Was it the end of the music world as we know it, or another stellar annum? The folks who work in the trenches here are gonna tell ya. Coming soon: our “appreciation” of 2013.
BY THE BLURT CRÜE
As part of our ongoing year-end wrap-up – go here to view BLURT’s Top 75 Albums of 2012, and for features on our Artists of the Year, check out both the Ty Segall interview and the Grimes interview – we now yield the podium to the staffers and writers and their personal picks for 2012. Guarantee: all dialogue reported verbatim.
LEE ZIMMERMAN lezim@bellsouth.net
MIAMI, FL / BLURT CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Top 10 New Releases
Malcolm Holcombe – Down the River (Gypsy Eyes)
Maldives – Muscle for the Wing (Spark & Shine)
Susanna Hoffs – Someday (Baroque Folk)
Glen Hansard -Rhythm & Repose (Anti-)
Charlie Peacock – No Man’s Land (Twenty Ten)
Hayley Reardon – Where the Artists Go (Kingswood)
Scott Miller/Rayna Gellert – CoDependents (Fay)
Jason Collett — Reckon (Arts & Crafts)
Steve Almaas – Trailer Songs (Lonesome Whippoorwill)
Kevin Bowe & The Okemah Prophets – Natchez Trace (Applause)
Top 5 Archival/Reissues
Rolling Stones – Charlie is My Darling (ABCKO)
Who – Quadrophenia (Universal)
Led Zeppelin – Celebration Day (Swan Song/Atlantic)
Elvis Presley – Prince from Another Planet (Sony/RCA)
World Party – Arkeology (Seaview)
Top 5 DVDs
Chris Isaak – Beyond the Sun: Live (Vanguard)
Doors – Live at the Bowl ’68 (Eagle Vision)
Replacements – Color Me Obsessed (MVD)
Grateful Dead – All the Years Combine (Rhino)
Queen – Live in Budapest (Eagle Vision)
Top 5 Music Books
Rod Stewart – Rod, The Autobiography (Crown)
Pete Townshend – Who I Am (Harper)
Mike Scott – Adventures of a Waterboy (Jawbone)
Ingrid Croce – I Got a Name, The Jim Croce Story (DaCapo)
Ann & Nancy Wilson – Kicking & Dreaming (Harper Collins)
Top 5 Concerts
Bonnaroo — June 7-10/Manchester,Tennessee
Newport Folk Festival – July 31/Newport, RI
The Who — November 1/Fort Lauderdale Florida
Chris Isaak – September 14/Miami Beach
Ian Anderson — September 18/Miami Beach
Top 5 Films
The Hobbit
Lincoln
Skyfall
Argo
Looper
Best Record Label
Yep Roc
In Memoriam – Most Lamented Death
The children and teachers of Sandy Hook Elementary
Best New Artist
Jonathan Wilson
Worst New Artist
Lana Del Rey
Dumbest Band Name
!!!
Sex Object of the Year
Madonna (again)
Asshole of the Year
Whoever thought he/she could buy Lana Del Rey’s way to stardom
Best Hair or Facial Hair
The Avett Brothers
2013 release I am most anticipating
Civil Wars
Coolest trend or whatever
The newfound appreciation for all things retro – music, film and fashion
Most Fucked Up or Annoying Trend of Whatever
The publicists’ continuing efforts to get away from offering physical CDs and insistence on sending downloads – or worse – streams!
Wildcard: 50 Words From or About Me
I still celebrate new music, new artists and the sounds that circulate below the radar and under the surface. While some may complain that music isn’t as good as it used to be, I fervently dispute that notion and continue to do my best to celebrate great tunes and the great artists that provide them. Long live Rock!
Favorite Blurt Article
Peter Himmelman: “The Man, The Muse, the Mystery”
http://blurt-online.com/features/view/1283/
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STEPHEN JUDGE stephen@secondmotionrecords.com
RALEIGH, NC / BLURT PUBLISHER & CEO
Top 10 New Releases
Dead Can Dance – Anastasis (PIAS)
Tift Merritt – Traveling Alone (Yep Roc)
Swans – Seer (Young God)
.Shovels & Rope – O Be Joyful (Dualtone)
The Raveonettes – Observator (Vice)
Lost In The Trees – Church That Fits Our Needs (Anti)
Sharon Van Etten – Tramp (Jagjaguwar)
Matthew E White – Big Inner (Hometapes)
Spider Bags – Shake My Head (Odessa)
Lower Dens: Nootropics (Ribbon Music)
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JENNIFER KELLY jenpkelly@gmail.com
WALPOLE, NH / BLURT CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Top 10 New Releases
1. Shearwater, Animal Joy (Sub Pop)
2. Sharon van Etten, Tramp (Jagjaguwar)
3. Mark Lanegan, Blues Funeral (4AD)
4. Dan Melchior, The Backward Path (Northern Spy)
5. Calexico, Algiers (Anti-)
6. Damian Jurado, Maraqopa (Secretly Canadian)
7. TheeSatisfaction, Awe Natural (Sub Pop)
8. Dirty Three, Towards the Low Sun (Drag City)
9. Various Artists, Oh Michael, Look What You’ve Done (Tompkins Square)
10. Spider Bags, Shake My Head (Odessa)
Honorable Mentions:
11. Ty Segall and White Fence, Wet Hair (Drag City)
12. Grass Widow, Internal Logic (HLR)
13. Red River Dialect, Awellupontheway (Lono)
14. Japandroids, Celebration Rock (Polyvinyl)
15. Sic Alps, Sic Alps (Drag City)
16. Rangda, Formerly Extinct (Drag City)
17. Easter Island, Frightened (Self-Released)
18. Cheap Time, Wallpaper Music (In the Red)
19. Six Organs of Admittance, Ascent, (Drag City)
20. Bob Mould, Silver Age (Merge)
Top 10 Tracks/Singles
Shearwater, “Breaking the Yearlings”
Damien Jurado, “Nothing Is the News”
Sharon van Etten, “Serpents”
Mark Lanegan, “Ode to Sad Disco”
Mind Spiders, “Beat”
Gravenhurst, “The Foundry”
Moon Duo, “Circles”
Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, “Rats”
Spider Bags, “Quetzcoatl Love Song”
Cheap Time, “Night to Night”
Top 5 Archival/Reissues
1. Cleaners from Venus, Blow Away Your Troubles/On Any Normal
Monday/Midnight Cleaners (Captured Tracks)
2. Royal Trux, Accelerator (Drag City)
3. Cravats, Double Volume: Cravats in Toyland (Overground)
4. Charles Mingus, Jazz Workshop Concerts: 1965-1966 (Mosaic)
5. Annette Peacock, I’m the One (Light in the Attic)
Top 5 Concerts
Feelies, May 11, Northampton, MA
Jon Spencer BlueS explosion, Nov. 1, Northampton , MA
Man Forever/Gary Higgins, June 19, Easthampton, MA
Debo Band/Grupo Fantasmo, July 12, Northampton, MA
Magic Trick/Sonny Smith, August 13,Easthampton, MA
Best Record Label
Drag City
Best Music-related Website
Blurt
Best New Artist
Angel Olsen
Red River Dialect
Easter Island
Asshole of the Year
Amanda Palmer
Fave Internet Meme of 2012
Gangnam Style
2013 Release I Am Most Anticipating
Something I don’t even know exists yet
Coolest Trend or Whatever
The death of the Tea Party
Most Fucked Up or Annoying Trend or Whatever
Lying as a campaign tactic
Favorite story or review I wrote for BLURT
Silliest story I’ve ever written: “How NOT to Review a Divine Fits Concert!”
http://blurt-online.com/news/view/6847
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A.D. AMOROSI divaland@aol.com
PHILADELPHIA, PA / BLURT CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Top 10 New Releases
Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas (Columbia)
Lana Del Rey – Born to Die (Paradise Edition) (Interscope)
Jherek Bischoff – Composed (Brassland)
Meshell Ndegeocello – Pour Une Âme Souveraine: A Dedication to Nina Simone (Naïve)
Dave Douglas – Be Still (Greenleaf)
Frank Ocean – Channel Orange (Def Jam)
Swans – The Seer (Young God)
Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid: M.A.A.D City(Aftermath)
Scott Walker – Bish Bosch (4 AD)
Death Grips – The Money Store (Epic)
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FRED MILLS fmills123 (at) nc.rr.com
RALEIGH, NC / BLURT EDITOR & ONLINE EDITOR
Top 10 New Releases
Patti Smith – Banga (Columbia)
Grimes – Visions (Arbutus/4AD)
Matthew E. White – Big Inner (Hometapes/Spacebomb)
Raveonettes – Observator (Vice) Twin Shadow – Confess (4AD)
Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill (Reprise)
Peter Buck – Peter Buck (Mississippi)
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Live From Alabama (Lightning Rod)
Flying Lotus – Until the Quiet Comes (Warp)
Dan Melchior, The Backward Path (Northern Spy)
Lower Dens – Nootropics (Ribbon)
Top 10 Tracks/Singles
Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe (Interscope)
Aimee Mann – Labrador (SuperEgo)
Jack White I’m Shakin’ (Columbia/Third Man)
Alabama Shakes – Hold On (ATO)
Tame Impala – Be Above It (Modular People)
We Take Care of Our Own – Bruce Springsteen (Columbia)
A Brokeheart Pro – Bullets Ain’t Brakes (Kitten Next Door)
Grimes – Genesis (4AD)
Major Lazer– Get Free (Mad Decent)
Spiritualized– Hey Jane (Fat Possum)
Top 10 Archival/Reissues
Various Artists – Nuggets: Original Artyfacts… (Rhino)
Paul McCartney – Ram (Capitol)
V/A – Twin Cities Funk & Soul 1964-79 (Secret Stash)
Can – The Lost Tapes (Spoon)
The Cramps – File Under Sacred Music: Early Singles 1978-1981 (Munster)
Loop – reissues (Reactor/Revolver USA)
Cotton Mather – Kontiki: Deluxe Edition (The Star Apple Kingdom)
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros – The Hellcat Years (Hellcat)
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless (Sony UK)
Sonic Youth – Smart Bar – Chicago (Goofin’)
Tim Maia – Nobody Can Live Forever (World Psychedelic Classics 4) (Luaka Bop)
Top5 Music DVDs
Color Me Obsessed: A Film About the Replacements
Patti Smith – Live At Montreux
LCD Soundsystem: Shut Up and Play the Hits
Led Zeppelin – Celebration Day
The Beatles – Yellow Submarine
Top 5 Music Books
Peter Hook – Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division (Simon & Schuster)
Sylvie Simmons – I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen (Ecco Books)
Peter Townshend – Who Am I: A Memoir (Harper Collins)
David Menconi – Ryan Adams: Losering, A Story of Whiskeytown (Univ. of Texas)
Mike Scott – Adventures of a Waterboy (Jawbone)
Top 5 Concerts
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band – Moody Theater, Austin TX 3/15
Lower Dens – Kings Barcade, Raleigh NC 6/21
Quantic & Alice Russell – The Parish, Austin TX 3/16
Jane Jane Pollock – The Pour House, Raleigh NC (Hopscotch Festival) 9/8
Hiss Golden Messenger – Schoolkids Records, Raleigh NC 11/17
Top 5 Films
Searching For Sugar Man
The Dark Knight Rises
Hunger Games
Skyfall
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Terminator (okay, okay… watched it on Netflix, w/my son)
Top 5 Music Videos
Sufjan Stevens – Mr. Frosty Man
Grimes – Genesis
Calexico – Splitter
Grizzly Bear – Yet Again
Kendra Morris – Concrete Waves
Best Record Label
Stones Throw www.stonesthrow.com
Best Music-related Website
Perfect Sound Forever www.furious.com/perfect
In Memoriam: Most Lamented Death
Beastie Boys’ MCA (Adam Yauch) 5/4/12
Best New Artist
Lord Huron
Worst New Artist
The Beach Boys
Dumbest Band Name
My Bloody Valentine
Worst Album Sleeve Art
Titus Andronicus – Local Business (XL)
Sex Object of the Year
Josephine the Outlaw King (aka A Brokeheart Pro, aka Jeannette Kantzalis)
http://www.facebook.com/BrokeheartPro
Asshole of the Year
Rihanna (for pushing feminism to the back of the bus)
Fave Internet Meme of 2012
Still stickin’ w/Rick-roll…
Best Hair or Facial Hair
(… or lack thereof). C’mon, guys, shave that ridiculous shit off. Y’all look like underpaid extras in Spielberg’s Lincoln movie.
2013 Release I Am Most Anticipating
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Push The Sky Away (Bad Seed Ltd.)
Coolest Trend or Whatever
Kids and parents coming into the record store where I work and buying vinyl.
Most Fucked Up or Annoying Trend or Whatever
Gunsgunsgunsguns
Wildcard: 50 Words (or less) From or About Me
My goal here at Blurt is to spotlight great music, talented artists, and even on occasion smart writers who “get” those first two notions. I’ve been writing about rock ‘n’ roll since 1977 and long ago jettisoned my ego; it’s not about me, it’s about YOU.
Favorite story or review I wrote for BLURT
(Recused. I edit or write everything in the magazine or on the site.)
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STEVEN ROSEN srosenone@aol.com
CINCINNATTI, OH
Top 10 New Releases
Barry Adamson – I Will Set You Free (Central Control International)
Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE (Def Jam)
Cat Power – Sun (Matador)
Scott Walker – Bish Bosch (4AD)
Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas (Columbia)
Emily Wells – Mama (Partisan)
Orcas (Morr Music)
Bobby Womack – The Bravest Man in the Universe (XL Recordings)
Grizzly Bear – Shields (Warp)
Sean Rowe – The Salesman and the Shark (Anti-)
Top 10 Tracks/Singles
Cat Power – Manhattan (Matador)
Jens Lekman – The World Moves On (Secretly Canadian)
The Beach Boys – Summer’s Gone (Capitol)
Giant Giant Sand – Love Comes Over You (Fire)
Dr. John – Revolution (Nonesuch)
Alabama Shakes – Hold On (ATO)
Bettye LaVette – Dirty Old Town (Anti-)
PSY – Gagnam Style (Universal Republic)
Bob Dylan – Duquesne Whistle (Columbia)
Frank Ocean – Thinkin’ About You (Def Jam)
Top 5 Archival/Reissues
Rodriguez – Searching for Sugar Man (Legacy)
Country Funk 1969-1975 (Light in the Attic)
The Flatlanders – The Odessa Tapes (New West)
The Bailes Brothers – Standing Somewhere in the Shadows: The Legendary King Sessions 1953, Plus (Bear Family)
Lou Ragland – I Travel Alone (The Numero Group)
Top 5 Music Books
Ben Sandmel – Ernie K-Doe: The R&B Emperor of New Orleans (Historic New Orleans)
Sylvie Simmons – I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen (Ecco)
Bettye LaVette w/David Ritz – A Woman Like Me (Blue Rider Press)
(That’s all I’ve read)
Best Music-Related Website
Blurt
2013 Release I Am Most Anticipating
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Push the Sky Away (Bad Seed Ltd.)
Favorite Story I Wrote for Blurt in 2012
Karen Dalton: “Desperately Seeking Karen Dalton”
www.blurt-online.com/features/view/1103/
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JOHN SCHACHT Jschcht1@carolina.rr.com
CHARLOTTE, NC
Top 10 New Releases
Giant Giant Sand/Tucson: A Country Rock Opera (Fire)
Bo White/Same Deal, New Patrones (Kinnikinnik)
Sonoi/Tropics of Holland (Meno Mosso)
Andre Williams & the Sadies/Night & Day (Yep Roc)
Dirty Three/Toward the Low Sun (Drag City)
Ravi Coltrane/Spirit Fiction (Blue Note)
Matthew E. White/Big Inner (Spacebomb)
Various Artists/Aimer Et Perdre… (Tompkins Square)
Andrew Bird/Break It Yourself (Fat Possum)
Eleni Mandell/I Can See the Future (Yep Roc)
Honorable mentions: Antlers/Undersea (EP), Beachwood Sparks/Tarnished Gold, Takka Takka/A.M. Landscapes, JKutchma & the Five-Fifths/Pastoral, Carpet of Horses/It’s Only Light, Jimmy Cliff/Rebirth, Alabama Shakes/Boys & Girls, Lee Fields/Faithful Man, Screaming Females/Ugly, Bob Mould/Silver Age, King Mez/My Everlasting Zeal, Beach House/Bloom, Temperance League/Temperance League, Calexico/Algiers.
Top 10 Tracks/Singles
Temperance League—“Pursuits of the Past”
Wood Ear—”Leave My Walls”
Sonoi—”Micro-Coliseum”
Cat Power—“Cherokee”
Carpet of Horses—”Oblomov”
Bo White—”Sinaloa”
Giant Giant Sand—”Wind-blown Waltz”
Andrew Bird—“Break It Yourself”
Matthew E. White—“Big Love”
Azita—“Something That Happened”
Top 5 Archival/Reissues
Can/The Lost Tapes (Mute)
V/A – The Inner Flame, A Tribute to Rainer Ptacek (Fire Records)
Dan Penn/The Fame Recordings (Ace)
Codeine/When I See the Sun (Numero)
Lee Perry & the Sufferers/The Sound Doctor (Pressure)
Top 5 Concerts
Hiss Golden Messenger @ Hopscotch Festival, Raleigh
Nick Lowe @ McGlohon Theatre, Charlotte
Andrew Bird @ Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte
The Sadies @ Yep Roc 15 Fest, Chapel Hill
Mount Moriah @ the Evening Muse, Charlotte
In Memoriam: Most Lamented Death
Rodney Lanier, Sea of Cortez/Pyramid
Worst New Artist
fun.
Dumbest Band Name
Too many to list – if your band name is longer than two words, it’s too long
Asshole of the Year
Me or my editors.
Fave Internet Meme of 2012
Internet? Meme?
Best Hair or Facial Hair
Andy the Doorbum http://f0.bcbits.com/z/37/40/3740486778-1.jpg
Coolest Trend or Whatever
Whatever.
Most Fucked Up or Annoying Trend or Whatever
Everything I don’t care for.
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JASON GROSS perfect@furious.com
NEW YORK CITY
Top 10 New Releases
Gypsyphonic Disko – Nolaphonic Vol. 2 (gypsyphonic.com)
Guided by Voices – Let’s Go Eat the Factory (GBV)
Corin Tucker Band – Kill My Blues (Kill Rock Stars)
Jessie Baylin – Little Spark (Blonde Rat)
Wiley – Evolve or Be Extinct (Big Dada)
Jamie Woon – Mirrorwriting (Polydor)
The Men – Open Your Heart (Sacred Bones)
Hospitality – Hospitality (Merge)
Howler – America Give Up (Rough Trade)
Big Krit – 4Eva N A Day (livemixtapes.com)
Top 10 Tracks/Singles
A Brokeheart Pro – Bullets Ain’t Brakes (Kitten Next Door)
Mysdiggi – Cadoodledoo (no label)
Chappo – Come Home (Shout! Factory)
Guided by Voices – The Unsinkable Fats Domino (GBV)
Serengeti – Shazam (Anticon)
Wrinkle Neck Mules – Central Daylight Time (Lower 40)
Cadence Weapon – 88 (soundcloud.com)
Die Antwoord – I Fink U Freaky (Downtown)
Ray Wylie Hubbard – New Year’s Eve at the Gates of Hell (Bordello)
Nicki Minaj – Roman Holiday (Cash Money)
Top 5 Archival/Reissues
Little Richard – Here’s Little Richard (Concord)
The English Beat – The Complete Beat (Shout! Factory)
Bobby Bland – The Best of Bobby Bland (Verve)
Various Artists – Giant Single: The Profile Records Rap Anthology (Sony Music Club)
Hot Chocolate – You Sexy Thing: The Best Of Hot Chocolate (Music Club Deluxe)
Top 5 Music DVDs
The Replacements- Color Me Obsessed
Something from Nothing- The Art of Rap
Shut Up and Play the Hits
Muddy Waters and the Rolling Stones Live at the Checkerboard Lounge
Punk Revolution NYC: The Velvet Underground, The New York Dolls And The CBGBs Set
Top 5 Music Books
Jesse Jarnow “Big Day Coming- Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock”
Bruce Russell (editor) “Erewhon Calling- Experimental Sound In New Zealand”
Pete Townshend “Who Am I”
Michael Chabon “Telegraph Avenue”
Gil Scott-Heron “The Last Holiday”
Top 5 Concerts
All Tomorrow’s Parties- September 21st/New York City
Madonna – September 8th/Bronx
Wild Flag/Mission of Burma/Ted Leo – August 3rd/Brooklyn
The Who – December 5th/New York City
Bob Mould- September 7th/Brooklyn
Top 5 Films
The Master
Moonrise Kingdom
Looper
Seven Psychopaths
Lincoln
Top 5 Music Videos
Cody Critcheloe- “Sometimes I Think About You Every Day”
Kate Nash- “Fri-end?”
Pussy Riot “Light Up the Fires”
Mystery Guitar Man “Stop Motion Excel”
YN Rich Kids – “Hot Cheetos & Takis”
Best Record Label
Sony/Legacy- great reissues this year, including My Bloody Valentine (UK only), Profile Records, Taj Mahal, Louis Armstrong, Big Brother & The Holding Company, and “Death Might Be Your Santa Claus”
Best Music-related Website
Perfect Sound Forever, natch! http://www.perfectsoundforever.com
In Memoriam: Most Lamented Death
Tie: Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys & Etta James
Best New Artist
The Milk- great neo-soul UK band
Worst New Artist
Lana Del Rey should be enough to shake your faith in any kind of divine force in the universe.
Dumbest Band Name
fun.
Worst Album Sleeve Art
Alabama Shakes “Boys and Girls” (really good album though)
Sex Object of the Year
FM3 Buddha Machine, version 4- it’s the ultimate fetish object for music geeks
Asshole of the Year
Tie- Bob Lefsetz and whoever heads the RIAA
Fave Internet Meme of 2012
‘90s Problems (“My TV Guide Didn’t Come This Month So I Don’t Know What’s On TV Right Now!”)
Best Hair or Facial Hair
Dan Deacon
2013 Release I Am Most Anticipating
Tie- V.V. Brown (under-rated dance/R&B singer) and MIA (who will get her mojo back, guaranteed). I’ll hope for a new Wrens record but I’ll believe it when I see it.
Coolest Trend or Whatever
Cassettes are now joining vinyl as retro objects of worship
Most Fucked Up or Annoying Trend or Whatever
Continuing decline of journalism as a feasible career
Wildcard: 50 Words From or About Me
Grateful as always to all of the readers of Blurt and PSF and any music pub in general out there now, and of course to the wonderful Robin Cook who’s seen fit to stay with and tolerate me for several years now.
Favorite story or review I wrote for BLURT
“Trust Yourself… And Get A Good Lawyer- Musicians’ Advice for Musicians”
http://blurt-online.com/features/view/1163/
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JOHN B. MOORE jbmoore00@hotmail.com
ABINGTON, PA
Top 10 New Releases
Todd Snider – Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables (Aimless)
Lucero – Women & Work (ATO)
Cory Branan – Mutt (Bloodshot)
Willie Nelson – Heroes (Legacy)
Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball (Columbia)
Jukebox the Ghost – Safe Travels (Yep Rock)
Hostage Calm – Please Remain Calm (Run for Cover)
Archie Powell & The Exports – Great Ideas in Action (Good Land)
Dr. Dog – Be the Void (Anti-)
fun. – Some Nights (Fueled By Ramen)
Top 10 Tracks/Singles
“Wrecking Ball” – Bruce Springsteen (Columbia)
“Live and Die” – The Avett Brothers (Universal Republic)
“In C” – Loudin Wainwright III (StorySound)
“Stray Heart” – Green Day (Reprise)
“At Last” – Jukebox The Ghost (Yep Rock)
“Vampire” – Dr. Dog (Anti)
“Fuck You” – Bad Religion (Epitaph)
“Classy Girls” – The Lumineers (DualTone Music Group)
“Babel – Mumford & Sons (Glass Note)
“We Are Young” – fun. (Fueled By Ramen
Top 5 Archival/Reissues
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros – The Hellcat Years (Hellcat)
Frank Turner – Last Minutes & Lost Evenings (Epitaph)
Smoking Popes – Born to Quit (SideOneDummy)
Paul Simon – Graceland 25th Anniversary (Legacy)
Johnny Cash – The Greatest: Duets (Legacy)
Top 5 Music Books
Bruce by Peter Ames Carlin (Touchstone)
The Book of Drugs: A Memoir by Mike Doughty (Da Capo Press)
I Got a Name: The Jim Croce Story by Ingrid Croce and Jimmy Rock (Da Capo Press)
Rock ‘n’ Roll Myths: The True Stories Behind the Most Infamous Legends by Gary Graff and Daniel Durchholz (Voyageur Press)
Mercury – An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury by Lesley-Ann Jones (Touchstone)
Best Record Label
SideOneDummy
Best New Artist
Masked Intruder
Dumbest Band Name
Destiny Potato
Asshole of the Year
Mike Huckabee who said God didn’t save the kids and teachers at the CT school shooting because we kept prayer out of school. Mike Huckabee: former preacher; current right-wing talk show host; future head of the Westboro Baptist Church.
2013 Release I Am Most Anticipating
Bad Religion’s True North
Most Fucked Up or Annoying Trend or Whatever
Grassroots political groups getting behind a solid cause and then fucking it up with no clear plans, aside from plenty of drum circles (looking at you, Occupy Wall Street).
Favorite story or review I wrote for BLURT
Redd Kross http://blurt-online.com/news/view/6642/
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MICHAEL TOLAND highbiaseditor@yahoo.com
AUSTIN, TX
Top 10 New Releases
The Coffee Sergeants – Purple Martin Sanctuary (self-released)
Dawnbringer – In the Lair of the Sun God (Profound Lore)
Matthew Edwards & the Unfortunates – The Fates (Last Tape/Vollwert)
Mark Eitzel – Don’t Be a Stranger (Merge)
Gallon Drunk – The Road Gets Darker From Here (Clouds Hill)
Richard Hawley – Standing at the Sky’s Edge (Mute)
Ian Hunter and the Rant Band – When I’m President (Slimstyle)
Japandroids – Celebration Rock (Polyvinyl)
Bob Mould – Silver Age (Merge)
Three Minute Tease – s/t (Idiot)
Top 10 Tracks/Singles
The Black Keys – “Gold On the Ceiling”
Gary Clark Jr. – “Ain’t Messin’ Round”
The dB’s – “Before You Were Born”
Matthew Edwards & the Unfortunates – “No More Songs”
Gallon Drunk – “You Made Me”
Richard Hawley – “Leave Your Body Behind You”
Japandroids – “The House That Heaven Built”
Bob Mould – “The Descent”/”Keep Believing” (tie)
Redd Kross – “Stay Away From Downtown”
Tenacious D – “Rize of the Fenix”
Top 5 Archival/Reissues
Blue Oyster Cult – The Complete Columbia Albums Collection (Columbia/Legacy)
Cotton Mather – Kon Tiki (Deluxe Edition) (The Star Apple Kingdom)
Dave Kusworth – The Bounty Hunters (Troubadour/Easy Action)
Mink DeVille – Cabretta/Return to Magenta/ Le Chat Bleu (Capitol/Culture Factory USA)
Epic Soundtracks – Wild Smile: An Anthology (Troubadour/Easy Action)
Top 5 Music Books
There is a Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of the Smiths by Tony Fletcher
Who I Am by Pete Townshend
Top 5 Concerts
The Afghan Whigs – Austin City Limits Music Festival, 10/12/12, Austin, TX
The dB’s – BD Riley’s, 3/16/12, Austin, TX
Grulkefest: A Celebration of Brent (w/ True Believers, Doctors’ Mob, Glass Eye, the Wild Seeds, the Reivers, Sixteen Deluxe, Fastball, Wannabes) – ACL Live at the Moody Theater, 9/8/12, Austin, TX
Japandroids – Fun Fun Fun Fest, 11/4/12, Austin, TX
Bob Mould – Austin City Limits TV taping, 11/1/12, Austin, TX
Best Record Label
Merge
Best Music-related Website
Blurt, of course
In Memoriam: Most Lamented Death
Perry Baggs (Jason & the Scorchers)
Best New Artist(s)
Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires, Matthew Edwards & the Unfortunates, the Mastersons, Radiana, Three Minute Tease
Worst New Artist
Daughn Gibson
Dumbest Band Name
How to Dress Well
Sex Object of the Year
Esperanza Spalding
Asshole of the Year
So many assholes, so little toilet tissue.
2013 Release I Am Most Anticipating
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Push the Sky Away (Bad Seeds Ltd.)
Favorite story or review I wrote for BLURT (include URL)
“The Boy With the Wild Smile: Epic Soundtracks”
http://blurt-online.com/features/view/1161/
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KYLE A. ROSKO chillskids@gmail.com
RALEIGH, NC
Top Ten Albums of 2012
1. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city (Interscope/Top Dawg)
2. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart, Sweet Light (Fat Possum)
3. Tame Impala – Lonerism (Modular)
4. Matthew E. White – Big Inner (Hometapes/Spacebomb)
5. John Talabot – ƒIN (Permanent Vacation)
6. Andy Stott – Luxury Problems (Modern Love)
7. Chairlift – Something (Columbia)
8. Black Moth Super Rainbow – Cobra Juicy (Rad Cult)
9. Grizzly Bear – Shields (Warp)
10. Lord Huron – Lonesome Dreams (IAMSOUND)
Top Reissues
1. Interpol – Turn on the Bright Lights
2. Rodriguez – Searching for Sugar Man
3. Massive Attack – Blue Lines
4. The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico
5. Paul & Linda McCartney – RAM
6. William Basinski – The Disintegration Loops
7. The Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness
8. Blur – Parklife
9. Sleep – Dopesmoker
10. My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
Top 10 Tracks/Singles (in no particular order)
Kendrick Lamar – “Swimming Pools (Drank)”
Frank Ocean – “Thinking Bout You”
Grimes – “Genesis”
Bat for Lashes – “Laura”
Usher – “Climax”
Tame Impala – “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – “Mladic”
Black Moth Super Rainbow – “Hairspray Heart”
Purity Ring – “Fineshrine”
Chairlift – “I Belong in Your Arms”
Top 5 Films
1. Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master
2. Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty
3. Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln
4. Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild
5a. Jean-Pierre Dardenne’s The Kid with a Bike
5b. Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom
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HAL BIENSTOCK hbienstock@hotmail.com
NEW YORK CITY, NY
2012 New Releases
Frank Ocean – Channel Orange (Def Jam)
Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls (ATO)
Japandroids – Celebration Rock (Polyvinyl)
Beach House – Bloom (SubPop)
Tame Impala – Lonerism (Modular)
Lucero – Women & Work (ATO)
Bob Mould – Silver Age (Merge)
Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill (Reprise)
Matthew E. White – Big Inner (Spacebomb)
Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas (Columbia)
Honorable Mention: Mountain Goats – Transcendental Youth (Merge); Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory (CarPark); Jack White – Blunderbuss (Third Man/Columbia); Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel (Epic); King Tuff (SubPop); Spoek Mathambo – Father Keeper (SubPop)
Best Reissues
Various Artists – Country Funk 1969-75 (Light in the Attic)
Sugar – Copper Blue/File Under Easy Listening (Merge)
David Ruffin – David (Hip-O Select)
Jerry Lee Lewis, The Killer Live 1964-70 (Hip-O Select/Mercury)
Tim Maia, World Psychedelic Classics 4: The Existential Soul of Tim Maia (Luaka Bop)
Archers of Loaf – Icky Mettle/Vee Vee (Merge)
Top Shows
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band – Austin, TX, 3/15
Bob Mould – Brooklyn, NY, 9/7
Wild Flag/Mission of Burma/Ted Leo – Brooklyn, NY, 8/3
Gary Clark Jr./Blitzen Trapper/The Roots – Austin, TX, 3/17
Jack White – NY, NY, 4/27
Bon Iver – NY, NY, 9/20
Dinosaur Jr./Lucero – Austin, TX, 3/16
Fiona Apple/Sharon Van Etten/Alabama Shakes – Austin, TX, 3/14
Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Brooklyn, NY, 12/3
Jimmy Cliff – Brooklyn, NY, 6/5
Top Songs
Japandroids – The House That Heaven Built (Polyvinyl)
Gary Clark Jr. – When My Train Pulls In (Warner Bros.)
Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Ramada Inn (Reprise)
Thee Satisfaction – Queens (SubPop)
Divine Fits – Shivers (Merge)
Miguel – Adorn (RCA)
Bob Mould – The Descent (Merge)
Bob Dylan – Pay in Blood (Columbia)
Alabama Shakes – I Ain’t The Same (ATO)
Bruce Springsteen – Rocky Ground (Columbia)
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DAVE STEINFELD skinnythai@aol.com
NEW YORK, NY
Top 10 New Releases
1. Bob Dylan — Tempest (Columbia)
2. Patti Smith — Banga (Columbia)
3. Martha Wainwright — Come Home to Mama (Cooperative Music/V2)
4. Shoes — Ignition (Black Vinyl)
5. Girlyman — Supernova (Girlyman, Inc.)
6. Graham Parker & the Rumour — Three Chords Good (Primary Wave)
7. Mary Gauthier — Live at Blue Rock (Proper Records)
8. Aimee Mann — Charmer (Superego Records)
9. Stuart Davis — Music for Mortals (SDM)
10. SHEL — self-titled (Moraine Records)
Top 10 Tracks/Singles
1. Girlyman — “Nothing Left”
2. Aimee Mann — “Labrador”
3. Stuart Davis — “Beautiful Place”
4. Shoes — “Hot Mess”
5. Martha Wainwright — “All Your Clothes”
6. Bob Dylan — “Narrow Way”
7. Susan Justice — “Born Bob Dylan”
8. Graham Parker & the Rumour — “Coathangers”
9. Kanisha K. — “I Found Love (Just in Time for Christmas)”
10. Steve Forbert — “All I Need to Do”
Top 5 Archival/Reissues
1. The English Beat — The Complete Beat (Shout Factory!)
2. Paul Simon — Graceland: 25th Anniversary Edition (Sony Legacy)
3. Buttons: From Champaign to Chicago (Numero Group)
4. 20/20 — 20/20 and Look Out! (Real Gone Music)
5. War — The World is a Ghetto: 40th Anniversary Edition (Xenon)
In Memoriam: Most Lamented Death
Bob Welch
Best New Artist
SHEL
Asshole of the Year
Chris Brown
Most Fucked Up or Annoying Trend
Jon Bon Jovi continues to make albums and tour
Wildcard: 50 Words From or About Me
Music obsessive and Anglophile, originally from suburban Connecticut, presently based in New York City. As has become the norm, my work has help keep me sane in an otherwise difficult year, personally and globally. And my work for Blurt is no exception. This year, it was especially nice to interview bands like Shoes and The Distractions, both of whom I thought would never release new music again!
Favorite story or review I wrote for BLURT
“The Distractions: Time Goes By So Quickly”
http://blurt-online.com/features/view/1262/
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JHONI JACKSON jhonijackson.atl@gmail.com
PUERTO RICO
Top 10 New Releases
Gentleman Jesse – Leaving Atlanta (Douchemaster)
King Tuff – S/T (Sub Pop)
Ty Segall – Slaughterhouse (In the Red)
The Babies – Our House on the Hill (Woodsist)
Terry Malts – Killing Time (Slumberland)
Paint Fumes – Uck Life (Slovenly)
Hunx – Hairdresser Blues (Hardly Art)
Natural Child – For the Love of the Game (Burger)
Fletcher C. Johnson – Salutations (Burger)
Peach Kelli Pop – S/T (Burger)
Best Label
Burger Records
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LOGAN K. YOUNG www.twitter.com/logankyoung
WASHINGTON, DC
Top 10 New Releases
Scott Walker – Bish Bosch (4AD)
Jason Lescalleet – Songs About Nothing (Erstwhile)
Holly Herndon – Movement (RVNG Intl.)
X-TG – Desertshore/The Final Report (Industrial)
Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill (Warner Bros.)
Wadada Leo Smith – Ten Freedom Summers (Cuneiform)
Florian Hecker – Chimerization (Farsi Language Version) (Editions Mego)
Fushitsusha – Hikari To Nazukeyo (Heartfast)
Matmos – The Ganzfield EP (Thrill Jockey)
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Mature Themes (4AD)
Top 10 Tracks/Singles
Matthew Bourne, “Infinitude”
Spiritualized, “Hey Jane”
Dan Deacon, “Call Me Maybe Acapella 147 Times Exponentially Layered”
Chelsea Light Moving, “Frank O’ Hara Hit”
Swans, “The Seer”
Bob Dylan, “The Tempest”
Neneh Cherry & The Thing, “Dirt”
Godspeed You! Black Emperor, “Strung Like Lights at Thee Printemps”
Leslie Keffer, “Finally, Caves! (Joy Dance)”
Sirvana, “Cut Me Some Slack”
Top 5 Archival/Reissues
Sonic Youth – Smart Bar – Chicago (Goofin’)
Pauline Oliveros – Reverberations: Tape & Electronic Music, 1961-70 (Important)
Can – The Lost Tapes (Mute)
G. I. Gurdjieff – Improvisations (Mississippi)
Various Artists – Pictures of Sound: One Thousand Years of Educed Audio, 980-1980 (Dust-to-Digital)
Top 5 Concerts
Jandek (Garfield Artworks, Pittsburgh PA 1/13)
Glenn Branca Ensemble (Sonic Circuits Festival, Washington DC 9/30)
Mx Justin Vivian Bond (Joe’s Pub, New York NY 3/25)
Thurston Moore (Naropa University, Boulder CO 6/5)
Morton Subotnick (University of Maryland, College Park MD 4/18)
Top 3 Music Books
Alan Licht – Will Oldham on Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy (Faber & Faber)
Bruce Russell – Erewhon Calling: Experimental Muisc in New Zealand (CMR)
Thurston Moore – By The Lightswitch (MONDO BUMMER)
Top 3 Films
The Master
The Bay
Liz & Dick
Top Music Video
The Flaming Lips & Amanda Palmer, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”
Best Record Label
Mabson Enterprises http://mabsonenterprises.bandcamp.com/
Best Music-related Website
Besideshttp://www.blurt-online.com, of course?Rockandrolltedium.tumblr.com/
In Memoriam: Most Lamented Death
Q4: Jonathan Harvey; Q3: Lol Coxhill; Q2: Chuck Brown; Q1: Gerre Hancock
Best New Artist
RGIII
Worst New Artist
Tebow (in NYC)
Dumbest Band Name
fun.
Worst Album Sleeve Art
The Sacred Bones catalog
Sex Object of the Year
Fiona Apple
Asshole of the Year
Fiona Apple’s
Fave Internet Meme of 2012
Noise Park http://noise-park.tumblr.com/
Best Hair or Facial Hair
Fiona Apple (tie)
2013 Release I Am Most Anticipating
Mumia Abu-Jamal
Coolest Trend or Whatever
CULTURE DEALER reviving theSong Poem genre
Most Fucked Up Thing I, Myself, Saw
Brah punching a woman at the Preakness (as The Darkness sang “She’s Just a Girl, Eddie”)
Favorite story or review I wrote for BLURT
Report: Against Me!/Cult Live in Md.
http://blurt-online.com/news/view/6431/
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STEVE KLINGE djuna35@aol.com
WILMINGTON, DE
New Releases
Allo Darlin’—Europe (Slumberland)
Andrew Bird—Break It Yourself (Mom + Pop)
Julia Holter—Ekstasis (Rvng Int’l)
Hot Chip—In Our Heads (Domino)
Jamey Johnson—Living For A Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran (Mercury Nashville)
Japandroids—CelebrationRock (Polyvinyl)
Frank Ocean— channelORANGE (Def Jam)
Royal Headache—Royal Headache (What’s Your Rupture)
The Walkmen—Heaven (Fat Possum)
The xx—Coexist (XL)
Tracks
Allo Darlin– Tallulah (Slumberland)
Best Coast– The Only Place (Mexican Summer)
The Fresh & Onlys — Long Slow Dance (Mexican Summer)
Daughn Gibson– In The Beginning (White Denim)
Grimes– Genesis (4AD)
Kelly Hogan– Sleeper Awake (Anti)
Major Lazer– Get Free (Mad Decent)
Spiritualized– Hey Jane (Fat Possum)
Sharon Van Etten– Serpents (Jagjaguar)
The Very Best– Kondaine (Moshi Moshi)
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MARY LEARY acertainblue@cox.net
SAN DIEGO, CA
Top 10 New Releases
Helvetia – Nothing in Rambling – Joyful Noise
Matt Bauer – No Shape Can Hold Me Now (Crossbill Records)
Tennis – Young & Old (Fat Possum)
Giant Giant Sand – Tucscon (Fire)
Dana Falconberry – Leelanau (Antenna Farm)
Swans – The Seer (Young God)
Mission of Burma – Unsound (Fire)
The Doc Marshalls – Look Out, Compadre (Twinpost)
Poor Moon – Poor Moon (Sub Pop)
Chrome Cranks – Ain’t No Lies In Blood (Thick Syrup)
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ZACHARY BLOOM zacharybloom@gmail.com
OAKLAND, CA
Top 10 New Releases
Beach House – Bloom (Sub Pop)
Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man (Capitol)
Japandroids – Celebration Rock (Polyvinyl)
Moonface – Heartbreaking Bravery (Jagjaguwar)
The Walkmen – Heaven (Fat Possum)
Chromatics – Kill For Love (Italians Do It Bettet)
Wild Nothing – Nocturne (Captured Tracks)
Rocket Juice & The Moon – Rocket Juice & The Moon (Honest Jon’s)
Tanlines – Mixed Emotions (True Panther Sounds)
Antlers – Undersea (ANTI-)
Top 10 Tracks/Singles
Japandroids – “The House That Heaven Built” (Polyvinyl)
Chromatics – “Kill For Love” (Italians Do It Bettet)
The Walkmen “We Can’t Be Beat” (Fat Possum)
Bat For Lashes – “Lilies” (Capitol)
Beach House – “Other People” (Sub Pop)
Rocket Juice & The Moon – “Hey, Shooter (feat. Erykah Badu)” (Honest Jon’s)
The Killers- “Runaways” (Island)
The Antlers – “Drift Drive” (ANTI-)
The Shins- “Simple Song” (Columbia)
Blur – “Under The Westway” (Parlophone)
Dumbest Band Name
Rocket Juice & The Moon
2013 Release I Am Most Anticipating
The Knife – Shaking The Habitual
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JOSE MARTINEZ planetjlm@yahoo.com
LOS ANGELES, CA
Top 10 Records
1. Calvin Harris ’18 Months’
2. Funeral Party ‘The Golden Age of Knowhere’
3. Vintage Trouble ‘The Bomb Shelter Sessions’
4. Jack White ‘Blunderbuss’
5. Dr. John ‘Locked Down’
6. Alabama Shakes ‘Boys & Girls’
7. Mumford & Sons ‘Babel’
8. Leonard Cohen ‘Old Ideas’
9. Stone Sour ‘House of Gold & Bones Pt. 1’
10. The Cult ‘Choice of Weapon’
Top 10 Singles
1. Calvin Harris ‘Feel So Close’
2. Adele ‘Set Fire to the Rain’
3. Vintage Trouble ‘Blues Hand Me Down’
4. Calvin Harris ‘We Found Love’
5. fun. ‘We Are Young’
6. Alicia Keys ‘Girl on Fire’
7. Elle Goulding ‘Lights’
8. Avicii ‘Levels’
9. Calvin Harris ‘Sweet Nothing’
10. Gaslight Anthem ’45’
Top 5 Films
1. Dark Knight Rises
2. Django Unchained
3. Cabin in the Woods
4. Lincoln
5. Zero Dark Thirty (just beat out ‘End of Watch’)
Top 5 Concerts
1. 12.12.12 Sandy Benefit at Madison Square Garden
2. Vintage Trouble 1/15/12 at The Troubadour
3. Outside Lands Music Festival Aug 10-12 at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco
4. Guns N’ Roses 3/9/12 at Hollywood Palladium
5. Mana 4/25/12 at Staples Center
Top 5 Music Books
1. ‘Inside a Bizzy Mind’ by Bizzy Bone
2. ‘It’s So Easy and Other Lies’ by Duff McKagan
3. ‘The One: The Life and Music of James Brown’ by RJ Smith
4. ‘Waging Heavy Peace’ by Neil Young
5. ‘How Music Works’ by David Byrne
Top 5 Music Videos
1. Calvin Harris ‘Drinking from the Bottle’
2. Marilyn Manson ‘Slow-Mo-Tion’
3. Psy ‘Gangnam Style’
4. Vintage Trouble ‘Blues Hand Me Down’
5. Marilyn Manson ‘Born Villain’
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MAX BLAU maxcblau@gmail.com
AVONDALE ESTATES, GA
Top 10 albums
1. Japandroids – Celebration Rock (Polyvinyl)
2. Zammuto – Zammuto (Temporary Residence)
3. Father John Misty – Fear Fun (Sub Pop)
4. El-P Cancer 4 Cure (Fat Possum)
5. Diiv – Oshin (Captured Tracks)
6. Matthew E. White – Big Inner (Spacebomb/Hometapes)
7. Jens Lekman – I Know What Love Isn’t (Secretly Canadian)
8. Lambchop – Mr. M (Merge)
9. Titus Andronicus – Local Business (XL)
10. Tame Impala – Lonerism (Modular)
Top 10 songs
1. Cat Power – “Nothin But Time”
2. Zammuto – “The Shape of Things to Come”
3. Father John Misty – “Fun Times in Babylon”
4. El-P -“$4 Vic/FTL (Me and You)
5. Titus Andronicus – “My Eating Disorder”
6. Chromatics – “Kill For Love”
7. Lambchop – “If Not I’ll Just Die”
8. Sharon Van Etten – “We Are Fine”
9. Frank Ocean – “Thinkin About You”
10. Patterson Hood – “Come Back Little Star”
Best Record Label
Merge
Best Music-related Website
Blurt
Best New Artist
Father John Misty
Worst New Artist
Lana Del Rey or Chief Keef
Worst Album Sleeve Art
Death Grips’ No Love Deep Web
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:No_Love_Deep_Web_artwork.png
2013 Release I Am Most Anticipating
Foxygen – We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic
Coolest Trend or Whatever
Awesome bands putting about 3+ records in a year (i.e. Ty Segall, GbV)
Favorite story or review I wrote for BLURT
Grizzly Bear: “Sense Of Place, Sense Of Purpose, Sense Of Self” (cover story, issue #13)
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MICHAEL BERICK mikeberick@aol.com
LOS ANGELES, CA
Top 10 New Releases
Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls
John K. Samson – Provincial
Lord Huron – Lonesome Dreams
The Coup – Sorry To Bother You
Tift Merritt – Traveling Alone
Dr. Dog – Be The Void
Patterson Hood – Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance
Kelly Hogan – I Like To Keep Myself In Pain
Lee Fields & The Expressions – Faithful Man
Archie Powell and the Exports – Great Ideas in Action
Top 10 Tracks/Singles
Hold On – Alabama Shakes
When I Write My Master’s Thesis – John K. Samson
Making Love To Bob Dylan – John Wesley Harding
Wishing Well – Trapper Schoepp & The Shades
Just About Now – Matt Keating
Top 5 Archival/Reissues
Nuggets
Rodriguez – Searching For Sugar Man soundtrack
The English Beat – The Complete Beat/ Shout Factory Records 5xcd Box
Old 97’s – Too Far To Care
Velvet Underground Boxset
Top 5 Films
Argo
Moonrise Kingdom
Searching For Sugar Man
Paranorman
Perks of Being a Wallflower
Best Record Label
Yep Roc
In Memoriam: Most Lamented Death
Sadly, there were a number of deaths of people from the music world that resonated with me in ways large and small. Davy Jones from one of my favorite childhood bands, the Monkees. Dick Clark and also Don Cornelius, who brought together TV and music for me and millions of others. Hal David, for his classic pop songwriting skills. Etta James, for singing “At Last.” Doc Watson and Levon Helm for their years of making great American music. But the most lamentable death was probably Adam Yauch. Not so much that I have been a big Beastie Boy fan, but because he has created so much in less than 50 years and left the promise of what was to come tragically unfulfilled.
Best New Artist
Lord Huron
Worst New Artist
Psy
Dumbest Band Name
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
Asshole of the Year
The NRA Spokesperson Wayne LaPierre
Favorite story or review I wrote for BLURT
The dB’s: “21st Century Boys (Men)”
http://blurt-online.com/features/view/1160/
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DANNY R. PHILLIPS drpwords@windstream.net
UNION STAR, MO
New Releases (in no order of Importance)
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Meat and Bone (Mom+Pop)
Japandroids Celebration Rock(Polyvinyl)
The Hives Lex Hives!(Disque Hives)
Heartless Bastards Arrow(Partisan Records)
Bob Mould Silver Age(Merge)
Dinosaur Jr I Bet on Sky(Jajaguwar)
Band of Skulls Sweet Sour(Vagrant)
North of Grand A Farewell to Rockets(Brolester Records)
Guided by Voices Bears for Lunch(Guided by Voices Inc.)
Top Five Tracks
Bad Books Forrest Whitaker
Black Keys Little Black Submarines
Bob Mould The Descent
Beck Looking for a Sign
Jack White I’m Shakin’
Top Five Archival/Reissues
Nirvana- Nevermind (4 LP set)
Lightin’ Hopkins- The Very Best of Lightin’ Hopkins (expanded edition)
Sugar- Entire Sugar Catalogue
Woody Guthrie- Woody at 100
The Velvet Underground and Nico
Music DVDs
Led Zeppelin- Celebration Day
Archers of Loaf What Did You Expect?- Live at Cat’s Cradle
Big Star- No One Can Hurt Me: The story of Big Star
Pearl Jam- Twenty
LCD Soundsystem Shut Up and Play the Hits
Best Label
Bloodshot
Best Concerts
Stephen Egerton/Drag The River/Stiff Middle Fingers @ The Jackpot Lawrence, KS 7/5/2012
Guided By Voices @ The Granada Theater Lawrence, KS 9/28/2012
Melismatics/ Radkey @ The Rendezvous St. Joseph, MO 6/15/2012
The Lemonheads @ The Granada Theater Lawrence, KS 1/27/2012
Best Music Related Website
Chrome Waves www.chromewaves.net
Worst New Artist
fun.
Best New Artist
Japandroids
Most Lamented Death
Adam “MCA” Yauch
Asshole of the Year
Billy Corgan
Worst Band Name
fun. (because it is false advertising; this band is,in no way, fun.)
Most Annoying Trend
Bowties
About Me
For more than a decade, I have been writing about what makes music both great and intolerable. My work has appeared in The Pitch, Skyscraper Magazine, Blurt (of Course), Hybrid, The Omaha Reader, Fader, Popshifter, Perfect Sound Forever and many others. On the second Saturday of every month at 4pm central time, my podcast “Don’t Have a Clue”, airs on www.stjosephmusicfoundation.org radio & reaches over 100,000 dedicated listeners per episode. Lastly, I believe that Bon Iver, Radiohead and Grouplove are currently battling it out for the title of most overrated band in the history of recorded sound.
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2011 Best-Of coverage: Top 50 of 2011, our Writers’ Picks for 2011. 2010 Best-Of: Top 50 of 2010, our Writers’ Picks for 2010. 2009 Best-Of is here (Artists Top Tens), here (Writers), here (Top 50). 2008 Best-Of is here and here.