#10) Passion Pit – Gossamer [Columbia; released 7/24/2012]
“I won’t let you go unless I’ll be alright.”
“I’ll Be Alright”
What sets Passion Pit apart from their electro-pop peers is their ability to create seemingly superficial songs that when unpacked reveal so much more about its authors. This is no more evident than on Gossamer, the Massachusetts band’s sophomore album, which is chock full of songs that can be easily enjoyed on the surface, but when delved deeper into become the revelations of a man battling his own personal demons. Once you get past opener “Take A Walk” which is a pretty straightforward radio pop song with some pretty weak lyrics, the journey inside lead singer Michael Angelakos’s mind begins and the true soul of Gossamer comes to the forefront. Angelakos is currently battling a severe bipolar disorder, something he has been struggling with since the age of 18, and his interview with Pitchfork is an eye opening look into his depression which puts this album in a new light. It’s a wonder Gossamer was even made at all, but when listened to in the context of what a painstaking process it must’ve been, we can enjoy this album (and band) for the elegance of its voice and not just music.
[“I’ll Be Alright” – Gossamer]
#9) Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan [Domino; released 7/10/2012]
“I haven’t found it, but I will keep dancing until I do.”
“Dance For You”
Here’s a fun fact: Ferdinand Magellan himself never actually circumnavigated the Earth, yet he is still given credit for being the first to accomplish the feat. (His expedition made it, but he was killed prior to making it back to Spain.) It’s still an important moment in our world’s history and one that deserves accolades, but also something that we can only fully appreciate once we dig deeper into finding the whole story. With Swing Lo Magellan, Dave Longstreth’s brand of avant-garde rock is getting credit for being his most accessible album to date, which is probably true, but I’m here to tell you, this is still a very complex and weird album, one that doesn’t require deeper listening to enjoy, but can be appreciated all the more when doing so.
[“Gun Has No Trigger” – Swing Lo Magellan]
#8) Tame Impala – Lonerism [Modular; released 10/9/2012]
“I just don’t know where the hell I belong.”
“Mind Mischief”
You know Australia, all tucked away down there? That’s where Tame Impala, the psych-rock project of Kevin Parker, calls home – Perth, more specifically. And judging by the themes of loneliness seen throughout his fantastic sophomore release, the aptly titled Lonerism, Australia’s isolation to the rest of the world is wearing a bit on Parker as his introspective thoughts serve as a perfect backdrop to an album that so perfectly captures a sense of alienation and what it really entails. Appropriately enough, Lonerism is a headphones album, one to be enjoyed in the joy of your own solitude and not really in the car with windows down and hair blowing in the wind. However, this is still an accessible album, full of rich melodies channeling 70’s pop with too many influences to name, best exemplified in “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” and “Elephant”. Whereas a song like “Mind Mischief” creates an almost atmospheric listen thanks to the hypnotic grooves that close out the track. Introversion has never been more mesmerizing.
[“Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” – Lonerism]
#7) The Men – Open Your Heart [Sacred Bones; released 3/6/2012]
“I wanna see you write a love song. I wanna see you going down. I wanna see you when you try so hard. I wanna see you when you turn it around.”
“Turn It Around”
The Men are a quartet out of Brooklyn, which is part of what makes Open Your Heart so refreshing, because it absolutely rocks – a quality that’s been missing from the Brooklyn music scene, which churns out band after band of innovative indie-rock groups. These songs are loud, heavy, full of hooks, and completely lacking pretention, something that can’t be said of many of The Men’s Brooklyn counterparts. In a year where I found myself bored by much of the same, Open Your Heart was an album necessary to reinvigorate a genre in need of a jolt.
[“Open Your Heart” – Open Your Heart]
#6) Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d. city [Aftermath; released 10/22/2012]
“I am a sinner who’s probably gonna sin again.”
“Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”
This is the highest I’ve ever had a rap album place on my albums of the year list, which should give you an idea of the quality of good kid, m.A.A.d. city, Kendrick Lamar’s sophomore album and major label debut on Dr Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment. Lamar subtitled this album “A Short Film By Kendrick Lamar” and it’s in that narrative where it really gains its power, not just the subtle, down-tempo beats and restrained production. This is a semi-autobiographical story of Lamar’s upbringing in Compton, CA and it offers a fascinating look at how family, religion, gangs, drugs, and even hip-hop can all tug a kid in different directions growing up in the streets. This album is a tour de force in creating a concept album and having it remain grounded in its own reality. It’s an album best appreciated as a true album, as the songs lose some of their power when not listened within the context of the story Lamar is developing. Case in point is “Backseat Freestyle” which taken on its own falls into the typical hip-hop tropes of money, power and misogyny, but in the context of the narrative, it becomes a satirical look at hip-hop and the dreams it promises young kids hoping to break into the industry. Kendrick Lamar has created as remarkable of an achievement I can ever recall hearing out of a concept album and one whose significance in the rap community really shouldn’t be understated, ya bish?
[“Backseat Freestyle” – good kid, m.A.A.d. city]
Posted by Hawkins 
A Round of Sound 