Friday, July 13, 2012

2012 Albums

We're a little over halfway through 2012 and it's been a great year for new releases! Here's a list of albums bought by our household this year.

Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
We just bought this, and haven't given it a heavy listen, but so far, it's really good. He used to work with Outkast. The language is a little strong, but that doesn't bother me. Just a heads up in case that bothers you.

Walkmen - Heaven
It still confounds me this band is not more popular. They have been recording consistently great albums for over a decade. This is one of their better efforts. A nice Saturday afternoon album.

The Men - Open Your Heart
A nice rock album. I love strong guitar music!

Santigold - Master of My Make Believe
This sophomore effort from Santigold isn't as pop sounding as her first, but it's still a great album. Great for summer afternoons.

Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas
Listening to Leonard Cohen always makes me want to watch Natural Born Killers, but I'm afraid it will look too dated now (like 12 Monkeys). Another great album from a great artist.

Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror
No band out there sounds quite like Sleigh Bells.

Jack White - Blunderbuss
I was not a big White Stripes fan. In fact, I think Meg White is the worst drummer ever. I was skeptical of this album, but when my husband brought it home, we couldn't stop listening to it. Maybe he was meant to be a solo artist.

Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
I don't know why her titles have to be so long, but who cares when she keeps recording albums this good. I became slightly addicted to the song "Hot Knife" and listened to it about 15 times one day.

Dr. John - Locked Down
The most surprising album of the year thus far is this one from Dr. John. I cannot say I was ever a big fan of his music, but always liked his interesting voice. This was a collaboration with Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, and it's great. Give it a chance.

Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls
Simply the perfect summer album.

Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory
My favorite album of the year so far. I don't think another is going to be able to top it. We had to hide it downstairs so we didn't totally destroy it. They're great live too.