Top 10 Albums of 2012

I knew it wouldn't be easy to find full albums for you to stream. Legal ones so to speak. But thanks to Bandcamp and musicians' better awareness of music streaming, I'm glad to be able to let you hear these great albums. Though, there are a couple, which you need to stream from fan-made playlists. That's not bad. Bad is when a band uploads all the songs, but don't put them in order.

For me a best album is something, which works as an entity. Not all songs have to be out of this world, but they're linked to each other to comprise a masterpiece. The albums chosen below do just that.


10. Chairlift - Something




9. Crystal Castles - III




8. fun. - Some Nights




7. Team Me - To The Treetops!




6. Reptar - Body Faucet




5. Oberhofer - Time Capsules II

Click here to listen.


4. Grimes - Visions




3. Polica - Give You The Ghost




2. Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra - Theatre Is Evil





1. Baroness - Yellow & Green




What were your favorite albums of 2012?

Top 10 Videos of 2012

Normally, I don't have the patience to watch too many music videos, so it was a bit hard to come up with this list. Even harder than my top albums, which is coming tomorrow. However, I was stunned by these videos, which are great in many different ways. Have a look and let me know your favorite 2012 clips! Enjoy.

10. Crystal Castles - Plague

This is made by a fan, which the band liked so much they decided to make it their official video. The footage is from 1981 movie Possession and it's quite distressing.

9. Willis Earl Beal - Evening's Kiss

It's not uncommon for musicians to direct their own videos, but to draw one?

8. Polica - Amongster

Close up footage of animals always does the trick.




7. P!nk - Blow Me (One Last Kiss)

The red used within the black and white is just intriguing.




6. Chairlift - Met Before

This is an interactive video, in which you can choose the path with your arrow keys. There are many twists and endings. In my story the singer died from bee stings. Click here to try yourself.

5. M.I.A. - Bad Girls

This can easily provoke many, but what if this time we'd all just admire the bad-assness of it.




4. The Shins - Simple Song

Never has a story been told this well in a music video. It's highly entertaining and the twist will shock you.




3. Dominant Legs - Make Time For The Boy

I finally had watched Twin Peaks about half a year earlier before this video premiered.


Dominant Legs - "Make Time For The Boy" from stereogum on Vimeo.

2. Grimes - Oblivion

A tight budget results into a tight schedule results into this.




1. Explosions In The Sky - Postcard From 1952

Last year Anna Calvi's Suzanne and I became my all time favorite video. Never ever would I have thought that another video could beat it, let along in the following year. Despite this being 7 minutes long, I had it on repeat for many days. No doubt that this time the video will remain as my all time favorite.



Postcard From 1952 from Explosions in the Sky on Vimeo.


Tomorrow the top albums are up! Remember to let me know your favorite 2012 videos!

August's Music Box

Let's first start with a very big mistake I did for July's Music Box; crazy Canadians Crystal Castles' new song was forgotten. It's also one of those tunes, which I've anticipated for a very long time, and it doesn't disappoint a bit. Download it for free.

Crystal Castles - Plague



Polica - Dark Star

One of the best new bands of 2012 has released their fourth video, which contains some awkward dancing. But in a good way.



Paul Banks - The Base

The first single from Interpol's front man Paul Banks' second album, download it for free. Always a pleasure to hear "the" voice.



Lower Dens - Candy

A lot of fun randomness with a get-together with your work mates?



Grimes - Genesis

Speaking of randomness, check out Grimes and her posse.



Chairlift - I Belong In Your Arms (Japanese version)

Chairlift recently released their sophomore album in Japan, so here's a Japanese version for one of the songs karaoke- style.



No Doubt - Push and Shove

Name one person, who isn't happy that No Doubt are back?! Here's another song from their new album out in a few weeks. Bass player Tony calls Push and Shove to be No Doubt's Bohemian Rhapsody, don't expect too much though. (Couldn't find a version without the Ryan Seacrest interruption).



Ellie Goulding - Anything Could Happen

Last but not least; the best pop song of the year?




What were your favorite songs of August?

Friday Feature: Chairlift

When I last winter discovered the Brooklyn- based now duo Chairlift, I immediately told my friend to check them out. The only comment she gave to me (besides her liking their music) is you seem to really like this 80s stuff.

There's been some kind of disgust towards what that decade had to offer; synth-driven tunes weren't really my cup of tea and big hair made everything worse. However, my time listening to depressing, angry guitar music in a dark room has come to its limit.

And that's when cheery bubbly synth pop acts as a getaway.

Although the lyrics can be for example about revenge and guilt, the danceable melodies make you ignore the seriousness of the song's topic. Chairlift is a perfect example of this.

Just imagine yourself dancing like the kids from The Breakfast Club, while singing I'm gonna hunt you down. I'm gonna run you down.

It's all fun.

  Also, which clearly will be one of my top videos of 2012, is the band's interactive video for "Met Before". By using the arrows of your keyboard you can choose, which direction the story goes. My story ended with the singer dying of bee stings. Click here to see how your story ends, and share it with everyone in the comments below or on the Facebook page.