20 Best Albums of 2012

20) Rustie: Essential Mix

• Rustie really came to the surface this year allowing his music to cross boundaries from dubstep to grime to hip-hop. Others have done it before him, but none sound this alive. Can't wait to hear his collaboration with Danny Brown in 2013.

19) Chromatics: Kill for Love

• Kill for Love is irregularly long for this kind of album, it is drawn out like a disco full of nerds sitting in the corner. Actually it's the perfect soundtrack for that.

18) Big K.R.I.T.: 4Eva N a Day

• K.R.I.T. is a very isolated rapper, rarely has features and his subject matter is never extravagant. The track Red Eye depicts the strain his career has on his relationship with his girlfriend. "I can't be what you want me to be/you shooting too high cuz you ain't aiming at me" he argues before unabashedly promising "but if you willing to try, then I'm willing to leap/outta the window of pain and fall in love with your feet". Insomnia has K.R.I.T. lying awake in bed, unable to sleep because of sexual desires for a girl claiming "you help me sleep". Then there is the epic closer The Alarm, reminding black males not to fall into the trap of materialism (seems to be his biggest theme). This isn't a perfect mixtape, but those three songs are definite highlights. Not a party record, my personal and should be listened to by yourself, preferably before bed.

17) Rick Ross: Rich Forever

• Trust Rick Rozay to make a mixtape that sounds like a million bucks, completely obliterating the chaos and raw sound that constitutes a tattered mixtape. Luxurious and powerful production with features by Diddy for crying out loud. It's his best yet and it's not even an actual album. Rick Ross gets a lot of criticism and I admit that some aspects I would join the bandwagon, however even though he raps about a completely false lifestyle and the topic is a constant hyperreality obsession with drugs and money, he has the flow and production team to back it up.

16) Beach House: Bloom

15) Jessie Ware: Devotion

• This is a smooth and soulful pop record, down-tempo and does exactly what it says on the tin. No wild gimmicks, its this type of record in the traditional sense. Jessie Ware has the album the way she has seemed to have wanted with no tampering of image manipulation.

14) Purity Ring: Shrines

• This album just has undeniable, thriving energy with belching beats that can't help but put a smile on your face.

13) Schoolboy Q: Habits and Contradictions

• I love the samples on this album, especially for There He Go!, which takes Menomena's Wet and Rusting, which reminded me that I even had that album. Schoolboy Q is part of Kendrick Lamar's crew, but certainly doesn't look like a fucking "black hippie" There is a harrowing line on Sacrilegious, an album opener if there ever was one. In response for cleansing himself of his sins he claims "but I done did some things I don't think I could ever wash away". Jesus!

12) Cloud Nothings: Attack on Memory

• It's nice to hear an indie band not acting like a bunch of fucking puss-cake hippies, it gets tiresome and gay. Cloud Nothings screamed their lungs off, but in a coherent and accessible manner. They weren't French crooning their way through it, they dropped their balls and went all out. Nirvana would be proud.

11) Miguel: Kaleidoscope Dream

• This fella right here must eat pussy and I commend him on it. Fair fucks to him for writing this material in 2012 and have men and women tapping their feet to it Where Frank Ocean offers more complex songwriting, Miguel keeps it basic, even though they do share the same vulnerable attributes. Realistically most RnB males these days are vulnerable except The-Dream or The Weeknd. Miguel pulls it off though because his songs aren't the recyclable hits that vomit themselves on dancefloors every month. Adorn is a giddy love hit that could be loved now or 1963. Candles in the Sun is a "we are the world" type song that is genuine and moving. Pussy is Mine is an example of vulnerability among men, who need a girl just so they can stand out. 

10) Grimes: Visions

9) EL-P: Cancer for Cure

• EL-P still holds that futuristic sounding production, obviously still obsessed with Blade Runner. However this is probably his most easy listening album yet. You listening to this type of record when you are walking down the street and hate everything and everyone around you. It is cathartic for your bad moods. The aggressive ambiance matches his fascination with the toughness of New York. Also the track Hail No contains the best rap line of 2012 courtesy of Danny Brown: "I'm Rick Flair/with thick hair/yelling out wooohh, getting head in the director's chair".

8) Kendrick Lamar: good kid, m.A.A.d city

• It was Kendrick Lamar's year, from a mainstream perspective anyway. He released this concept album, which is a very good one indeed. However, some have compared it to Illmatic...that's just blasphemy. Even if with time, this becomes a classic, people were comparing the two straight away. Kendrick is obviously very talented and has is own style, but his lyrical technique is just not in Nas' league. Standouts include Backseat Freestyle, m.A.A.d city, Swimming Pools and Sing About Me, I'm Dying from Thirst. After my first listen to this album one thing came to mind...Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets (1973). Kendrick reminded me so much of the main character Charile, played by Harvey Keitel. This young man, who is living among killers, thieves, the gangster lifestyle and he is torn between God, religion and the contradictory street life. That was the main aspect I took from this album.

7) Burial: Kindred EP

• Burial a.k.a. William Bevan is quite a shy fellow, only unhooded in 2008 because of pressure from the press after been nominated for the Mercury Prize. His music certainly reflects loneliness and isolation. The only traces of human activity are sampled singing voices that sound like ghosts haunting the track. It's a soundtrack to the night in the city, but when everyone is long gone and your only friends are the streetlights.

6) Action Bronson: Blue Chips

• This mixtape is a complete mess, chaos reigns when Action Bronson decided leave his kitchen in Flushing, Queens to take a trip to producer Party Supplies in Williamsbourg, Brooklyn. Bronson makes a dozen slip ups during his verses, but continues anyway, and Party Supplies samples are bizarre, you can even hear him turn the volume up and down on the Mac while recording. All these drastic mistakes are what make Blue Chips so charming, its like a behind the scenes album. Most interesting album of the year.

5) Nas: Life is Good

• I was privileged to have been living in New York when Nas released this, walking around the boroughs, taking subways, sipping cappucinos in Little Italy. I remember downloading it on my day off and just began walking. Perfect soundtrack for it. Nas has had hit and misses since the landmark Illmatic in 1994, but he always been on point with his rhyming technique. Former enemy Jay Z became bigger than God since their feud, however Nas has matured in subject matter, whereas Jay Z really is talking about the same stuff. Nas and MC's like Raekwon and Ghostface seem proud of their veteran status and age. Jay Z is trying to act in his twenties and sometimes, not always, but sometimes it is extremely embarrassing. Like his verse on 2010's Monster. On Life is Good Nas talks about personal issues such as his daughter reaching those curious teenage years and his divorce with Kelis. Then he proves how relevant he is as a great storyteller and lyricist on tracks such as Loco-Motive, Nasty, The Black Bond. Also, uses former classic producers such as Large Professor for luscious tracks such as Stay. It is a cinematic album that is appropriate material for an MC his age. Jigga take note.

4) Japandroids: Celebration Rock

• The title really says it all. Celebration Rock is a power-house of a rock record that sound like it's fighting for its life, they are willing to die for this. Their video for The House That Heaven Built exhibits this the best.

3) Killer Mike: R.A.P. Music

• Killer Mike has probably been Hip-Hop's most political MC since Eminem at the dawn of the millenium. I still think his That's Life in 2006 is his best attack on...well everybody. Teaming up with EL-P for production was so right. One producer for an entire album, if they click, can become a classic e.g. Dr. Dre & Eminem, RZA & GZA/Raekwon, Pharrell and Clipse. And these two clicked, fused and exploded. EL-P's futuristic, trunk rattling beats and Mike's booming voice create a nihilistic, political, southern classic. Killer Mike is conspiracy paranoid, but his conviction makes you adhere to his beliefs. Reagan is an outstanding blast at not only the Reagan Era, but also his generation for thinking money will give them equal status in American society. For Mike, rap is his religion and the way he raps on this thing you can see he means business.

2) John Talabot: fIN

• John Talabot from Barcelona, similar to Burial, traps vocals within his instrumentals. However, these tracks sound more upbeat, exotic and world travelled. Depends on your mood, but Talabot's taste is more expansive. This can be listened to in a club, or in a more personal setting. Whereas Burial, the fuck, forces you to listen to his music just on earphones, preferably in the dark while you sob. fIN is also one of the most easiest listening house albums ever.

1) Frank Ocean: Channel Orange

• Being homosexual sells apparently. Now I don't know if Ocean is actually all about the cock or not, but regardless Channel Orange is going to be seen as an RnB classic. However, I would find it extremely cunning if Ocean and his PR team decided to pull off this gay angle, fair deuce to them if something along those lines occurred because that was a major factor in this album's commercial success. None of it would take away the fact that this is a great album, but I would be impressed from a business standpoint. With this album, you have so much variety ranging from neo-soul and electro-funk to psychedelic and is heavily influenced by Stevie Wonder. Ocean's subject matter is complex and takes some hard listening such as the epic sprawl of Pyramids. He explores the heartbreak and confusion of unrequited love (yeah...with a guy), luxury and drug abuse, but also has great triumphant tracks such as Lost and Monks. It really is a universal record that challenges RnB even while its transcending now more than it has in years.

50 Best Tracks of 2012

50) Rihanna

     "Birthday Cake (Remix)" ft Chris Brown

• Always a head turner if you're in a club full with foxy browns. Also like to think that the repetitiveness of the word "cake" transcends into "Drake", a straight slap in the face to song feature and ex Chris Breezy.

49) King Louie

     "Val Venis"

• The title alone places this song on the list.

48) MS MR    

     "Hurricane"

• Didn't see this video till now, pretty fucking good.

47) Future

    "Turn on the Lights"

• Love how this Jar Jar Binks looking fuck gets this Babraham Lincoln in this video.

46) Chief Keef

    "I Don't Like" ft Lil Reese

• Plays out like a Halloween anthem. He doesn't like much does he?

45) Rick Ross
   "Stay Scheming" ft Drake & French Montana

• Do you stay scheming?

44) Bobby Womack

     "Please Forgive My Heart"

• If you are planning to cheat and get got, get this track.

43) Costello 

     "The Representatives" ft G.I.

• Irish Hip-Hop is often scoffed at and rightly so because until now there really hasn't been anything worthwhile or at least consistent. Costello, G.I. and the WorkinClassCrew are the real thing.

42) Joey Bada$$ 

     "Survival Tactics" ft Capital STEEZ

• Similar to Costello, Joey Bada$$ from Brooklyn pays homage to the Hip Hop renaissance, New York early to mid 1990s. Both of their music sounds from that era and they are dedicated towards true lyricism. From Dublin to Brooklyn!

41) Danny Brown

     "Grown Up"

40) Cassie

     "King of Hearts (Richard X Remix)"

39) Cloud Nothings

     "Stay Useless"

38)  Korallreven

     "Sa Sa Samoa (Elite Gymnastics Remix)"

• Many tributes for Whitney Houston after her passing, but this ecstasy/rave homage has to be the most original.

37) Nas

 "Daughters"

• This is what MC'S this age should be rapping about.

36) Kanye West 

   "Mercy" ft Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz

35) Purity Ring

     "Fineshrine"

34) Schoolboy Q
    "Hands on the Wheel" ft ASAP Rocky

33) John Talabot

     "Destiny" ft Pional

32) Earl Sweatshirt

    "Chum"

31) Grizzly Bear

    "Yet Again"

30) Meek Mill

     "Amen" ft Drake

29) Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti 

   "Only in my Dreams"

   

28) Grimes

   "Oblivion"

27) Schoolboy Q

    "There He Go"

26) Sky Ferreira

  "Everything is Embarrassing"

25) Niki and the Dove

     "Tomorrow" 

• Sweden always make the most uplifting pop songs.

24) Perfume Genius

     "Hood"

• Riding off into the sunset music.

23) ASAP Rocky

     "Goldie"

22) Le1f

     "Wut"

• This guy got lost up Hershey Highway and never found his way out.

21) Frank Ocean

     "Bad Religion"

• If he is gay, no problem...still talented. If he made it up to create a hype, love him even more. Whether you're going through the front or back door, this song can relate to anyone.

20) Jai Paul

   "Jasmine"

19) Azealia Banks

     "Jumanji"

• This song conveys Jumanji. It comes up, down, hits you from every angle. Reminds me of one of those shitty safari type roller coasters that pull and jerk at every turn.

18) Unsane

     "No Chance"

• If I were a wrestler, this would be my theme music.

17) Killer Mike

    "Big Beast"

16) Nicki Minaj

     "Beez in the Trap" ft 2 Chainz

15) Mikky Ekko

    "Pull Me Down (Ryans Hemsworth Remix)"

14) Baauer

    "Harlem Shake"

13) Killer Mike

     "Reagan"

12) Rustie

    "After Light" ft AlunaGeorge

11) M.I.A.

   "Bad Girls"

10) Kendrick Lamar

   "Swimming Pools (Drank)

• Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d. city deals thoroughly with peer pressure. Swimming Pools is the dive from a few drinks into being succumbed by alcohol. From a tipsy night to a complete blackout. Swimming Pools makes you not want to take that dive.

9) Kendrick Lamar

   "Cartoon and Cereal" ft Gunplay

8) Mister Lies

    "Cleam"

7) Solange

    "Losing You"

6) Miguel

 "Adorn"

• This song has an innocent doo-wop 50s/60s aura about it, enhanced by Miguel's ridiculous pompadour haircut. It's a giddy, puppy love song and impressive that he pulled it off in 2012 when we are all becoming a little bit too cynical.

5) El-P

 "Full Retard"

• And if you want the complete opposite of "Adorn" then El-P has the thing for you. He has no hope, complete cynic and believes in full excess just for the fuck of it. This track is brooding with a stubborn confidence, you hate everybody and know you're in the right when listening to this.

4) Japandroids

 "The House that Heaven Built"

• Fucking A!

3) Usher

 "Climax"

• RnB has been having more promising artists in the last couple of years with people like The-Dream, The Weeknd, Frank Ocean and Miguel. However, Usher has always held his own and brought out strong records. While most RnB singles are recyclable trash with no substance or originality, Usher has always separated himself from that majority. Here he teams up with Diplo to produce an excellent dubstep-esque/rhythm and blues track.

2) Jay-Z/Kanye West/Big Sean

   "Clique"

• Same formula as usual for this group. Everything has to be bigger than life, and this is. "Clique" even reigns more supreme than "Niggas in Paris" with its belching, hiccuping beat from Hit Boy. Verses are precise, nothing original, but perfectly executed. Best club track of the year.

1) Frank Ocean

  "Pyramids"

• Frank Ocean happened to bring something bigger than GOOD Music productions with his 10 minute, tempo changing sprawl that follows the story of Cleopatra. Begins in ancient Egypt, where she was feared, respected and loved. The story moves to contemporary society where she is a stripper, under control of a pimp. Yet she regains power again when she returns home to her boyfriend, who is helpless as she dances for other men. Ocean depicts the power struggle between man and woman on an epic scale with Pyramids, which helps prove that he is one of todays most essential songwriters. (video below is a shorter version)

Silver Linings Playbook: 4 Macs

With his 2010's The Fighter and his latest movie Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell has proven to be an avid student of the screwball comedies of the 1930s and 1940s. His films have inherited the rapid and interrupted dialogue that we can find in Howard Hawkes' Bringing Up Baby (1938) and His Girl Friday (1940). Both The Fighter and Silver Linings concentrate on the issue of the dysfunctional family, where arguments are obviously going to occur. Most other movies in these arguing scenarios tamper with the dispute by allowing each character to get their words through distinctively without interruption, but Russell realises that this isn't reality. He allows these characters to talk over each other and interrupt, which is chaotic and really funny. 

Pat Solitano is released from a mental institution, where he was placed because he assaulted the man his wife had an affair with. He has a positive new outlook on life, but for the wrong reason. He wants win his wife back, even though everyone around him tries to persuade him against it for his own good. His mother (Jackie Weaver) has the patient of a saint with Pat and his father (De Niro), who also is a tad off the wall with his superstitious obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles and gambling. Pat and his father don't bond and never really have with the obstacle of Pat's older brother Jake (Shea Whigham). However, Pat Senior does try, which he explains in an extremely emotional scene midway through the movie. Life back home with family is tense, we get scenes that commence with light humour, which then transcend to verbal or domestic violence. 

Pat has his friends too. Danny (Chris Tucker), who spent time with him on the inside and has a bizarre obsession with his hair. Ronnie (John Ortiz), who fully supports Pat, but is losing his own mind slightly because of the leash his wife has on him. Through Ronnie, Pat is introduced to Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who is recently widowed and who also had a mental breakdown, but she used sex as her weapon rather than violence. They enjoy a discussion about the different medication they have been on.  Although Pat is attracted to Tiffany, he won't give in to sex with her because he feels it will destroy his chances at reuniting with his wife. They become friends, Tiffany promising she'll help him with contacting his wife in exchange for Pat being her dance partner for a competition. Just like the family this friendship/love interest is dysfunctional. Soon Tiffany and the family meet not on good terms and the insanity begins resulting in a whacky bet involving Eagles vs Giants and the score Pat and Tiff get in the dance competition. 

Russell follows the conventions of the modern romantic comedy, but with his own screwball twist on it. That is what makes this movie so refreshing. Also, it has to be mentioned that Russell has true technical skill in smooth camera work and cinematic vision. Many of his shots are inspired by Scorsese, and the tracking shot of Pat in the dance function is like watching a Brian De Palma thriller. 

This is a really great movie, probably the best casting of this year. Great to see Chris Tucker in a good movie again and this is possibly De Niro's best performance since Heat (1995) or Jackie Brown (1997).

The Cabin In The Woods: 4 Macs

The Cabin in the Woods is a thrill ride for audiences and a puzzle to keep trying to out guess for true horror fans. We realise before we step into the theatre that this is not going to be the run of this mill teen horror flick, we already know that there are bigger things developing outside the cabin, but my guess is that the main assumption of all was that it was an experiment on these horny kids, either malicious or medical. However, we learn that this is not an experiment, but an extremely necessary sacrifice.

We are completely in Joss Whedon territory here. The creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (one of the top 5 television shows of all time) co writes and produces, and his influence is so evident with the blending of supernatural horror and sci-fi. Whedon also has a huge interest in the supernatural within a military format. This enhanced more as the Buffy series continued, army bases with confined demons, some released with chips in their heads. He has definitely created his own cult movement within popular culture, and could possibly be seen as more of an auteur if he made more movies.

We meet five college students in Cabin in the Woods: the slut, the jock, the intellectual stud, the joker, and the virgin (maybe not) a.k.a. final girl. So not only are we dealing with a supernatural sci-fi, but also the set up for a slasher flick. Whedon and director Drew Goddard tangle up all these elements to create yet another homage to horror, but with an original premise. These kids aren't as hip or savvy as the Scream characters, they are not as cool or uncool as them either. They don't list off killers or gory death scenes from past films. These are the kind of losers the "scream team" would mock. They are genuinely in the moment and it is the strings that are been pulled from behind the screen where true horror fanatics belong, joking and placing bets.

And this movie does have its comedy, which is very funny. It is delivered by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford, who have the nasty business of offing these innocents, or place them in hairy situations and let them choose their own destiny. They both have become so numb to the process that they make jokes and bet just so they can cope with their harrowing job. And this is where the unsuspected comes into play. It is their job, not a sadistic hobby, but a duty that is so intrinsic to our very existence that I am not going to reveal it in this review.

Another great factor about this film is the enhanced gore that would not be allowed on Buffy. Whedon has the freedom to unleash his Tom Savini side. The last 15 to 20 minutes is a blood drenched action movie, with an image similar to Stanley Kubrick's bloody elevator scene in The Shining. What occurs between then and when the horror begins lays the film's true originality.

It has been argued if this is a homage or criticism of horror movies and their conventions. It very may well be, but we must remember that Joss Whedon does not fall into the same category as Craven, Carpenter, Landis or Hooper. He is not a slasher icon, and has never followed the conventions that are so great about those directors movies. It is an unwritten rule and exercise that slasher directors must follow. Punish the whores, let the virgin survive, must have this camera angle here or I want this to make the audience to jump there. There is a certain respected process among that community. Whedon is not a slasher director, he is a supernatural visionary, so he can criticise the conventions if he wants. He is wrong, but he is in an entirely different genre and generation to me. Great filmmakers have gone against the grain before; Stanley Kubrick, William Friedkin. Brian De Palma criticised both of these men because they broke conventions. They did, but they still made great movies and so has Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard.

The Hunter: 5 Macs

Willem Dafoe has one of those faces that tell a thousand stories, a face with character that belongs in a Sergio Leone movie. The Hunter has the perfect role for Dafoe as Martin David, who is hired by a company to hunt and kill a rare Tasmanian Tiger. The company Red Leaf need the DNA of the creature, who may or may not exist. Dafoe's weathered face suits Martin's hunter exterior, but he also possesses a subdued and gentle personality. Martin David is quiet, neat and a lover of classical music. Why are all killer's like this? And he is a killer, not of humans, but his hunt is dedicated to animals. Even when he is approached by Red Leaf, it looks like the Mafia hiring a hitman. He is a professional, his hunting style seems simple and direct.

Martin is sent to Tasmania to stay with a broken family in a broken home. The father and husband was too in search of the rare tiger, but disappeared during the summer up in the mountains. Martin presumes by falling or freezing, but as time goes on his doubts about the existence of this tiger and the father's fate change. This happens through the help of the children, who basically run the household, while mother (Frances O'Connor) still suffers from shock and depression due to her husbands disappearance. 

In possibly the best scene of the movie, the mother, Lucy wakes up to Bruce Springsteen's hauntingly beautiful I'm On Fire. The scene begins as one of hope as Martin fixes the generator, which enhances his bond with the children. We, the audience are uplifted as Martin celebrates and dances with the kids outside. Lucy awakens with hope in her eyes, but we quickly realise before her the despair and sorrow that is about to happen. She wanders slowly through the romantically lit house to the front door to see her children in the arms of a man with his back facing her. She presumes it is her husband, who has returned, hence the happiness of the kids. She walks up behind Martin and hugs him with relief, turns him around only to see that it is not her husband. The disappointment is devastatingly poignant, especially with Springsteen's haunting tune in the background. 

Lucy falls back into her depression, but Martin is quick to help her. He cleans her up in the bath with the help of the kids and warns them not to give her anymore of the medication pills. However, this isn't a melodramatic feature, though elements of it are perfectly portrayed. Business is business and Martin has a tiger to hunt. The locals of the area are unwelcoming and hostile towards Martin due to the fact that they are on the brink of losing their jobs due to logging protests. The hippy protesters admire Martin because they believe he is only researching Tasmanian Devils. 

Mystery and paranoia unfolds as Martin believes he is been followed by what seems to be the aggressive locals. A shady character is Jack played by Sam Neill, who is a dirty old guide, who barely takes care of the family. It is a funny role for him because he usually plays more defined or cultured characters rather than the old guy using the outback. Martin's suspicions are also pointed towards Red Leaf when he figures out that they also hired Lucy's husband to hunt for the tiger. Lucy's young son "Bike" is silent for most of the movie, but is the closest bond to Martin. It is through his direction that Martin begins to believe that the Tasmanian Tiger does exist. 

Martin's various trips to the Tasmanian hunting grounds bring him closer to the tiger, but also reveal something new about the mystery of the missing husband/father and who is pursuing him. When Martin eventually comes face to face with the very last Tasmanian Tiger, emotions run high and we understand why he does what he has to do.

The Hunter is the best film of 2012 so far. It succeeds in balancing an intriguing story with greatly stylised and emotionally charged scenes, along with breathtaking shots of the Tasmanian landscape and some charming and funny moments (when the kids hop into the bathtub naked with Martin, who is afraid he will be labelled a child molester). All these factors I found to blend perfectly, to create a fantastic thriller with some real emotional depth. The climax isn't necessarily a happy one, but really one more of relief. I find it is the little things that make this film truly great. It's all about action and reaction here, like the I'm On Fire scene or Martin's reaction when he comes face to face with the tiger.