2012 Music Recap: Visions

Grimes – Visions

Visions by Grimes is fucking weird, man. Grimes, if you didn’t know, is a Canadian lady who is only a few months older than I, and we both have put albums together in GarageBand. But while I just stick to the loops and insert very little musical know-how, Grimes has put together three allegedly great albums, including this latest one. It’s electronic, it’s cooky, and yet accessible, with some pop sensibility. Not to say this one will immediately hook you in, I think Visions definitely falls in the “grower” category. If you’re interested, the repeated listens are worth it.

Also, all the reviews written about this album talk about its theme of the real versus the digital in really pretentious terms. So that’s fun to read.

Favorite Tracks: “Genesis,” “Oblivion,” “Vowels = Space and Time”

2012 Music Recap: Given to the Wild

The Maccabees – Given to the Wild

I guess the criticism for Given to the Wild is that the Maccabees, who apparently have been around for a while, basically abandoned whatever they originally were and made an album trying to sound like Coldplay or David Bowie. Probably a great criticism, but I’d never actually heard of the Maccabees until I heard this album. And damn it, I really do like Coldplay and David Bowie and Arcade Fire and whoever else they were imitating. I guess if you’re being all critical you can whine about it being derivative, but I’m not really a music critic. I just listen to stuff that sounds good to me and this meets that criterion.

Favorite Tracks: “Child,” “Heave,” “Pelican”

2012 Music Recap: An Awesome Wave

∆ – An Awesome Wave

The band is called Alt-J, because that’s how you type the symbol that is their name, not because they make alternative Japanese music, as you might have thought. The symbol is for that triangle that you use in math for “change” – so, you know, it’s really a deep, clever name and totally not something so indescribably stupid that all the critics in the world turned on the band, never giving their music a chance. Although, I’d believe that is the case, since I really liked An Awesome Wave from my very first listen, despite it not getting anything close to the best reviews.

Or maybe it’s just one of those things that I really like and people with real musical credibility don’t. There seems to be plenty of that this year. I will say this, the lead singer has a weird, somewhat indecipherable voice, and I could easily imagine that turning a lot of people off.

Favorite Tracks: “Breezeblocks,” “Dissolve Me,” “Matilda”

The Vault: Crazy Christmas

Frost/Frost

Have you been dreaming of a White Christmas? Are you looking forward to running out into the frozen yard and building a snowman? Better be careful, because that snowman might come to life and be your dad. Or it might come to life and try to kill you. Either way, it’s gonna be about as satisfying as a swift kick to the jingle balls. At least that’s how I felt after watching both the 1998 family-comedy Jack Frost and the 1996 Independent-Horror film also titled Jack Frost.

Amazing that two films with the same title and same concept exist, but with two very different executions. One was made by a major studio with high budget effects and stars and the other? Not so much. Both of these films are terrible but for different reasons. What I’m going to do here is break down each film in a side-by-side comparison. Want to know which film is a bigger hunk of coal? Just keep reading and you shall receive.

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T3 42: Top 10 Christmas Songs

Oh, Christmas and its inescapable songs. The holiday that was all-too-perfect for a capitalist nation has grown into an oppressive force, gobbling up everything in its path. It started, innocently enough, with December 24th being turned into Christmas Eve, but soon the entire month of December was under control of ol’ Saint Nick. Not satisfied there, the borders of Christmas have since expanded even further, taking over everything from the second Thanksgiving ends. And all the while we hear the echoes of this holiest day, building until only the merriest can take it anymore. Yes, as the Grinch said, Christmas music sure can be annoying. We dig through all that bell-heavy noise this week, hoping to find at least 10 truly great Xmas jams. Anyway, we’re taking a break next week, so you’ve got time to really savor this one, or catch up if you’ve fallen behind. Unless you believe the apocalypse is tomorrow, in which case, you’re going to have a lot of shopping to do come Saturday.

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2012 Music Recap: The Haunted Man

Bat for Lashes – The Haunted Man

The Haunted Man is the result of Bat for Lashes, the stage name for Natasha Khan, suffering from writer’s block after her second album. She turned to Thom Yorke, who told her to start drawing, and dancing, I guess. Thus her third album, which is maybe a departure from the first too? I don’t really know. What I do know is that I really like it. The Haunted Man tries to be a lot of things, there’s everything from piano ballads to weird electronica, which is what I think she’s best at. It’s exactly the kind of catchy, quirky, weird, beautiful, atmospheric album that I can get into, and you’ll probably hear more about it soon.

Favorite Tracks: “All Your Gold,” “Laura,” “Rest Your Head”

2012 Music Recap: My Head is an Animal

Of Monsters and Men – My Head is an Animal

When I first heard My Head is an Animal, I thought, “My God, this new Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes album is so much better than the first.” But, no, this isn’t that band I once heard Patton Oswalt mock almost to their faces. It’s in fact as Icelandic band that channels Edward Sharpe’s folky, fun spirit and mixes it with a healthy Arcade Fire, kitchen sink approach. It’s exactly the kind of music I fall for, but try not to make a big deal out of it. They’ve been getting a lot of play on The End these last few months, “Little Talks” got a lot of movie trailer play, and this album came out in 2011 in Iceland, but I still can’t get enough of it.

Coincidentally, I’m not that big a fan of the new Edward Sharpe album.

Favorite Tracks: “Mountain Sound,” “Little Talks,” “Your Bones”