BEST OF 2013 – ALBUMS [10-1]
Yep. Here it is. Smack bang, ready for that little nostalgia comedown that is New Years Day.
As I alluded to in the 20-11 post on Monday, this year has been a fucking full on one. It compromised of a move interstate, and heading back to uni (although I’m not sure if you can really call doing a PhD going back to uni – prolly more like doing a full-time fucking job times about 3). Those weren’t the only things that happened of course, but they were probably the two things that impacted most on maamf for 2013.
It’s also been a year when the maamf sister site MISMATCH.TV started to come into it’s own. And although it’s definitely got a bit to go and I feel as though it’s not yet at the level I reckon it can get to, it’s taken up a bit of time as well. (However, a massive thanks to my good mates/mismatchians/Melbourne music loving fanatics Lauren and Sabi for making mismatch what it is, and making that time enjoyable).
Anyway, these are the 10. The ones that I kept on returning to this year. It’s much more of a personal list this year, with a few albums either reminding me of Melbourne, and others welcoming me into the city of Sydney.
It also comes complete with a mixtape featuring two tracks from each album. Fuckin’ BUMPER. (more…)
BEST OF 2013 – ALBUMS [20-11]
ok. So really, these aren’t in any particular order. But, they are all pretty bloody excellent. As with last year, I’ve done a mix of one track from each album.
I’ll go into it in a bit more detail when I put up my top 10, but this year has been pretty different. It’s been a year when the blog has gone all over the shop, stopped for a couple of weeks, and has been a continuous source of (good) distraction.
So, these albums are those distractions. Sure, there are 10 other albums that perhaps were more distracting, but these one’s did a pretty bloody good job all the same.
No particular order for these ones, but I have included a stream for each (I is generous like that).
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FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF 2012.
ok. So, here it is. My top albums of 2012. It’s been a nutty year, full of some really incredible albums. As I mentioned in my earlier post, it was impossible to listen to everything, but, I did try. Continuing on with the whole Australian music blog theme this blog has taken on over the past 8 or 9 months, everything here is Australian. Check out my 11-20 list for the os albums that made my faves.
I’ve made a bit of a mix with a track or two from each album which you can stream/download below. Also, if you click on the album titles, you can stream the album on spotify. Coz I is good like that.
So, without further ado, 10 – 1.
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10. Bored Nothing – Bored Nothing
Such a chilled release. A culmination of tracks from EPs leading up to his singing to SPUNK, not only is it a rad collection of tracks, but they all sit so tightly together. Great prolific song writing on show with this one.
Bored Nothing – Get Out Of Here
9. Jonathan Boulet – We Keep The Beat, Found The Sound, See The Need, Start The Heart
I called this fella a genius when his debut album came in my fave albums of 2009. His second album, whilst perhaps not living up to the rather lofty heights he set himself a few years ago, still nails it. A lot more percussive this time round, I think the beauty in it is just how ferocious some of this disc is.
Jonathan Boulet – Trounce
8. Catcall – The Warmest Place
This took me a little by surprise. From the opening 46 second intro, The Warmest Place shows that Catcall is, simply put, a killer pop song writer. But moreso, not only is she an individual pop song master, she also pretty much kills a pop album.
Catcall – The World is Ours
7. Pop Singles – All Gone
Like the Twerps debut album of last year (my fave of the year too!) Pop Singles have the whole Flying Nun era jangly pop, but still manage to sound broad, encompassing, and dare I say, Australian. Not only are there some incredibly excellent individual songs on this release (in fact, each track is excellent), the songs sit really well alongside each other. It freakin works as an album.
Pop SIngles – All Gone
6. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – 12 Bar Bruise
Throw shit at the wall and see what sticks? King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard nail that noisy bluesy punk vibe with their debut release, 12 Bar Bruise. There’s a bit of variety on this disc which I love.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Muckraker
5. Presets – Pacifica
There are so many great pop moments on this album. Whilst I had heard that this disc was going to be a bit more straight techno than Apocolypso, I would perhaps suggest that there are a heap more feel good moments on here. Both Kim and Julian nail it though.
The Presets – Ghosts
4. Tame Impala – Lonerism
For all of the hype this album has received, for me, it still manages to fit in the top 10. The album has some seriously great tracks – some perhaps even contenders for year best! But, as with all the albums on this list, it’s not just a collection of songs. They all sit well together, and there’s an overarching story if you like, in the sequencing of the tracks.
Tame Impala – Elephant
3. Collarbones – Die Young
A massively hyped album, for sure, but I think still deserving of every little bit of love it gets. If beat driven glitchy rave style r’n’b is the new thing, then these two are at the forefront.
Collarbones – Die Young feat. HTML Flowers
2. Love Migrate – Plagued Are All My Thoughts, Like White Ants In The Fence
Easily one of my favourite Melbourne bands, this was definitely an album I was eagerly anticipating. Showcasing some incredibly strong songwriting, it’s full of really broad encompassing instrumentation. Eddie’s wonderfully crafted vocals really complement what this band do.
Love Migrate – What Kind Of Man Have I Become
1. Boomgates – Double Natural
As is the sound of bands like Dick Diver, Twerps, and Eddy Current, there’s this thrown together sound that these guys really nail. It really does sound like a couple of mates having a play. As a result, there’s this nice snug feeling that you get from listening to this disc. And yeah, sure, you may classify it as indie pop. But more me, it’s indie pop perhaps at it’s finest, and it genuinely leaves you feeling satisfied.
Boomgates – Flood Plains
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Miks
THE TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2012 – THE REST
ok. So these are the albums that nearly made my top 10 albums of 2012. As I’ve spoken about on the facebook page, I’ve decided to make the top 10 just Australian albums. The past year has seen a big shift for maamf, with the focus now purely on local stuff (hint hint to those annoying emails I get in the middle of the night talking about the latest rad band from Brooklyn or somethin).
The one thing that hasn’t changed however is the kind of stuff I post. It is all over the shop, which genuinely is a reflection of my listening habits. Because it is so broad though, it means that I haven’t been able to listen to every single release. There are albums that are topping other people’s lists, and I’m sure they’re great, but there’s just not enough time in the day to actually give everything a listen.
So, of course, this is subjective – it’s my favourite of 2012.
The 10 albums listed below started off in my shortlist of 20, but, for me, were tipped at the post by the other ten. The more favourite 10 will be revealed in the next few days, and in order too. There’s no order at all to the one’s below.
Click on the album title for a full stream on spotify too!
Something new this year has also been the mixtapes. I’ve done a mix with a track from each of the albums which you can download below too.
Lemmeknowwhatyareckon!
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THE TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2012 – THE REST
Sleep Decade – Into Spinning Lights
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Trouble
Money For Rope – Money For Rope
Saskwatch – Leave It All Behind
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Miks
2011 Australian Album List
pic courtesy of Erin.
ok. So, for the second time in as many years, a new Avalanches album has made the Home & Hosed‘s Album’s of the new year list.
And here’s hoping that they actually do put out a new album this year, some 11 or so years after their debut.
Anyway, enough of the Avalanches anxiety. There are some pretty exciting albums on this list.
The ones I’m looking most forward to are:
FEB – Cut Copy – Zonoscope (Modular/Universal)
MAR – Collarbones – Iconography (Two Bright Lakes/Remote Control), The Little Stevies – Attention Shoppers (Independent), Oh Mercy – Great Barrier Grief (Capitol/EMI)
APR – Mike Noga – The Balladeer Hunter (TBC)
JUNE – Nick Huggins – TBA (Two Bright Lakes/Remote Control)
AUG – Big Scary – TBA (Independent)
NO MONTH YET – Alpine – TBA (Ivy League), The Avalanches – TBA (Modular/Universal), Jonathan Boulet – TBA (Modular/Universal), Geoffrey O’Connor – TBA (Chapter Music), The Grates – TBA (Dew Process/Universal), Gotye – TBA (Independent/Eleven), Jack Ladder – TBA (Spunk/EMI), The Middle East – TBA (Spunk/EMI), No Device – The Devil Makes Work For Idle Hands (Independent), Pnau – Soft Universe (Warner Music), Rat Vs Possum – TBA (Sensory Projects), Seekae – TBA (Rice Is Nice), The Twerps – TBA (Chapter Music), World’s End Press – TBA (Love & Mercy)
You can access the full list here.
And of course, some music, to get you in the mood.
The Little Stevies – Feel It
Seekae – Blood Bank
Oh Mercy – Keith St.
World’s End Press – Faithful
The 10 Best Albums of 2010
you want the best? Well i’ll give you the best.
*ahh…when i say ‘the best’, just to clarify, i don’t actually mean ‘the best’…i mean the best.
Ok, so now that’s out of the way (what?!), we can start this best albums of 2010 list.
First off, man, some absolutely killer albums released this year. And me being me, of course there’s a whole heap of different styles that make my list.
This year has been a bit of a strange one for me. Being so heavily involved with uni work, this here thing has taken a small bit of a backseat, especially in the latter half of the year. So, it’s only been in the last two weeks or so that I’ve started to go back through the heaps of albumsI bought and was fortunate enough to be sent over the past year. Of course, there are obvious standouts, albums that stay with you for the whole year. And then there’s albums you only bought a few days ago that are so mind-boggingly good that you just gotta include the thing in this damn list.
So yeah, I started off with a list of about 36. Then I got a list of 29. Then it was down to 15. To dwindle that down to 10 was freaking hard.
But like last year, I at least wanted to give the ones that didn’t make it a mention.
In no particular order, the albums that nearly made it are: Rat vs Possum – Daughter of Sunshine, Parades – Foreign Tapes, Otouto – PIP, PVT – Church With No Magic, Super Melody – Destination Unknown, Shit Robot – From The Cradle To The Rave, Gold Panda – Lucky Shiner, Carl Fox – Chunky Rainbow, Adam Kesher – Challenging Nature, Caribou – Swim, Faux Pas – Noiseworks, Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Rush To Relax.
The 5 that so nearly made it were: Mount Kimbie – Crooks & Lovers, Miami Horror – Illumination, LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening, Grinderman – Grinderman 2, Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
But yes, let’s get to the good stuff. These are in a tentative order, so don’t take too much notice of it!
10. The Holidays – Post Paradise
There is such a nice summery feel to this album. Having been impressed by The Holidays earlier on this year when they supported Bluejuice, I was hanging out for this album for a while. So glad I ended up getting it. Their sound has changed heaps (you can stream two of their earlier tracks on Hype Machine), and I think the inclusion of the percussion and the more funk/hip-hop influenced beats makes sure that they have their own sound.
9. Surf City – Kudos
I heard about these guys on the always good Incoming show on 3RRR here in Melbourne. Surf City are from New Zealand and have got a bit of blog love over the past year. Their album Kudos, is their first release here…and yes! It’s got this quality that seems to be missed by so many of these other bands. Maybe it’s the fact that they have the word ‘surf’ in their title. Or maybe it’s the way it sounds polished without being too polished. It has this clean production that still manages to sound raw and unpolished which I really really dig.
8. Four Tet – There Is Love In You
Ok, so I find it difficult to include an electronic based album in my top 10 list. But when it’s Four Tet, I’m willing to chuck that out the window. This, perhaps like the Holy Fuck album is what I like about good electronic/dance music. It pushes, and it’s innovative. It’s not boring, and it actually makes you want to move – the music has the power, not your brain telling your foot that it’s probably better if you tap along.
7. Holy Fuck – Latin.
Call me an idiot, but I always assumed that Holy Fuck were some metal band. Haha…think I may’ve been a little wrong about that. Found out about these guys through Triple J (again). And man, wow. They are the dance/electronic/live act I think bands should aim to be like. They hit the nail on the head. And man, what an intro…straight into this driving groove and it just goes and goes and goes and takes you someplace.
6. Dan Kelly – Dan Kelly’s Dream.
What a sweet local album. Dan Kelly is such an interesting songwriter, and he writes songs where you HAVE to listen to the lyrics because they paint such a vivid picture. I only knew a little of Kelly’s previous work, and yeah, I guess I liked it. I think the fact that this album also got a fair bit of promotion, from that great underwater themed take 5 with Zan on Triple J, to Dylan Lewis playing him on his show on Nova made me stand up and take some notice. Another reason would be that it’s a fun album, and it feels familiar. It reminds me of Melbourne for some reason, but in a summery way, not like all those wintery dark based Melbourne bands.
Dan Kelly – Hold On, I’m Coming On
5. Efterklang – Magic Chairs
This was easily an early contender for album of the year for me. Knowing absolutely nothing of these guys before this record, maybe I’m going in a little naively, but hey, whatyagonnado?. Opening track Modern Drift is easily one of my faves, and the track Raincoats I think I’ll always remember due to the fact that it always seems to come on when it gets super rainy outside.
4. Midnight Juggernauts – The Crystal Axis
This is definitely one of the most solid local releases of the year, but like the Juggers first record, it seemed to have flown under the radar a little bit. They still got a fair bit of play and interview time, but I dunno, I suppose I expected more for an album that I know quite a few people were anticipating. I did an album review of this back in May and I described it as ‘warm’…whilst the Axis is still dark in it’s sound, it has this warm quality to it. It’s also a hell of a lot more percussive. There are little woodblock kinda grooves working their way right through the disc, which is all kinds of cool.
Midnight Juggernauts – Cannibal Freeway
3. Yeasayer – Odd Blood
This was one of the first albums I got this year…and I’m definitely pleased I did. To me, this album seemed to nearly reach the level of hype that Phoenix’s record did last year. And definitely in Australia. O.N.E. was an absolute monster of a song. But to me, I think it was that first single Ambling Alp. Perhaps one of the greatest pop songs of the year? The album moves you, and not in some wanky corny way. I mean, it actually moves you. It takes you from one place to another and I’m definitely happy to be taken (ok, that did end up sounding a little wanky right?!)
2. Beach House – Teen Dream
This, with the Yeasayer record was probably one of the most hyped albums of the year. And well, it made my top 10 list didn’t it?! I remember calling this pop perfection, and it really kinda is. It has these beautiful tracks right throughout. It’s one of those albums where it forces you to relax, and I love that. These guys are playing at Laneway next year and I reckon they’re going to be awesome!
1. Surfer Blood – Astro Coast
I don’t know how many lists will have this as number one…and i predict it will only make it into a few lists at that. For me, it is the opening track Floating Vibes. There’s something about that opening guitar that reels me in and keeps me there for the whole disc. To me, this thing sounds fresh, and it works as an album. This year has been full of different kinds of music for me, or at least stuff that I wouldn’t listen to all that much. I think this record is testament to that.
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