Crystal Castles’ unholy mix of punk nihilism, digital noise and dance floor-annihilating beats brings the Toronto duo to the top of our current favorite albums list (and the number 10 of our 2012 Top 30). Their third album continues their journey into the heart of darkness, purging all the ugliness that lurks in there with fire-spitting electropunk. Crystal Castles are fighting darkness with darkness and the ongoing battle creates violent, yet wonderful music.
"Lost Songs", the eighth album by Austin’s …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, is not going to bring you any peace of mind either. The Texan noise-rockers lyrical inspiration comes from war, tyranny and apathy and the end result is a seismic punk rock explosion that equals that of "Source Tags And Codes", their 2002 masterwork. Richter scale madness, indeed!
But if you’re looking for the true soundtrack of the apocalypse, then look no further than "The Seer", Swan’s twelfth studio album. The two-hour drone-rock monolith is one of the most demanding records I’ve come across in recent years, a punishing but rewarding sonic journey that’s certainly worth undertaking. "The Seer", as Michael Gira has stated, is the culmination of every previous album he has ever made in the last 30 years, so a working knowledge of the Swans / Gira discography will certainly help you prepare for it. Personally, I am currently revisiting Swans mid-'80s period with the compilation "Cop/Young God/Greed/Holy Money" - wonderfully brutal stuff!
For your slightly less complicated indie-rock enjoyment, I would highly recommend Guided By Voices’ "The Bears For Lunch" and The Babies’ "Our House On The Hill".
The third GBV album of 2012 (and 19th overall) is the best release of the band's current run with its classic mid-'90s line up and one of the last minute additions to our year-end Top 20. It’s safe to say, had they decided to release just one album last year with the best bits from each of their three full-lengths, that record could easily have been in the run for our Album of the Year. "The Bears For Lunch" is the closest they have come so far to recreating their '90s magic and that's no small thing. Maybe this was just their way of warming up for even greater things to come in 2013?
The Babies, the band formed by Vivian Girls guitarist Cassie Ramone and Woods’ bassist Kevin Morby, have come a long way since their self-titled 2011 debut. Their sophomore full-length is a record jam-packed with memorable garage rock gems that bring some much-needed musical sunshine in the heart of the cold winter. At least as good as anything they've given us so far with their other, more high-profile bands.
But if you’re looking for the true soundtrack of the apocalypse, then look no further than "The Seer", Swan’s twelfth studio album. The two-hour drone-rock monolith is one of the most demanding records I’ve come across in recent years, a punishing but rewarding sonic journey that’s certainly worth undertaking. "The Seer", as Michael Gira has stated, is the culmination of every previous album he has ever made in the last 30 years, so a working knowledge of the Swans / Gira discography will certainly help you prepare for it. Personally, I am currently revisiting Swans mid-'80s period with the compilation "Cop/Young God/Greed/Holy Money" - wonderfully brutal stuff!
The third GBV album of 2012 (and 19th overall) is the best release of the band's current run with its classic mid-'90s line up and one of the last minute additions to our year-end Top 20. It’s safe to say, had they decided to release just one album last year with the best bits from each of their three full-lengths, that record could easily have been in the run for our Album of the Year. "The Bears For Lunch" is the closest they have come so far to recreating their '90s magic and that's no small thing. Maybe this was just their way of warming up for even greater things to come in 2013?
The Babies, the band formed by Vivian Girls guitarist Cassie Ramone and Woods’ bassist Kevin Morby, have come a long way since their self-titled 2011 debut. Their sophomore full-length is a record jam-packed with memorable garage rock gems that bring some much-needed musical sunshine in the heart of the cold winter. At least as good as anything they've given us so far with their other, more high-profile bands.
Here's the list of our favorite albums and tracks of the last couple of months:
Top 15 Albums
1. (III) - CRYSTAL CASTLES
2. Lost Songs - ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD
3. The Bears For Lunch - GUIDED BY VOICES
4. The Seer - SWANS
5. Our House On The Hill - THE BABIES
6. Swing Lo Magellan - DIRTY PROJECTORS
7. The Haunted Man - BAT FOR LASHES
8. good kid, m.A.A.d city - KENDRICK LAMAR
9. Toy - TOY
10. Oshin - DIIV
11. Strapped - THE SOFT PACK
12. Zeros - THE SOFT MOON
13. Researching The Blues - REDD KROSS
14. Melody's Echo Chamber - MELODY'S ECHO CHAMBER
15. Rough Trade Shops Counter Culture 12 - VARIOUS ARTISTS
Top 20 Tracks
1. Fall Back - FACTORY FLOOR
2. Avatar - SWANS
3. Catatonic - ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD
4. Doused - DIIV
5. Moonlight Mile - THE BABIES
6. She Lives in an Airport - GUIDED BY VOICES
7. Let It Bleed - GOAT
8. Plague - CRYSTAL CASTLES
9. Backseat Freestyle - KENDRICK LAMAR
10. All Your Gold - BAT FOR LASHES
11. Kopter - TOY
12. Flying to Berlin - SAVAGES
13. Spitfire - PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
14. About To Die - DIRTY PROJECTORS
15. Ballad Of The Golden Hour - WIDOWSPEAK
16. Tallboy - THE SOFT PACK
17. Stay Away From Downtown - REDD KROSS
18. Suburban Home - FIDLAR
19. Machines - THE SOFT MOON
20. Endless Shore - MELODY'S ECHO CHAMBER
Factory Floor - Fall Back
(mp3s via stereogum and kexp)
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