We gave you are collective Top 20 songs and albums of 2012 yesterday, but here are our separate lists:
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Individual Best of 2012 Lists
4 JanLxL’s Best Albums of 2012
3 Jan
2012 turned out to be a pretty great year in music. I think all three of us would agree the offerings in 2012 were deep in really good albums, without many albums rising to the level of true greatness. That being said, I think I would rather have a pool of 60-80 really good albums come out in a year than 9-10 great albums. Around here, we like variety, and we certainly got it this year. There was a surprisingly surge of good hip-hop released in the second half of the year (Killer Mike, Nas, Meek Mill). There was the long-awaited return of all-timer female singer songwriter types (Fiona Apple, Cat Power, Regina Spektor). And there were also several much-anticipated sophomore wide releases (Sleigh Bells, Tame Impala, Beach House, Twin Shadow). All in all, there may not have been a lot of perfect albums this year, but it was still a great year in music. Enjoy the top 20.
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LxL’s Best Songs of 2012
3 Jan
Well, after a short Holiday hiatus, we are back! And our end of year coverage continues with the most difficult list to assemble: our favorite songs of 2012. Why is a songs list so difficult to construct you say? Because there is so friggin’ many of them, it’s very hard to reach a consensus. For example we may absolutely love two songs on an album fairly equally, like First Aid Kit’s “Lions Roar” and “EmmyLou”, but we might split our vote causing neither to make the list. But even with the challenging aspects of making this list, it was a blast to make and look back at all the songs that colored our year. Here are our favorites:
20. AlunaGeorge – “Your Drums, Your Love”
New London electronic duo AlunaGeorge, consisting of singer Aluna Francis and producer George Reid (naturally), hit the electronic field by storm in 2012 with an EP and hopes of a full-length to come in the upcoming year. “Your Drums, Your Love” wrings of the slick, wry, and pretty production that Lilly Allen brings to the table, but with an added dimension of electronic touches and an unshakable chime of voices repeating “your drums” to take it over the top.
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Top Ten Thursday: Best Live Acts of 2012
20 Dec
Our best of the year coverage continues with our favorite rockers of the road, highlighting the ten best live shows we saw this year. This year LxL was able to get out to Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and the Pitchfork music festival, which many shows on this list stem from. So without further ado, here are our ten favorite live acts of the year.
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Pitchfork Music Festival – Day One Recap
17 JulPitchfork Music Festival
Union Park, Chicago, IL
July 13th, 2012
Pitchfork Media, which once started as an ultra-snarky yet innovative independent music site by founder Ryan Schreiber in the late 90’s, has since bloomed into in many ways, the online flagship of indie music reviews and news coverage. Pitchfork has since toned down its ridiculously critical tone as it has risen into further prominence and the music world, and has turned into a full-fledge hipster sensation, with a site that remains on the front edge of music news, with extensive video coverage, worldwide journalism, and two music festivals to boot (with their Chicago festival now in its eighth year, and a Paris festival now in its second year). This past Friday, I had the chance to go to a day of Pitchfork Musical Festival in Chicago, the publication’s home base and where they started their festival in 2005 as the Intonation Festival. While I was only able to go the first of three days, I have attended the past two years and understand what the entire breadth of the festival is like. Here are three reasons why Pitchfork Music Festival is the best thing the indie media mogul does.
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