The 2012 Year End Review

A little late, here are Bloggerhythms' picks for the best releases of 2012.

1 – The Avett Brothers – The Carpenter
The country-rocking outfit from North Carolina does it again with their second terrific album in a row. The banjo driven "Live and Die" couldn't be more catchy if it tried and you really need to listen to the great power-pop treat, "I Never Knew You." Most of the album is country music with a rock attitude. Great arrangements, songs, and vocals are everywhere. Rick Rubin has really turned the brothers into stars. Details here.

2 – Brandi Carlile – Bear Creek
Carlile's always mature song-writing blooms into full adulthood on this, her fourth, full length, studio album. Reflecting on her childhood and sometimes demonstrating a spiritual side she never displayed before the young singer-songwriter and her ever-present cohorts, the Hanseroth twins, gave us a top notch set of inward looking, philosophical songs. The ballads are sweeter than ever and the rockers are punchier than in the past. Read more here.

3 - The Beach Boys – That's Why God Made the Radio
Who would have believed that Brian Wilson would still generate magic with his old band one last time? He, originals Mike Love and Alan Jardine, along with David Marks, and long time member Bruce Johnston, prove they can still compete with the best harmonizers the world has ever heard. Best of all, Wilson closed the album out with a wonderful suite of tunes that take us back to the days of Pet Sounds and Sunflower. For a lengthy discussion of this very nice epilogue to the California group's very long and storied career read the full review.

4 - Charlie Phillips – What It Is
Charlie Phillips is strictly a local musician who works out of the Philadelphia suburbs but he deserves a much wider audience. The folk-rocker writes great songs, interacts well with his band, and has a small but devoted following. The singer-songwriters of the 70s form the bedrock for all of his music. He's also a lover of rock's supreme royalty, those loveable guys from Liverpool, England. The opening track, "Grace of God," is outstanding. Here's the complete, original review.

5 - JD McPherson – Signs & Signifiers
McPherson is a 50s throwback who has famously said he doesn't like any music after 1957. He might be a little closed-minded but that didn't stop him from using all of the best ingredients from many of rock's early forefathers like Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, Little Richard, and Larry Williams and mix them into a big stew with outstanding results. The Oklahoman might be fixed in his ways but if he is going to do only one thing he may as well do it right. Here, on his debut disc, he most certainly does. See more on this fine album.
_______________________________________________

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Mumford & Sons – Babel (Aggressive British folk-rock)
Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball (The Boss still has the goods)
Bonnie Raitt – Slipstream (Her best album in a long, long, time)
_______________________________________________

The American LP cover on Sail Records
2012’S BEST NEW FIND FROM THE ARCHIVES

Every once in awhile music fans are fortunate enough to stumble upon an old record that they didn't know existed and in 2012 I happily visited a very small, local, used record store while the owner happened to be playing an old Peter Green LP from 1979. Impressed, I quickly added the record to my collection. The long-troubled Fleetwood Mac founder really showed us what he was capable of on this fine album, In the Skies.

Comments

Post a Comment

WHAT'S HOT TODAY!

Slower Than Slow: 16 RPM Records

Image
Have you ever heard of a long forgotten vinyl format, the 16 2/3 RPM record? They were half the speed of the 33 1/3 RPM albums that were the traditional standard for recorded music. Most record players in the 1950s and 1960s came with a speed setting to play these long forgotten discs that were considered novelties even during the years they were available. Because most, but not all, 16s had big holes and were 7" in diameter many of them were mistaken for 45 RPMs and at that size the speed allowed for up to 20 minutes of playing time per side. However, there was no true standard size and they were also manufactured to be 9, 10, or 12 inches in diameter, and these larger records played even longer. Just like the other speeds and formats 16s could be played one record at a time or stacked on a changer for continuous play. Radio stations often used the discs for pre-recorded radio shows containing interviews, dramas, and documentaries. More frequen...
Read more

The Band - Christmas Must Be Tonight (1977)

Image
In 2006 Hall and Oates released Home For Christmas , their one and only holiday album, an extremely good set of music that immediately became one of my favorite seasonal listens. I wrote then that I was stunned at how many overtly religious songs the famous duo put on the the disc considering the very politically correct climate of the new millennium. One of them was a cover version of a song that alluded me for almost thirty years, "Christmas Must Be Tonight." I liked the new, upbeat track sung by Daryl Hall and it made me go out and search for Robbie Robertson's never-to-be classic. Sung by Rick Danko, it appears on the great American band's last album, Islands (1977). It's a surprise that a group whose members were not known to have any specific or powerfully strong religious beliefs would release a song that tackled the subject of Jesus's birth as blatantly as our most loved Christmas carols. It's not about a reckless reinde...
Read more

Chicago: An Album By Album Analysis Of The Terry Kath Era (1969 - 1977)

Image
The original lineup of Chicago has always been one of my all time favorite bands. My affection for this great horn band is such that I want to discuss all of the albums they recorded before Terry Kath's unfortunate and accidental passing. Their debut album is now forty years old, and it's followup is not far behind, yet their music endures to this day. * * * * * Everyone Must Own * * * * Excellent * * * Good * * Fair * Poor * * * * * Chicago Transit Authority (1969) - Whether they were playing screaming psychedelic hard rock, jazz, blues, or love songs, everyone in the band proved they were worthy of the huge mass success that followed CTA 's release. The band's ability to play anything and play it well is the hallmark of their debut album. The stars are Robert Lamm, Terry Kath, and the horns, and even Peter Cetera demonstrates he can be a rock and roll animal when he wants to be. The standout tracks are Lamm's "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It...
Read more

The Chieftains With Jackson Browne - The Rebel Jesus (1991)

Image
"The Rebel Jesus" is a Christmas song composed by Jackson Browne and performed with The Chieftains, the eclectic, veteran Irish folk band on  The Bells of Dublin,  their 1991 holiday album. Browne wrote the song specifically for his guest appearance on this record. The singer-songwriter, who is deservedly in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, can be a bit preachy when he wants to be, and he is again here, but no one can dispute what the man is saying.  The last two verses are the key to the song. Browne points out that people often feel more generous at Christmas so they'll give to those who were less fortunate than themselves during the holidays. But, if anyone tries to dig deeper and root out the poverty that envelops the downtrodden they are often scorned like Jesus was. This message is coming from a man who is admittedly a "heathen and a pagan," but on this occasion he is "on the side of the rebel Jesus." At the same time Browne doesn't want to sp...
Read more

The Beatles - Christmas Messages (1963 - 1969)

Image
For seven straight years beginning in 1963 - even before they were famous in America - The Beatles recorded annual Christmas messages exclusively for their fan club members as a holiday thank you. They were issued on seven-inch, vinyl records that were very thin, very bendable, and easily damaged. These flexi-discs, as they were called, could not be stacked on record changers. Over the years the tracks have been bootlegged in countless ways, and until a few years ago the only legal release was sent to fan club members in 1970 on 33 RPM vinyl records after the boys from Liverpool went their separate ways. The LP cover shown here is from that album. Finally, in 2017, a limited edition box set  on colored vinyl was released and is now an expensive collector's item. Many Beatles fans managed to hear these records over the years, and with the Internet being what it is, there are several websites where anyone can easily listen to all of them.  Archive.org ...
Read more