20. Horseback – Half Blood
Horseback seem to be determined to
push black metal into gloomier and more rustic territory than anyone
else. Throw in some drone and electronic ambiance and you get Half
Blood.
19. Jack White – Blunderbuss
Mr White finally makes good on his
decision to go solo for a while. Rock with a healthy smattering of
blues and his ever-present pop sensibilities.
18. Ancestors – In Dreams and Time
Another powerful offering from the
LA quintet. Prog metal of the highest order.
17. Quakers – Quakers
Geoff Barrows from Portishead offers
his second album of the year as a series of brief hip-hop sketches
stung together like a killer short film festival.
16. Philm – Harmonic
Slayer's legendary stickman carves
his own route with Philm. Metal, punk, and jazz all get filtered
through a grimy kind of psychedelia. Mr Lombardo has outdone himself.
15. Galactic – Carnivale Electricos
America's hottest funk band write
another love letter to their hometown of New Orleans and the carnival
is in town.
14. Arc of Ascent – The Higher Key
Pummeling astral rock from New
Zealand's kings of heavy. The band reach audacious heights and hint
at greater feats still to come.
13. Bobby Womack – The Bravest Man In The
Universe
One of soul's most endearing and
controvertial figures shows that he still has many good years left in
him. He might just be The
Bravest Man In The Universe.
12. The Men – Open Your Heart
Bratty and ballsy, The Men have made
one hell of a first impression. Open
Your Heart rocks like the classic albums of alterna-rock's
glory days.
11. Dr John – Locked Down
With the help of Black Key's Dan
Auerbach, Dr John serves up another slice of steaming swamp pop. A
true original still going strong.
10. Killing Joke – MMXII
Still around, still kicking ass.
Killing Joke add another impressive album to their staggering legacy.
9. Storm Corrosion – Storm Corrosion
Two esteemed gentlemen (messirs
Mikael Akerfeldt and Steven Wilson) finally unleash the unwieldy prog
monster from the basement.
8. Pallbearer – Sorrow and Extinction
Epic, powerful, and chock full of
killer riffs. If you like your metal slow then this might be the best
debut of the album of the year.
7. Crippled Black Phoenix – (Mankind)
The Crafty Ape
This immensely talented prog rock
outfit hit all the right notes from prog's knotty history and project
that far into the future.
6. Mark Lanegan – Blues Funeral
Alt rock warhorse Lanegan is at
peace playing the crotchety old crooner who frequents bars at
midnight. Its not good, its great depression.
5. Soulsavers – The Light the Dead See
Soulsavers manage to paint bleak
portraits of the human soul that still hint at our ultimate
salvation. David Gahan (Depeche Mode) adds a layer of weathered
sincerity to the broken-hearted ballads on the album.
4. Left Or Right – Buzzy
One of New Zealand's best, most
original bands hit it out of the park on their second full length.
Reggae, metal, and funk are all jammed straight into the
stratosphere. Buzzy,
indeed.
3. Mars Volta – Noctourniquet
The Mars Volta do not know how to
disappoint. What they do know how to do is make cutting edge, daring
acid rock for a generation drowning in “safe” music.
2. Band Of Skulls – Sweet Sour
Band Of Skulls' second album is a
power play – a record that grabs at both the heart and the spine.
These songs worm their way further into your mind with every spin.
1. Diablo Swing Orchestra – Pandora's
Pinata
Manic, moody, frenetic: Pandora's
Pinata does it all. The most accomplished album from an
already formidable outfit. Viva DSO!
So what does the rest of the year promise? With new albums from the likes of Rush, Baroness, Gojira, MGMT, Tomahawk, Palms, and many more that we don't even know about yet 2012 is shaping up to be a fine year for music indeed.
- Prof. Ricardo K
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