That's My Dad.

Top 50 Songs of 2012: #23, Bat for Lashes - Laura

You’re the train that crashed my heart.

Who writes the rules on sentimentality? Where is the line drawn between a teenage girl crying in her room or a film star slitting their wrists? How can I or anybody else quantify or qualify vulnerability? Often on Bat for Lashes’ “The Haunted Man”, Natasha Khan comes from an age of curiosity where the answer for these questions are urgently needed. Her single “Laura” is a manifesto to such troubles. Khan writes up a story of a legend in her lyrics and places them on a fragile pedestal: like a glass ballerina on a mantelpiece ready to fall. and break into a million little pieces. Vulnerability. “Laura” is a daring emotional piece, one far from Bat for Lashes’ repertoire. From the shakiness of her voice to the audacity of her words, there’s an almost stunning level of disparity in this character study. It’s a level of artistic nakedness that makes you wonder, painfully wonder, who Laura truly is. 

Top 50 Songs of 2012: #36, Beach House - Wild

Our father won’t come home, cause he is seeing double. 

Indie dream-pop darlings Beach House made a profound and delicately chiseled spot on their 4th album: “Bloom”. Without a doubt, “Bloom” landed on many listener’s ‘Album of the Year’ spot, the stand-out track was “Wild”: a timid and melodramatic narrative of fractured teenagers coping with broken relationships ubiquitous to them. Not only does it come decked with soothing breathy vocals and hypnotizing guitar tones, but uses its ingredients to produce a catchy and emotionally haunting summation of Beach House’s entire style. 

Top 50 Songs of 2012: #38, Grimes - Oblivion

See you on a dark night.

Montreal’s Claire Boucher took the indie-electronic scene by storm with her cutesy lisp and DIY freak-pop aesthetic as Grimes. Her hit single, “Oblivion”, proved Boucher as a kooky charmer with a noteworthy, futuristic and gothy spin on synth-pop which its respective audience have fondly cherished all year and gleefully anticipate more of. 

Grizzly Bear - Shields

If there were a book of commonplace indie-rock phrases, “Any Grizzly Bear album is a good Grizzly Bear album” would probably take precedent. The highly talented and visionary Brooklyn quartet make a new mark with their 4th album, “Shields”: the band’s most emotionally absolute and detailed release to date. From the dreamy and thematic lead single “Sleeping Ute”, the heart-wrenching “A Simple Answer” or the complex “Half Gate”, we find Grizzly Bear not repeating past successes like the chilling psychedelic “Yellow House” or the infectiously catchy chamber pop “Vecktimest”, instead rushing past those to make an unadulterated masterpiece record detailing the intricacies of human relations. Certainly, the slow-burner album of the year. (8/10)

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Arcade Fire - Funeral

You better look out for love.

Loss of innocence, isolation and everything else that’d fuel the sorrows of a 20th century writer are the ingredients of Arcade Fire’s 2004 debut indie rock masterpiece, “Funeral”: a tour-de-force emotional sonic trip across suburbia, post-modern psyches, Win Butler and Régine Chassagne’s heads and the tragedy of growing up but, most importantly, an album that captured the spirit of Maurice Sendak like nothing else ever did. (9/10)

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The Walkmen - Heaven 

Let’s face it. The “Bows & Arrows” Walkmen is gone; gone with age. No longer is the cherished indie rock quintet filling up your hearts with picaresque and youthful A-grade post-punk vigor, instead The Walkmen have worked on a greater career act spanning seven albums including their latest 7th: “Heaven”. With each release, The Walkmen allowed themselves to age gracefully through their music and not hold up a forte, growing weaker over time. It’s a rare quality, considering how many rock bands get pressured into sustaining a profitable sound and image or refuse to leave their comfort zone. The Walkmen utilizes a long term band’s worst enemy and took it in as their pet, progressively creating more mature work as the calender pages flip over. “Heaven” alternates gracefully between quietly captivating songs like “We Can’t Be Beat” or “Southern Heart” to glistening gems like “Love is Luck” about charming memories of yesteryears and intricate characters throughout the thirteen tracks. Not only does the album prove as a rewarding and sensitive listen but reminds us of the true capabilities rock bands have within their own conditions. (7/10)

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Lower Dens - Nootropics

You don’t have to wait for the groove to settle in, Lower Dens will bring it to you on their triumphant and equally dreamy indie art-rock sophomore LP, “Lower Dens”: one of the most brooding and explorative albums of this year; well worth inviting into your abode to get to know better. (8/10)

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Beach House - Bloom

If the world of independent music were a diner in the ’50s, Beach House would be it’s own ice cream flavor; orange creme, to be exact. Since their adored 2009 LP “Teen Dream” dazzled listeners, both easy-going and nit-picky, this dream pop duo has undoubtedly taken city and seashore dwellers by storm. Already known their profoundly lush sonic textures and eloquent technical abilities, it comes to no surprise that Beach House didn’t want to change a thing on their latest album: “Bloom”. In fact, Beach House revisits the gorgeous sonic sculpture created on “Teen Dream” and chisels out an extra layer of detail, texture and effect. This remodeling ends up making “Bloom” their most thematic album to date, constructed with punctual compositions and a set of flourishing lyrics to match. These details, while bound with comprehensive traits, are intensely subtle, challenging and hard to wrap your head around, especially to those unfamiliar with Beach House’s sound. Unlike the instant click you’d feel on “Teen Dream”, there is a serious trade-off of patience involved with “Bloom”. From the nautical-sounding opener “Myth” with its glistening guitar tones to the equally heartwarming/breaking “Wild” composed of nostalgic teenage memories, “Bloom” proves to be the most rewarding listening experience of 2012. (8/10)

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Phantogram - Nightlife

With a set of six tracks flowing with dozens of ideas, Phantogram’s EP “Nightlife” serves as an engaging spin-off sequel to their debut LP, “Eyelid Movies”, with the same intoxicating rhythm-based electronic dream pop signature formula Phantogram fans love. (7/10)

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THEESatisfaction - awE naturalE

Like Shabazz Palaces was to hip-hop, THEESatisfaction is an experimental R&B group that offers the same verve and innovation to their genre. Hell, the two groups have more ties together than you’d think. THEESatisfaction featured on Shabazz’s 2011 LP “Black Up” and Shabazz is found on this album too. So think of “awE naturalE” as a sequel to “Black Up” in a slightly different genre, a different set of tools and respective intentions.  a restrained, undeniably peppy and devious serving of neo-soul. From the killer jam, “Queens,” to the brooding “Enchantruss,” if there isn’t a moment on “awE naturalE” that makes you ache for more progressive to happen with R&B, you probably skipped over it. (8/10)

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Panda Bear - Tomboy

Much like the overwhelming myriad of color and musical spectrum in an Animal Collective release, Panda Bear’s Tomboy follows suit but with a more minimal and restrained approach. Nevertheless, Tomboy’s just as intriguing, emotionally in-check and psychedelic as its bigger brother. (8/10)

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