End of Year Review – 2012
Hello again,
As many many many people do around this time, I have compiled my favorite music for 2012. This is now the 4th year in a row that I have done this. I have recieved a varying degree of interest from friends, strangers, and robots. I think that I have started to just do it for my sake. I enjoy it. I like to recap the year in music and figure out what I liked the most. I also like to possibly inspire a few people to listen to something new and interesting. As always, this is my list of artists and songs that I have listened to. Remember being a college or high school student with nothing to do for like 5 hours straight? That doesn’t happen anymore. I try to listen to as much stuff as possible, but as you all know life gets in the way. Of what I heard, these are my lists. If there is something missing that you think I should listen to, let me know. I am always looking for something new.
Enjoy.
Top 20 Albums of 2012:
1. Kendrick Lamar – good kid m.A.A.d. city
2. Beach House – Bloom
3. Grizzly Bear – Shields
4. Killer Mike- R.A.P. Music
5. Aesop Rock – Skelethon
6. The xx – Coexist
7. The Shins –Port of Morrow
8. Passion Pit – Gossemer
9. Joey BadA$$ –1999
10. El-P – Cancer 4 Cure
11. Captain Murphy – Duality
12. Yeasayer – Fragrant World
13. Action Bronson – Rare Chandeliers
14. Tame Impala – Lonerism
15. P.O.S. – We Don’t Even Live Here
16. Open Mike Eagle – 4NML HSPTL
17. Miike Snow – Happy To You
18. alt-J –An Awesome Wave
19. Ab-Soul – Control System
20. JJ DOOM – Key to the Kuffs
Kendrick Lamar -good kid m.A.A.d. city
My #1 album of the year comes from Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar. good kid m.A.A.d. city is a concept album that might have ruined concept albums for any other artist for the rest of time. It is really that good. It is unfair to other rappers. He is an incredible wordsmith without sounding too wordy. Something about his music is effortlessly real. This, unlike most things that come out in the 21st century, is an “album”. Listening to these tracks on their own does not do the album justice, it has to be listened to in its entirety. I am really impressed with Kendrick’s ability to put out the album that he wanted to make. I was a little worried when I saw the features and I had a feeling it was going to be a “first major” commercial sounding release. It’s not. It is very good and if you like hip hop and think, “No one makes real hip hop anymore”. You are wrong. This is it. Enjoy.
Top 50 Songs of 2012: (Top 10 Audio/Video at the bottom of Post)
1. Danny Brown – “Grown Up”
2. Grizzly Bear – “Yet Again”
3. Kendrick Lamar – “Cartoons and Cereal”
4. Kendrick Lamar – “Swimming Pools (Drank)”
5. Joey Bada$$ – “Waves”
6. Killer Mike – “Untitled”
7. Grimes – “Oblivion”
8. Tame Impala – “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”
9. Beach House – “The Hours”
10. The Shins – “Simple Song”
11. Passion Pit – “Carried Away”
12. Tennis – “Petition”
13. alt-J – “Breezeblocks”
14. The xx – “Angels”
15. P.O.S. – “Bumper”
16. David Byrne and St. Vincent – “Who”
17. Yeasayer – “Henrietta”
18. A$AP Rocky – “Goldie”
19. Ab-Soul ft.Danny Brown and Jhene Aiko – “Terrorist Threats”
20. The Shins – “Bait and Switch”
21. Kendrick Lamar – “Backseat Freestyle”
22. G.O.O.D. Music – “Mercy”
23. Miike Snow – “Paddling Out”
24. El-P – “Drones over BKLYN”
25. Passion Pit – “Constant Conversations”
26. Joey Bada$$ ft. Capital STEEZ – “Survival Tactics”
27. Aesop Rock – “Zero Dark Thirty”
28. The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
29. Action Bronson – “The Symbol”
30. Grizzly Bear – “Sleeping Ute”
31. Sleigh Bells – “Comeback Kid”
32. Open Mike Eagle ft. Has-Lo – “Your Back Pack Past”
33. Yeasayer – “Longevity”
34. Aesop Rock – “Crows 1”
35. JJ DOOM -”Guv’nor”
36. The xx – “Fiction”
37. P.O.S. – “How We Land”
38. Beach House – “Troublemaker”
39. Killer Mike ft. El-P -”Butane”
40. Tame Impala – “Why Won’t They Talk To Me?”
41. Death Grips – “Get Got”
42. Captain Murphy – “The Killing Joke”
43. Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
44. Action Bronson – “Mike Vick”
45. Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”
46. Kendrick Lamar – “The Art of Peer Pressure”
47. Two Door Cinema Club – “Handshake”
48. DIIV – “How Long Have You Known”
49. Dirty Projectors – “Gun Has No Trigger”
50. OFWGKTA – “Oldie”
Biggest Pleasant Surprises:
Tame Impala – Lonerism
Joey Bada$$ –1999
alt-J – An Awesome Wave
Biggest Disappoint(s):
Sleigh Bells –Reign of Terror
Lupe Fiasco – Food & Liquor II
JJ DOOM – Key to the Kuffs
Albums that didn’t come out in 2012 but I listened to a lot:
Kendrick Lamar – Section .80 (2011)
Danny Brown – XXX (2011)
Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago (2008)
Overrated Albums:
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Mature Themes
Schoolboy Q – Habits and Contradictions
Death Grips – The Money Store
Albums to look forward to in 2013 with fingers crossed:
Smith Westerns – TBA
Local Natives – Hummingbird
Blackstar – ???
Dr. Dre.-Detox…3 year in a row this has been on my list. He did have a hand in making g.k.m.c. so I have to give him some credit.
Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season filled with prosperity and happiness.
Your friend and colleague,
Bojan Jovanovic
TOP 10 Songs for 2012
1. Danny Brown – “Grown Up”
2. Grizzly Bear – “Yet Again”
3. Kendrick Lamar – “Cartoons and Cereal”
4. Kendrick Lamar – “Swimming Pools (Drank)”
5. Joey Bada$$ -“Waves”
6. Killer Mike – “Untitled”
7. Grimes – “Oblivion”
8. Tame Impala – “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”
9. Beach House – “The Hours”
10. The Shins – “Simple Song”
End of the Year Lists (Sorry for the typos)
Jugo + Rada Records 