This album really came out of nowhere for me; here was a punk band that played pretty basic punk music with one very notable element that made them stand out... the singer. That, and the fact that the music, while simple, was catchy and had enough interesting moments to keep me coming back again and again. I'm super excited to see where this band goes in the future, especially if the vocals continue to be this inspired and captivating.
This album came into my possession at a time in my life when I was feeling pretty down. And like a shot of pure light into the gloom, songs like "Hey Jane" and "Life is a Problem" simply spoke to me. But the most surprising thing? Even after that rough spot; I still found inspiration and beauty in this album. Because, simply put, it's an incredible album and easily one of Spiritualized's best.
Few albums and songs make me feel sad or depressed in a genuine way; but the latest album from Perfume Genius does just that. If Sweet Heart Sweet Light was the pat on the back and reassuring hug. Then Put Your Back N 2 It was the long sob leading up to it. This album is beautiful through and through, from the sparse, moody piano playing, to the soft and weeping vocals of front man Mike Hadreas. It was hard picking a spot for this album, because no other release this year has made me feel the way this album does... sad. But not the sad that makes you lose hope and eat a gallon of ice cream. Instead it's the kind of sad that helps you realize that there is a lot more to life than simply being alive; and that's something this album did for me.
What an amazing year for Kendrick Lamar. Not only was he featured on some very successful and great projects, but his label T.B.E kind of took the rap game by storm with releases from Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul. His crowning achievement however, is the conceptual masterpiece that is "good kid, m.a.a.d city" a rap album that, to me, really sets the bar for concepts in hip-hop albums. From track the opener "Sherane" to the closer "Compton", Kendrick takes the listener through his life growing up with gangs. drugs and the violence that comes with them. But it's not all hardcore attitudes and macho posturing; tracks like "Poetic Justice" and "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst" take a look at love and the affect that Kendricks music has on the people who he raps about. From top to bottom, this is an incredible piece of music and one that I'll be playing well into 2013 and beyond.
This will come as no surprise if you read my review for this album and the followup "No Love DEEP WEB" But hey, when music pushes boundaries and gives me hope for the future of creativity in a genre... it needs to be praised. Death Grips are doing things that nobody expected ( and in some cases, wanted ) hip-hop to do. The music on "The Money Store" is bright, noisy and ultra aggressive, to the point that it almost seems like they went overboard a little; and in a lot of ways, they did. But that's what makes this such a captivating listen from start to finish; the feeling that at any moment, everything could go horribly wrong and just sound like a ton of abrasive nonsense, but it doesn't. In fact, Death Grips have an incredible ability to balance aggression with subtlety and nuance. Filling their songs with nooks and crannies that only repeat listens can reveal. And with just under a hundred full listens since it was released in May... the rewards for finding those nooks and crannies has culminated in not only my favorite album of 2012, but one of my favorite albums of all-time.
