 2 is the lead single 'Madness'. And as is the trend, it's the most individual and unrepresentative song on the album. This won't be the first or last time Muse are compared to Queen, and this time they sound like a specific song- namely, 'I Want To Break Free'. Matt Bellamy's vocals are given prominence on a laid-back track, at risk of being understated before the Brian May-esque guitar(!). 'Panic Station' is more Queen, 'Another One Bites The Dust' by way of Prince and Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'. I found it drops off a bit after that and the remainder of the album is not as memorable and doesn't live up to their earlier work so much. The first 4 songs (up tp 'Survival') are good enough that I can see past it. So the album as a whole is slightly disappointing but there's enough to love about it to not judge it too harshly.


7. Metric- Synthetica

I've been 'aware' of Metric for a few years and liked the odd track but never really looked in to them in detail. If this 5th album is anything to go by, that's a mistake I need to rectify pretty soon-ish. The Canadian band are frequently described as indie/new-wave and Emily Haines' vocals have a cold, clinical detachment in keeping with the synthetic instrumentation. 'The Void' reminds me so much of something I can't quite put my finger on, might be something on Daft Punk's 'Discovery' album. Even if not there is something almost robotic about Haines- at times coquettish, kittenish like a sexy android. Looking forward to giving this some repeated plays, think it's a 'grower'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_tJzikK-_I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo-_d9w0V6M

8. Best Coast- The Only Place

The biggest difference between this and 2010's debut 'Crazy For You' can be summed up comparing track titles;

Crazy For You, Summer Mood, Happy, Each And Every Day, When I'm With You
vs
Why I Cry, How They Want Me To Be, Dreaming My Life Away, Do You Love Me Like You Used To, Let's Go Home.

The fuzzy lo-fi has been cleaned up a bit too for a more polished studio sound. Album one was full of carefree 'summer loving' anthems, sunshine and lazy longing. On the surface the second album at times sounds just as upbeat- jangly guitars and beach-y melodies- but it's far more introspective. A result of the success and resultant touring that's taken its toll on the band. The songs are much more personal. Homesick, full of self-doubt and just a general vibe of malaise. Just as lush sounding, hipster indie via 60's girl group pop but opposite in mood to the debut. Doesn't do the band any harm, played one after the other they sound like bookends, soundtracking a teenage summer romance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA3KhE0Tde8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia6mk3luuzU

9. No Doubt- Push And Shove

A welcome return for No Doubt. I had slight concerns for this album following Gwen Stefani's solo efforts between this and the last ND release, but thankfully there's not much evidence of any influence from them on the 11 tracks. It would surprise most people to know they've been around for 26 years now. Gwen Stefani's voice is as strong as ever, a distinctive and familiar instrument. A couple of almost dancehall/ska-hinting 'nightclub' style songs aside (Settle Down/Push And Shove) the rest is lush New-Wave pop. Maybe slightly too much production for me across the whole album, with a few too many whooshes and bleeps used, but it's far from the first time the likes of it has appeared on their stuff so it's not much of an issue. A decent amount of trombone and trumpet features too, which is always welcome. My highlight of the album is 'Sparkle', probably the song that would fit most comfortably alongside their older material. Dub-by, echo-y bass, ephemeral guitar, and a nice bit of old-fashioned ska trumpet. A simply written song, sung with feeling as ever by Stefani;

'Feelings change and people can get lost
But I still care about you so muchDo you remember how it was?'

10. Bat For Lashes- The Haunted Man

Natasha Khan's third album and probably her strongest, overall. A perfect set of songs to listen to as Autumn draws in. Kate Bush (Hounds Of Love/The Red Shoes) style dark, dramatic pop. Horns, strings, pianos, and strong, clear vocals that seem more to the fore than in her earlier work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhNHKg2WcMc


11. Japandroids- Celebration Rock

Initially only gave this a go for the band name / album title and I'm really glad I did.  Really strong drumming throughout, which I always appreciate. Sounds a bit like 'We Are Scientists' or the livlier bits of Jimmy Eat World's 'Bleed American'. Not so much noise-pop as noise-rock, haze and distortion is present but not overwhelming. It tears along at a decent pace, only really slowing down at all on the closing song where the more shoe-gazey elements come to the fore. Any one of the tracks on it could be found on the soundtrack of an American teen college movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m6Ptx4CV6k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzQs550NLcc


12. Crocodiles- Endless Flowers

Like crossing The Strokes with 80's shoe-gaze MBV / JAMC etc. Julian Casablancas-like vocals over a fuzzy, hazy noise. Occasionally Shangri-La's handbells chime in, or big thumping drums adding to the cacophony of distortion. The more introverted 'little brother' to the Japandroids album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGT5FuM8A1c

And 'cos this has been a fruitful year for quality music, here's a list of individual tracks mostly from albums not in my best of the year but should still be heard (some are EP tracks / standalone releases);

Bloc Party- Kettling / Jack White- Love Interruption / Arctic Monkeys- R U Mine? / Kate Nash- Fri-end / Tennis- Robin / Summercamp- Outside / Santogold- Disparate Youth / The Maccabees- Pelican / FOE- The Black Lodge / The XX- Angels / Guards- Crystal Truth / Grimes- Oblivion / Miles Kane- First Of My Kind / Charlotte Gainsbourg- Got To Let Go / Richard Hawley- She Brings the Sunlight