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.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Warner Bros.
The end has come. It’s a bittersweet day for Harry Potter fans across the world as the young wizard has raised his wand against his foe Voldemort for the final time. Truth be told, the most loyal fans, the ones who have read the successful series of books, have already known the fate of Potter and his close friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley for years. The final novel of J.K. Rowling’s epic teenage fantasy series was released in summer 2007. However, now that the film adaptations have come to a close, it seems like the world now must move on from the trials and tribulations of their favorite wizard and find a new hero. It’s always sad to say goodbye, but at least Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is a fond farewell.
It’s hard to believe that the first Harry Potter film came out 10 years ago, just two months after 9/11. Maybe it was because the country was eager to escape reality that America–even the many of us who hadn’t read the books–so eagerly grasped on to the adventures of three kids attending magic school; but whatever the reason, it’s hard to deny these characters’ impact on pop culture.
As film franchises go, not only was the Harry Potter series wildly profitable, but it also set a high water mark in scope. There are franchises that have spawned more films–the 007 series comes to mind–but for the most part they’re episodic. Here, we see a character grow practically from birth to manhood. Trilogies are hard enough to pull off (just ask the Wachowski Brothers and Francis Ford Coppola), but with the Harry Potter series, filmmakers asked audiences to bear with them for eight installments, and had them eating out of their hands every time. Even though the people behind the Harry Potter series were working from source material with a built-in fan base, it’s still a remarkable feat.
But is Deathly Hallows: Part 2 any good? It is, and perhaps one of the best films in the series (I’d rank Half-Blood Prince as my No. 1). The story picks up exactly where Deathly Hallows: Part 1 left off. Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has gained possession of the most powerful magic wand in the world (the Elder Wand) and Dementors have Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, now with the treacherous Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) at the helm, circled. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is public enemy No. 1, and he and his closest friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger (Rupert Grint and Emma Watson respectively) must regroup in a last-ditch effort to end Voldemort’s reign of terror once and for all.
Whereas Deathly Hallows: Part 1 was more psychological and rife with dark tension, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is all crescendo–an explosion of supernatural action, epic set pieces and dramatic showdowns. Cinematically speaking, it’s a breathtaking film full of beautifully fantastic and frightening imagery. Its storytelling is as magical as its subject matter. David Yates, who directed the previous three installments of the series, is once again back at the helm. As the series has turned darker, his style seems to play up the gravity of the situation. Sweeping panoramas are intercut with quick close-ups, which takes the action from macrocosm to microcosm. Even as Hogwarts is severely damaged in a battle between the good wizards and the forces of Voldemort, the conflict is shown mainly through more of a personal lens as we see the looks on the faces of those affected by the violence. Later, as Harry ventures into a dark wood to face down his most feared foe, we’re presented with a stark and moody image, free from any pomp.
High fantasy at its best: dragons and witches, wizards and goblins. You were either on board way before this film came out or you weren’t. But for those who were caught up in this series, these films will be surely missed. Without the Harry Potter series to look forward to, cinemas worldwide will just have to wait with fingers crossed until the next generation-defining franchise comes along. Don’t hold your breath…
Due Date
The buddy picture is a time-tested Hollywood staple. From the Lethal Weapon franchise to Tango and Cash, there’s a certain draw to watching two polar opposites thrust into an impossible situation not entirely of their own making who have to overcome not only their bizarre circumstances but the differences between them as well. Now Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis can add their names to the pantheon of big screen buddies. While their film Due Date may not have the bang of the aforementioned Gibson/Glover or Stallone/Russell combos, Downey and Galifianakis provide plenty of onscreen fireworks, especially if you’re into masturbating dogs (who isn’t?).
Told in a brisk 90-or-so-minutes, Due Date follows a few days in the life of Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) and Peter Highman (Downey). Highman (a great pun of a name) is a high-powered businessman with a temper to match, while Tremblay is a hopeful actor. Their paths cross in Atlanta: Highman, in town on business, is anxious to get back to Los Angeles to witness the birth of his first child; Tremblay, who traveled to Atlanta for his father’s funeral, is heading west to pursue his dream of finding fame and fortune in Hollywood. When an on-plane incident puts both characters on the no-fly list, Tremblay and Highman are stuck driving cross-country together. Enter wackiness.
Due Date has a grocery list of cameos. Wu-tang Clan’s RZA plays an airport screener, Jamie Foxx appears as a big name football player and friend of Highman and Eastbound and Down’s Danny McBride is cast as an easily riled employee of a check cashing place; but make no mistake, this is Downey and Galifianakis’ vehicle, and unlike the characters they portray, both are capable behind the wheel. Downey is always a consummate pro. His Peter Highman isn’t a likable fellow. He loses his temper often and incessantly bullies the affable, though obnoxiously quirky Tremblay. He says awful things–often unapologetically–like questioning the legitimacy of McBride’s character’s tour in Iraq. Still, Downey manages to smooth out Highman’s rough edges just enough so that he’s someone worth pulling for. In his role, Galifianakis doesn’t stray too far from his cartoon-ish persona. He smokes weed, wears a perm, treats his French bulldog Sonny like a person and walks in an effeminate manner. Still, there’s more to Tremblay than just his quirks. In a scene in a rest stop bathroom, Galifianakis does a solid job turning on the water works while lamenting the death of Tremblay’s father. It’s just enough depth, but not so much that you have to struggle with too many feelings.
This isn’t new territory. It’s two guys who have no business being around one another stuck in a car, having madcap adventures as they careen across America. There are gunshots, car chases and plenty of slapstick. Sometimes there’s a reason films like this are formulaic–because it’s a formula that works.
Those who are coming to see Due Date on the strength of director Todd Phillips and Galifianakis’ work in last year’s The Hangover will not be disappointed. There are plenty instances of absurd and downright vile humor to appeal to viewers on a base and visceral level. However, Due Date’s nice surprises are its few poignant moments that aren’t overly saccharine and usually broken up by a butt crack gag. Here’s hoping fans of The Hangover are one year older, and also a little bit wiser.
