2012 Dedicated Ears Most Listened to List

For me, the most effective means of making a year end list is to put up the albums I listened to the most.  So here those albums are. As a voracious down-loader of Creative Commons releases I say thanks to all those artists for releasing those albums as a CC release.  Most of the albums on this list are CC albums and are featured on Dedicated Ears Legal Free Album/EP List. Thanks to all of those who follow me on FB and Twitter and check out my posts.

Thanks to D. C from The Waiting Room Radio Show for his tips (some on this list) over the year!

1. Santigold -  Master Of My Make -Believe (Atlantic, April 21, 2012)(Philly)

Wildly addictive songs. Have had this on repeat since it's release. This album is loved by my 5, 4, and 1 year old kids who asked for it again today in the car and sang and danced.



2. The Black Atlantic - Darkling , I Listen (January 13, 2012)(Beep Beep)(Netherlands) Fell in Love again with this band all over again with this album. Geert, Simon, Kim and Mathijas have stretched their sound in more aggressive and louder ways while still maintaining the beautiful melodic core that makes the band's sound pretty unique.




3. Hemmingbirds - The Vines Of Age (September 25, 2012)(Chicago, Illinois) This time around there are more nuanced sounds that comes from having a full band who all contribute to the overall sound.  There are the dalliances with experimental and psyche rock and sometimes straight up noise that add quite another element to the bands core of hook laden pop songs.


4. Jump Starts - What Hides Inside (November 10, 2012)(The Loud Label)(St. Louis Missouri) The overall sound on What Hides inside has added new musical flavors, country, Latin and post punk, without losing the tight identity that this Jump Starts duo has crafted.



5. Lupe de Lupe - Sal Grosso (Popfuzz Records, August 20, 2012)(Belo Horizonte, Brazil) Makes you yearn for the 90's again. Such big guitars as on "Há Algo de Podre no Reino de Minas Gerais" , a punk infused riot of a song. 

6. Adrian Jaurez -Marimba (June 21, 2012)(La Plata, Argentina) An ideal electro-pop release. Layered at times and simpler at others but always keeping a pulse on an indie ethos. The buoyant track"Festin" is on of my favorite tracks of the past year.


7. LATRISTIC - The Greyest Shade (March 8, 2012)(Washington) From the up tempo crunchy guitars in the opening track "It's Alright"  to the beautiful title track with it's strings this album has really good song after really good song.



8. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange (Def Jam Records, July 17, 2012)(New York)

R&B singer who oozes sexuality while breaking R&B taboo about the subject matter of some of these songs. 





9. Brendan Losch - Low (April 10, 2012)(Chicago, Illinois) Woozy indie folk songs. "Son Of A Gun" is on of my favorite tracks of the year.



10. Rex or Regina - Attractors (February 8, 2012)(Gainesville, Florida) Old school styled shoe-gaze. "Climbing Trees" is my favorite track.



11. THORN AND SHOUT - Thorn and Shout (September 17, 2012)(Maine) Primitive outsider folk music that is striking. "Name & Noise" is raw and immediate sounding. So very good.



12. Mutts - Separation Anxiety (August 2, 2012)(Chicago, Illinois) Bottom end fueled  experimental blues on acid.  Mutts expanded their sound with this album and better for it.



13. The End Of The Ocean - "In Excelsis"( June 29, 2012)(Columbus, Ohio) Dense post rock. Love their guitar tone and the change of tempo.
 



14. Dastardly - Bury Me in the Country (January 21, 2012)(Chicago, Illinois) My absolute favorite, antagonistic vaudeville punk release from Chicago, this year! Uplifting this lot of songs is not. You will smile though.



15. dusthoney - Coma Home  (March 31 2012)(Philly) This is one of 4 full lengths she released this year. Of her album she says on her Jamendo page "as if written by a girl with a head injury that made her sad all the time."  Then I must have brain damage too because I love this album.

Royalty-free music for professional licensing

16. Lobo Marino - Kite Festival (June 25, 2012)(Richmond, Virginia) Cathy group of songs. The melody from "Golden Flea" still will randomly come to my mind.



17. Yo maté a tu perro - Yo maté a tu perro ep (February 24, 2012)(Mexico) Noisy shoe gaze. "Casa" is my favorite track.



18.  Big Blood - Old Time Primitives (April 5, 2012)(Maine) More beautifully haunting experimental folk music from Big Blood. The bands from the Maine area have made this style of folk their own. "Leviathan Song Pt.1" is my favorite track.





19. swarbles - the hoursongs (July 25, 2012)(Maine) Pretty folk songs featuring a banjo. "perigee love song in three quarters time"is a wonderful song.



20. Collages - Memory Trash (July 7, 2012)(Chicago, Illinois) Electronic pop with island flavors. "What Is Now." is the standout track for me.



21. Blake Fleming - Time's Up (September 18 2012)(New York) Percussionist Blake Fleming recorded this all percussion album that keeps these songs to 3 and 4 minutes long. Awesome idea and some great African inspired playing.



22. Nadine Carina - Little Bits EP (September 1, 2012)(Liverpool, U.K.) Experimental midi pop.