mardi 8 Jan 2013, 17h29m

Best Albums of the Year:

#1 BLUNDERBUSS, by Jack White: Sure, The White Stripes had some great songs, but it wasn't until Jack White produced Loretta Lynn's comeback record, "Van Lear Rose" that I sat up and really started to take notice. But with 2012's masterful "Blunderbuss," Jack White became the musical aha! of the year. This record is an explosion of sound–an amalgam of punk, soul, country, and rock (all perfectly on display in his brilliant cover of Little Willie John's "I'm Shakin'") that never feels jarring or clunky. Sorry Meg, but his backing band here is particularly strong (that's another personal fave Brooke Waggoner who steals a few moments of her own on keyboards). "Blunderbuss" is a perfect record no matter how you slice it, and it certainly captures a moment, any moment you happen to be in. Get your girl or your boy or your own funky self, and get lost in "Blunderbuss." It is a celebration of just about every reason I love music, and it gets my highest recommendation of 2012.

#2 YOURS TRULY, CELLOPHANE NOSE, by Beth Jeans Houghton (& The Hooves of Destiny): My breakout discovery of 2011 was Beth Jeans Houghton–and 2012 was the release of her debut album, a pure gem. It was instant love for me, hearing some of the best little pop nuggets this side of anything. Her smoky yet almost angelic voice captures life's most wacky and strange moments and turns them into mini-operatic performance pieces. The album is infinitely replayable, and "Yours Truly" is a delight no matter how many times I spin it or which song you start with. There are also a string of arty videos @ youtube that accompany many of the songs. "Dodecahedron" and "Liliputt" may be my favourite tracks, but "Atlas" is my favourite video. Decidedly weird stuff, but the most fun I had with my computer (a.ka. jukebox) all year.

#3 HAVOC AND BRIGHT LIGHTS, by Alanis Morissette: If I could befriend any musician (and it couldn't be Tori Amos), it would, hands down, be Alanis Morissette, who is probably the most "like me" in her spiritual outlook on the world, struggle within the self, and constant hope for self-improvement. I have grown up with Alanis, and with each record, she speaks to the trials of growing toward adulthood with grace, compassion, and health. "Havoc and Bright Lights" may not be ground-breaking, I admit, and I would have a hard time convincing those unwilling to be convinced. But "Bright Lights" was by far my #1 most listened-to album this year, and that's the bare fact of the matter. Songs like "Empathy," "Guardian," "Win and Win," and the must-have bees "Permission," "Big Sur," and "Will You Be My Girlfriend?" are intensely personal daily reflections on a life lived meaningfully. So Alanis, if you ever want to chat over coffee, I'm open to it.

#4 AN AWESOME WAVE, by Alt-J (∆): This LP is an instant, irresistible shot in the arm; the songs (start with the indomitable "Fitzpleasure") instantly worm themselves into our memories. Since I am sort of a sucker for the new-ish trend in music of building upon the rousing, electronic sounds of the 80s in a fresh, inspired way (2012 is full of some great songs fitting this description), I was instantly in love with the sounds of Alt-J (∆). But this band takes it one level farther, and actually tells a weird story along the way. The instrumentation is first rate, too, making these sounds feel totally fresh and totally modern. Running the course of 14 tracks, including some stunning falsetto, a capella interludes, this record is both overt-the-top theatrical and oddly thoughtful. It's a trippy sonic journey worth taking.

#5 WITH LOVE, by Rosie Thomas: This year's most optimistic record comes from a musician with one of the most beautiful spirits (and pristine voices) I've been lucky to know. She has made a name for herself over the past decade on moody, melancholic but beautifully meditative tunes. And while "With Love" has some of Thomas' most carefree songs (like the cheerful "Over the Moon"), that foundation is still here, even while she seems to have overcome the melancholy. The magic of this record is in the fact that its joy sprouts OUT of loss and darkness, not despite of it. And that's what makes these songs so downright cathartic. So whether 2012's been a "really long year" or if you have ever had one before, this is the record for you.

#6 I/II/III EPs, by Sunday Sun: This is the top ten's most recent discovery, but in the course of just a few days, Sunday Sun had solidified their place in my brain. These 18 memorable songs celebrate the joy and transcendence of music without a hint of arrogance about them; they are songs that feel wholly fresh and original while entirely inspired by the definitive sounds of so many other great bands. Listen to any of the three EPs released this year, and you'll hear the genius of The Beatles, Crowded House, The Byrds, The Beach Boys, and a dozen other hitmakers from the past fifty years. Hell, there is even a little homage to Dolly Parton at the beginning of the infectious "Take a Left." These EPs should just be downloaded together and listened to as one significant effort; I've been having a lot of fun playing producer, rearranging the song order to make the perfect tracklisting. There are so many standout songs, but my faves are "You," "Beating Low" (where I hear a little of #7 album artist Aimee Mann), "How Come I Miss You So Much," "Sing," and "Ordinary Love."

#7 CHARMER, by Aimee Mann: Over the past decade, I've decried at least a half dozen times that THIS, by George, is the best Aimee Mann album. And although I hesitate to say so yet again, only to contradict myself in other two years, say it I must. With "Charmer," she proves that she just doesn't have a clunker in her. While she arguably hasn't strayed from the Mann-formula in that entire time, when the songs are this good, I can't complain. She is as good as she ever was–and arguably even better. "Labrador," "Disappeared," and "Gumby" are as memorably hooky as anything she's composed, and she still packs a few surprises, like the album's highlight and one of my songs of the year, "Living a Lie," a duet with James Mercer of the Shins. My only gripe? The album is too short, at just over a half hour. But that only means I can listen to the album twice, and no matter how many times the LP spins, it never seems to lose it luster.

#8 LANDLINE, by Greg Laswell: Following in the tradition of my #9 album, Laswell serves up eleven well-crafted pop songs by another emotionally available man. I've always had the impression that Laswell has mad respect for women, a genuine, mature, honest male response to the confessional female singer/songwriter; his covers of Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work" and Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" speak not in place of, nor on behalf of, women but as attempted glimpses into their lives. If Laswell turns out to be a raving misogynist, I'll be totally heartbroken. But if "Landline" is any evidence, he proves his intents and purposes are completely authentic here; these are real relationships, not men fantasizing about girls who would be pretty if they just realized how beautiful they are. Plus the songs are just nearly perfect. Welcome guest appearances by Sara Bareilles (on my favorite opening track of the year, "Come Back Down"), Sia (the infectious "Dragging You Around"), and new flame Ingrid Michaelson are the icing on the cake. And it is that title track with Michaelson that not only perfectly closes the album, but so satisfyingly breaks my heart every time that coming back for more is without question.

#9 RHYTHM AND REPOSE, by Glen Hansard: Although I still ache for the next (if ever) Swell Season album, Glen's solo album follows in the footsteps of now solo artist Markéta Irglová and releases an equally solid LP. (Hansard does throw Season fans a bone by insisting that Irglová appear on a handful of songs). This album is laden, despite an acknowledgment of life's darker moments, with optimism and hope. Hansard has never been one for cynicism or irony; he wears his heart on his sleeve. And songs with earnest titles like "High Hope," "You Will Become," and "Song of Good Hope" are irresistible mood changers. Although the album does lean toward the softer, reflective "repose," one can't help but feel lightened after listening to Hansard traverse the map of the human heart. Opt for the version with bonus tracks, and make sure to check out "This Gift," which by all means should have been on the actual record.

#10 TUMBLE BEE, by Laura Veirs: I admit becoming a father this year may have helped nudge this campfire collection of kid ditties into the top ten, but I honestly can't imagine ever softening enough to listen to any of the typical, sickeningly sweet compilations for kids. Veirs hits all the perfect folk notes for both a borderline-hipster papa and his lad: from silly sing alongs like "King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki Me O" and "Jump Down Spin Around" to pitch perfect lullabies. Her version of "All the Pretty Little Horses" was the soundtrack of many a nap time this summer, and is now etched upon my memory forever. I think I may have found the perfect future shower/birthday gift.

#11: WAYS TO FORGET, Clock Opera
#12: SUN MIDNIGHT SUN, Sara Watkins (of Nickel Creek)
#13: LOMA VISTA, Family of the Year
#14: EARNING KEEP, Christopher Smith
#15: VIOLET, Karen Peris
#16: THE LOVERS, Lone Wolf
#17: THE LION'S ROAR, First Aid Kit
#18: WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?, Ani DiFranco
#19: ANIMAL JOY, Shearwater
#20: BIRDY, Birdy
#21: ELECTRA HEART, Marina & the Diamonds
#22: TIDAL WAVE, Husky
#23: CYNIC'S NEW YEAR, Horse Feathers
#24: DJANGO DJANGO, Django Django
#25: BEND BEYOND, Woods