As in past years, you’ve already sampled many of the songs that I think were the best individual songs of 2012 throughout the past year’s samplers so this sampler tries to focus on cuts from the best albums of the year. Overall, my favorite albums for 2012 were My Head is An Animal by Of Monsters and Men, Europe by Allo, Darlin’ and Old Ideas by Leonard Cohen with Observator by the Raveonettes, Port of Marrow by the Shins and Green Day’s trio of Uno! Dos! Tre! also deserving a mention.
1. Manhattan by Cat Power – On this year’s Sun Chan Marshall steps out from behind the covers she has brought new life to in the past (New York, New York etc) to take a new stylistic direction while examining the breakup of her marriage. Confronting being replaced by a “useful woman” is just part of the moving on process.
The hotel above and the street below
People come and people go
All the friends that we used to know
Ain't coming back, Ain't coming back, Ain't coming back
You say your heart has a rhythm
Well see you got your secret on
You say hey and nothing to hide
You and your secret life
Don't look at the moon tonight
You'll never be never be never be Manhattan
Don't look at the moon tonight
You can never be never be never be never be Manhattan
Your badge and your suitcase on
Your suit and your hair's not right
Cause nobody knows this woman by your side
It's not me you know,
it's a useful woman by your side
It's not me you know,
it's a useful woman by your side
Manhattan
See your heart has a rhythm
Well see you got your secret on
She say hey and nothing to hide
You and your secret life
Don't look at the moon tonight
You'll never be never be never be Manhattan
Don't look at the moon tonight
You can never be never be never be never be Manhattan
See your heart has a rhythm
You got your secret on
And you say you got nothing to hide
You, you, you and your secret life
You'll never be never be never be Manhattan
Hollerin' at me hollerin' at you
Hollerin' at me hollerin' at you
Liberty in the basement light
Free speech, lipstick and the moonlight
Howling to get me, howlin’ to get you
In Harlem, in a dark back room
Dancing to a different tune
Howling at me, howling at you
2. Rocky Ground by Bruce Springsteen – Surprisingly, it took me until the end of the year to give Bruce’s latest a listen because it is always so hard and somewhat unfair to compare what he’s done recently to his peak when he wrote and sang about exactly the right things at the right moment for a generation coming of age. We’re all older and sadly, more jaded now, but Wrecking Ball is much better than I expected, particularly on songs like Rocky Ground where he shares the spotlight with Michelle Moore and updates his style to suit the times without losing any of his trademark everyman sincerity.
3. Heart of a Girl by The Killers – Brandon Flowers and the Killers often get referred to as Springsteen for the new generation. I don’t quite see it that way but I give them credit for writing tunes that catch my ear while stretching beyond my usual tastes like this one from this year’s Battle Born.
4. Lazy Bones by Green Day – Audaciously, Green Day released three albums, Uno! Dos! and Tre!, in rapid fashion in 2012, eschewing the high-mindedness of their previous “concept” albums for straight out rock and roll. Influences abound, (those are the strains of the Smithereen’s “Behind the Wall of Sleep” you hear in this one if you find that driving you crazy) but you really can’t argue with the results. Cool fan-made video since there’s no official video for Lazy Bones (Flash required) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-caS0MmTnxo
5. Fell For You by Green Day – My favorite cut from Uno! There’s an “official” video for this one, but nowhere near as interesting or intriguing as the one for the leadoff single Oh Love.
6. It’s Time by Imagine Dragon – Their album Night Visions showed up on Amazon’s best of 2012 lists so I gave it a listen and found this semi-anthem to my liking. Also found a cool complementary acoustic live version on YouTube for your viewing pleasure http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CskHY7k3vo.
7. My Love is Winter by Smashing Pumpkins – Billy Corgan returns with a new batch of Pumpkins on this year’s Oceania but the same grandiose, soaring tunes that we remember from 1979 (the song, not the year).
8. No Way Down by The Shins – Similarly, James Mercer made Port of Marrow with a whole new supporting cast but chose to stick with the Shins moniker for continuity and doesn’t miss a beat with the classic Shin’s sound.
9. 40 Mark Strasse by The Shins – Switching gears, the Shins show they can do slow introspective music as well.
10. Your Bones by Of Monsters and Men – Their eponymous debut album was packed with tuneful, offbeat music that clearly struck a key with me as you’ve already heard on several of this year’s samplers. This is one of the few that Ragnar pretty much takes over with just subtle backing from Nana.
11. Different Sides by Leonard Cohen – Another album I didn’t get around to until the end of the year, surprising as I’ve always been a big Leonard fan. Now that I’ve given him a good listen, I think Old Ideas is another contender.
We find ourselves on different sides
Of a line nobody drew
Though it all may be one in the higher eye
Down here where we live it is two
I to my side call the meek and the mild
You to your side call the Word
By virtue of suffering I claim to have won
You claim to have never been heard
Both of us say there are laws to obey
But frankly I don’t like your tone
You want to change the way I make love
I want to leave it alone
The pull of the moon, the thrust of the sun
And thus the ocean is crossed
The waters are blessed while a shadowy guest
Kindles a light for the lost
Both of us say there are laws to obey
But frankly I don’t like your tone
You want to change the way I make love
I want to leave it alone
Down in the valley the famine goes on
The famine up on the hill
I say that you shouldn’t, you couldn’t, you can’t
You say that you must and you will
Both of us say there are laws to obey
But frankly I don’t like your tone
You want to change the way I make love
I want to leave it alone
You want to live where the suffering is
I want to get out of town
C’mon baby give me a kiss
Stop writing everything down
Both of us say there are laws to obey
Yeah, but frankly I don’t like your tone
You want to change the way I make love
I want to leave it alone
(repeat)
12. Darkness by Leonard Cohen – Leonard has brought along the excellent touring band he put together for the tours he’s been doing back since returning from the monastery a few years back and they help provide a varied sonic background for Leonard’s ruminations.
13. The Enemy by The Raveonettes – Sharin Foo steps out alone from behind the usual Jesus and Mary Chain wall of sound backdrop on this tuneful change of pace cut from 2012’s excellent Observator. Interestingly, in their artist’s bio on Amazon bandleader Sune Rose Wagner writes that Observator was intended to be the duo’s “LA album” but he lost his way during his stay in Venice Beach and Hollywood. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OGtnVR69nE
14. Observations by The Raveonettes – Sune joins Sharin for their trademark harmonies on this somewhat spacey number which again is a departure from their usual distortion-based backing.
15. Fiction by The XX – In similar fashion, on this cut from Coexist, the second album from the XX, Oliver Sim goes solo without Romy Madley-Croft but don’t despair (although you can’t help it with the tone from most of the album’s tunes) as they do team up for their trademark duets on most of the other cuts on the album. Had to include this offbeat video for Chained, which narrowly got beat out by Fiction for this sampler check it out athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DD7IwXWfDW4.
16. Tonight by Saint Etienne – Couldn’t help including a cut from personal and cult favorite Saint Etienne’s latest album, Words and Music by Saint Etienne. Can’t quite put my finger on what it is that is appealing about their music, which I’ve followed since 2000’s So Tough, but if you checkout the fan reviews on Amazon you’ll see I'm not the only one who they appeal to. See what you think. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEWEAqNR2XQ
17. Some People Say (alternate) by Allo, Darlin’ – Since four songs from Europe made this year’s samplers, you can surmise that Allo, Darlin’ was one of my finds for the year. This alternate take of a song you’ve heard before show a poppy, upbeat and optimistic song can be completely transformed with slower pace and phrasing to perhaps reveal the true insecurity, caution and almost paralyzing trepidation that is part of the territory with falling in love. Found a YouTube video of a live performance that strikes the balance in the middle ground where most of us end up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xFU5HnLa0o. Happy listening for 2013!