Fuzz War: Best albums of 2012

Editor's note: I've already documented my favorite things of 2012, which included my top 10 albums, for Popblerd and starting next week, Completely Conspicuous will embark on an epic three-parter in which Jay Breitling, Mike Piantigini and I ramble on about our favorite music of the year. But here's my top 15 albums of the year plus a Spotify playlist I made.

2012 was another good year for music, at least if you look at it in terms of quality and not sales. I cancelled my eMusic subscription early in the year in part to fund my Libsyn podcast hosting account, but the consistently good prices at Amazon MP3 allowed me to purchase most of the albums I wanted. And Spotify allowed me to listen to others that I didn't actually own. So there were plenty of good albums to choose from. Here's the top 15:

15. Torche - Harmonicraft
I've been a fan of this hard rocking Florida band for a few years now, and this album did not disappoint. Loud, catchy, explosive. The song "Kicking" can instantly get me running a few mph faster. Great, fun stuff.



14. The Tragically Hip - Now for Plan A
As a native Canuck, I've been in the tank for these guys since their first album. But the last few have been a little lacking. This time around, the Hip roll out a leaner album that reflects their live sound a little more. The songs are strong, especially "At Transformation," which captures the band at their best.

 

13. Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Psychedelic Pill
This was actually their second album of the year, the first being Americana, on which Neil and the boys cover a bunch of folk standards like "Oh Susanna." Didn't really appeal to me, but on Psychedelic Pill, they just plug in and jam for seemingly forever. Seriously, there are two songs that clock in at 16-plus minutes and one that's over 27. And Neil's lyrics on "Driftin' Back" are fairly stream of consciousness, but it doesn't matter. It's Neil and Crazy Horse, and they sound terrific.



12. A.C. Newman - Shut Down the Streets
Newman is a prolific songwriter. Between his work with The New Pornographers and solo, he pretty much cranks out a great album every year. Most of his catalog has trended towards the power pop side of things, but on this album Newman is a little more introspective. That doesn't mean there aren't pop gems on Shut Down the Streets; "Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns" and "I'm Not Talking" are super-catchy. But he shows a quieter side on this album that's well worth exploring.



11. Mission of Burma - Unsound
Now on their fourth album since reuniting in 2002, Burma shows no signs of slowing down. Although 2009's The Sound, The Speed, The Light was not quite at the level of its two predecessors, it was still pretty good. Nevertheless, Matador dropped the band and it took a while to find a new label. Unsound finds Burma playing a little faster and looser, and seemingly having fun doing it as is reflected on songs like "Dust Devil," "Sectionals in Mourning" and "Semi-Pseudo-Sort-of Plan." All band comebacks should kick this much ass.



10. Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth
This reunion of David Lee Roth with Van Halen (minus poor Michael Anthony, of course) had all the makings of a disaster. Neither had done much of consequence in the last 20 years, and even though they had a successful reunion tour a few years ago, there were plenty of skeptics including me wondering if there was anything left in the tank. The new album's first single, "Tattoo," did little to ease concerns, as it's clearly the weakest track on the album. But that turned out to be something of a bait and switch: VH is musically as powerful as ever, with Eddie Van Halen absolutely ripping it up on pretty much every song and Alex VH and Eddie's song Wolfgang teaming up on some breakneck passages on songs like "China Town" and  "Bullethead." DLR is no longer the sex god he was in the '70s and '80s; now he's more like your crazy Uncle Dave. He's not pulling off those screams of the days of yore, but he wisely sticks to what works and sounds just fine. Bottom line, with this album, VH announced they were back in a big way.



9. Dinosaur Jr. - I Bet on Sky
Unlike Eddie VH, Dino Jr's resident guitar hero never went away. J. Mascis has been wailing away for years, even when Dinosaur Jr. wasn't a thing for about a decade. Since reuniting with Lou Barlow and Murph, Mascis has made three quality records (and an excellent solo album) and reissued their original albums. I Bet on Sky has all the trademarks of Dino Jr.: Heavy riffs, a couple of good Lou songs and Mascis solos all over the damn place. It's a formula but it works well.



8. Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory
In its previous incarnation, Cloud Nothings was essentially a one-man band consisting of Dylan Baldi. With Attack on Memory, Baldi recorded with his live band and intentionally turned away from the poppier material he had favored to darker, heavier stuff. Having Steve Albini as producer (excuse me, "recorder") didn't hurt, and the album is an angsty but catchy collection that really stood out in 2012.



7. METZ - Metz
This trio out of Toronto is loud, abrasive and awesome. Their self-titled debut came out in the fall and I didn't pick it up until last month, but it really has become one of my favorites of late. Short, punchy songs with shouted vocals and roaring guitars. The band has garnered comparisons to Nirvana, but they remind me more of bands like Fugazi and the Jesus Lizard. "Wasted," "Wet Blanket" and "Headache" are standout tracks, but really, the whole album is a kick in the pants. In a good way.



6. Bob Mould - Silver Age
This has been a triumphant year for Mould, as he celebrated the 20th anniversary of Sugar's masterful Copper Blue with a tour playing the entire album. But not to be forgotten is the fact that Mould's new album Silver Age is terrific, bringing him back to the classic power trio formation of Sugar and that other band he used to be in. Silver Age features his touring band, Jason Narducy on bass and the always great Jon Wurster on drums, and it is relentless from beginning to end. The album opens with three ass-kickers, "Star Machine," "Silver Age" and "The Descent,"and it doesn't let up from there. Mould spits the lyrics with fire and fully re-embraces the heavy guitar sound that has weaved in and out of his solo work for the last decade. A powerful statement from one of alt-rock's godfathers.



5. Japandroids - Celebration Rock
For its second album, the Vancouver duo unleashes an exhilarating 35-minute punk rock rush of uptempo songs about partying and being young and awesome. The title of the record says it all, really. Celebration Rock is all shouted vocals, loud guitars, pounding drums and “whoa-oh-oh” choruses, and damn if it isn’t just great. “The Nights of Wine and Roses,” “Fire’s Highway” and “Adrenaline Nightshift” are fist-pumpingly fun tales of youth gone wild, catchy and loud. Sure, there isn’t much in the way of dynamics or quieter songs, but who cares? Turn it up and enjoy, dammit.


4. Titus Andronicus - Local Business
At first, the new full-length from New Jersey’s purveyor of literate punk rock didn’t grab me, especially after the mastery of 2010’s epic The Monitor. But with repeated listens, Local Business really took hold, insinuating itself in my consciousness with its boozy shouted refrains and sturdy riffs. Bandleader Patrick Stickles isn’t afraid to write umpteen-word song titles and make references to high-falutin’ artists and concepts while echoing the riffs of The Clash. Ergo songs like “Ecce Homo” and “Upon Viewing Oregon’s Landscape with the Flood of Detritus” can coexist with the Johnny Thunders-esque “Food Fight” and the terrific “In a Big City,” as well as longer songs like “In a Small Body,” “Tried to Quit Smoking” and “My Eating Disorder,” which veers from punk sneering to near prog-rock in its final few minutes. Local Business is a mish-mash, but it’s great.



3. Divine Fits - A Thing Called Divine Fits
When it came out, this was just a quickie side project from Britt Daniel of Spoon and Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade/Handsome Furs that nobody had high expectations for.  But holy crap, A Thing Called Divine Fits is a terrific album. Daniel’s contributions, which include “Flaggin’ a Ride” and “Would That Not Be Nice” are typically excellent and have that Spoon-ish quality that Daniel has been producing for more than a decade now. But it’s Boeckner  who really shines with synthy concoctions like “My Love is Real,” “For Your Heart” and “Baby Gets Worse” that are super-catchy and propelled by his urgent, yelpy  vocals. A winner through and through, and hopefully not the last we’ll hear from this band.



2. Mark Lanegan Band - Blues Funeral
Mark Lanegan has spent much of the last decade making guest appearances on other artists’ albums, from Queens of the Stone Age to the Twilight Singers to Isobel Campbell. On his first solo album since 2004’s Bubblegum, Lanegan explored some interesting electronic directions; he cited Joy Division, Roxy Music and The Gun Club as key influences on the album. It’s a long way from his beginnings in the mid-‘80s with Screaming Trees, forging a psychedelic grunge sound that predated many of their Northwest peers. “The Gravedigger’s Song” is an epic leadoff single that combines synths with harder edged sounds, while “Riot in My House” and “Quiver Syndrome” are out-and-out rockers and “Ode to Sad Disco” takes the experimentation to a surprisingly danceable conclusion.


1. Ty Segall Band - Slaughterhouse
Garage rocker Ty Segall had a ridiculously prolific year, releasing three albums that were all highly praised by critics and fans alike. I only heard two of them, this one and Segall’s collaboration with White Fence (Hair), and both reveal a super-talented guitarist with a penchant for scuzz-rock freakouts mixed with spacey psychedelia. On Slaughterhouse, Segall is backed by his touring band and the group is tight. “Wave Goodbye,” “Death” and “I Bought My Eyes” lead a bracing collection of songs that culminates in the 10-minute feedback drone of “Fuzz War.” It’s a winning formula. Segall is a worthy successor to the late Jay Reatard’s DIY excellence.



Honorable mentions:  Henry Clay People - 25 for the Rest of Our Lives; Soundgarden - King Animal; Two Gallants - The Bloom and the Blight; Rush - Clockwork Angels; Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania; High on Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis; Guided By Voices - Let's Go Eat the Factory; Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day; El-P - Cancer 4 Cure.

And here's a Spotify playlist of some of my favorite songs of the year: