Tag Archives: Japandroids

Submerge’s Top 20 of 2012

From local bands and beyond, here are Submerge’s favorite albums of 2012, in tweet-friendly format. These albums are certified #awesome!

20) Jessica Pratt
s/t

(Birth Records)

Pratt’s debut of home-recorded, time-capsule folk stood as a brilliant reminder of the beauty in lo-fi love letters.

19) Wife & Son
This That and the Other

(self-released)

A brilliant indie-pop record from one of our favorite new local bands. The suburbs of Sacramento have never sounded so good!

18) Marina and the Diamonds
Electra Heart

(679 Recordings)

Pop anthems with heart and humor for disenfranchised prom queens and introspective home-wreckers.

17) The Ross Hammond Quartet
Adored

(Big Weezus Music)

Jazz requires inspiration. The Ross Hammond Quartet’s Adored comes from a budding father’s lullabies fed through free jazz spontaneity.

16) Beach House
Bloom

(Sub Pop)

Called a “dream pop duo,” Beach House records a calming and eerie sound unique to much of the music today.

15) Metz
s/t

(Sub Pop)

Sporadic screaming bursts, fuzzy bass and plenty guitar chaos, this album has ears both assaulted and surrendering over and over.

14) Thee Oh Sees
Putrifiers II

(In the Red)

Veteran psych-punk loonies leapt out of the garage and into national consciousness with their liveliest cuts of fuzzy fun.

13) Action Bronson and Party Supplies
Blue Chips

(mix tape)

Skillful rapping mixed with humor and bravado over a range of stellar production, and it’s a wrap. It’s a fun album with rewards for mindful ears.

12) Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
Here

(Rough Trade)

The perfect band of misfits surpasses all expectations with their second studio album full of charismatic, folk-y love songs and smiles.

11) Fine Steps
Boy’s Co.

(self-released)

Fine Step’s Boy’s Co. should be on Slumberland. On Captured Tracks. Hell, even Burger. Two self-presses later, Fine Steps gets the glory.

10) Witchcraft
Legend

(Nuclear Blast)

Pure, heavy riff alchemy. Progressive, yet retro. Metal shouldn’t sound this groovy, but we’re glad it does.

9) Japandroids
Celebration Rock

(Polyvinyl Record Co.)

A fitting album title, indeed. Anthemic as all hell, this is a singalong, raise your glass type punk rock record.

8 ) St. Lucia
s/t

(Columbia)

Catchy, dreamy electro-pop fit for a night club or sweaty hipster venue. Leader Jean-Philip Grobler is a pop-music force to be reckoned with.

7) The Sword
Apocryphon

(Razor & Tie)

The lords of stoner rock reach new heights on a space-y trip down the heavy metal rabbit hole.

6) The Mars Volta
Noctourniquet

(Warner Bros.)

Nearly three years in the making, Noctourniquet was worth the wait. Sounds exactly like a Volta record should, and that’s why we love it.

5) C-Plus & Lee Bannon

Young Champions
(self-released)

Two of Sacramento’s finest team up for an epic release. No features, just Plus’ smooth flows over Bannon’s undeniably sick beats. Go cop it!

4) Kendrick Lamar
Good Kid M.A.A.D. City

(Aftermath/Interscope)

Believe the hype. A brave debut, from a bright mind who showed that you can create outside the box and succeed. Truly masterful in every respect.

3) Tame Impala
Lonerism

(Modular)

Lonerism is damn near perfect. It’s a psych album with pop melodies; heavy guitars, intricate drumming, humming keys and an irresistible sonic sheen.

2) Death Grips
The Money Store

(Epic)

Weird, angry, non-imitable experimental hip-hop from Sacramento. Is it rap? Is it punk? What the fuck is it? Don’t ask, turn it up!

1) Solos
Beast of Both Worlds

(Joyful Noise)

The sonic symbiosis of this Aaron Ross/Spencer Seim collaboration explored bold and bizarre realms. Sleeper LP of the year.

Submerge’s Year End List

in 140 characters or less

the-xx-xx.jpg

20. The XX
XX (XL)

One of the best man and woman duets of all time. Their voices mesh together like delicious PB+J. Songs to groove or snooze to.

consider-the-thief-signs-and-wonders.jpg

19. Consider the Thief
Signs and Wonders (Self-released)

Locally bred, brilliantly produced post-rock album that plays well in its entirety. Healthy dose of clever programming. Great vocal work.

tides-of-man-empire-theory.jpg

18. Tides of Man
Empire Theory (Rise)

Soaring vocals, layers of swirling guitar riffs, solid rhythms. Almost enough to make Claudio Sanchez of Coheed and Cambria jealous.

japandroids.jpg

17. Japandroids
Post-Nothing (Unfamiliar)

“Garage rock” is apparently what happens when production savvy meets a couple of punk kids intent on loosening up your bowels. A guitar tone dream date.

liturgy-renihilation_.jpg

16. Liturgy
Renihilation (20 Buck Spin)

Black metal in its purest form, but spiritual ecstasy rises forth from its buzzing guitars, crashing cymbals and despondent growls.

infinity-fabric_banner.jpg

15. A-trak
Infinity (Thrive)

A relentless hour of cheap thrills and kick/snare/hollas from one of Montreal’s most prodigious mashers.

senses_hear.jpg

14. Bright Light Fever
Meat Market EP (Self-released)

Five delicious tracks of foot tapping, head nodding, energetic rock brewed in Sacramento. Sing along, dance and have fun. RIP BLF.

real-estate-real-estate.jpg

13. Real Estate
Real Estate (Woodsist)

Clouds never quite break for this sunny-day guitar narrative; summer with a caveat, in a Jersey basement.

dredgnewcd.jpg

12. Dredg
The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion (Ohlone)

Follow Dredg as they take you on an exuberant journey through 18 tracks of melt your face bliss blended like your favorite film score.

thrice-beggars.jpg

11. Thrice
Beggars (Vagrant)

A raw, stripped down Thrice go back to the basics: guitars, bass, drums, keys, vocals. Groovy, almost bluesy at times. Refreshing offering.

ganglians-monster-head-room.jpg

10. Ganglians
Monster Head Room (Woodsist)

Grooving surf-rock riffs and supple vocal harmonies, it’s the record that encompassed Midtown life.

passion-pit-manners.jpg

09. Passion Pit
Manners (Columbia/DMZ)

A happy indie electronic album with some of the most high pitch singing out there this year. Yet still makes you want to turn it up to 11.

sunn-o-monoliths-and-dimensions.jpg

08. Sunn O)))
Monoliths and Dimensions (Southern Lord)

Manages to segue from immense drone riffs to jazz-like passages without a stutter. 4 songs, almost 60 minutes, 4,000 tons of despair.

john-mayer-battle-studies.jpg

07. John Mayer
Battle Studies (Sony)

He took a step away from the blues-driven Continuum, but perfected the pop-rock song like it hasn’t been done since Fleetwood Mac in the ’70s.

dan-deacon-bromst.jpg

06. Dan Deacon
Bromst (Carpark)

Deacon preaches the way forward with volcanic drums and fuzzy, twisted melodies—electronic music in its grandest, most sincere composition.

san-kazakgascar-idle-ships78848.jpg

05. San Kazakgascar
Idle Ships (Lather)

A psych trip led by a snake charmer through a hipster bazaar in search of your hash dealer.

marsvolta_new1.jpg

04. The Mars Volta
Octahedron (Warner Brothers)

Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala prove once again that they are the masters of creating weird, yet somehow easy listening albums.

tegan-and-sara.jpg

03. Tegan and Sara
Sainthood (Sire)

The Canadian twins continue to bleed their romantic struggles into indie rock jams with substance, dueling vocals and sing-along melodies.

baroness-blue-record.jpg

02. Baroness
Blue Record (Relapse)

Boulder-heavy but like an opera in its composition. A rare album that demands, through brute force, that it be listened to in its entirety.

wolfgang-amadeus-phoenix.jpg

01. Phoenix
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (V2)

Sublimely perfect and addictive gooey indie pop goodness. 2009’s album most likely to make people at your party say, “That’s my song!”