Oddfellows by Tomahawk

Released:  January 29, 2012
Rating:  ééé1/2
Genre:  Hard Rock

Tomahawk released their first album in 2001; three years after founder/lead singer Mike Patton's previous band (Faith No More) broke up. This is one of three bands he currently fronts (can you say overachiever?).

The album is almost universally loved by the critics, and musically it's better than the three and a half stars I've given it for pure listenability.  According to the industry it qualifies as Heavy- or Alt-Metal, but for the past few years that's meant, to me, too loud and too angry, with the music something you have to dig to find. This album has some great stuff on it.  To whit, Stone Letter, A Thousand Eyes, Choke Neck or Waratorium.  All have great musicality, plenty of hooks, interesting  rhythms and a touch of metal sludge.  (Okay, so Warratorium has a lot of metal sludge; shoot me.)

No Beginning, No End by José James

Released: January 22, 2013
Rating: ééé1/2
Genre: Jazz and Soul

Described by some as a Jazz singer for the Hip Hop generation.  I don't hear it.  I may be too old-school, but what I hear is Bill Withers in the 21st century (which I consider a good thing.)  New York City's Jose James lists Marvin Gaye as an influence and I can hear that too.  This is great as either a sound track to an easy day or for focused listening in a contented mood.

Both the opener  It's All Over Your Body and  Trouble remind me so much of Bill Withers, it's easy to forget he hasn't had a new studio release in almost 30 years. Or, try my favorite, the simple, beautiful  Come To My Door.

Anything in Return by Toro y Moi

Released:  January 22, 2013
Rating:  ééé1/2
Genre:  Chill & B

This album does not come easy.  It takes repeated listens to get into the layers that make it so darned interesting, and ultimately enjoyable.  There's R&B, funk and electronica here, and they all come together for something that is really terrific when you need a distraction (in the office between tasks) or when you have time to really listen (like during the commute or a drive to Monterey.)  I don't know Exactly what to compare it to that would be better known.  Maybe Stereolab, or Girls.  Spotify relates them to Phantogram, which I guess I can hear.

Chaz Bundick, the 26 year old from South Carolina (now residing in Berkeley CA), is Toro y Moi, This is his third album (my second) since 2010, though he's been performing since 2001. It's darker than 2011's Underneath The Pine, but I also think it's a better collection.

My favorite song on the album is   High Living.  I can also strongly Cola and Studies.

Beta Love by Ra Ra Riot

Released:  January 22, 2013
Rating:  éééé
Genre:  Indie Chamber Rock

This is my third album from the now-five-piece from New York.  (The cello player, who I met during their last show in Sacramento, has left the band.)  My enthusiasm for the album, matched against the breadth of the reviewers opinions here, support my theory that if they're mixed on it,  I'll probably love it.  Almost all of the reviewers acknowledge how much fun the music is.  Most of the mixed and negative reviews tend to harp on the fact that they're trying something new and they don't like it.  (Some folks just didn't get what they expected.)

The album's just soft enough to work in the office; the dance beats are great for the gym; and it's not bad in the car, though a little slow at times.

My favorite songs on the album are the spacey, synth-heavy What I Do for U and the 80's style  When I Dream.

Light Up Gold by Parquet Courts

Released:  January 15, 2013
Rating:  ééé
Genre:  Neo-Punk

Parquet Courts' special breed of "Americana punk" - noisy indie rock with jagged punk edges borrowed from late-'90s guitar-heavy alternative acts - began in 2011 when some former Texans who had relocated to Brooklyn began practicing and gigging regularly.  The band released its first album, American Specialties, on cassette in late 2011. This is their first disc.

Don't let the artwork fool you.  There is nothing cowboy about this.  And, while I like the album, the critics seem to love it, with a metascore of 84

There's nothing I can adequately compare them to, as the bands others use as comparisons, for the most part, I've never heard of (The Feelies, Borrowed Thyme, etc.).  Please pardon my ignorance.  The two bands I have heard of include Modern Lovers and Foxygen (which, coincidentally, I was just introduced to tonight).

Personally, I found the best place to listen to Parquet Courts was on my i-Pod at the gym.  Way too frenetic for the office.  Not bad in the car, but it can become a little monotonous.  For a taste, I'd suggest Donuts Only, Yonder Is Closer To The Heart, or, my favorite, Stoned and Starving.

Dead In The Boot by Elbow

Released:  19 Novemeber, 2012
Rating:  73.85
Genre:  Atmospheric-Alt-Rock

Finally, wrapping it up for 2012 is the phenomenal Elbow with a collection of "B" sides.  These caught my attention in 2008 with The Seldom Seen Kid.  Grounds for Divorce (not sure J.C. Penney paid much attention to the name when they bought the rights for a TV commercial) and Audience With the Pope are still two of my favorite songs since the turn of the millennium.

This album has a couple near comparable tune. The pounding McGreggor is my favorite and the yearning The Long War Shuffle is totally absorbing . Most of the rest of the album is more soulful, exemplified by Lucky With Disease

Into the Future by Bad Brains

Released:  19 November 2013
Rating:  70.77
Genre:  Hardcore-Punk-Reggae

They've been around since the late 1970's and were one of the first true punk bands.  This is there 9th studio release and the first in five years.  More than anything, I can else say, it's really interesting.  I realize that sort of sounds like "damned with feint praise", but I really mean it in the best possible way.  This is an all-black, Rastafarian band, from Washington, DC, playing angry white-boy punk with great reggae beats behind it and outstanding musicality.

Bad Brains – Youth of Today bounces from punk to arena rock to reggae and back again.  Jane,s Addiction would be proud of Earnest Love.  Maybe a Joyful Noise is a sweet reggae number and Mca Dub could come from a trip hop era (of which DC has their fair share.)

All in all, I'm higher on the disc the the average critic, especially as a background sound to a long drive.

Busting Visions by Zeus

Released:  March 27, 2012
Rating:  71.43
Genre:  Indie

Out of Toronto, the quartet calling themselves Zeus (caution if you're Googling them, there are more than one Heavy Metal band of the same name) were recommended to me by one of my musical mentors (thanks Michael) which explains there late entry onto list.  AMG compares them to ELO, T-Rex and George Harrison.  I can see that, and a number of others from the late '60s and early '70s.

Are You Gonna Waste My Time? reminds me of late-Beatles
Love / Pain could be John Lennon in a pop frame of mind.
My favorite son on the album is With Eyes Closed, which could have come from the Guess Who.
Stop The Train reminds me of something between Three Dog Night and the Grateful Dead.

Cobra Juicy by Black Moth Super Rainbow

Released:  22 October 2012
Rating:  70.91
Genre:  Psychedelic Electro-Pop

On the Indie circuit since 2002, the self-released Cobra Juicy is the seventh release for the quintet from Pennsylvania.  This album is described by AMG as "subterranean lo-fi weirdness with upped production values and a  [clear] view of their psychedelic electro-pop."  I'll buy that.  Outside of San Francisco's Deerhoof, I'm not familiar with any of Spotify's related artists, so I'm not sure who to compare them to.

Like a Sundae is a sort of sunny, almost dream-pop tune that seems it would be more at home in CA than PA.
Hairspray Heart is electronic funk (and the lyrics are not for children)
I Think I'm Evil has a cool, 80's kinda vibe.

Sorry to Bother You by The Coup

Released:  October 30, 2012
Rating:  69.23
Genre:  Underground Rap

20 Years and six albums in, the Coup are considered "one of the most overtly political bands in rap history." That being a lean to the extreme left.  (Lead rapper/producer, Boots, was deeply involved in the occupy Oakland movement.  However, that's not what attracted me.  The music is great and the songs are catchy as hell.

The Magic Clap is just a lot of fun.
The Gods of Science has a terrific funk beat.
This Year is a little slice off Motown
The Guillotine is just smokin' hot.

The Haunted Man by Bat For Lashes

Released:  October 22, 2012
Rating:  69.09
Genre:  Indie

This is a challenging album, for me, to describe.  There are moments I'd call chamber-pop, like the opener Lilies.  Others are more singer-songwriter, such as my favorite song on the album All Your Gold.  The beautiful  Laura  the first single off the album, reminds me of Kate Bush or maybe even Bjork.

Pakistan-born Natasha Khan is the creative force behind the band from Brighton, England.  In fact, she pretty much is the band, though she's hired a lot of other musicians to perform behind her; especially strings.  This is Bat For Lashes' third album and my second by the band.  While I really enjoy listening to it, in the right frame of mind, I'm not quite as high on it as the professional critics, who seem to be pretty much over the moon for it.

Mondo by Electric Guest

Released:  May 15, 2012
Rating:  74.00
Genre: '80s Dance Pop

It's a late purchase,and thus a late entry. For that I apologize.  It wasn't until a friend and fellow Danger Mouse enthusiast mentioned that Brian Burton had produced this that I was even aware it existed.  And you should know my rule by now:  If Danger Mouse is involved, buy it.  He does not disappoint.

Danger Mouse has been involved with the creative force behind Electric Guest, Asa Taccone, almost since the Grey Album.  In fact, he credits Taccone with helping him to define his style.  So it's no surprise that you can hear a lot of his other work in these songs.  The Bait and Troubleman could have been Beck;
American Daydream reminds me of Sparklehorse (from Dark Night of the Soul), or maybe Damon Albarn (from The Good, The Bad and The Queen album);  Control taps his work with James Mercer on the Broken Bells album; This Head I Hold, my favorite song on the album and is an RB number reminiscent of his work with Cee Lo Green.  The one exception is Under The Gun, which reminds George Michael.

Sunken Condos by Donald Fagen

Released:  October 16, 2012
Rating:  75.56
Genre:  R&B

I love this album as much as the critics (it received a metascore of 82) and it easily jumps into my top 10 for 2012.

Steely Dan's Aja was one of my favorite albums through the late '70s and Early '80s.  In fact, when I first heard the a CD, my only thought was how amazing Deacon Blues would sound with that format.  In fact, it was the first disc I ever bought.  Donald Fagen, half of the brain trust behind Steely Dan, has brought that sound into the 21st century.

Check out Slinky Thing, which could have easily fit between Black Cow and the title track on Aja; Weather In My Head has a great funk beat and is my favorite song on the disc; The New Breed's got a little bit of an Al Jarreau vibe; and Out Of The Ghetto's opening riff is dead ringer for Curtis Mayfield's Pusherman from the Superfly soundtrack.

Tender New Signs by Tamaryn

Released:  October 9. 2012
Rating:  68.89
Genre:  Shoegaze Revival

I don't imagine I qualify as a Shoegaze revivalist, because I was never a big Shoegaze guy the first time around.  Given my lack of experience here, it's hard to compare it to anything I've heard before.  The best I can describe it is pretty and atmospheric.

Tamaryn, the New Zealand-born singer providing the soft, girlish vocals here and guitarist Rex John Shelverton are the duo known by the name of Tamaryn.  The formed in New York in the early '00s and this is there third album (my first).  I really like this album and recommend it as a Spotify or Pandora listen (and only add it to your collection if you really like what you hear too.)  However, I'm also really interested to see where they go from here.

A few of the songs here could easily qualify as dream-pop (While You're Sleeping, I'm Dreaming, Afterlight, Violet's in a Pool) and those are the songs I'm personally more drawn toward.

The 2nd Law by Muse

Released:  October 2, 2012
Rating:  71.67
Genre:  Neo-Prog

For a change, I like an album more than the critics.  While this has received generally good reviews, I think it's a terrific album.  The influences are so varied that it's fun to play: Who Does That Remind You Of?  I hear Oasis (Explorers), U2 (Uprising), Queen (Survival), David Bowie (Panic Station) The Smiths (The 2nd Law: Isolated System) and Led Zeppelin (Supremacy).  The UK band has been around in one form or another for 15 years and, although this is their sixth studio release, it's the first I was inclined to obtain.

"Muse's fusion of progressive rock, glam, electronica, and Radiohead-influenced experimentation is crafted by guitarist/vocalist Matthew Bellamy, bassist Chris Wolstenholme, and drummer Dominic Howard. Bored by the sleepy life provided by their hometown of Teignmouth, Devon, the three British friends began playing music together. They started the first incarnation of their band while only 13 years old, changing the name of the group from Gothic Plague to Fixed Penalty to Rocket Baby Dolls as time passed. By 1997, the bandmates settled on the name Muse and released their self-titled debut EP" (by Heather Phares for Rovi).

Thankful and Thoughtful by Bettye LaVette

Released: September 25, 2012
Rating:  73.33
Genre:  Old School R&B

Perhaps the best R&B singer you've never heard of, Bettye LaVette has been recording for 50 years.  This is a covers album. She can definitely sing a pretty, soulful song (Neil Young's I'm Not The One).  But she really blows me away when she sings a slow burner (like Bob Dylan's I'm Not The One or Crazy from Cee Lo Green and Dangermouse) or gets down and funky (Savoy Brown's I'm Tired, my favorite song on the album or Fair Enough).

Shields by Grizzly Bear

Released:  September 18, 2012
Rating:  70.00
Genre:  Experimental Post-Rock

The fourth proper studio release from the New York based four-piece.  They hit the big time with 2009's critically acclaimed Vecatimest (reaching number 8 on Billboard's Top 200 chart.)  This is supposed to be a more cerebral work, but frankly, I like this album more.  My favorite song is Gun-Shy, which is a dead give away to my love of pop hooks.  Sleeping Ute seems like something Genesis would have created if they'd been formed in the 21st century.  Yet Again is a sweet pop song (and the harmonies remind me of America.)  The strings on What's Wrong make the song seem as if it's drifting on a breeze.  From start to finish I hear influences from Yes, Roxy Music and the Flaming Lips.

Tempest by Bob Dylan

Released:  September 11, 2012
Rating:  72.00
Genre:  Folk Rock

It's Dylan.  I don't know what more I can say (but I'll try).  It's been 50 years since his debut album.  Personally, I like his voice better today.  It's raw and rough.  Perfect for stories of pain, loss and death.

Dylan continues his exploration of America's musical history, including country (Soon After Midnight which could be a Willie Nelson song), blues ( Early Roman Kings, basically a remake of Muddy Waters' Mannish Boy) and early 70's rock (Pay In Blood).  The one song that has me truly confused (do I like it or not?) is the nearly 15 minute long title track: Tempest, a folk ballad and perhaps the longest song ever performed without a chorus, tells the story of the Titanic with references to both history and the James Cameron movie ("Leo took his Sketch book").  Listen if you have time, once, just so you can say you did.

He's joined by guitarists David Hidlago (from Los Lobos), Charlie Sexton, who's done session work for him since the  late '90s and Stu Kimball, who, oddly enough, was a non-performing lyricist with the Grateful Dead.

Algiers by Calexico

Released:  September 11, 2012
Rating:  75.00
Genre: International Americana

My only dilemma here is whether I love this album, or am completely blown away by it.  It's definitely leaping onto my 2012 Top 10 list, somewhere near the middle.  This is their seventh proper studio release (my second, after 2008's Carried to Dust).  

In the past, Calexico's inspiration has come from their exploration of Southwestern culture,  spaghetti Westerns, Portuguese fado, Afro-Peruvian music, and '50s and '60s jazz, country, and surf music.  On Algiers, they've added Zydeco and Cajun into the mix.  The music is warm, earthy and just a little dark.

My favorite song on the album is Sinner in the Sea, which reminds me a little of Al Stewart.  Maybe on Monday's country guitar and dark theme takes me back to New Riders of The Purple Sage.  I highly recommend checking out the entire album!

Coexist by The XX

Released:  September 11, 2012
Rating:  70.91
Genre:  Atmospheric Indie Pop

This is the sophomore release for The XX.  Their eponymous debut, released in 2009 is also excellent.  The band, formed in London in 2008 while the (then four) members were still in high school, cite influences including everything from The Cure and the Pixies to Rihanna.   The music is pretty minimalist, allowing the vocals to leap way out front.  Romy Madley Croft provides a sensuousness with her satiny voice, while Oliver Sim's smooth-as-malt-scotch baritone serves as a perfect counterpoint.

The beautiful, sparse opener, Angels, features Croft's voice, paired with swirling guitars and punctuated with powerful percussion.  My favorite song on the album is Missing, with Sim's singing the lyric and Croft harmonizing with the music.