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
