I am a chronic ranker of things, a lister. You give me a category - movies, music, vegetables, just about anything besides my children - and I'll give you a nice, neat list of my favorites. For my summary of the year 2012, a single Top Ten List didn't seem sufficient, so instead I submit my Top Five Top Fives of 2012. First, a disclaimer: I read about and listen to as much music as I can, but music is my vacation, not my vocation. So if you read this and are inclined to deride me with "what about (fill in whichever album I missed)?", I probably didn't hear it. If there is something my life wouldn't be complete without me hearing, let me know about it on Twitter (@thegeeter).
So Without further ado....
See also: - The Top Five Notes on My Bass Guitar - The Six Best Shows of 2012 That Nobody Attended - The Ten Best Musical Happenings of 2012: Humble Edition
Albums: 5. Pond - Beards, Wives, Denim. Borrowing much of its style (and two of its band members) from fellow Aussies Tame Impala, Pond is the raging yang to Impala's sobering yin. 4. Jack White - Blunderbuss. In his first solo effort (although many would argue that every White Stripes album was pretty much solo), White effortlessly vacillates between the raucous ("Sixteen Saltines") and the mellow ("Blunderbuss") while hitting all spots in between. Only a few weak tracks in the second half keep this from finishing even higher on this list. 3. White Rabbits - Milk Famous. The most common question anyone asks about a band he or she doesn't know is "Who do they sound like?" The answer when that is asked about White Rabbits is simple: Spoon. They sound like Spoon. And in my mind, that is a very good thing. 2. Grizzly Bear - Shields. With its wonderfully eclectic follow-up to 2009's "Veckatimest", Grizzly Bear firmly plants its paws at the top of the list of indie rock bands, or at least amongst the myriad of those with animal names. 1. Tame Impala - Lonerism. The Australian quartet delivers spectacular psychedelic rock that would make Jefferson Airplane (pre-"We Built This City", of course) proud. The album's themes of loneliness and isolation match perfectly with the vocal style of Kevin Parker, who sounds like he is singing much of the time from down the hall somewhere. Apologies to: Japandroids - Celebration Rock, Bob Mould - Silver Age, Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls, Sharon Von Etten - Tramp, Beach House - Bloom
Up next: Best songs of the year, and even more lists!
