The 11 Best Songs By Ty Segall of 2012

While Ryan Adams was sleeping, Ty Segall decided to fill our stocking with three full length albums this year.  Maybe Ty made Green Day jealous.  In all fairness to Ryan, he did put out a 15-disc live vinyl box set.  Yeah, he did.

While some people have embraced Ty's proliferation, many people are criticizing him for putting out too much sub par material.  While not everything is great...there was still a lot of awesome songs stuffed into the three albums.  Enough songs that I could have done 22 top songs...and it still would have been a quality list.  I've always found it a strange how critics lament about the length of time an album took.  I understand the "rushed" feeling...but Beck made a slew of albums all recorded in a day.  And all of them sound fresh.  It should matter if an album took 1 year or 10 years to make...it should only matter on the quality of the product.  And there are many albums that take years to make...and they're still loaded with filler songs.

Here are Ty Segall's 11 Best Songs from 2012:

1. You're The Doctor (Twins)
2. Thank God For Sinners (Twins)
3. The Black Glove/Rag (Hair)
4. The Hill (Twins)
5. Tell Me What's Inside Your Heart (Slaughterhouse)
6. Crybaby (Hair)
7. The Tongue (Slaughterhouse)
8. Diddy Wah Diddy (Slaughterhouse)
9. Easy Ryder (Hair)
10. There Is No Tomorrow (Twins)
11. Scissor People (Hair)

Buy Ty Segall's albums, Twins, Slaughterhouse, and Hair...now!!

The Best Albums of 2012 (1-11)

It's the end of the year.  2012...and we survived.  Unless some mad Mayan rises from the grave in the next three days and turns us all into zombies and the inevitable Irwin Allen disaster picture.  Anything's possible.

So here are my top pics for favorite albums of 2012.  It's really a toss-up between Jack and Corin.  I went with Corin in the final coin flip because I find myself going back to the record more than JW.  It's honestly the strongest thing she's put out since the heart of the Sleater-Kinney years...if not better in some ways.

Now it's your turn.  Send in your top album pics for 2012 and I'll compile them in my super 111 best album list that I'll post about a week from now.

Remember it doesn't have to be twenty.  It can be any number of albums you liked.  Just post them in the comment section or email me.

Have a great new year!

Here are the Best Albums of 2012 (1-11):

1.  The Corin Tucker Band - Kill My Blues
2.  Jack White - Blunderbuss
3.  The Big Pink - Future This
4.  Lana Del Rey - Born To Die/Paradise
5.  Passion Pit - Gossamer
6.  Shins - Port of Morrow
7.  The xx - Coexist
8.  Delta Spirit - Delta Spirit
9.  The Divine Fits - A Thing Called Divine Fits (Bonus Track)
10.  Niki & Dove - Instinct
11.  Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods

Buy these albums and more...now!!!

The Best Albums of 2012 (12-22)

Merry Christmas to all.

Sometimes Christmas surprises you.  For years I've grown complacent with Christmas presents.  Not for others.  For others I go all out spending most of the year trying to figure out exactly what they want.  What I'm referring to is what is given to me.  I'm not bitching about peoples' generosity, everyone around me is very generous but sometimes their presents miss the mark and I spend most of the day smiling and thanking people for something I'm figuring out how I'm going to return.  This year something different happened.  I'm a huge Smashing Pumpkins fan...if you haven't noticed in my Billy Corgan manlove.  I've purchased all the reissues thus far.The Pumpkins reissues have been one of the best remaster/editions to come out in years.  Though it comes close to the "wall of sound" disaster that ruined Nevermind...it toes close enough to the line to respectfully keep the original sound intact.  Naturally, I admired the Mellon Collie box set from afar.  I thought the Pisces price tag of $40 was steep...but the Mellon Collie set weighs in at over $100.  Granted you get 5 discs worth of material...plus a DVD.  It was still far above what I could handle paying.  I joked with my brother about getting it for me...knowing fair well that he would never cough up the dough for it.  My brother would rather spend $100 on polishing the tires on his Maserati than ever think about doing something like this.  Granted, his tires do get dirty very easily.  I had begun plotting how I might be able to download the bonus tracks though the availability of them was very slim.  I had resigned the fact that this one would be the box set that would just get away.  Then, Christmas morning I unwrapped it.  The last present under the tree happened to be the one thing I wanted that I never thought I'd have.  Though it wasn't from my brother...it was a bit of a Christmas miracle.

A post about this SP set will be coming shortly...

Here are the Best Albums of 2012 (12-22):

12.  Jeff The Brotherhood - Hypnotic Nights 
13.  Chiddy Bang - Breakfast 
14.  Of Monsters and Men - My Head Is An Animal 
15.  Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
16.  The Raveonettes - Observator 
17.  Crystal Castles - III
18.  Craig Finn - Clear Heart Full Eyes 
19.  Japandroids - Celebration Rock 
20.  Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth 
21.  The Lumineers - The Lumineers 
22.  Kendrick Lamar - good kid, maad city (Bonus Track)

Buy these albums and more now!!!

The Best Albums of 2012 (23-33):

I dragged my feet on getting the countdown out this year.  The contributions so far have been fairly slim.  I know you all listen to music.  I know you all have your favorites.  So let's hear them.

It's the day before Christmas and I've sat down to spend the next 48 hours watching screeners.  If you guys are good and get your lists in, I'll loan them to you.  You know you want to watch the Hobbit in the comfort of your own home.  So, get shaking.

Here the Best Albums of 2012 (23-33):

23.  Minus The Bear - Infinity Overhead
24.  Bob Dylan - Tempest
25.  Soundgarden - King Animal
26.  The Killers - Battle Born (Bonus Track)
27.  Conor Oberst - One Of My Kind 
28.  Macklemore and Ryan - The Heist
29.  Zedd - Clarity
30.  G.O.O.D. Music - Cruel Summer 
31.  Green Day - Uno/Dos/Tre (Bonus Track)
32.  Cooly G - Playing Me
33.  Big Boi - Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors

Buy these albums and a lot more...now!!

The Best Albums of 2012 (34-44):

If you haven't voted for the best album of the year...do it now!  Right now.

Put your twenty favorite albums in the comment section.

I've been playing around with the new Myspace this week.  I'm making some playlists so when all my readers join, you can link to me and I'll have my daily lists available to listen.  Could be very exciting.  More to come on that.  right now...it's time to vote.

Here are the Best Albums of 2012 (34-44):

34.  Action Bronson - Blue Chips (download for free)
35.  Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
36.  Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
37.  Burial - Kindred/One Two
38.  Ben Gibbard - Former Lives
39.  The Cribs - In the Belly of the Brazen Bull
40.  Joey Bada$$ - 1999 (download for free)
41.  Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, Yim Yames - New Multitudes (Bonus Track)
42.  Garbage - Not Your Kind of People
43.  Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls
44.  Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory

Buy these albums and more!

The Best Albums of 2012 (45-55):

Here it is.  My countdown of my favorite albums of 2012.  Though it's not a surprising #1 choice...my number one surprises me...because I don't love the album.  Anyway, you'll have to wait to see what that is...until then...it's time for your input.

Every year I ask you, my readers, to give me your twenty best/favorite albums.  The only rule...the album has to have been released in 2012.  That's it.

You don't need 20...if you only have 10...5...or even if you only like one release...that's fine!  Just post your top picks in the comment section.  Or email me.  And I'll add them all together and post the tally on January 1st (roughly).  Last year we had over 200 people vote...let's see if you we can top that this year.

The Best Albums of 2012 (45-55):

45.  Trust - TRST
46.  Calvin Harris - 18 Months
47.  Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten (Bonus Track)
48.  Mumford And Sons - Babel
49.  Rival Sons - Head Down
50.  Father John Misty - Fear Fun
51.  Fun. - Some Nights
52.  Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas
53.  Pinback - Information Retrieved
54.  Metric - Synthetica
55.   EL-P - Cancer For Cure

Buy Theses albums and more now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Big Boi (solo):

I wanted to discuss the new Myspace, which I have spent the week playing with and obsessing about.  It's pretty cool...and there's much about it I want to bring up...but there was a big event last night that is more topical...since the new Myspace is still in very beta form and hard to get onto.

Last night, we came as close as we ever will come to a Nirvana reunion.  Dave Grohl, Pat Smear, and Krist Novoselic jammed with Paul McCartney at the 12-12-12 relief concert.  For some reason this caused a huge uproar among Nirvana fans and music fans alike.  And honestly, this uproar needs to be addressed.

First of all, people were pissed that it was Paul McCartney.  Many said they'd be okay if it was John Lennon, if he was still alive.  That's the worst exception ever.  Yeah, that would be cool.  But you know who would be cooler?  Kurt Cobain.  But they're both dead.  So shut the hell up.  That's not an option.  It's Paul McCartney, the greatest living rock and roll legend out there.  It doesn't get bigger.  If you're going to pick anyone to fill Kurt's shoes...starting at the top is not a bad way to go.

Second of all, it was not a Nirvana reunion.  It was the remaining members of Nirvana jamming with Paul McCartney on a new song.  It was not billed as a Nirvana reunion, it was not sold as Nirvana, it was a bunch of quality musicians rocking out together.

Third of all, Kurt's dead.  It fucking sucks.  But why does that mean that Dave, Pat and Krist should never play together again?  They're friends and they have great musical chemistry. They're not touring, recording or performing as Nirvana...they're just having fun.  Which they should.  Let's let them do what they do best.  You know who else hated the Paul Mac performance?  Courtney Love.  and if she thought it sucked...then it has to be good.

Lastly, and most importantly, the song was fucking awesome.  It was with exception to Blackbird...the best song of Paul's set...and possibly the best performances of the night...better than the Rolling Stones, The Who, Roger Waters and Eddie Vedder, Billy Joel and even Bruce himself.  At the end of the day, does it matter if the original members are together making music...as long as the music being made kicks ass?

Here are the 11 Best Songs By Big Boi (solo):

1. Flip Flop Rock (Speakerboxxx)
2. Turns Me On (Sir Lucious Left Foot)
3. The Way You Move (Speakerboxxx)
4. Ghetto Musick (Speakerboxxx)
5. Knowing (Speakerboxxx)
6. Daddy Fat Sax (Sir Lucious Left Foot)
7. Shine Blockas (Sir Lucious Left Foot)
8. The Rooster (Speakerboxxx)
9. Bowtie (Speakerboxxx)
10. Back Up Plan (Sir Lucious Left Foot)
11. Follow Us (Sir Lucious Left Foot)

Buy Big Boi's new solo album, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors...now!!

The 11 Best Songs By Green Day of the Teens

This is something I never do.  I never include new songs from new releases in my lists.  But Green Day has done something this year that has never been done either...they've released three albums in four months.  So if they can break the rules, then so can I.  Granted I'm breaking a rule I've self-imposed upon myself and the only one I have to answer to is me...but let's not think about that.

I've been going through my old Rolling Stones magazines for a project I'm working on.  I have twenty years of Rolling Stones.  And I've kept all of them.  Reading old stories about bands in retrospect has some incredible insight about what music we thought had potential...and what truly did.  From reading articles about breaking artists like Amy Winehouse, The Killers, and Arcade Fire to interviews with a rising young Senator named Barack Obama, who swears he will not be running for President in 2008.  The names of the past like Amy Grant, Jesus Jones and Chris Whitley.  Or how Green Day is talked about like they are a passing fad while Candlebox is the air apparent to Led Zeppelin's throne.  Truer words have never been spoken.

The 11 Best Songs By Green Day of the Teens:

1. Kill the DJ (Uno!)
2. Lazy Bones (Dos!)
3. Stay The Night (Uno!)
4. Let Yourself Go (Uno!)
5. Ashley (Dos!)
6. Sex, Drugs and Violence (Tre!)
7. Nuclear Family (Uno!)
8. Stray Heart (Dos!)
9. 99 Revolutions (Tre!)
10. Dirty Rotten Bastards (Tre!)
11. Nightlife (Dos!)

Buy Green Day's new album, Tre!