Best Albums of 2012: version 2.0

Best Albums of 2012

Version 2.0 2.1 (January-June)

For previous years see

Best of 2011

Best (songs) of 2011

Best of 2010

Best of 2009

Best of 2008

Best of 2007

LPs

1. Japandroids - Celebration Rock
2. Shearwater - Animal Joy
3. Damien Jurado - Maraqopa
4. Dr. Dog - Be the Void 
5. John K. Samson - Provincial 
6. Gift of Gab - The Next Logical Progression
7. Ben Kweller - Go Fly a Kite 
8. Father John Misty - Fear Fun
9. Andrew Bird - Break it Yourself 
10. Bahamas - Barchords 
11. fun. - Some Nights 
12. Rocky Votolato - Television of Saints
13. Dent May - Do Things 
14. Sigur Ros - Valtari
15. The Lumineers - The Lumineers 
16. Matt Pryor - May Day 
17. Matt Pryor - Still There's a Light 
18. Beach House - Bloom
19. Sun Kil Moon - Among the Leaves 
20. Brendan Benson - What Kind of World
21. Great Lake Swimmers - New Wild Everywhere
22. James Vincent McMorrow - Early in the Morning
23. Craig Finn - Clear Heart Full Eyes
24. Jack White - Blunderbuss
25. For all the Girls (Drew Danburry) - For all the Girls
26. Lyrics Born - Lyrics Born Variety Show: Season 5
27. Rufus Wainwright - Out of the Game 
28. Galactic - Carnivale Electricos
29. Fanfarlo - Rooms Filled with Light

EPs

1. RA Scion - Beg, Borrow, Steal [Free EP]
2. Damien Jurado - Maraqopa Sessions Blue/Red/Yellow 3x7" series
3. Rocky Votolato - The Let Go EP  
4. Josh Ritter - Bringing in the Darlings
5. Sam Means - Nona 
6. Less than Jake - Seasons Greetings 

Singles / 7 inches / Misc

1. Iron & Wine - One More Try [single] b/t Trouble
2. Blue Scholars - May Day [single]
3. Jeremy Enigk - Last Rights [Damien Jurado cover] [Free Download from Seattle Times]
4. Andrew Bird - The Crown Salesman [single] b/t So Much Wine
5. Bon Iver - Towers [single] b/t Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)
6. Cold War Kids - Minimum Day [single]
7. Beach House - Lazuli [single] b/t Equal Mind

Best Albums of 2012: version 1.0

Best Albums of 2012

Version 1.0 (January-March)

For previous years see

Best of 2011

Best (songs) of 2011

Best of 2010

Best of 2009

Best of 2008

Best of 2007

LPs

1. Shearwater - Animal Joy
2. Damien Jurado - Maraqopa
3. Dr. Dog - Be the Void
4. Andrew Bird - Break it Yourself
5. Gift of Gab - The Next Logical Progression
6. fun. - Some Nights
7. John K. Samson - Provincial
8. Father John Misty - Fear Fun
9. Ben Kweller - Go Fly a Kite
10. Rocky Votolato - Television of Saints
11. Matt Pryor - May Day 
12. Matt Pryor - Still There's a Light 
13. Great Lake Swimmers - New Wild Everywhere
14. Beach House - Bloom
15. Craig Finn - Clear Heart Full Eyes
16. For all the Girls (Drew Danburry) - For all the Girls
17. Lyrics Born - Lyrics Born Variety Show: Season 5
18. Galactic - Carnivale Electricos
19. Fanfarlo - Rooms Filled with Light

EPs

1. RA Scion - Beg, Borrow, Steal [Free EP]
2. Damien Jurado - Maraqopa Sessions Blue/Red/Yellow 3x7" series
3. Rocky Votolato - The Let Go EP  
4. Josh Ritter - Bringing in the Darlings
5. Less than Jake - Seasons Greetings 

Singles / 7 inches / Misc

1. Jeremy Enigk - Last Rights [Damien Jurado cover] [Free Download from Seattle Times]
2. Andrew Bird - The Crown Salesman [single] b/t So Much Wine
3. Bon Iver - Towers [single] b/t Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)
4. Cold War Kids - Minimum Day [single]

Por Favor Nr. 01 - Damien Jurado, acoustic dancing, please

Por Favor: a series of simple requests from simple fans


Dear Damien,

Please record a re-imagined acoustic version of your 2002 I Break Chairs rocker, "Dancing."  Perhaps you could post it on your soundcloud page.


Yours Truly,

Dr. Snob

Albums you Must own (for $5 a piece!) Nr. 04

Amazon.com is constantly running $5 album deals for mp3 albums..  Each month or so, they post a new list of 100 albums.

Here are a few albums from their list that should 100% be in your music collection.

Did I mention these are all only $5

1.

 Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

 2.

Radiohead - OK Computer 

 3.

Damien Jurado - Saint Bartlett

4.

Andrew Bird - Noble Beast

 5.

 Coconut Records - Nighttiming

Others you should probably pick up while they are cheap:

Spoon - A Series of Sneaks

Battles - Mirrored

 

Conor Oberst - Outer South  

A.A. Bondy - When the Devil's Loose

The Dodos - Visiter

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

Mates of State - Crushes (The Covers Mixtape)

Coldplay - X & Y  

Ben Harper - Burn to Shine

Ani DiFranco - Ani DiFranco

Jim Gaffigan - Doing my Time

New Damien Jurado album for $5

Great sale on Amazon!

New Damien Jurado video - Arkansas

"Arkansas" by Damien Jurado from Secretly Jag on Vimeo.

from

Saint Bartlett

New Damien Jurado - Cloudy Shoes

(via stereogum)

Cloudy Shoes

by

Damien Jurado

from

Saint Bartlett [out May 25 on Secretly Canadian]

Saddest song ever written: Damen Jurado - Medication

Medication [mp3], by Damien Jurado from Ghost of David [2000].


I submit that this might be one of the saddest songs ever written.  Jurado, ever a wordsmith and storyteller, here weaves together two parallels stories about . . . well . . . you'll just have to listen and find out.  I am not a glutton for sad songs just for sad songs' sake.  They have to be well-written.  They have to be poetic.  They can't be self-indulgent in piling on the tragedy.  They have to be honest.  Medication is all of that.  The prayer at the end just kills me. (Lyrics below)

Enjoy

It just so happens I have many concerns

My brother's down the road and my lover in town

They both need affection

And some kind of love

Well I'm the one who gives it at any given time

From two in the morning to six

Call me up and cry

My lover keeps it secret that we meet under covers

When asked by her man if we two are lovers

She says, "I hardly know him.

Besides, he's not my type."

Her man's a policeman with a keen sense of trouble

He's known just by danger

And all kinds of liars

Brother called this morning in a terrible panic

Spies in the closet, bugs in the attic

He screams bloody murder saying,

"We're all gonna die.

Death is upon me, I know 'cause he showed me

Pictures of graveyards and us underneath."

I'm losing my hearing from my brother screaming,

"They're coming to get me and

Someone call the police."

Two in the morning, the phone disconnected

Her man knows I'm calling, it's what I expected

A note on my backdoor saying, "Baby not tonight."

So I sit with my brother who is nursing a cut wrist

He's mumbling "Forgive me."

And "Don't let them take me away."

I can be a good boy and stay out of trouble

Jackie I love you and

Don't let them take your brother

Strapped to a table, go in electrodes

"Jackie come save me the doctors will kill me."

"No, they're here to help you

Straighten out your mind."

The TV is blaring with some preacher saying that

God is among us and he hears our cries

Lord, do me a favor

It's wrong but I ask you

Take my brother's life

'Cause he's sick of the suffering

The pills he's inhaling

The cross he is bearing

That is his trouble mind

Song du Jour Nr. 083

Arkansas

by

Damien Jurado

from

Saint Bartlett
[2010]

Song du Jour Nr. 066

Ohio [mp3]


by

Damien Jurado

from

Rehearsals for Departure
[1999]

Song du Jour Nr. 065

Denton, TX [mp3]


by

Damien Jurado

from

And Now That I'm In Your Shadow
[2006]

Song du Jour Nr. 064

Johnny Go Riding [mp3]

by

Damien Jurado

from

Ghost of David
[2000]

Free Music Contest

Free Music Contest!!!

In the recent past, I have acquired a few free digital downloads that accompanied various vinyl records I have purchased.  For most of these, I already owned a digital copy, and my free digital downloaded zip files have been sitting on my computer, waiting for a home.  So, I'm going to give them away as part of a contest.

The Goods:

J. Tillman - A Year in the Kingdom [2009]

Tied for my #1 of the album last year.  Read my review here.

Damien Jurado - Caught in the Trees [2008]

 #39 on my top albums of the decade list . . . probably should have been a LOT higher.

The Format - Dog Problems [2006]

#8 on my top albums of the decade list.  The album release show in Phoenix was also one of my favorite concerts of all time.

The Rules:

1. Post a promotion for this blog on your blog, myspace, facebook or other internet site.

2. Send me an email with the link to your post (musicsnobsanonymous[at]gmail.com).

3. In about a month, I will randomly select a winner who will receive a zip file of ONE of these albums (your choice).

4. From there, the process will be repeated for the remaining albums.

5. This is a free and legal copy of the album, downloaded legally, never used by me and yours to keep.

Please spread the word about the contest and the blog!

Song du Jour Nr. 017

What Were the Chances
[download mp3]

by

Damien Jurado

from

Now That I'm in Your Shadow
[2006]