Monday, December 10, 2012

▷▷▷ A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN A YEAR: BEST OF 2012 ◁◁◁

music is extremely personal. which means that many of you will scoff at the list that follows. but i'm archiving my picks for favorites of the year anyway. it is as much a silly list as a journey into remembering this last year and appreciating how far i have come. if there is one thing that i have learned this year it is this:

A || L O T || C A N || H A P P E N || I N || A || Y E A R.


TOP TEN ALBUMS OF THE YEAR (in no particular order):

 

father john misty "fear fun"
released may 2012

j. tillman kills it on this solo debut under this moniker. his voice and sound are timeless and daring. an album i listen to start to finish.

(okay so maybe this is my #1 but i just can't commit to saying it).





  
     alt-j "an awesome wave"
  released may 2012
  infectious records 

i get a text from my friend, and fellow music fanatic, ashley camper that just reads, "alt-j". that is what lead me to this album. this is a hell of a release from this band out of england. and it is currently on repeat on my stereo.





 alabama shakes "boys & girls"
released april 2012

i am in love with brittany howard's deep, soulful, powerful vocals. this album is a stand out for me. i haven't had the opportunity to see them live yet, but i'm told they are exceptional live. to me that's a mark of a band with staying power.






 
dum dum girls "end of daze"
released september 2012
sub pop records

i mean, what's not to love about the dum dum girls. usually an EP kind of sneaks under the radar without much recognition. but this one did not. this is an evolution of sound. much more intimate and daring. it is worth a listen (or twenty).





sharon van etten "tramp"
released february 2012

i have nothing but wonderful things to say about this woman and her form of artistic expression. and apparently i'm not the only one, because the industry is singing her praises all over the place, landing this album in many top of 2012 lists. and then my roommate has to go and blow my mind by telling me that she was playing small shows in NYC with her not that long ago. le sigh. i love this album.




king tuff "king tuff"
released october 2012
sub pop records

yet ANOTHER stellar album coming out of sub pop headquarters. i mean how do they do it??

play it loud my friends.






beach house "bloom"
released may 2012
sub pop records

i have to admit that the first time through the album i wasn't convinced that this was the best of the year. but another listen or two one day, alone in my car, driving on a gorgeous summer day, it hit me. and then i saw them live. it was a thing a beauty. art really. forever hooked.







michael kiwanuka "home again"
released march 2012

soul singer from the uk. some tracks sound like they are from a different time. i could get lost in this album. it's an easy listen on a sunday morning.







tame impala "lonerism"
released october 2012

this aussie band is a force to be reckoned with. i have been waiting for this album, perhaps not even realizing that i was. it's a must for this list and a plethora of others for the best of 2012. be expecting a tour in the coming year. you won't want to miss it.





the evens "the odds"
released november 2012
dischord records

this album came out very recently, so i've hardly had the time to marinate in it like some of the others on the list. but it's grabbed my attention. already. this discovery was the product of yet another text message from a music friend. a more forceful, "listen to this now if you know what's good for you", sort of a message. the effect is the same.







OTHER TOP MOMENTS OF 2012
▷ "homeland" + "girls". power female roles for claire danes and lena dunham. both freakin' geniuses in my book. 
▷  coconut oil.
▷  the cedra sessions: the radio version and the blog. thanks for the support my friends!
▷▷▷  maui 02.2012.
▷  shazam + instagram.
▷  marriage equality moving forward state by state.
▷▷▷  lavender chai.
▷▷▷  road-tripping with my cousin: tetons, the bend fireplace, and ocean rolls from sparrow bakery.
▷  the end of this year honoring my namesake, cedra. a woman that has molded my very being. loss is part of learning. 
▷  that single reiki session that changed my entire world.
▷▷▷  watching my friend from college, nicholas david, compete on 'the voice'. a true talent with a stunning gift. 
|| T E A M || N I C K ||

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