2012 was a great year for post-metal. Half of the albums on my list had something to do with post-metal, and I surprised myself by having two emo albums on there. However, my list pretty much explains itself, so I think it's better to follow through and read each description rather than explaining the list in the blurb up top. It is slightly important to note that I included some EPs I found notable, and separated the lists, rather than mash everything into one list. Click on the album or EP name to read our coverage.
Showing posts with label End of the year 2012. Show all posts
Showing posts with label End of the year 2012. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Monday, December 31, 2012
Casey's EPs, Songs, and Albums of 2012
Nathan Flynn's Top 40 Songs of the 2012
After a year of listening to new music, I find that I’m not
listening to a lot of 2012 music. There have been a few standout albums (Good Kid m.a.a.d. City, Some Nights, Vital, Cruel Summer) that I
still listen to on a regular basis, but most releases, even some that I liked a
lot- sorry Regina Spektor- have just fallen by the wayside. Well, this isn’t
about the best albums of the year: this is about some diamonds in the rough
scattered around some of 2012’s best and worst releases. My 40 favorite songs I
would recommend checking out from this year (with links!) are:
Jacob's 2012 Gems
2012's been a year of thrills and disappointments, surprises and inevitabilities. Instead of honing in on the most rewarding moments of the year, let's take a deeper look inside its many angles.
First off, I have to admit 2012 was my official foray into hip-hop. Although I've explored the genre little by little over the last few years, I've never quite delved into it to the extent that this year entailed. As a result, many of my favorites from 2012 are hip-hop classics. Sure, I've always been a metalhead at heart, but the albums I was interested in from this year were all at least somewhat of a disappointment.
Perhaps one has bigger expectations when they know what exactly they expect. This could be said for many of 2012's letdowns for me: Between the Buried and Me was cohesive but forgettable, Periphery II was riddled with filler and The Contortionist was incredibly forced. And it's because I know what makes a successful progressive metal album that I'm so picky about specificities. Maybe that's why hip-hop was so appealing to me this year. I like to think it's more than that, though, which is why you'll see quite a few albums from the genre in my list.
First off, I have to admit 2012 was my official foray into hip-hop. Although I've explored the genre little by little over the last few years, I've never quite delved into it to the extent that this year entailed. As a result, many of my favorites from 2012 are hip-hop classics. Sure, I've always been a metalhead at heart, but the albums I was interested in from this year were all at least somewhat of a disappointment.
Perhaps one has bigger expectations when they know what exactly they expect. This could be said for many of 2012's letdowns for me: Between the Buried and Me was cohesive but forgettable, Periphery II was riddled with filler and The Contortionist was incredibly forced. And it's because I know what makes a successful progressive metal album that I'm so picky about specificities. Maybe that's why hip-hop was so appealing to me this year. I like to think it's more than that, though, which is why you'll see quite a few albums from the genre in my list.
Jonny's Top 10 Releases of 2012
If there was ever a year to get into electronic music, 2012 was probably that year. As well as Burial and Clubroot showing the world how dubstep should be done, we've had an explosion of talent from Russia in the likes of Night Shift and Clonki as well as local scenes blossoming in both the east (Borealis, Liar) and west (Kettel, Secede, Chymera) of mainland Europe. In the meantime, Indie music seems to be suffering from an identity crisis in this Hipster-conscious age if Metronomy singles are to be believed, Metal continues to go the way of pop-punk by continuing to stagnate and Pop itself is even embracing the deeper sides of electronic. Folk's done alright, actually, but for the purpose of getting you to listen to electronic we'll ignore that. Ambient, as ever, has enjoyed a fantastic year.
So here it is, my personal top 10 releases of the year.
So here it is, my personal top 10 releases of the year.
Moses's Top 25 Albums Of The Year..And Other Things
TOP 25 RELEASES OF 2012
Click on the links for fun times.
25. Carly Rae Jepsen – Kiss
If you need further proof that “Call Me Maybe” was just the beginning, this is it. Jepsen puts her understated but expressive voice to good work on this nonstop ride, and not even ill-advised visits from Owl City and Justin Bieber can weigh the fun down too much.
24. Fun. – Some Nights
23. Phillip Phillips – The World From The Side Of The Moon
Where so many Idol winners before him have failed is where Phillips (times two) succeeds: he has a clear understanding of who he wants to be right off of the bat, and what his debut release lacks in ambition it more than makes up for in substance—and sincerity.
22. she – Electric Girl
Finnish producer Lain Trzaska, better known online as she, has been doing terrific under-the-rader work in the electronic/chiptune genre for a while now, but for the uninitiated, Electric Girl is a more-than-adequate primer: look no further than the title track, which mixes glitchy and vaguely seductive come-ons, the sonic ferocity of rock, and the thrusting rhythms of breakbeat—all under the pretenses of a throbbing club banger. Or “Heartbeats”, which buries a murky but surprisingly resilient vocal under the interplay of synths and piano before soaring in the chorus; it even has the balls to throw in a guitar solo just because it sounds really freaking good. For Trzaska, bleeps and bloops are just windows into other walks of music, and if his latest release is any indication, he’s not even close to finishing his exploration.
Click on the links for fun times.
25. Carly Rae Jepsen – Kiss
If you need further proof that “Call Me Maybe” was just the beginning, this is it. Jepsen puts her understated but expressive voice to good work on this nonstop ride, and not even ill-advised visits from Owl City and Justin Bieber can weigh the fun down too much.
24. Fun. – Some Nights
23. Phillip Phillips – The World From The Side Of The Moon
Where so many Idol winners before him have failed is where Phillips (times two) succeeds: he has a clear understanding of who he wants to be right off of the bat, and what his debut release lacks in ambition it more than makes up for in substance—and sincerity.
22. she – Electric Girl
Finnish producer Lain Trzaska, better known online as she, has been doing terrific under-the-rader work in the electronic/chiptune genre for a while now, but for the uninitiated, Electric Girl is a more-than-adequate primer: look no further than the title track, which mixes glitchy and vaguely seductive come-ons, the sonic ferocity of rock, and the thrusting rhythms of breakbeat—all under the pretenses of a throbbing club banger. Or “Heartbeats”, which buries a murky but surprisingly resilient vocal under the interplay of synths and piano before soaring in the chorus; it even has the balls to throw in a guitar solo just because it sounds really freaking good. For Trzaska, bleeps and bloops are just windows into other walks of music, and if his latest release is any indication, he’s not even close to finishing his exploration.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
End Of The Year 2012: Best Free EDM
One of the best things about the massive amounts of EDM out there today is that a lot of it is free. Whether an artist wants to give away everything he/she releases for no charge, makes a song off a release free in order to promote the release as a whole, or makes a song for the fans just because, there's a lot of good free stuff out there. In this end-of-year feature, we aim to round up the best of the free compilations, artist albums, EPs and short releases, and songs of the year.
What It Is: A short offering from one of the leaders in the chiptune field. We interviewed Chipzel earlier this year following the release of the soundtrack of Terry Cavanagh's fantastic game Super Hexagon, and a little while after the interview she decided to release these four songs for free. Chipzel is one of the best chiptune producers out there, and if you want to get into the genre this isn't a bad place to start.
What It Is: Subzee D is one of the most exciting new faces in the realm of kinda-heavy dubstep, and it's awesome to see him release a full three-track EP for free. His production is very good, up there with the best of the best in the genre right now, and this release is an excellent demonstration of that. Nothing here quite stacks up with his massive 2011 tune Jack In A Box, but everything here is very good nonetheless.
JesusDied4Dubstep Ayano Compilation
Compilations:
OWSLA presents Free Treats Vol. 2
Genre: Various
What It Is: Ever since starting up as a label mid-2011, Skrillex's OWSLA has been on fire, releasing some of the biggest tunes in the EDM community from some of the biggest artists around. Here, we see the label releasing 19 tracks from big-name producers like KOAN Sound and Plastician alongside lesser-known ones like Ghastly! and Culiner. This is one of the best releases of the year, period, and the fact that it's free is a huge bonus.
Artist Recordings Free Drum & Bass LP
Genre: Drum & Bass
Location: http://download.breakbeat.co.uk/lpsepslabels/artistrecordings/artistrecordingsfreedrumbasslp.aspx
What It Is: Some of the better drum & bass you'll hear all year. From the beautiful liquid of "Nocturne" to the banger that is "Lonely," all 17 tracks are absolutely worth a shot.
JesusDied4Dubstep Ayano Compilation
Genre: Dubstep
What It Is: A great 25-track dubstep compilation from one of the leading YouTube promotion channels in the genre. There are some really great artists here, like the legendary Jakes and the up-and-coming Pegboard Nerds (look for the latter to make it big soon, as they're on the fast track to the top right now).
Vital Presents: Infinity
Genre: Various
What It Is: A 12-track sampler just in time for the end of 2012, showcasing some incredible young talent. Especially interesting is final track "Ascension Meditation" from Kannamix & V!xen, a house tune of upwards of 10 minutes with a meditation sample playing behind almost ethereal synths.
Albums:
Freedom
Artist: Rameses B
Genre: Primarily Drum & Bass
What It Is: Technically not free, but the 40 pence Rameses B charges for 23 songs is the least that Bandcamp allows him to sell the album for without actually being free. Plus, Rameses B is one of the finest drum & bass artists of the past few years, and he absolutely deserves your pennies.
Mad Liberation
Artist: GriZ
Genre: Glitch Hop
Location: http://mynameisgriz.com/
What It Is: Some of the funkiest glitch hop this side of KOAN Sound. A full-length's worth of dirty yet excellently produced glitchy goodness. If you need any more convincing then something is wrong.
heat.wav
Artist: Robotic Pirate Monkey
Genre: Various glitchy styles
Genre: Various glitchy styles
Location: http://roboticpiratemonkey.com/
What It Is: Eight tracks of excellently chilled-out EDM. There's a whole lot of stuff on here, from straight brostep (Banana Cannon) to some Glitch Mob-esque glitch hop (Bank On That) to some straighter beats (Sizzlin'). It's a wonderful release that shows off the lighter side of heavy, and there's something for everybody on the release.
What It Is: Eight tracks of excellently chilled-out EDM. There's a whole lot of stuff on here, from straight brostep (Banana Cannon) to some Glitch Mob-esque glitch hop (Bank On That) to some straighter beats (Sizzlin'). It's a wonderful release that shows off the lighter side of heavy, and there's something for everybody on the release.
Dance Floor Filth 2
Artist: 3LAU
Genre: House, Mashup
Location: https://www.facebook.com/DJ3LAU/app_499307093419010
What It Is: Fantastic mashups by one of the finest DJs to make it big in the past year or so. 3LAU's (pronounced "BLAU") modus operandi seems to be taking an EDM tune (for example, "Language" by Porter Robinson or a mix of Nicky Romero's "Toulouse" and Knife Party's "Internet Friends) and throwing perfectly-matched pop vocals on top (in these examples, "Call Me Maybe" and a mashup of "Sexy And I Know It" and "We Found Love"), and the result is nothing short of impressive. 3LAU has a lot of clear talent, and I for one am very excited to see where he takes his ideas in the future.
Love's Shadow
Artist: Truth
Genre: Dubstep
What It Is: Probably the least "EDM" of the entire list, Love's Shadow is a 19-track offering from some of the rising stars in the realm of darker dubstep. The duo isn't a "nobody" group either - they've released on major labels like Tempa, Deep Medi, Wheel & Deal, and more. If darker stuff is your thing at all, this is a must-listen - it's a fine release, and the "free" label added on makes it even sweeter.
EPs/Short Releases:
Play Harder
Artist: Krewella
Genre: Various
What It Is: So far, there have been a few artists which I've said will make it big soon. Krewella is one of those artists who managed to make it big already, and they've been headlining major events for a few months now and have been present at basically every major American EDM festival over the course of 2012. This release comes as a sort of thank-you to fans - it's a remix album mostly, with four remixes of their huge song "Killin' It" and as many of their equally huge song "Alive." There's also an original here, a drum & bass song titled "Come & Get It," but the bulk of this album comes in the form of remixes. It's an excellent freebie from a trio who's full of energy, and it's a testament to the success of their landmark EP Play Hard.
The Greed
Artist: Block Dodger
Genre: Neurofunk
What It Is: The YouTube channel NeurofunkGrid has been a leader in the promotion of good neurofunk for a while now, and as a celebration of the popularity it's achieved the channel has released their first original publication, a two-track EP from excellent producer Block Dodger. And what an EP it is - Block Dodger is an excellent producer, and these two tracks are an excellent showcase of what he can do. The growling, menacing synths throughout are perfect for the genre, and the pieces are paranoid and fast paced, exactly how it should be.
Moe Moe Kyunstep
Artist: chibi-tech
Genre: Chipstep?
What It Is: This one's sort of out of left field, but it's an excellent release nonetheless. In part II of the release, chibi-tech creates a drumstep banger of sorts, complete with heavy wobbles and distortion, entirely out of NES sounds. Part I is excellent as well, though it's not quite as inventive as part II as it's a more standard chiptune piece. Fantastic release from someone who's quickly become one of my favorite chiptune artists, and I expect big things from chibi-tech in the future.
Fragments
Artist: Chipzel
Genre: Chiptune
Location: http://www.noisechannel.org/8825What It Is: A short offering from one of the leaders in the chiptune field. We interviewed Chipzel earlier this year following the release of the soundtrack of Terry Cavanagh's fantastic game Super Hexagon, and a little while after the interview she decided to release these four songs for free. Chipzel is one of the best chiptune producers out there, and if you want to get into the genre this isn't a bad place to start.
Freezee D
Artist: Subzee D
Genre: Dubstep
Location: https://soundcloud.com/subzeed/subzee-d-freezee-d-ep-freeWhat It Is: Subzee D is one of the most exciting new faces in the realm of kinda-heavy dubstep, and it's awesome to see him release a full three-track EP for free. His production is very good, up there with the best of the best in the genre right now, and this release is an excellent demonstration of that. Nothing here quite stacks up with his massive 2011 tune Jack In A Box, but everything here is very good nonetheless.
Songs:
Escape Reality (Synchronice Remix)
Artist: The Bolivian Marching Affair
Genre: Moombah
Location: https://soundcloud.com/playmerecords/thebolivianmarchingaffair-escape-reality-synchronice-remix (Helpful Hint: the download button is the fifth button from the left under the track itself.)
What It Is: As a disclaimer: since there are so many good free EDM tracks out there every year, the ones featured in this article are the best of the best of 2012. This is no exception - the chorus is excellent, the buildup is very nice, and the main section is heavy and well-done. It's an excellent song from beginning to end.
She Was (ft. Birds Of Paradise)
Artist: Seven Lions
Genre: Glitch Hop
What It Is: One of the best melodic glitch hop tunes of the year, shining out brightly from the rough of a decent yet disappointing EP released earlier this year on OWSLA. It's got Seven Lions' trademark "trancestep" sound over a funky glitch hop beat, and it's really interesting overall.
Sly Fox
Artist: KOAN Sound
Genre: Glitch Hop
What It Is: It's no secret that KOAN Sound are my favorite producers right now, and this song is a great example of why. It's heavy, it's funky, it's fun, and it's perfect for most EDM situations. Plus, the top-notch production is a bonus, although we've come to expect that by now.
Rise And Fall (ft. Krewella)
Artist: Adventure Club
Genre: Dubstep
Location: http://www.facebook.com/AdventureClubDub?v=app_178091127385 (currently the 7th song on the list)
What It Is: Adventure Club are committed to releasing every one of their songs for free, and this approach has netted them tons of fans from all over the Internet. This is one of the best they released this past year, combining their talents with those of Krewella to create an epic piece with one of the best intros of the year, rivaled mostly by the Synchronice remix above.
Requiem For The New World
Artist: AZEDIA
Genre: Orchestral Dubstep
What It Is: A mammoth piece to end the year on a high note. While the world didn't actually end on December 21st, this song was made in honor of the date anyways. And it's really a beautiful piece - it's a great orchestral setting, with synths and guitars over it all, on top of a standard dubstep beat, and it's a really nice way to close out the year for AZEDIA.
INDEX OF RELEASES
Compilations:
Rameses B - Freedom
GriZ - Mad Liberation
Robotic Pirate Monkey - heat.wav
3LAU - Dance Floor Filth 2
Truth - Love's Shadow
EPs/Short Releases:
Krewella - Play Harder
Block Dodger - The Greed
chibi-tech - Moe Moe Kyunstep
Chipzel - Fragments
Subzee D - Freezee D
Songs:
The Bolivian Marching Affair - Escape Reality (Synchronice Remix)
Seven Lions - She Was (ft. Birds Of Paradise)
KOAN Sound - Sly Fox
Adventure Club - Rise And Fall (ft. Krewella)
AZEDIA - Requiem For The New World
GriZ - Mad Liberation
Robotic Pirate Monkey - heat.wav
3LAU - Dance Floor Filth 2
Truth - Love's Shadow
EPs/Short Releases:
Krewella - Play Harder
Block Dodger - The Greed
chibi-tech - Moe Moe Kyunstep
Chipzel - Fragments
Subzee D - Freezee D
Songs:
The Bolivian Marching Affair - Escape Reality (Synchronice Remix)
Seven Lions - She Was (ft. Birds Of Paradise)
KOAN Sound - Sly Fox
Adventure Club - Rise And Fall (ft. Krewella)
AZEDIA - Requiem For The New World
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
2012: A Year In Retrospect
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| The Twilight Sad |
Monday, October 1, 2012
Best Of The Year 2012: Third Quarter Update
Welcome to MuzikDizcovery's third edition of quarterly updates in 2012. Every staff member will put out a top five list, allowing them to showcase their absolute favorite records of 2012 to date. Additionally, it will be able to alert you of albums that you may not have heard of otherwise. This list does not only include albums that have been released as of September 30, as any album that we have heard so far this year is free to be included. fun., Take One Car, Athletics, Now, Now, Frank Ocean, Passion Pit, Suis La Lune and First Aid Kit are amongst the names that feature prominently in our lists. If you click on the album name, you will be led to our review for the album (if we have written one). All the lists can be seen below the jump.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Best Of The Year 2012: First Half Update
Welcome to MuzikDizcovery's second edition of quarterly updates in 2012. Every staff member will put out a top five list, allowing them to showcase their absolute favorite records of 2012 to date. Additionally, it will be able to alert you of albums that you may not have heard of otherwise. This list does not only include albums that have been released as of June 30, as any album that we have heard so far this year is free to be included. Beach House, The Tallest Man On Earth, The Menzingers, fun., mewithoutYou, John Talabot, Athletics and Take One Car all feature prominently in our lists. If you click on the album name, you will be led to our review for the album (if we have done one). All the lists can be seen below the jump.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Best Of The Year 2012: First Quarter Update
As we did last year, we're going to be doing quarterly updates. Every staff member will put out a top five list, allowing them to indicate their absolute favorite records of 2012. Additionally, it will be able to alert you of albums that you may not have heard of otherwise. This list does not only include albums that have been released as of March 31, as any album that we have heard so far this year is free to be included. All the lists can be seen below the jump.
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