Wednesday, December 19, 2012

2012 Year End Music List Thing

No one asked me to make a list this year, but I enjoyed thinking about it last year, so what the hell...


My favorite records of 2012, in alphabetical order:
And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead “Lost Songs”
All The Saints “Intro To Fractions”
Atriarch “Rituals Of Passing”
Crippled Black Phoenix “(Mankind) The Crafty Ape”
Deftones “Koi No Yokan”
Disappears “Pre Language”
Killing Joke “MMXII”
Neurosis “Honor Found In Decay”
Rosenkopf “Rosenkopf”
Spiritualized “Sweet Heart Sweet Light”
Swans “The Seer”
Tame Impala “Lonerism”
Tindersticks “The Something Rain”
Vaura “Selenelion”
Scott Walker “Bish Bosch”
White Hills “Frying On This Rock”

Other records that I listened to a lot or that also made an impression on me:
Bailterspace “Strobosphere”
Conan “Monnos”
Cult Of Youth “Love Will Prevail”
High On Fire “De Vermis Mysteriis”
Incantation “Vanquish In Vengeance”
Liars “WIXIW”
My Dying Bride “A Map Of All Our Failures”
Nachtmystium “Silencing Machine”
Necro Deathmort “The Colonial Script”
A Place To Bury Strangers “Worship”
Process Of Guilt “Faemin”
Rush “Clockwork Angels”
Saint Vitus “Lillie: F-65”
Samothrace “Reverence To Stone”
Shining “Redefining Darkness”
The Soft Moon “Zeros”
The Smashing Pumpkins “Oceania”
Swans “We Rose From Your Bed With The Sun In Our Head”
Ulaan Markhor “Ulaan Markhor”

Live, re-issue and related:
Led Zeppelin “Celebration Day”
Medicine (Box Set)
Sonic Youth “Sonic Youth - Smart Bar - Chicago 1985”
My Bloody Valentine "Isn't Anything"/"Loveless"/"EP's 1988–1991"

Demos/micro-editions/recordings/etc. that point to some great 2013 releases:
Envenomist, Iulgula-Thor, Pharmakon, Sshe Retina Stimulants, Sshe Retina Stimulants + Neil Jendon

Albums that I released this year – that I listened to a ton – but it would not be right to add them to the main list:
Arriver “Tsushima”
Chris Connelly “Artificial Madness”
Josh Hydeman “Madison’s Fence”
Sun Splitter “III”

Top two live shows by a huge margin:
Crime and the City Solution @ Lincoln Hall
Swans @ Metro

A bigger list of great shows/sets, in no particular order:
Atriarch, Indian @ The Empty Bottle
Bloodiest, Del Rey @ Lincoln Hall
Yob @ The Empty Bottle
Primitive Weapons, Chrome Waves, Pilgrim @ Cobra Lounge
Sshe Retina Stimulants + Neil Jendon @ Tritriangle
Tombs @ Township
Xeno and Oaklander @ Casa Aztlan
Saint Vitus @ Bottom Lounge
Rosenkopf @ Cobra Lounge
Pelican @ Lincoln Hall
Cult of Youth, Pharmakon, Cemetery @ The Empty Bottle
Helen Money, Yakuza @ The Empty Bottle
Hive Mind @ The Burlington
Bellini, Bottomless Pit @ Quenchers Saloon

Local bands I was very glad to see – and I saw several of them multiple times this year:
Alma Negra (especially with Lark’s Tongue @ Stage Bar)
Arriver
The Atlas Moth (especially with Altar of Plagues @ Ultra Lounge)
Bloodiest (worth mentioning again!)
Cemetery (better and better each time, enjoyed the addition of synth)
Disappears (both at the Dust Up on Damen Ave. and at Rainbo)
Electric Hawk
Indian
Lord Mantis (especially at Cobra Lounge when Dylan from Indian made a guest appearance)
Population (maybe my favorite set this year was at Casa Aztlan)
Rabid Rabbit (under red light at Ultra Lounge was great; the “Wagner” set was heavy, too)
Sun Splitter
The Swan King


I am sure that I am forgetting some things so it is likely that I will add to this list as things pop into my mind...

- Mark Solotroff, December 2012