A slice of life.

I have a new job interview tomorrow. I’m glad because I can tell the last place to go to hell. Okay, I’m not gonna say those exact words to them. However, it is refreshing that I don’t have to go there anymore. Monday was awful. Did I mention the chair I sat on smelled like someone that hadn’t showered in a week? It was gross. Had I been blindfolded, I would have guessed I was sitting on a toilet. Welcome to your job interview! 

Has anyone else been watching JT on Jimmy Fallon? It’s been cool to see the new songs live. Last night’s performance (“Let the Groove Get In”) was funky (in a good way). It reminded me of an early 90’s song. I enjoyed “Mirrors” too. I’m glad the ending was performed. It’s such a great song. I gotta say the best song on the album is “Blue Ocean Floor.” It has a Frank Ocean vibe to it. SNL was great too. The Moet & Chandon spot is amazing. Watch that skit if nothing else. 

Right now I’m accruing a lot of albums for my end of year list. I’m standing at five so far. It’s March! This is shaping up to be a great year for music. There’s even more on the way with a few I wasn’t even planning on originally. That’s never a bad thing. No joke, my list may go to 20 this year. We’re also almost a month away from Record Store Day. I’m really looking forward to it. Foals is at the top of my list that also includes The Black Keys, Gary Clark Jr., and Best Coast (so far). I think the official list comes out next week on the 21st. 

A bunch of us are getting together this weekend to celebrate my friend Jonathan’s birthday. I just realized it’s St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday. This town is going to be a mess! Last year, this infamous video surfaced of students acting a fool for a solid four minutes. You realize you can drink without getting to a moronic state, right? Okay, time to close up this post so I can go make some coffee. My plays from last week:

1. Emeli Sande- 51 plays

2. Arcade Fire- 50 plays

3. Phoenix- 38 plays

3. CHVRCHES- 38 plays

5. The Weeknd- 34 plays

Looking forward to my Most Played (So Far) of 2013 coming up soon. My best guess would be A$AP Rocky topping the list. I’ll see if I’m right in a few weeks.

i’m excited to write this; i hope you’re somewhat excited to read it. i’ve been writing about my favorite albums for a few years now. i think this is my fourth post. in case this is your first time reading it, i go from december of the previous year until the end of november of the current year. you really can’t get a good feel for anything released in december of the current year. it’s too quick to judge something. this will include albums from 12/1/11 to 11/30/12. i don’t do re-releases. the only condition would be if both are released in the same calendar year. for example, lana del rey released two versions of her album this year. that would be eligible. okay, time to move on to the meat of this post, my favorite albums from 2012. 

Honorable Mention: i’m gonna start off with some records i personally loved, but i don’t feel like they belong on the top list. regardless, they’re still worth a listen in my opinion. 

Tame Impala- Lonerism- if you like the beatles definitely listen to this album. it has a later beatles era feel to it. a trippiness to it if you will. it may take a few spins to really get into it, but it’s well-worth it. 

The Weeknd- Echoes of Silence- this is my least favorite release from Trilogy, but i still really like it. it’s different in mood form the other releases. it’s slower, but it still has that weeknd touch. on a side note, i like what he did with trilogy. i enjoy the extra tracks, and i can’t wait for new music from him in 2013. 

Bloc Party- Four- i will always love silent alarm. it has a sound about it i really enjoy, but this one from bloc party grew on me as the months passed. as a whole, i really like it. i’d argue it’s just as good as silent alarm. it also sports some very catchy numbers. i feel like they returned to their classic sound with this release. they played the new songs well live at osheaga.

Best Coast- The Only Place- for me, there wasn’t a better driving album released this year. i loved putting this one on during a sunny drive to the record store in pittsburgh. it has a california sound to it that seems made for vinyl. 

Top 11:

11. Polica- Give You the Ghost- i’m not normally an autotune fan, but they make good use of it here. i like the concept of two drummers too. i think the autotune thing could get old so i’d like to see them do some clean vocals on future releases. solid album nonetheless.

10. fun.- Some Nights- hands down the best pop album of ‘12. i’m glad to see these guys have so much success with this release.

9. Of Monsters and Men- My Head Is an Animal- there’s something strikingly catchy about this album. the duel vocals are a nice treat too. 

8. The Lumineers- The Lumineers- i got into this band later in the year, but i think this is a very solid release from a band with a ton of potential. their daytrotter session is what got me into their music at first. it’s great! definitely check that out as well as their debut.

7. Hey Ocean!- Is- i caught the tail end of the their set at osheaga. it intrigued me enough to buy their album at a local record store on a whim. i enjoyed it so much i bought it on vinyl when i got back to the states. i love the multi genres on this album. i’d love to catch them live again. i pledged on their kickstarter in hopes of them touring the states at some point next year. my fingers are crossed. 

6. Frank Ocean- Channel Orange- with the weeknd, the best thing to happen to r&b. by far, this is the best r&b in YEARS. you can tell frank really puts his thumbprint on this release. i still say the best beat of the year can be found on “pyramids.” gotta love the fact frank dropped a nine minute minute. take that radio!

5. Half Moon Run- Dark Eyes- i never heard of these guys prior to the metric show at stage ae. i meant to listen to them prior, but i forgot. i don’t feel like i’m going out on a limb saying this is the best opening band i’ve ever seen. they really put on a great performance live. i bought this album at the show and really feel like a found a gem here. if you like radiohead at all this band is probably for you. they don’t sound exactly like radiohead, but there are elements there for the comparison. if there’s any record you listen to on this list make it this one. it’s absolutely stellar.

4. Metric- Synthetica- this is one of the first bands i checked out when planning for osheaga. i fell in love with this album quickly. “lost kitten” and “the void” became my favorites right away, but when i heard “breathing underwater” live that became my favorite song from this release. i just started listening to metric, but they have a nice, deep catalogue worthy of your time. 

3. Kendrick Lamar- good kid, m.A.A.d city- i’ll admit it probably took three or four listens through for this one to sink in, but i got it. it’s far too soon to say this, but it could be one of the best rap albums of all time. it’s real. kendrick is definitely one of the best rappers out there. i love how he changes his rapping style on the record. not many rappers do that.

2. Anberlin- Vital- if this list was ranked like the bcs the #1 album would be 1.000, and this one would be .999. it’s so close i could make a case for this one to be 1a. the only reason i put this one in the number two slot is because the number one album had slightly more lasting value. so why do i like this album? well, for starters, i never thought anberlin would release an album better than cities. it’s a masterpiece as far as i’m concerned. well, they exceeded my expectations with this release. it’s wonderful! i also love the fact it expands their sound while still keeping them sounding like anberlin. the added key and synth are done perfectly. they went slightly harder on this release and executed it perfectly. simply put, BUY THIS RECORD!

1. The Black Keys- El Camino- this released last december. i tried waiting for it on spotify, but i grew impatient and downloaded it. yes, illegally, but since, i have bought two copies of it. i made up for it. i support good music. at the time, i only heard a few songs from the black keys. i liked what i heard, and this album opened the floodgates to their entire catalogue. holy cow, i could go on about song after song on el camino, but i’ll hold my tongue. this is what a rock album should sound like. they are the best in the game. i just thought of something. if the black keys and anberlin toured together i’d lose my mind. now that would be a show!

okay, that’s a wrap! hopefully you read through this entire, lengthy post. i highly recommend each and every album on here. do your ears a favor. check ‘em out!

(Source: bestalbums2012)

i feel like this is a somewhat incomplete posting. i’m going to attempt to put together a most anticipated albums list. i’m not sure how this is going to go because i know this doesn’t cover all the great releases that are coming our way in ‘13. the following ones are just some i know are releasing that i really want to hear. let’s consider this foreplay getting us ready for all the fantastic albums coming out next year. here are some i’m excited about:

Foals- Holy Fire- if “Inhaler” is any indication of what’s coming our way this might be one of the best releases next year. seriously check out that song! i posted it a few blogs back. probably within the last two weeks. it’s out on 2/13/13. this is one of the few releases i know the title of right now. i hope they play some festivals. coughosheagacough… or bonnaroo. or lollapalooza. i’ll settle for pittsburgh. i think this thing is going to sound incredible.

Haim- i think this one may catch a few people by surprise. if you haven’t listened to haim yet now is the perfect time to start. i predict some big things from them in ‘13.

The Weeknd- i’m glad the release of trilogy didn’t take away from the songs on the mixtapes. i enjoy all three new tracks, but i am more than ready to hear a new album. hopefully by summer? that’s probably asking for too much.

Kanye West- i don’t care if it’s a solo album, Watch the Throne 2, or Cruel Winter, if it’s kanye, i want to hear it. he changes everything.

Daft Punk- this is a stretch. it’s only a rumor, but i’ll take it. hopefully with a your too? it’s been years since the last daft punk. crossing my fingers in march. 

The Black Keys- el camino was my favorite from them, but i enjoy their discography as a whole. i don’t expect their next effort to disappoint.

A$AP Rocky- Long. Live. A$AP.- this was supposed to release in ‘12, but as with most rap albums, it got pushed back. as long as it makes it better, i’m down with that. love the two songs from it that have been released. 

Earl Sweatshirt- guy could kill it at 16. he’s older, and the subject matter has changed. definitely a good thing. he has the potential to best one of the best rappers out there today. i really think that’s going to solidify in 2013 with this release. 

Relient K- i always love me some relient k. i do hope this is better than the covers album though. as long as i’m not disappointed, i’ll be happy with this release. 

Paramore- i’m not totally into paramore, but i do enjoy hayley’s voice. she can hit some great notes (see “All I Wanted”). combine that with some catchy songs and that’s a good combo to have. this has the potential of getting some spins for sure.