I’m an album person and always have been. If there’s one song I really like by an artist, I want the rest of the songs. When I listen to songs on my iTunes, I listen to albums, not mixes. If I want a mix, I listen to Internet radio.
Now, I’m somewhat unusual in this regard. I think most listeners are singles-type people.
Six Organs of Admittance - Ascent (2012)
Six Organs is typically just Ben Chasny with varying musicians for a backing band. The generic term I’ve seen to describe him is freak-folk. Basically, his music goes back and forth between psyche rock and acoustic guitar. On this record, though, he brought in 3 bandmates from Comets on Fire (which has been on hiatus since '06 or so) and Ascent is more like a Comets record (turn it up to 11, freak out with guitars and drums). I love both 6O and Comets, so this was great for me.
Honorable mention goes to Bill Callahan’s 2011 record Apocalypse.
I need to check out Swans’ The Seer. I’ve read lots of good things about that.
Hahaha, I had never heard of that one. Milo goes to Compton being a play on “Milo goes to College” by the Descendents (which is who originally did the first song “Good Good Things.”) I am really digging this album. If you like this, check out a band Bunnygrunt. They did an excellent cover of the Descendents’ “Silly Girl” and pop gem “Holiday Road.” Same type of girl fronted Power-Pop.
Hard to choose, I discovered some really good music this year, but I’ll vote Stolen Silver by Stolen Silver because I purchased it at one of their shows to support them and was surprised by how much I like it.
I don’t “buy” music any more, either. I have had a Napster account forever and it’s now Rhapsody. So I guess I lease it. Anyway, I still download whole albums and add even more to my library. I’d have to say the one I listened to the most was in the beginning of the year when Gotye released Making Mirrors, before the “somebody that I used to know” hullaballoo broke out. There’s a YouTube video on how he made the album and it’s nifty how he put it all together with live recordings and samples.
Otherwise, I’ve been enjoying the new Matisyahu someone mentioned earlier, and I’m currently listening to and enjoying the new Bruno Mars Unorthodox Jukebox.
I only downloaded a few full albums released in 2012:
Green Day - iUno!
The Killers - Battle Born
The Shins - Port of Morrow
The rest are all singles.
Really other than bands I already know, I’m sure how to even figure out which entire albums I’d want to download. Billboard and other Top 40 sites are too OneDirection and Taylor Swift for my tastes. Pitchfork.com has a lot of good stuff, but it also has a lot of stuff that’s pretty esoteric.
The best album I bought in 2012 is My Head Is an Animal by Of Monsters and Men, though it was released in September 2011. Their first single, Little Talks, has gotten a lot of airplay. The whole album is very catchy, from start to finish.
Of the albums that were actually released in 2012, my favorites are Aufheben by the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Local Business by Titus Andronicus, and Boys & Girls by Alabama Shakes.
I don’t buy many full albums, but this year I did buy Atmosphere’s “The Family Sign” (2011). I’ve had it on almost constant rotation since. My favorite tracks are “My Notes” and “Who I’ll Never Be.”