YPOIW TOP 25 ALBUMS OF 2012: 15-11

With 2012 coming to a close, YPOIW would like to take the week to showcase our favorite releases of the year. Monday through Friday will be a countdown of our top 25 favorite albums of 2012, starting with spots #25-21 on Monday and continuing until the final #5-1 on Friday. This weekend, we'll also be taking a look at some albums that we feel deserve an honorable mention but didn't quite make it on our list as well as releasing our end of year podcast in which we discussed each and every album on this list. Thanks for reading, and most importantly, enjoy!

15. Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do

Though it is a record that is completely feminine, The Idler Wheel. . . speaks to all demographics that have felt love and loss. The flushed-out piano playing, jazz-abstract percussion, strange ambient samples, electronic churns, and other sounds out of Apple’s fascinating mind give the album a dark tone that is not without heart. That heart comes from Apple’s deep, strained voice. It is a sexy voice that is earnest, never ironic, and never held-back. The anti-innocence of her songwriting shirks naivety by appearing at all times experienced. Apple has experienced the extremes of fame and art and life and sex, and she can work with all of this seamlessly via her experience. She knows exactly what she has accomplished, and she reaches for something more here on her latest record.

Apple has always been a critic’s darling, but now she is at the top of her game. Here, there is a balance between weird (“Hot Knife”) and pop (“Werewolf”). But even in her weirder moments, there are plenty of melodies that permanently embed into the listeners’ brains (“I’m a hot knife I’m a hot knife”) and in her popper songs, there are weird moments that cause borderline confusion (the screams in “Werewolf”). Everything is tied together by Apple’s voice—again that voice—and the themes of lost love. Apple knows that some men are not good for her, and others exist only in fairytale lands (“Anything We Want”) but no matter the shade of relationships she lives through in the moment, they are vital to her. And to us. -TJ

14. Ty Segall Band - Slaughterhouse

Slaughterhouse is Ty Segall’s second appearance on this list (This time as a member of Ty Segall Band) and if the cover of this album doesn’t have your blood curdling, then one listen to it should do the trick. Of the three albums that Ty released this year, Slaughterhouse is without a doubt the heaviest and most menacing. Even though the first thing you’ll probably notice about Slaughterhouse is it’s heavy production, this doesn’t at all come at the expense of Ty’s many melodic gifts. Tracks like “I Bought My Eyes” and “Tell Me What’s Inside Your Heart” are infectious earworms that keep with Ty’s spirit of writing catchy as hell garage rock gems.

My favorite track on Slaughterhouse is without a doubt “Wave Goodbye”. Ty’s demonic cries of “Bye bye! AHHHHHHHHH!” are followed by what is probably the heaviest riff on the entire album. The album ends with the fittingly titled ten minute droney “Fuzz War”, which only emphasizes the heaviness and distortion that Slaughterhouse is all about.

Aside from the sound of this album, the thing I love most about Ty Segall is how honest all his songs feel. There aren’t any gimmicks tying these songs down, Ty and his bandmates lay out everything they have for you to see. They just give you straight up, balls out rock music on Slaughterhouse. Which is admirable in an age when a lot of bands try to hide behind trends and gimmicks. -Mark

13. BADBADNOTGOOD - BBNG2

Few people would argue against the importance of jazz, both musical and cultural, and that it has been home to many of the most creative artists in music history. It is unfortunate, however, to look upon the past several years, which have seen the rise of very few notable jazz artists. The genre is largely stagnant, with most new players who receive acclaim within the jazz community being praised simply for how well they execute the already established ideas of former greats. It is exciting, then, when the rare exception occurs, and an artist or group is willing to push the boundaries of the genre into more currently relevant territory. Toronto-based trio BadBadNotGood is one such example, updating jazz into a context that incorporates hip hop flavorings and an enlivening sense of youth. The band initially garnered attention for its covers of various hip hop instrumentals, including J Dilla's "Fall in Love," Waka Flocka Flame's "Hard in Da Paint," and various Odd Future songs, as well as non-hip hop excursions like Flying Lotus's "Camel," Joy Division's "Transmission," and a medley comprising parts of the soundtrack to the beloved Zelda video game franchise, only occasionally indulging in original compositions. The group's earlier material was certainly impressive, but their sophomore record, BBNG2, expands upon each aspect introduced on their debut. The musicianship and chemistry between members seems to be even stronger, allowing them to develop the simple structures of their source material into fleshed out works. Original compositions are more common, and their inclusion is always warranted, such as with album highlight and saxophone feature "UWM." Even the addition of new instrumentation is productive, such as with the strings on Kanye West cover "Flashing Lights," and the diversity in cover choices feels smoother, welcoming the inclusion of two James Blake picks and a My Bloody Valentine song. Simply performing jazz renditions of modern popular music isn't quite enough to call any artist forward-thinking, but BadBadNotGood excels by letting components of it influence their own, realizing the potential of the songs they reinterpret, and proving to be stellar performers throughout. -Danny

12. El-P - Cancer 4 Cure

In 2010, El-P announced that his alternative hip hop label Definitive Jux would be going on hiatus. This did not bode well for those hoping to hear another album from him, as his last one was released in 2007. El-P has proven to be an artist that takes his time, though, and over the past couple of years, we’ve seen him come back in a big way. After releasing some stellar instrumental tracks in early 2010, including a full mixtape and a Justin Bieber remix, he began collaborating with a lot of up-and-coming artists like Das Racist and Mr. Muthafuckin Exquire. In 2012, we’ve seen him form a beautiful partnership with Killer Mike; he produced Mike’s album and they’ve appeared on each other’s songs. It’s clear that El-P sees the amazing shit that’s happening around him in rap right now and wants to prove that he is worthy of being a part of it. This is exactly what he does on Cancer 4 Cure. As a big fan of his, I can say with confidence that it is the best record he’s ever put out and it was absolutely worth the wait. Cancer 4 Cure takes many of the themes that El-P has worked with in past releases and grounds them in a modern context. He does what much of the best music of today does: reflects the darkness of the surrounding world, and tries to decide how to deal with it. All of this is accomplished while seamlessly moving from one track to another. On the album, El-P shows himself to be a master lyricist, storyteller, and one of the best hip hop producers in the game. I’d say that earns him a spot on this list. -Stephen

11. PS I Love You - Death Dreams

PS I Love You is a bit of an underdog band; they're not wildly popular south of the border and they've never achieved widespread critical acclaim beyond their first album single "Facelove." In many ways, their popularity reflects their hometown of Kingston, which is located on the northern shores of Lake Ontario in-between the sprawling metropolises of Toronto and Montreal. People that live in Ontario know where Kingston is and they know about PS I Love You; everyone else is largely ignorant. Death Dreams is their second album, and while it sticks to the noise pop traditions of their first album, it more or less abandons the punk-short songs in favor of a more traditional alternative rock structure. It more or less is Paul Saulnier doing the best Dinosaur Jr impression anyone has ever done while still maintaining a unique and compelling sound. His vocals are often indecipherable and the mixing is far from perfect, but I also feel this all adds to the charm. It's really hard to care about any flaws this album has when I'm getting my skull shredded by the best young guitarist in North America. -Kyle

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LIVE REVIEW: El-P / Killer Mike / Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire / Despot at the Echoplex in Los Angeles, CA

Before I start talking about this show in question, a couple orders of business:
1. This review is nearly a week late. Boo hoo.
2. This is my first time doing a concert review in written form, so forgive me if it's not so eloquent and it comes off as a kind of transcript of what I would've said in video form.

Now that that's out of the way...

When I heard El-P would finally be coming around these parts of LA, and at one of my favorite venues, I knew I couldn't possibly miss it. It was my first hip-hop show ever, and given that he was bringing along fellow NYC rappers Despot and Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, and Atlanta rapper Killer Mike (whose latest album El-P produced), it would certainly be a night to remember.

And it was, but in a way I didn't expect. These four emcees showed me how personal, intimate, and fun a hip-hop show could be. I never expected to lose my voice the morning after a rap show. I never expected the people around me to be so welcoming. I never expected the mood of the show to be so fun-loving and almost nostalgic.

The first act was Queens, New York City rapper Despot, who's a name I've seen in a good number of feature spots but whose solo material I've never heard, what little of it there is. He even joked about how long it's taken for him to drop an album. But he performed very well, if a little lethargically. As good as his beats, flows, and lyrics are, Despot's inflection never quite changes as he raps. But everything else, as well as his witty banter with the audience in between songs, made his set memorable.

Next came an emcee whose popularity is massively growing, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire. While all four rappers that played that night brought great energy, eXquire brought a kind of manic punk rock energy. The dude is so hyped up himself I'm surprised he even bothered to have a hype man for himself. The crowd was going nuts for this guy, he performed with a weirdness that turned into charisma, and even El-P had to come out to hype this guy up. I'd love to see this guy at a headlining show.

Killer Mike came on after that. Love him or hate him, you cannot say that Mike is insincere. Not only was this apparent with the brute force he brought into his harder songs, but after giving a tribute to his fallen grandfather and playing "Willie Burke Sherwood", Mike ended the song in tears, admitting that he "cries every time [he] plays that song." The fact that someone as "tough" as Mike is completely unashamed of his emotions made this one of the most profound moments of the night. It reminded me that the music these people were making was some of the most honest and sincere music you can find in hip-hop these days.

I forgot to mention that there were DJ sets playing in between each act, and before El-P's set, none other than The Gaslamp Killer showed up to twist some knobs. I've seen him DJ a couple times before and he's always more entertaining than the average DJ; apparently he played some new Flying Lotus material. Interesting.

Finally, the man of the night took the stage. El-P came out with his 3-piece band, hypeman, and later on plenty of guests. As many of you probably know, I fucking loved his latest album Cancer 4 Cure, and he played the entire album in full, which to me is the best way to present the songs. It's one of those albums where if you just play one song out of the flow and context of the record, it wouldn't be as meaningful. This way every track got to shine in their own unique way.

For the performance of "Works Every Time", Zola Jesus came out to fill in for Paul Banks' vocal parts; she performed with El on Conan O'Brien's show the night before, so it was pretty nice to see that in person. Of course Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Killer Mike and Despor came out to do their respective verses on "Oh Hail No" and "Tougher Colder Killer", but what was probably the biggest surprise of the night was Nick Diamonds stopping by to do his fantastic vocal part on "Stay Down". I don't know if this was just for the LA date or for more surrounding shows, but it was breathtaking hearing him perform live.

After performing the album, El came back out and did some old tunes, including one from Fantastic Damage. I feel like I couldn't give you an accurate telling of my experience, because a lot of what made the show great was the camaraderie I felt from everyone around me, including the people on stage. It was one of those shows where you go to it alone, but you find yourself making friends with everyone there. This was one of the most intimate, personal, and memorable shows I've been to in a long time, and I feel so incredibly lucky that I got to partake in it. Hopefully more hip-hop shows are like this.

(Robby wishes he was as good of a writer as he is a video blogger...which isn't saying much. But follow the motherfucker on Twitter @ClydeNut anyway)

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YPOIW LIST: Top 10 Albums of 2012 (so far)

The year's about half-over (cut us some slack, we're writers not mathematicians), so we'd like to take this opportunity to highlight ten of our favorite albums of 2012 up to this point in time. Our purpose is not to rank or review, but to recommend for your listening pleasures. Let's dive in, shall we?

BADBADNOTGOOD - BBNG2

Ignoring the lack of a Zelda medley, I find BBNG2 to be in every way an improvement over the already excellent debut from BADBADNOTGOOD. Their fusion of jazz and hip hop is further complimented by more experimentation, guest instrumentalists, and the increasing strength of their songwriting and musicianship. Seriously, my favorite tracks on this album are the original compositions like "CHSTR" and "Rotten Decay," but their interpretations of Odd Future beats and other popular fare are still present and still excellent. Even if you know nothing of jazz, this album is an enjoyable and accessible collection of songs that might just pique your interest in the genre. -Steve

Burial - Kindred EP

Is there any other artist who is pushing the sound of dubstep as much as Burial? I may have only liked Untrue in an appreciative sense, but I love nearly everything about Kindred, which is both steeped in the quintessentially spooky Burial sound, yet also a step in a new direction for the project. Kindred exhibits a new focus on melody and song progression, effortlessly turning the minimally atmospheric nature of his older material into 10+ minute tracks that would work on a dance floor. Granted, it would have to be a dancefloor filled with dust, cobwebs, and dead memories, but it's a fun new direction for Burial that I look forward to following. -Steve

Death Grips - The Money Store

To call the music loud is an understatement in the world of Death Grips, the Sacramento experimental hip hop trio that began turning heads last year with a mixtape that ended up being YPOIW's second favorite album of 2011. The album's aggression should not be confused with mindlessness, however, because within the maximalistic beats, disturbing lyricism, and frontman Stefan Burnett's highly extreme vocal delivery, Death Grips pack a sense of purpose. The group certainly has a statement to make, and with the harsh and uncensored nature of their music, they make it clear that they don't intend to beat around the bush. -Danny

El-P - Cancer 4 Cure

What can Jaime Meline do to innovate hip-hop more than he already has? It looks like he's still finding boundaries and buttons to push on Cancer 4 Cure. This late into an emcee's career, it's not uncommon to find him/her constantly putting out the same mediocre music and struggling for relevancy. This is not so with Meline. That he's released only 3 studio albums in 10 years proves that, for him, quality tramples over quantity. C4C is an album that may confuse and possibly disturb listeners with it's grisly lyrical content; it paints a dark picture of the world around us, a surrounding that can corrupt even the finest of us. But as El chants that he will not hail to this world, we can only hope that he continues to rebel also against the conventions of hip-hop and effectively soar over them. -Robby

Japandroids - Celebration Rock

This is an album fueled by alcohol-soaked youth anthems, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Throughout the entirety of Celebration Rock, Brian King and David Prowse offer up an unrelenting attack of rock. With tons of simple gang vocals like "Oh yeah! Alright!" and even more uses of the word "Oh!" these songs are catchy as hell and will probably stick in your mind like they have in mine. I'm sure Celebration Rock will be the soundtrack to the summer for many people, as I know it will be for me. -Mark

Julia Holter - Ekstasis

Can an album inhabit two worlds simultaneously? Can it be elusive experimental music and accessible indie pop? Can it be beautiful and frightening? Can it be the elements air and earth? Julia Holter proves that it is not only possible to be two opposites, but the state can also be a mastered art form. Wonderful (and not terrible) songs like “Marienbad” and “Goddess Eyes I and II” are Holter’s method of achieving ekstasis (the title of the album) and watching herself via out of body experience. Listening to these well-developed yet ethereal songs is like looking at yourself in the mirror and not recognizing what you see. It is a wonderful feeling of discovery that creates the ecstasy Holter tries to achieve. She succeeds. -TJ

of Montreal - Paralytic Stalks

While there certainly isn't a shortage of tortured artists on this planet, so many of them lack the deranged imagination of of Montreal frontman Kevin Barnes. Having killed off his alter ego Georgie Fruit, the middle aged African American transgender he assumed the role of for his most recent efforts, Paralytic Stalks viscerally expresses the devastation of having a part of one's being die and the psychic anguish that brings. Through an awesome array of Beatlesque pop, Floydian bombast, avant-garde classical composition, and aggressively sequenced beats, Barnes has constructed a modern masterpiece that challenges as much as it invites. -Alex

PS I Love You - Death Dreams

Death Dreams isn't an easy album to love; it's a little less frenetic and fast than their debut album Meet Me at the Muster Station, but it makes up for this with a wall of noise and muddiness that bleeds together with Paul Saulnier's often completely indecipherable vocals. Stylistically, the big change on this album is that the songs frequently surpass four and five-minute barriers. On "Red Quarter," a 90-second guitar solo is tacked onto the end of the song, and Paul says more with his guitar than he ever could hope to with his voice. As an album filled with dark themes and an even darker sound, the band calling it their Pinkerton in a recent interview with Exclaim.ca really isn't that far off, and the middling reaction to this album further cements that comparison. Maybe in five years Death Dreams will be considered an under-appreciated classic as well. -Kyle

Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light

Sometimes albums can leave lasting impact past their notes and sounds. With Sweet Heart Sweet Light, the world has such an album. The power of this record resonates, as shown in the way it begins and ends. “Hey Jane” provides the listener with instant catharsis for incredible pain while “So Long You Pretty Thing” paints a bittersweet picture of the phrase “good bye.” The melodies are powerful, the intense noise-rock sounds are powerful, the guitar solos are powerful, the repetition is powerful, but J. Spaceman sings with a lethargic drawl, tired, but no less full of life after all this time he’s endured the pains of cancer and crisis. The listener leaves Sweet Heart Sweet Light feeling much the same, which says a lot of the way Spiritualized relates human experience to us. This album is beautiful as it is important to rock n roll. -TJ

Zammuto - Zammuto

Much like his previous work with The Books, Nick Zammuto is master at creating records which are unable to be classified as one single genre, let alone any genre at all. On the debut record of his new project Zammuto, he doesn't take The Books sound and evolve it; he starts fresh and creates something entirely original and different. Tracks like "F U C-3PO" and "Weird Ceiling" are catchy like pop tunes, but have rhythms more akin to math rock and layers of sound more like avant garde noise music. Just when you thought the boundaries couldn't be pushed any further, Zammuto gives you something different to chew on. -Nick

We hope you hear something you like. What are your favorites albums of the year so far? Anything we've missed? Let us know in the comments!

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VIDEO ALBUM REVIEW: El-P - Cancer 4 Cure

My review of the new album from one of my favorite hip-hop artists, El-P. Low video quality and frustration will be explained below.



Score: decent 9

TRACK PICKS:
The Full Retard
Drones Over BKLYN
Oh Hail No
Tougher Colder Killer
True Story
Stay Down

(For some better quality videos and some more cool music reviews, check out Robby's YouTube page)

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VIDEO ALBUM REVIEW: Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music

This week, I'll be reviewing R.A.P. Music, the latest collaborative effort from Atlanta rapper Killer Mike and Brooklyn rapper/producer El-P. The nature of this collaboration was at first surprising and confusing. But I'm glad to say it's paid off handsomely.




Score: decent 8

Track Picks:
Big Beast
Go
Southern Fried
Don't Die
Butane
R.A.P. Music

(To see past reviews and subscribe, go to Robby's YouTube page, MrSplatterPlatter)

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TRACK: El-P - "The Full Retard"

Alt-rap veteran El-P has announced a new album entitled Cancer for Cure, which will be the followup to 2007's I'll Sleep When You're Dead. YPOIW favorite Danny Brown, Killer Mike, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Paul Banks of Interpol, and others are all set to make guest appearances on the album. Get your first taste of Cancer for Cure below with the track "The Full Retard", and look for the LP on May 22 via Fat Possum Records.

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STREAM: Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire - Merry eX​-​Mas & Suck My Dick

In true Christmas spirit, East Coast rapper Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire is following up his September release Lost in Translation with another mixtape entitled Merry eX​-​Mas & Suck My Dick. The tape features a track with Danny Brown, as well as beats from El-P, A$AP Ty Beats, and more. Listen below.

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