Captain Murphy surfaced on the Internet as a completely anonymous entity, and there was much speculation as to the rappers identity.  We now know that Steven Ellison, aka Flying Lotus, is the man behind the mic.  It makes perfect sense that Ellison would choose to make a hip hop record, after all his work as FlyLo has always been somewhat indebted to artists like Wu-Tang and J Dilla.  On Duality, his debut mixtape as Captain Murphy, he totally indulges in those influences and in the process makes one of the better hip hop records of 2012.

While Ellison’s M.O. is all over the production he also enlists help from Brainfeeder producers like Teebs and Samiyam to make Duality happen.  After learning the true identity of Captain Murphy it is easy to hear the FlyLo influence in the woozy beats, but for the most part he does a good job of disguising his identity.  An eclectic assortment of samples including everything from Flying Lotus’s own tracks, to Homer Simpson, to Godzilla to cult leaders, helps to amp up the mystery.

Once you get past the guessing game of who Captain Murphy actually is you’ll find that Duality is a very easy listen.  It’s not an attempt to change hip-hop, in fact it’s rather low brow, but that only adds to the enjoyment.  Tracks like ‘Mighty Morphin’ Foreskin’, ‘Between Friends’ which features OFWGKTA member Earl Sweatshirt and samples the FlyLo track of the same name, and ‘Immaculation’ are them most straightforward tunes on the mixtape, while ‘Hovercrafts and Cows’, ‘The Ritual’ and ‘Drive Thru’ offer a more eccentric take on hip-hop.

A rap album is something that Ellison has always talked about, and now he’s actually done it.  While his work as FlyLo shoots for the stars his work as Captain Murphy is much more down to Earth.  This is an endlessly accessible album that is simply fun to listen to.

Grade: B+

2012 was a transitional year for me.  I moved from Chicago to upstate South Carolina to pursue my dream of farm ownership and complete independence from the poisoned, processed mess that is the corporate food system…Anyway, thanks to the magic of the interwebs I was able to keep myself abreast of what was going on this year even though I live in a musical desert now.  So, without further adieu I give you my favorite albums from 2012, plus a couple of other things too.

1) Chromatics – Kill For Love.  Without a doubt my most listened to album of the year.  Chromatics’ vision of a disco filled future in decay is sure to remain a constant in my headphones.

2) John Talabot – ƒIN.  This Barcelona producer has a serious knack for melody.  His deep house meets pop beats were simply one of the best things I heard all year long.

3) Wild Nothing – Nocturne.  Jack Tatum & Co. ramped up the production value on their second LP and the result was a tight, focused bunch of dream pop that is simply beautiful.

4) Big K.R.I.T. – Live From the Underground.  Delivering on the promise of a slew of free mixtapes, the major label debut from this Mississippi native is a collection of raw Southern hip-hop.  It featured an impressive list of guest stars and most importantly K.R.I.T.’s immense talent behind the production.

5) Swans – The Seer.  I still haven’t fully recovered from listening to this album.  It’s a tremendously awesome mind fuck.

6) Zammuto – Zammuto.  The Books may be no more, but Nick Zammuto’s new band, the aptly named Zammuto, quickly made me forget about that.

7) CFCF – Exercises.  Michael Silver’s latest album as CFCF further cemented his reputation as a talented electronic musician.  The classical influence heard throughout the record makes it sound like he is the composer of the future.

8) Main Attrakionz – Bossalinis & Fooliyones.  Is this what a cloud of weed smoke sounds like?  I think so.

9) Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Mature Themes.  One of the most eclectic minds in all of indiedom got even weirder on this album.  ‘Baby’ was probably my favorite song of the whole year.

10) Windy & Carl – We Will Always Be.  The gentle ambient compositions of this husband and wife are the stuff of dreams.  Simple, elegant, and above all else, gorgeous. 

Favorite song from an album not on this list: Alex Winston – ‘Velvet Elvis’

Mogwai has been around for well over a decade now and in that time, they’ve created some very memorable instrumental rock.  They’ve followed a relatively similar formula for all of their existence, and while their music is certainly anything but tired, it is nice to hear it from a different angle.  Enter A Wrenched Virile Lore the bands second remix album and first since 1998’s Kicking A Dead Pig. 

A Wrenched Virile Lore pulls its inspiration from 2011’s Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will.  Tracks from that record are given to the likes of Justin Broadrick of Jesu, Zombi, Tim Hecker and The Soft Moon, and those artists then have their way with the original source material.

In name only is this a Mogwai record, because the producers enlisted here have done such an excellent job of shedding new light on these tracks.  Opening track ‘George Square Thatcher Death Party’, as redone by Justin Broadrick, is a bleary shoegaze/dream rock tune that soars even higher than the original song, while Zombi’s ‘Letters to the Metro’ is a Kraftwerk indebted bit of electronica.  The other highlights include Time Hecker’s droning makeover of ‘Rano Pano’ and Robert Hampson’s combination of ‘White Noise’ and ‘Death Rays’ into 13-minute closer ‘La Morte Blanche’.

The transformation that the original material undergoes on this record is pretty impressive.  And, if the purpose of a remix is to reimagine something then the producers enlisted by Mogwai have done a bang up job.  Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will was a solid album to begin with, and on A Wrenched Virile Lore things have only gotten better,

Grade: A-

Four years and three albums into their existence, Toronto’s Crystal Castles have managed to make themselves into one of the most divisive electronic acts around.  The raw, hard-edged sound they've made for themselves bridges the gap between house and punk, and chances are you either love them or you hate them.  Their third album, aptly named (III), continues in their tradition of mixing together tracks that are easy to dance to and those that are downright grating.  One thing is certain after listening to (III); Crystal Castles haven’t lost their touch, if anything their sound has become even more abrasive and cloaked in shadows.

The overall vibe of this record recalls the band’s beginnings, and tracks, like ‘Kerosene’, ‘Affection’, ‘Insulin’ and ‘Telepath’ would’ve fit nicely onto their self-titled debut in 2008.  The mixing of house beats with some seriously dark ambiance provides many memorable moments, the pulsing synth line on ‘Kerosene’ and the noisy blast from Alice Glass’ voice on ‘Insulin’ are the most immediate and would fit easily into the rest of Crystal Castles’ lineage.

Problems with this album begin to arise when it’s listened to as a whole.  The goth/house/trance pace of everything gets old after a while, and once you reach the ethereal synths of ‘Telepath’ near the end it’s likely that you’ll hardly hear it.  Simply put, many of these songs are built from very similar building blocks and they all come out sounding the same to some degree.

After three albums worth of material, it’s quite possible that Crystal Castles have become a bit mundane and predictable.  After all, one can only take so much brooding dance music.  But, as repetitive and similar as this record might be, hearing a song like ‘ Affection’ is sure to remind anyone that the raw energy that Crystal Castles burst onto the scene with is still alive and well.

Grade: B-

Dreamscape emerged during the early 90’s heyday of shoegaze, and as quickly as they hit the scene they drifted back into obscurity.  In the three years of their existence, 1990-93, the trio of Rebecca Rawlings, Scott Purnell and Jamie Gingell didn’t leave a vast collection of music behind, but what remained has now been carefully put back together by kranky and released as La-Di-Da Recordings.  The nine-track compilation covers the essential work of this short-lived band and sheds light on some seriously good shoegaze, a genre that has been resurrected outright over the past few years.

La-Di-Da hits on all the late 80’s/early 90’s cornerstones, and anyone with a penchant for Cocteau Twins, Lush, Ride or Slowdive will warm up to Dreamscape’s ethereal brand of gothic pop almost immediately.  The warm inviting tones of Rawlings’ voice remain a highlight throughout the record, and when she’s backed up with solid guitar work as on ‘So Far From Belief,’ ‘Finally Through,’ and ‘Greater Than God’ the combination is nothing short of intoxicating. 

The record is split between the first four tracks, which were meant to be part of an album prior to the band breaking up, and the latter half which is made up of the band’s 1992 EP Cradle.  The first half of La-Di-Da is far more upbeat than the second half, featuring songs that are oriented more towards pop than to noise.  These are the songs where Rawlings voice is given the time to shine.  The second half however, is a much darker affair all together.  ‘Cradle,’ ‘Nine Times To Die’ and ‘No More But Thought’ shoot for ethereal dream world this band was named for.

Though their output was minimal when they were together it is still easy to hear Dreamscape’s influence, along with countless other shoegaze bands, coursing through the indie pop of today.  Now, thanks to kranky, we’re allowed to enjoy this Bristol trio anew.  During their time together they may have toiled away in obscurity, but the ethereal wash of their songs is right at home in the modern world.

Grade: B+

The first important thing to note about U.S. Girls is that they’re not from the U.S. and in fact there is no girls, just girl.  Toronto native Meghan Remy has made a name for her solo project by creating haunted pop music that falls clearly into the DIY/Lo-Fi category.  The homemade essence of this music may make for a rougher sound, with plenty of noise thrown into the mix, but if you can peer through the muck you’ll find that Remy is a capable songwriter with a good ear for pop music.

Much of GEM, Remy’s fourth proper full length as U.S. Girls, plays with the interesting juxtaposition of the rough edged DIY aesthetic she’s developed and the sweeter pop leanings she exhibits.  For example, the dark reverb soaked corridors of ‘Don’t Understand That Man’ and the desolation of ‘Another Color’ would be somewhat grating to listen to if it weren’t for Remy’s glammed out Patti Smith-esque vocals that add a pleasant catchiness to an otherwise bleak outlook.

The pop music makeover continues on the synthy glam of ‘Work From Home,’ Remy’s cover of Brock Robinson’s ‘Jack,’ and the dusty highway dread of ‘Rosemary.’  Remy chooses a discordant and dark palette to paint with throughout this album, but she makes accessible music from it nonetheless.

GEM is an ambitious album for sure, and Remy stated that she wanted to make something that ‘pays homage to the things that I love in the past, but when you hear it, you know it’s from now’.  She’s certainly achieved that here as she expertly conjures up the sounds of classic artists like T. Rex and Royal Trux, as well as more contemporary artists like Julia Holter and PJ Harvey to make her own brand of deconstructed pop music.

Grade: B

John O’Regan’s transformation into Diamond Rings is a fairly well documented story by now.  Hospitalized in 2008 with Crohn’s disease, he began writing what would become the original material under his new moniker.  The 27 year old, who had previously been a member of Toronto post-punk outfit The D'Urbervilles, was now creating glammed up electro pop that pushed gender norms among other things.  The physical pain that O’Regan dealt with in the hospital had completely morphed him into this new character, and it was this background that made his debut, Special Affections, one of 2010’s most memorable releases.  His second album Free Dimensional lacks the raw emotional punch that its predecessor held in spades, and as a result Diamond Rings’ second LP ends up feeling very workmanlike.

The upside to LP #2 is that it feels like it all fits together.  O’Regan does an excellent job of fitting these tracks together and ultimately building a solid groove from one end to the other.  The flashy synths, propulsive beats and shimmering guitars on each track tie into each other and help relay the self-empowerment motif that Free Dimensional aims for.  Track titles like ‘I’m Just Me’, and ‘Stand My Ground’ let the listener know that O’Regan has now fully changed into his new persona, and he’s feeling just fine.  The glam rock of ‘Runaway Love’ and the pretty electro pop of opening track ‘Everything Speaks’ are particularly memorable.

The major issue with this incarnation of Diamond Rings is that everything feels too ordered and normal.  Special Affections was unhinged and showed a man coming into his own as an individual.  Now that he’s made that transition it feels like O’Regan has become a somewhat complacent, choosing to write a bunch of bland electro pop ballads (‘All the Time’, ‘I’m Just Me’, ‘(I Know) What I’m Made Of’), that tell little of his life altering hospital stay and the rising from the ashes he did afterwards. 

The journey of self-discovery that defined Diamond Rings’ early work has faded from the material this time around.  Instead O’Regan is quite comfortable in his own skin, and perhaps that takes away some of the magic of his work.  While he’s still a fine songwriter he’s lost the emotional connection to his audience and mostly unmemorable Free Dimensional is the result.

Grade: C

Lord Huron emerged on the scene a few years back and has several EP’s to his credit, all of which were well received.  The Michigan native and L.A. resident, otherwise known as Ben Schneider, found success by marrying the wide-open spaces of Americana and folk rock with electronic and world influences.  The results weren’t easy to pin down, but they were guaranteed to be exciting and to produce a number of unexpected turns.  It is with some disappointment then that Schneider’s debut LP arrives with such a well tread story line.  On Lonesome Dreams, he’s ditched most of the experimental aspirations in favor of straightforward folk rock, a plan that leaves more to be desired.

This record is decidedly post-Fleet Foxes, which is a let down since there is certainly no shortage of lonesome, dusty travelers ready to tell you about their trials and tribulations.  Opening track ‘Ends of the Earth’ even goes so far as to borrow the vocal harmonization that Fleet Foxes have made their bread and butter. 

When some artists decide to trim the fat and hone in on one sound it can be a welcome change, but in the case of Lord Huron it seems like he is doing himself a disservice by not expanding his sound.  Lonesome Dreams is a one-note record.  Spread across it’s ten tracks you’re not likely to find much difference from one to the next which is unfortunate coming from a guy that has inserted everything from spaced out synthesizers to Caribbean drums into his songs in the past.

Schneider is able to hit the mark though, even if it is for just a few brief moments.  The sprawl of ‘I Will Be Back One Day’ and the spaghetti western panache of ‘Brother’ are easily the cream of the crop here.  But otherwise this record yields only middling results.  Schneider is a talented songwriter no doubt about that, but he’s not flexing his creative muscles as much as he has in the past.

Perhaps that is what is most memorable about Lonesome Dreams though.  It’s a bunch of well-built songs that aren’t terrible by any stretch of the imagination, but at the same time you yearn for what they could’ve been.

Grade: C+

Starting in 2009, a musician working under the name How ToDress Well began releasing music through his website.  Little was known about this guy at the time other than the fact that he had a knack for Quiet Storm-type R&B jams, a general disinterest in recording fidelity and a pretty bleak world view.  He’s now a known quantity, a gent by the name of Tom Krell who resides in Chicago or Brooklyn or Cologne depending on what you read, and his second LP Total Loss feels like a coming out party.  His 2010 debut Love Remains hid behind a layer of sonic muck, and while much of that has been cleaned up here, you’ll find that Krell is no less damaged and his outlook is filled with just as much despair.

Total Loss starts with the hammer blow of ‘When I Was In Trouble,’ addressed to Krell’s mom and a song that powerfully transcends the simple ambient flow that accompanies Krell’s voice.  The dark R&B that became HTDW’s M.O. returns on the second track ‘Cold Nites,’ which sounds like an outtake from Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds.

Proving that he’s not going to be labeled a one trick pony Krell displays an impressive range of sounds, going beyond the distorted R&B palette that brought him critical acclaim.  Whether it’s the piano-fueled dream pop of ‘Say My Name Or Say Whatever,’ the orchestral sway of ‘World I Need You, Won’t Be Without You (Proem)’ (which recalls last year’s Just Once EP), or the plink-plink of a harp on ‘Talking To You’ the HTDW aesthetic has been expanded to excellent effect. 

Never fear though, there’s a good deal of deep jams to be had as well.  ‘Running Back,’ ‘& It Was U,’ ‘How Many,’ and ‘Ocean Floor For Everything’ are sure to take the listener back to a time when R. Kelly was just beginning his rise to the top.

On ‘Say My Name Or Say Whatever’ Krell uses the words of a homeless teen from the 1984 documentary Streetwise, in which the kid, speaking of flight, opines, ‘The only bad part about flying is having to come back down to the fucking world’.  Krell has crashed back down to Earth with spectacular beauty on Total Loss, one of the most emotionally powerful records you’re likely to come across this year.

Grade: A-

2012 will mark 13 years of Animal Collective and the Baltimore natives have certainly covered a lot of territory in that time.  They began way out on a limb creating some of the most original material to surface in recent memory and albums like their 2000 debut Spirit They’ve Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished and 2004’s Sung Tongs were championed by critics and fans alike for the unparalleled creativity that the quartet displayed.  Since 2005’s Feels, and especially on 2007’s Strawberry Jam and 2009’s Merriweather Post Pavilion the band moved towards a more accessible brand of psych pop that brought them an increase in listenership and a spot atop the world of independent music.  If you’ve found their recent material a little too populist, then you’ll certainly be happy that Centipede Hz finds them comfortably back in their experimental zone.

For their tenth album, Animal Collective have turned over the majority of the singing duties to Dave Portner (Avey Tare), while Noah Lennox (Panda Bear) takes on two tracks, and Josh Dibb (Deakin) one.  It’s likely that Portner’s spazzed out, shouting vocal style will turn some folks off because there is something really abrasive about the way he attacks the mic, but it does fit in well with the warped psychedelics that play out behind him.

Animal Collective have always had a knack for pushing the envelope on just what the listener will accept as pop music and Centipede Hz is no exception.  Even though tracks like ‘Today’s Supernatural’ and ‘Applesauce’ are beyond weird there is still something universal and easily likeable about them, especially on ‘Applesauce’ where industrial noise and Portner’s vocals superimpose nicely over a catchy as all hell synth line.  The Deakin-led ‘Wide Eyed’ also has a broad appeal and nods to psychedelic predecessors like Pink Floyd.

It’s hard to say whether Centipede Hz will be as loved as Merriweather Post Pavilion, but it does fit perfectly in line with this band’s beyond weird M.O.  If nothing else it is just another instance where Animal Collective are several years and a few galaxies ahead of everyone else.

Grade: B+

Swans have had quite the career since forming in New York City in 1982 and they remain one of the few bands that rose out of the No Wave movement that is still in existence.  Throughout their tenure the only constant, for the most part, has been Michael Gira and his combination of post-punk, industrial and experimental elements has never been compromised or changed to fit a certain time period’s tastes.  Regardless of what they’re up to at any given moment it’s always a good bet that a Swans record will fuck with your head in a big way.  The Seer is Gira’s second LP since reforming the band in 2010 and as usual the outlook is bleak.  Coming in around two hours in length it’s a behemoth, and were it not for the slick songwriting skill that’s on display it would be a lot to get through.

The Seer makes good use of many drone elements, and the duration of some of the songs, the title track in particular, bears this out.  This glut of ideas isn’t a surprise from a project that has roots some three decades old, and Gira said of this record that it took ’30 years to make.  It’s the culmination of every previous Swans album as well as any other music I’ve ever made’.  That’s a bold statement and most musicians would be hard pressed to condense so much work into a single coherent album, but The Seer proves that it is possible.  The dark forces start pulsing on opening track ‘Lunacy’ and they don’t stop until all 23-minutes of ‘The Apostate’ have finished.

As has always been typical of Swans there is never a shortage of unique instrumentation, and here you’ll be treated to everything from bells to accordion.  The acoustic nature of much of the album only adds to the menace.  ‘The Seer’ in particular is a 32-minute drone/desert-rock journey that moves in some unsettling directions.  Shorter songs like ’93 Ave. B Blues’ and ‘Song For A Warrior’, which features Karen O, are able to pack the dark psychedelic punch of their longer counterparts while delivering more immediate satisfaction.   

The moments when The Seer is most enjoyable come when Gira & Co. truly let loose, and the shimmering spectral lines of ‘A Piece Of The Sky’ and ‘Lunacy’ are easily memorable and even easier to return to.

A record like this makes it obvious how a band can stick around in some form or another for 30 years.  If this is truly supposed to act like a retrospective then Swans and their 58 year-old leader have a very bright future ahead of them, even if they are making some of the most devastating music around.  Other artists are mining the same dark corners as Michael Gira, but none of them can come close devouring their listeners with such an original sound.  The Seer is quickly one of the most unique statements of 2012.

Grade: A   

Listening to Bloc Party, for me, is a little like stepping into a time machine.  Granted that time machine is only going back to 2005, but it’s a time machine nonetheless.  Bands like Maxïmo Park, The Futureheads, Franz Ferdinand and of course Bloc Party represent the up-and-comers of the indie universe and their fresh take on post-punk is all the rage.  I distinctly remember playing my burned copy of Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm until it wouldn’t play anymore.  They had an undeniable knack for melody and for making modern ballads.  Since then I’ll admit I haven’t really paid attention to the UK quartet.  2006’s A Weekend in the City was fine I guess, but after that my knowledge of Bloc Party only extends to a song called ‘Mercury’ which may as well have been nails on a chalkboard.

Here I am though in 2012 listening to their fourth LP, aptly titled Four.  It finds the band, for the most part, up to their old tricks.  Their explosion onto the scene in 2005 has been followed mostly by yawns, and I’m happy to say that this album will at least be greeted with raised eyebrows and perhaps even a surprised gasp or two. Lead single ‘Octopus’ harkens back to their glory days, it’s catchy, propulsive and expertly places one foot on the dance floor.  If there’s one positive to take away from Four it’s that Bloc Party have come back down to Earth and let any of the misplaced electronic aspirations they had on 2008’s Intimacy go off into the ether.  Kele Okerke and co. have come back into the studio from a hiatus and seem to be refocused, playing to their strengths, especially on post-punk gems like ‘3x3’, ‘Kettling’, ‘Truth’ and ‘V.A.L.I.S.’

It’s not exactly a triumphant return to form, but this is easily the best album Bloc Party have made since Silent Alarm.  They didn’t try to pull any punches this time around and as a result made a record that sounded like a Bloc Party record, not like a band trying too hard to move towards the electronics that have become the norm for so many indie acts.  Put this one down in my pleasantly surprised column, it’s good to hear these guys again 

Grade: B-

Yeasayer emerged in 2007 with their widely heralded debut All Hour Cymbals, an album that showcased a wonderfully experimental streak.  Their brand of neo-psychdelia paid off in a big way and the Brooklyn trio was able to reach a wide range of the indie audience.  They returned in 2010 with Odd Blood, which found them going off in a totally different direction winding up with a miasma of sounds all crammed together.  It was clear after two records that Yesayer were a band in search of their identity, and on their third LP, they bring in another completely different set of ideas that does little to connect their work of the present with what they’ve done in that past.

Fragrant World is the sound of a band that isn’t boring, but at the same time has yet to pick a coherent direction to head.  This lack of decisiveness makes for a record that tries to say everything at once, but doesn’t say a whole lot of anything when it comes down to it.  One thing is certain; the band that wowed crowds and critics with their adventurous take on psychedelic rock in 2007 has all but faded away.

This time around these Brooklynites have made electro pop the order of the day. From start to finish, you’re unlikely to hear anything but electronics, and the band has, for the most part, aimed for the dance floor.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, opening track ‘Fingers Never Bleed’ could easily get bodies in motion, and ‘Longevity’ features Chris Keating’s best vocals on the album, his high pitched tone playing well with the deep beats swirling beneath him.

For the most part though Yeasayer have tried to do too much on Fragrant World.  Lead single ‘Henrietta’ comes across as seasick science fiction and doesn’t offer a lot to lure the listener in, while tracks like ‘Devil and the Deed’ and ‘Demon Road’ are filled to the brim with sound, and are more abrasive than they are enticing.

The most frustrating thing about listening to Fragrant World is knowing that Yeasayer aren’t short on ideas, they just don’t seem to be able to focus when the time comes.  There could be several albums worth of material contained throughout the course of the record, and maybe even in one song.  The messy pop music they’ve come up with here is a disappointment but still shows off a talented young band, perhaps as they get older and put more time in the studio they’ll find a way to contain themselves and hit on their strengths.

Grade: C

Jack Tatum’s work as Wild Nothing is often grouped in with the countless other indie pop acts that make music in the new wave/shoegaze/dream pop vein.  Tagging his music in such a way isn’t unwarranted, it does sound like it’s coming straight from a UK studio in the 80’s, but whereas many other similar artists make songs that are easy to forget, Tatum’s compositions are deeply personal and deliver a lasting emotional punch.  This is pop music as he sees it.  His combination of ethereal vocals, woozy instrumentation and pop melodies isn’t anything new, but Wild Nothing’s 2010 debut Gemini was and still is eminently pleasing to listen to.

Following up such a great first step is a tall order to say the least, but Tatum proves he’s up to the task with Nocturne.  The idea is the same this time around; take all the best parts of 80’s British pop music and remake them in the image and likeness of the 2010’s. 

Lead single and opening track ‘Shadow’ kicks things off with a bang, putting Tatum’s melodic skills on full display.  It features an uber catchy guitar riff and some of the finest vocal work he’s done yet, and fans of Gemini will quickly warm to nostalgic pop gems like ‘Paradise’ and the title track as well.  A more upbeat and as yet unseen side of Wild Nothing comes through beautifully on ‘Only Heather’, ‘Counting Days’ and ‘This Chain Won’t Break’; three tracks that were certainly featured in a John Hughes film weren’t they? 

The missteps thankfully are few and far in between.  ‘Through the Grass’ and ‘Rheya’ are fine on their own, but when compared to the rest of the album they’re a bit mundane and don’t seem to show off the ambition and skill of the rest of Nocturne.

In terms of 80’s adoration, perhaps Wild Nothing’s only contemporary is Twin Shadow, and just like George Lewis, Jr., Jack Tatum’s work stands head and shoulders above almost every other indie pop band that aims for a nostalgic sound.  With just two albums under his belt, Tatum has quickly proven himself a force to be reckoned with and here he’s made one of the most easily satisfying records of the year.

Grade: A-

Ariel Pink’s transformation from lo-fi outsider to toast of the indie town has happened seemingly in the blink of an eye.  He’d been toiling away, mostly in obscurity, since the late 90’s releasing small numbers of home-recorded tapes here and there.  But, after he began recording with Haunted Graffiti things changed for the L.A. native.  Pink and his mates were signed to 4AD in 2009 and a year later they released Before Today, an album that reached by far the greatest number of listeners to date.  It was a record that paid big dividends, most notably in the form of ‘Round and Round,’ a truly magnificent song.  With Mature Themes, Ariel Pink and his Haunted Graffiti are back for more weird psychedelic pop that pushes your typical understanding of just what accessible is.

The love of 70’s AM pop that coursed through Before Today is still thoroughly entrenched on Mature Themes, and one need look no further than the sun kissed flourish of ‘Only In My Dreams’, a tune that bleeds the sound of California.  The easy listening vibe comes through on cheesy synth pop of ‘Symphony of the Nymph’, ‘Farewell American Primitive’ and ‘Pink Slime’ as well. 

Pink’s nature as an outsider is much more apparent here though, and whereas Before Today seemed toned down, perhaps intentionally, the weird on Mature Themes is turned all the way up to 11.  An easy point of reference for tracks like ‘Kinski Assassin’, ‘Schnitzel Boogie’, and ‘Live it Up’ is fellow Californian Frank Zappa.

Listeners searching for that ‘Round and Round’ moment will be pleased by the final track of the record.  Pink and Co.’s cover of Donnie and Joe Emerson’s ‘Baby,’ which features L.A. beatmeister DāM-FunK, is a blue-eyed soul stunner and the perfect cherry on top of this sundae. 

Mature Themes can be a challenge from time to time, but it never feels complacent, always searching for new and exciting ways to make things just a little more bizarre.

Grade: B+

2010 seems like it was ages ago musically, and remembering what those 365 days had to offer isn’t so easy even though fewer than two years have passed.  There aren’t many sonic events that stick out in my mind from 2010, but one thing is certain, it was first time I heard Fang Island.  As the band said of their sound it was ‘everyone high-fiving everyone’, and the relentless assault of guitars and drums delivered the goods.  It was a devastating record in a very positive way, putting the pedal to the metal from the outset and never letting up.  So after making such a definitive first step the Providence, RI natives, named for an Onion article about Donald Rumsfeld’s fictional lair, had a tall order on their sophomore LP Major.

Some things have remained much the same for the trio this time around.  The guitar riffs are still powered by jet fuel and they’re instantly memorable.  Fang Island have a knack for taking the wailing, indulgent solos that were commonplace when Poison and Mötley Crüe ruled the airwaves, and distilling them into easily listenable, hard hitting pop jams.

The big difference with Major, as opposed to the band’s debut, is the movement towards a more prog/math rock sound.  Whereas their debut promised and delivered ‘nothing but your favorite hooks back to back’, this time around everything has gotten quieter.  Two years ago this was a band all about the surge of adrenaline that unhinged rock ‘n’ roll can provide, but here it just seems pedestrian.  Take for instance the gentle synths of opening track ‘Kindergarten’, or the long buildup of ‘Make Me’ which never leads to any payoff.  Fang Island isn’t as punishing on Major, and that is a shame.

The few bright spots of the record, ‘Regalia’ and ‘Asunder’ mostly, aren’t enough to save things.  Unfortunately the sophomore slump seems to have struck Fang Island.  A couple of years ago their potential seemed as limitless as their musical scope, but now, that’s not so true.  After a debut that launched them into the stratosphere Fang Island have come back to Earth.

Grade: C