A couple people have asked me what my favorite albums of 2012 were, so I figured the new Starting V column would be a good place to put them. Had to bend the rules a touch because I couldn’t quite fit just five in there.
Honorable Mention:
The xx, Coexist (most underrated album of the year)
Future: Pluto (most caffeinated album of the year)
Chromatics: Kill For Love (most chichi album of the year)
Kendrick Lamar: good kid, m.A.A.d city (most introspective album of the year)
Chief Keef: Back From the Dead (most divisive album of the year)
5b. How to Dress Well
Total Loss
Acéphale
The Chicagoan’s devastating debut, Love Remains, was my favorite album of 2010, and while Total Loss falls a bit short of that, it is a million miles away from a sophomore slump. On the engulfing LP, Krell stripped away much of the excess noise that characterized Love Remains and let his powerful falsetto creep out. His aesthetic isn’t quite as unique as it was, but the songs are arguably even better and more personal. Easily one of the most distinctive voices (vocally and compositionally) in music today.
Hottest Jams: “Ocean Floor for Everything,” “& It Was You,” “Running Back”
5a. Andy Stott
Luxury Problems
Modern Love
Luxury Problems is a celebration of impeccable craft and pure human emotion. Progressive artists are guilty of spending too much time on the former and eschewing the latter, but the veteran Mancunian’s third LP nails both with quiet aplomb. On its surface, it’s a difficult and inaccessible collection, but if you give it your time, you will not be dissapointed.
Hottest Jams: “Numb,” “Hatch the Plan”
4. Jeremih
Late Nights With Jeremih
Self-Released
Many artists prefer doing mixtapes to studio albums because they are given the freedom to do exactly what they want to do. This mixtape from the Chicago crooner is a perfect example of this. Over 18 tracks, Jeremih really explores the space, touching on Weeknd-ish bedroom R&B (“Late Nights”), trap music (“Feel the Bass”), down-tempo demerol&B (“Fuck U All the Time”), classic booty jams (“Go to the Mo”), and a host of other micro-genres. Surprisingly, he handles them all brilliantly, which begs the question why he’s spent his entire career pigeonholed in radio R&B.
Hottest Jams: “Fuck U All the Time,” “Late Nights,” “773 Love”
3. Frank Ocean
channel orange
Def Jam
2012 was undoubtedly the year of Frank Ocean. I spent a ton of 2011 listening to his beautiful debut mixtape, nostalgia, ULTRA, and to be totally honest, I never suspected the unassuming New Orleanian was capable crafting an album with this much depth, perspective, and ambition. Call me naive, but I believe his brave decision to disclose his sexuality will prove a watershed moment in culture that will help break down future barriers. That said, it wouldn’t have mattered if his music didn’t resonate with people. I think we all know how that turned out.
Hottest Jams: “Pyramids,” “Pink Matter (f/ Andre 3000),” “Bad Religion,”
2. Jessie Ware
Devotion
PMR
When I went to pick my favorite songs of 2012, it was nearly impossible to pick out a favorite Jessie Ware song. I started with the bubbly, Big Pun-sampling “110%” but quickly switched to the slinky, cascading title track. I also considered her dramatic power ballad “Wildest Moments,” before I settled on the deliciously heartsick “Sweet Talk.” Many bemoan the death of the album, but the South Londoner’s debut LP is breathtaking from start to finish. Buoyed by a versatile sonic palette that is influenced neo soul, pop, R&B, new age, and hip-hop, the 27 year-old glides effortlessly over everything she meets, resulting in an album that is varied enough to feel fresh while remaining cohesive.
Hottest Jams: “Sweet Talk,” “Running,” “Night Light”
1. Jens Lekman
I Know What Love Isn’t
Secretly Canadian
While “the break-up album” sounds great in principle, in practice it often results in little more than a myopic, self-obsessed, melodramatic statement from a person who is too deep in the woods to offer any meaningful perspective. However, Jens Lekman’s triumphant third LP is not your typical break-up album. While Lekman deals with some of those sad-sack themes (“Every Little Hair Knows Your Name,” “I Want A Pair of Cowboy Boots”), he refuses to let them weigh the album down.
Breaking up and moving on is a fucking drag. It’s hard. It’s sad. I know. I did it last year. But that’s only part of it. It is also beautiful, hilarious, awkward, and fucking exciting. Oftentimes, those parts gets left out of the break-up album in favor of the aforementioned “woe is me bullshit,” but Lekman embraces and explores all of said emotions. The result is the only break-up album I’ve ever truly related to. If you are a friend of mine and you are wondering how my break-up was, give this album a spin. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Thank you Jens.
Hottest Jams: “The World Moves On,” “Become Someone Else’s”
