Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
The new Dirty Projectors record came out this summer. I listened to it once and quickly forgot about it, then I went on a road trip and decided to throw Swing Lo Magellan on my iPod, and now it's one of my favorite records of the year so far. It's way more stripped down and not as adventurous as Bitte Orca but damn these songs manage to just be so beautiful. This album is a perfect blend of simple songwriting with intricate musical arrangements.
Animal Collective - Centipede Hz
Animal Collective might shed some fans they gained from the far more accessible Merriweather Post Pavilion. Even some critics are having a tough time agreeing with it. Look, Animal Collective have always been a tough cookie to swallow. Their bizarre yelping over dense landscapes of nonsensical sounds tends to be off putting for a lot of people. I think this record is really interesting however, one of the lead vocalists, Avey Tare recently went through a divorce and whereas Merriweather was a much more jubilant record about family unity, Centipede Hz is a much darker record that covers themes about trying to find one's place in the world after tragedy. Considering how between eight of the eleven tracks are helmed by Tare it seems he had something to get off his chest. Bottom line is this Animal Collective fans: if you preferred Strawberry Jam to "My Girls" you're going to enjoy this.
Cat Power - Sun
Chan Marshall otherwise known as Cat Power returns from a long hiatus of new material with her most upbeat album in years. If you enjoyed Fiona Apple's new record I'd give this one a shot too. It's not as daring but the last half of this record can easily be called some of her best material.
The Orwells - Remember When
Group of seventeen year-old garage rockers from Chicago made a pretty damn fine debut album. It doesn't re-invent the wheel but then again good rock doesn't have to.
Divine Fits - A Thing Called Divine Fits
So Handsome Furs broke up this year and with Wolf Parade on indefinite hiatus David Boeckner needed something to do, so he called up his friend Britt Daniel lead singer of Spoon and formed a new-wave band and made one of the most fun records of the year. This record is a sexy party.
Everything Ty Segall Has Ever Done Ever
I have been listening to an unhealthy amount of Ty Segall. I am a sucker for a killer guitar riff, Jack White used to pump them out like water when he was with The White Stripes and I think that once he becomes a household name, Ty Segall will capture that throne. He is about to release his third record of 2012 and I can't wait. This man is on a creative high and is unstoppable. Pay attention to this career.
Jessie Ware - Devotion
Diva in the making. Mark my words.
Crazy Horse
I'm just posting this because I'm seeing Neil Young & Crazy Horse at The Hollywood Bowl soon and I couldn't be more pumped. Did you know Crazy Horse has some songs without Neil? And they're pretty good, check it out above.
That's all for now. I've also been listening to a ton of hip-hop but that's for another time.
