Year in Review: Music

Year in Review: Music

Favorite Albums of the Year

Here is a list of my favorite albums of 2012 accompanied by two(maybe three) videos of songs featured on them.

1. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid M.A.A.D. City

Lamar has easily the best rapped album of the year and has made a few appearances on other artist’s album only to bring those tracks up a level or two. Dude has flow like a jet engine, powerful, constant and if you get to close it will suck you in and tear you to pieces.

Swimming Pools (Drank)

Black Boy Fly

2. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

This album is different. Not in a bad way at all but if this album was put out in the fifty’s everything would have gone from black and white to color. Just like the movie Pleasentville.

Bad Religion

Pink Matter ft. Andre 3000

3. Japandroids - Celebration Rock

Have you ever heard the saying “get to the point”? Well that’s exactly what this album does. With just eight songs on this album I hoped it wouldn’t be like a bad restaurant dinner. Comes quicker than you expected but everything is cold and you are left with a very bad taste in your mouth. I’m glad to say that this album is absolutely not a bad dinner. The pace is quick but each song leaves you wanting just enough that you will go back and before you know it you have the album on repeat. 

The House that Heaven Built

Continuous Thunder

4. Big Boi - Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors’

This album reminded me of Jay Z’s The Black Album. Not in any particular way but when I was listening to it, The Black Album popped into my head on more than one occasion. Big Boi, one half of one the greatest raps groups ever, brings Atlanta to you. He has help from well known artists like B.o.B., Kid Cudi, T.I.P., Luda, Kelly Rowland and A$AP Rocky on some of the tracks and even enlists some help from the indie world with the likes of Wavves and Phantogram.

In The A ft. T.I. & Luda

Tremendous Damage ft. Bosko

5. John Mayer - Born and Raised

I have always been a fan of John Mayer, especially when he referred to Jessica Simpson’s sexual prowess as “Sexual Napalm.” Not only does he out do himself on this album he does so after having thought surgery that kept him from singing for a long time. This guy has still got it.

The Age of Worry

Love is a Verb

Honorable Mention

Jack White – Blunderbuss

I really enjoyed this album, there's just something to listening to Jack Black sing about a love that would “murder my own mother/and take her off to somewhere/ like hell or up above” that is weirdly relaxing.

Love Interruption

SchoolBoy Q – Habits and Contradictions

Who is SchoolBoy Q? Besides being an amazing rapper that I have never heard before I still have no idea who he is. But that doesn’t matter because he puts out great music.

Hands On the Wheel

Favorite Songs of the Year

This list is put together of songs that came out in 2012. Another thing all these tracks have in common is that they have all been overplayed by yours truly. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if these where the least favorite songs of the year by my neighbors.

Mercy – G.O.O.D. Music

I am not a huge Two Chains fan. I know that he was all over 2012 like booties on bitches but I just never got into him. There is one thing that can make me like any rapper in any scenario, that is to get on a Kanye track and demolish it. That’s exactly what Two Chains does in this situation. Then add a Pusha T verse that rivals any Pusha T verse and Kanye doing Kanye things, this is easily my favorite song of the year.

Kendrick Lamar – Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst

This song is easily my favorite off my favorite album of the year. The chorus is haunting and it always gets me singing along.

Frank Ocean – Thinkin Bout You

Everytime Frank Ocean sings in falsetto an angel gets its wings.

Bruno Mars – Locked Out of Heaven

This song is one that always gets me dancing. Actually I’m dancing like Bruno’s backup band in this video right now.

Macklemore feat. Ryan Lewis – Thrift Shop

“They had a broken Keyboard/so I bought a broken keyboard” should sum this song up pretty well.

Big Boi feat. B.o.B. & Wavves – Shoes for Running

B.o.B. has been one of my favorite rappers in the last couple of years. He has a flow that is so his own that he doesn’t even rhyme sometimes and you just have to go “yeah that works.”

Y.N.RichKids – Hot Cheetos and Takis

These kids are more talented then you and they are in elementary school. Go cry in the corner with your hot cheetos.

Carly Rae Jespen – Call Me Maybe

I am not afraid to say that this is one of the songs that I liked the most this year. I have been on too many youtube journeys looking at spoofs and lipsyncs of this song. And most of those journeys ended with me watching the Bieber/Gomez lipsync video while my inner child beat the crap out of me for it to come to this.

SchoolBoy Q feat. Kendrick Lamar – Blessed

This is one of the examples I was referring to when I said Kendrick Lamar elevates the songs that he is featured on, and even before Kendrick makes his presence felt I loved this song.

Taylor Swift – We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

When you find yourself singing this song hours after you saw the video you have to admit that it has it place in the list of best songs of the year. It’s like an audible STI, you will never get rid of it.

One Hit Wonder of the Year

Psy - Gangnam Style

I don't think anything needs to be said about this entry. EH SEXY LADY!