That's My Dad.

Top 50 Songs of 2012: #21, The Tallest Man on Earth - There’s No Leaving Now

To see through a fearless eye and know that danger finally goes away. 

Through every emotional facet, Kristian Matsson of The Tallest Man on Earth will always have a knack to break your heart through his song-writing. On past records, Matsson was keen to raise spirits, enlighten souls and stand neck-and-neck with Dylan in terms of rhetoric. This year, his 3rd LP “There’s No Leaving Now” sounds like he’s ready to hide away in some forgotten house to spend the rest of his days silently weeping to himself. With a gorgeous piano arrangement and haunting vocals, The Tallest Man on Earth hits a mournful note on the album’s title track that adds another stunning entry in Matsson’s unforgettable performance list.

(Source: Spotify)

Top 50 Songs of 2012: #24, First Aid Kit - King of the World

I’m nobody’s baby, I’m everybody’s girl. 

Swedish indie duo First Aid Kit charmed us in spades with their harmoniously darling LP, “The Lion’s Roar”: an equally mature, accessible and seasoned singer-songwriter/country record that sounds more Americana than any American artists in the last few years. A personal lyrical favorite is the exceptional “King of the World”: an off-the-cuff yet poignant tale built for whimsical and picturesquely meaningful road trips. It features a spot-on verse from Conor Oberst for all you Bright Eyes addicts begging for more tortured wisdom.

(Source: Spotify)

Top 50 Songs of 2012: #42, Father John Misty - Funtimes in Babylon

Look out Hollywood, here I come. 

Former Fleet Foxes drummer J. Tillman, going under the moniker Father John Misty, is begging to be heard and, goddamn, you oughta give him the pleasure of being heard. On his debut LP, “Fear Fun”, we follow through the whimsical and ingenuous diary entries in Tillman’s resonant and, quite frankly, under-rated song-writing ability. The album’s opening track, “Funtimes in Babylon”, is a prime example of Father John Misty’s emotional capabilities and often dazzling folk rock production value. It’s an impressive single from a promising poet you should keep your eyes on in years to come. 

(Source: Spotify)

Top 50 Songs of 2012: #47, The Maccabees - Pelican

Pharaoah, they’re not coming with you.

I fell in love with The Maccabees’ unique rock sensibilities early this year with the release of “Given to the Wild”, but always clung on to it like a terrifying guilty pleasure. With its math rock-esque qualities and stuttering lyrics, “Pelican” was the only moment I took no shame in parading my joviality for this group. While “Pelican” plays as a total digression from “Given to the Wild“‘s swoon-worthy alt-rock, its a moment more akin to adventurous artists Battles or The Vaccines.  

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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First Aid Kit - The Lion’s Roar

Swedish sister duo First Aid Kit return with more soulful intensity and finesse than any folk record of this year with their sophomore LP: “The Lion’s Roar”. Often staggering, First Aid Kit come to pierce through your heart with gorgeously stripped down vocals worth shelving next to Joni Mitchell or Patti Smith; not to mention, a set of heavily impacting, ambrosial Americana lyrics near perfect enough to put the likes of Mumford & Sons out of business. Call it the “Helplessness Blues” or “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning” of this year; for a country album, let alone indie folk, “The Lion’s Roar” is just as heartbreaking as is addictive, summing up to pure emotional magic. (9/10)

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Father John Misty - Fear Fun

If one could envision what a successful Fleet Foxes side project would sound like, they’d have Father John Misty’s (J. Tillman) “Fear Fun” pinned down. Fortunately, the Fleet Foxes drummer offers something sweeter, more epigrammatic than anticipated. With lyrics that’ll pierce through your heart and unshakably linger in your thoughts, songs about existential sadnesses and dreamy musings of love, “Fear Fun” is an irresistibly candid, under-stated and quaint folk rock LP worth keeping you company through quiet mornings and lonely nights. (8/10)

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Top Five Albums of 2011 (So Far)

1. The Weeknd - House of Balloons

Takes R&B and drowns it in a nightlife colored in with hopeless, narcotic-abusive, sex-addicted, disturbing surroundings. It’s the darkest thing that’s happened to the genre. Inventive, smooth and as addicting as the world it lives in. 

2. James Blake - James Blake

A broken man (former dub-step producer James Blake) shares himself in shattered abstract pieces through his idea of mixing pleasure and art. It’s a vision layered with dense, extremely subtle genius. 

3. The Head and the Heart - The Head and the Heart

A blessed album with the sweetest of intentions. The spiritual equivalent of trekking a range of northern mountains in the fall, searching for yourself and maybe something meaningful in your point of view on things. 

4. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

Naturalistic poetry and enormously scenic thoughts will get you as close Mother Nature’s finest creations without having to take your headphones off.  

5. Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part 2

One of the most polished albums from the oldest of reckless rappers of this year. It’s hip as fuck and supplies all the catchy jams you’ll need for awhile.