DAE's top 12 albums for 2012...and another 12 that could have made it.

Hum, unlike my talented friend Toddrick I can't define myself as a geek... although I wish I'd spent more time locked in my room between 12 and 18 obsessing over music. But it's not too late and this year brought its fair share of great albums. Here's my list (though I cheated and included an EP): 

 1. Daniel Rossen - Silent Golden Mile Part I (Warp)  

 2. Alt-J - An Awesome Wave (Infectious / Warner)  

 3. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange (Def Jam)  

 4. Father John Misty - Fear Fun (Sub Pop)  

 5. Django Django - Django Django (Because Music)  

 6. Hiatus Kaiyote - Tawk Tomahawk (Self Released) 
Listen to "Lace Skull" here. 
 7. Schoolboy Q - Habits & Contradictions (Top Dawg Entertainment) 
 Listen to "Sacrilegious" here. 
 8. Ty Segall - Twins (Drag City) 
 Listen to "The Hill" here. 
 9. Poor Moon - Poor Moon (Sub Pop) 
 Listen to "Come Home" here. 
 10. Field Report - Field Report (Partisan) 
 Listen to "The Year of The Get You Alone" here. 
 11. Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes (Warp) 
 Listen to "Putty Boy Strut" here. 
 12. Aaron Embry - Tiny Prayers (Self Released) 
Listen to "Ode to If" here. 

 Also:

 - Zombie Zombie - Rituels d'Un Nouveau Monde 
 - Land Observations - Roman Roads 
 - Ray Stinett - A Fire Somewhere 
 - Kindness - World, You Need A Change of Mind 
 - Ane Brun - It All Starts With One 
 - Chromatics - Kill For Love 
 - Cody Chestnutt - Landing On A Hundred 
 - The Growlers - Hung At Heart 
 - My Best Fiend - In Ghostlike Fading 
 - Nick Waterhouse - Time's All Gone 
 - Peaking Lights - Lucifer 
 - Tame Impala - Lonerism

Take Five.

Albums Toddrick loved this year aka I recommend you go buy these 30 records right now.

Yes I'm a nerd. So naturally I get super excited for this time of year - the holidays are nice and all - but I truly geek out going over every one's end of the year lists. So here's mine...

1. Father John Misty - Fear Fun (Sub Pop)

My favorite record of the year. Hands down. This record is on my turntable, the cd is in my car, and it's on repeat on the 'pod. One of the coolest albums to come out in years, Fear Fun has even worked it's way onto my "desert island" list. It is an ode to Los Angeles steeped with magic, death, sex, and broken souls - poetry that's every bit as LA as Charles Bukowski, John and Exene, Charlie Manson, and Nathaniel West.
BUY IT.

Check this amazing performance on Letterman of "Only Son of the Ladiesman". Killer.

2. The Evens - The Odds (Dischord)

In a world lacking Fugazi, we can at least take comfort that Ian Mackaye is still angry and still producing relevant punk art. The Odds is brilliant, minimal, political and one of the best records of 2012. I can listen to "King of Kings" over and over - so so good.
BUY IT.

Listen to "King of Kings" here.

3. Alt-J - An Awesome Wave (Atlantic)

Atlantic sent me this record and it was sitting in my massive "to be listened to" pile when I was driving in Danny Exum's car and it was playing. "What is this, dude?" "Alt-J." "This is Alt-J? Holy shit. This is rad!" I immediately moved it from the "to be listened to" pile to constant rotation. I could simplify this stuff and say it's kinda like Welsh TV On The Radiohead, but these tracks are more than that - and they keep on giving - layers reveal themselves on repeat listens. Highly recommend this no matter what Mojo, Pitchfork and the NME say. This shit is rad.
BUY IT.

Here's the video for single "Tesselate". Check it.

4. Meat Wave - Meat Wave (Self Released)

I'm obsessed with this band. My friend Brian posted a youtube link on facebook to the song "Brother" and it's been on repeat ever since. Something is bubbling in Chicago right now with Meat Wave and bands like The Orwells out there raging away. Turn it up!!!
BUY IT.

Listen to "Brother" here.

5. Doomtree - No Kings (Doomtree Records)


I was kind of seriously bumming on the majority of indie hip hop before I heard Doomtree. There was some decent stuff here and there, but outside of Flying Lotus and Why? I hadn't gotten super jazzed on anything. I know every one is gonna be all up on Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore this year (and those are both rad records) but neither has hit me the way No Kings did. Plus after seeing these guys perform like 3 times this year they have just consistently BROUGHT IT. AND they totally did that insane Wugazi mash up record. So yeah. The win goes to Minneapolis.
BUY IT.

Here's a tour diary video from the tour where I saw them live for the first time.

6. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Now Here's My Plan EP (Drag City)

Um... Will Oldham revisiting tunes from his earlier records? Yes. Loving these new arrangements.
BUY IT.

Watch the AMAZING video for "I See A Darkness" here.


You should also seriously consider buying these records (in no particular order):

Mark Lanegan Band - Blues Funeral (4AD) BUY IT.
Ane Brun - It All Starts With One (PIAS America) BUY IT.
King Tuff - King Tuff (Sub Pop) BUY IT.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! (Constellation) BUY IT.

No - Don't Worry, You'll Be Here Forever EP (Origami Records) BUY IT.
Mirel Wagner - Mirel Wagner (Friendly Fire) BUY IT.
Liars - WIXIW (Mute) BUY IT.
Amon Tobin - ISAM (Ninja Tune) BUY IT.

Alan Wilkis - Prints EP (Self Released) GET IT.
Feral Hymns - Forward Toward Something (Self Released) BUY IT.
Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory (Carpark) BUY IT.
Metz - Metz (Sub Pop) BUY IT.

The Men - Open Your Heart (Sacred Bones) BUY IT.
Sharon Van Etten - Tramp (Jagjaguwar) BUY IT.
Chelsea Wolfe - Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs (Sargent House) BUY IT.
Exitmusic - Passage (Secretly Canadian) BUY IT.

OFF! - OFF! (Vice) BUY IT.
Jaill - Traps (Sub Pop) BUY IT.
Marvin Etzioni - Marvin Country (Nine Mile) BUY IT.
ESP - ESP EP (Self Released) BUY IT.

Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light (Fat Possum) BUY IT.
Young Magic - Melt (Carpark) BUY IT.
Santigold - Master of My Make Believe (Atlantic) BUY IT.
Ceremony - Zoo (Matador) BUY IT.