20. Deerhunter – Monomania
An abrasive, noisy rock album full of aggressive hooks balanced by dreamy warped melodies from the Athens-based industrial-punk band. Monomania could be their most accessible album to date, but it’s still layered with the eccentric lo-fi haze expected of them. “Pensacola” is one of my favorite tracks of the year, “Dream Captain” is a classic punk social plea, and “Sleepwalking” is damn near perfect. More than just extending the experimental, fractured rock of Iggy Pop or filling the void left by Sonic Youth for this listener, Deerhunter transcends on this release by complementing and spurning itself.
Deerhunter – Pensacola
19. Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite – Get Up!
Ben mentioned this collaboration at his solo show in September 2012 (best show of the year for this music fan). He talked about his experience recording the album and performed “You Found Another Lover (I Lost Another Friend)”, which I remember fondly. I was not familiar with Musselwhite other than the name, but I will always be interested in anything Ben Harper is involved with. At times this album is mellow R&B groove…at times Rock and Roll…but throughout always Blues, in other words, it’s a Ben Harper album. Musselwhite is co-writer and adds his trademark swampy harmonica. Ben delivers some stellar vocals on songs like “We Can’t End This Way”, a gospel-tinged rave up of layered soul. There are darker tunes like “I Ride At Dawn” and they bring some funk to the Blues stomp of “I’m In I’m Out And I’m Gone”. An extremely enjoyable release from one of my favorite prolific artists.
Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite – I’m In I’m Out And I’m Gone
18. Dr. Dog – B-Room
Dr. Dog continues to churn out gratifying lo-fi indie rock steeped in old-time R&B vibes. Where the past albums have been a good dose of straight forward garage rock choruses, B-Room (named after the studio they built) doubles down on the vintage soul and excels as a band-eccentric groovy affair. Fine examples are opener “The Truth” and the eccentric banjo stomp of “Phenomenon”, which both show the very genuine uniqueness of their sound. Toby Leaman and Scott McMicken again share lead vocals, songwriting, and awesomeness, but this release sees one of my favorite bands embrace the listener in a warm, fuzzy, singular wall of sound.
Dr. Dog – Broken Heart
17. Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside – Untamed Beast
Just plain strut and swagger fun, this band nails the very beginnings of Rock-and-Roll like none other. Makes me wish I could go back in time and experience it all firsthand. I dig the airy reverb-drenched guitars that lead off the outstanding “They Told Me” and permeates throughout the album including the raucous “Devil”. But, the real deal here is Sallie Ford, who imbues huge vocals and personality in a variety of 50s-influenced R&B, Swing, and Rockabilly tunes. She’s able to demonstrate tenderness at times, but mostly she is one of the “Bad Boys”. She’d be a trip to talk music and drink whiskey with…..of course taking care not to piss her off.
Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside – They Told Me
16. Mikal Cronin – MCII
West coast rocker Mikal Cronin has crafted an extremely catchy collection of 90’s-inspired indie tunes. He balances acoustic and electric guitar throughout his unique blend of garage rock and melodic noise pop. “Shout It Out” and “Am I Wrong” have an animated beauty, not unlike The Kinks, that comes crashing into distorted driving riffs and earnest vocals. All the songs are superb and have multiple layers fighting for some room in this ingenious mix of influences and varied instrumentation.
Mikal Cronin – Shout It Out