Sound Influx Albums of 2012: 20-11

So here it is, after a year of stellar music across the board, here is our picks of the best albums 2012 had to offer. Compiled by the votes of our contributors, this is a pretty accurate representation of what we've all enjoyed the most in our ears this year.

20. Mount Eerie - Clear Moon 

We are drawn into the music, yet we are also given the impression that Elverum does it for himself, in his own world. Living and recording in the sparsely populated area of Anacortes, Washington, Elverum lives his music. His fascination with nature comes down to his surroundings, and the same may be said about the darkness of his music. It may come across as one, but musically, this is not a criticism. In fact, relating to the earlier point of honesty and emotion, these factors are what make his music more genuine. These are what make the music feel as though it has come directly from Elverum’s heart, or the heart of nature; Clear Moon is a startlingly real practise in what Elverum knows best. William Hall

19. Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It

For those unaware of Mike Hadreas aka Perfume Genius' work, the title of this album may have misled. Sounding a little like the title of a rap album, the music could not be more different. For those aware and unaware of his music alike, this album is a triumph of heartbreaking beauty. The power of emotion that this man can create cannot be denied by anyone, and the album built upon the themes and methods of the first, only creating a much more cohesive sound and mood. A fantastic album, all quavering voice and sad piano, yet never depressing, always slightly uplifting. Holly Read-Challen

18. Jack White - Blunderbuss

From assembling two backing groups – one male, one female – to enlisting his recently divorced wife on backing vocals the ex-White Stripes main man played with everyone’s expectations once again in 2012. Indulging his theatrical side ‘Blunderbuss’ managed to channel blues, garage, country and music hall whilst still sounding totally unique. From the gorgeous duet ‘Love Interruption’ to the nursery-rhyme like ‘Hip Eponymous Poor Boy’ and the jaunty vaudevillian ‘I’m Shakin’ throughout it’s one of Jack’s finest collections of pure songwriting and a worthy addition to his impressive back catalogue. ‘Sixteen Saltines’ rocked like ‘Black Math’ on steroids, ‘Freedom at 21’ growled and screamed and the spirit of his adopted Nashville hometown twisted fiddle, pedal steel and double bass into an idiosyncratic vision of Americana in the 21st century. In the year in which The Rolling Stones turned 50, he remains the only musician of his generation you can see sticking around for another half a century. Max Sefton

17. Alt-J - An Awesome Wave

When you’re the buzzband of the year, its very difficult to please everyone so for Cambridge via Leeds alternative group Alt-J, An Awesome Wave was bound to turn a few eyebrows as well as cause a variety of reviews. Seven months on from the release of their debut album however, Alt-J are looking just as strong as they were when we first heard the likes of Matilda for the first time. Whilst far from flawless, you’re welcomed in to An Awesome Wave from its ethos building Intro through the likes of “Triangles are my favourite shape” track Tesselate in a debut album out to prove a point. It trails off towards the end but we defy you to not enjoy the bass on Fitzpleasure or get a little carried away on Where the Wild Things Go homage Breezeblocks. Braden Fletcher  

16. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

Frank Ocean's channel ORANGE is a confident and sultry debut that covers everything from crack addicts to religion to strippers and isn't even scared to turn the goofy yet loveable Forrest Gump into a sexy and soulful character who's “runnin” on Frank's mind. Finally! Some obvious same gender pronouns in mainstream R&B! 

Like his mixtape nostalgia ULTRA, the album relies heavily on samples, from the Playstation start up noise to Elton John, and that just emphasises the hazy and nostalgic summery feel of the album. I fell in love with channel ORANGE right from the moment Frank croons “a tornado flew around my room before you came” and it's still hard to find any faults with the album. Pyramids is easily the greatest track on the record, an epic that almost spans over 10 minutes and tells the story of Frank's stripper lover that conjures up images of Showgirls and synth heavy sci-fi films. channel ORANGE is an exciting and refreshing debut which is what mainstream hip hop and R&B really needed. Eden Young

15. Beach House - Bloom

Like Sigur Ros their songs seem to channel an epic romance even when there isn't a word being said. Opener ‘Myth’ blurred glistening vocals with some of Alex’s strongest guitar work while ‘Lazuli’ transforms what seems like a childish keyboard melody into a cooing, swirling ode to memory and lost love. As usual the duo need little more than Victoria Legrand’s husky voice and Alex Scully’s shimmering guitar to entrance but where ‘Teen Dream’ was glacial, ‘Bloom’ practically fizzes with life. The recurring motif of flowers gives a sense of perfect moment framed in music and offers hope for re-birth and renewal through Legrand’s gorgeous, floating vocals. With tasteful production from Chris Coady and a soaring sense of ambition there seems no limits for the Baltimore duo and at a fleeting ten tracks it continues their trend of making beautiful statements with not a second wasted. Max Sefton

14. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.D City

For a prodigy of Dr. Dre, nobody was going to represent West Coast rap as well as Kendrick Lamar in 2012. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City exceeded all expectations laid out by his 2011 tape Section 80, combining the grit and vitality of someone who has grown up in the 'M.A.A.D City' of Compton with a keen sense for great beats and pop hooks. Kendrick's flow throughout the record is mesmerizing and clever, his sculpting of words and metaphors putting to shame his contemporaries who are more preoccupied with the hedonism of money and women. Which other rapper can sample Beach House ('Money Trees'), brag about fucking the world with a penis the size of the Eiffel Tower ('Backseat Freestyle'), provide an emotional and philosophical work of musical art ('Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst') and have radio and club ready hits ('Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe', 'Swimming Pools')? Kendrick Lamar can. Toby McCarron

13. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Mature Themes

Whilst the clean production ensured it was definitely another step away from his lo-fi roots towards a more fully realised vision, ‘Mature Themes’ ensured there was still plenty for fans old and new to chew on, be it the bonkers ‘Schnitzel Boogie’ or the tense, melancholic ‘Baby’. When not taking us on a madcap ride through his frankly disturbing imagination, Ariel deployed a range of voices to craft his lushest listen to date. After almost a decade of scatter-gun lo-fi, his second record for freak haven 4AD was alternately disgusting, discursive and surprisingly listenable, laying perfect pop moments like ‘Only In My Dreams’ alongside something as strange and unexpected as ‘Kinski Assassin’. What makes it great though is the sense that for once Ariel isn’t just playing the sounds in his head but poking out tendrils to his audience and his bandmates and using the experience to make a record that’s challenging yet engaging at the same time. The hipster king reigns once more. Max Sefton

12. John Talabot -ƒIN

In 2012, electronic music has been inundated with talented debut LPs from producers but John Talabot’s ƒIN has perhaps garnered the most adoration and attention. As it was released quite early on in the year, it felt as if this record might slowly fade away but in fact - the opposite has happened. Whilst many in the field remain mysterious for unknown reasons, Talabot cited that he’d rather his music do the talking rather than his image and that’s exactly what it does on ƒIN. Packed with intricate euro-house loops and Hispanic percussive samples – Talabot’s heritage shines through in his music and makes it more personable. The two standouts on the album, ‘Destiny’ and the nearly 7 minute long epic ‘So Will Be Now’ feature fellow Spaniard and producer Pional who've shown that they’re a great music match, since making a song together and more recently remixing The xx together. A pulsating record full of vitality and colourful production, ƒIN is going to be hard to top. Aurora Mitchell

11. Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel...

Fiona Apple knows how to leave people in suspense. After Extraordinary Machine in 2005, Apple left her fans waiting for 7 years for a new album - perhaps partly due to her relationship with writer Jonathan Ames from 2007 to 2010. Whilst Apple being happy is good news for her, it meant fans were left in waiting for new material. 2 years after the relationship ended, Apple came back stronger than ever with a statement to make in new album The Idler Wheel… and she’s made sure that everyone in earshot has heard it. From the compassionate cry of “I just want to feel everything” on ‘Every Single Night’ to the desperate plea of “look at, look at, look at me/I am all the fishes in the sea” on ‘Daredevil’ to “I don’t want to talk about anything” on ‘Jonathan’– Apple’s lyrics bite harder than ever and reflect on the tumultuous year that she’s had. Arrested and mistreated in Texas for marijuana possession and cancelling a leg of her tour due to her poorly dog, it’s not been easy. Whilst this year may not be a high point emotionally for Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel… is a career high. Aurora Mitchell

Latitude 2012 - Review

As about 96% of the comedians appearing over the weekend hastened to remind us, Latitude is very middle class. Probably one of the most middle class festivals ever. There is a Loch Fyne Oyster stall and a Costa. There are morning yoga workshops, talks about the Higgs-Boson and radio 4 recordings. In the comedy tent people use pages from The Independent to sit on. It is basically Adam Buxton’s festival song, in real life. At least this means that a lot of the toilets are nice and, (hallelujah!) there are showers.


FRIDAY

At i arena, Cold Specks aka Canadian born Al Spx, is asking the crowd: ‘Wanna hear a dirty cannibal joke?’ from behind her dark sunglasses. Instead she opts for a warbled version of ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ theme tune, getting some of the words wrong. She manages to make it as ‘depressing’ (her word) as her own music. I can’t help but feel that her set would have benefited from a dirty cannibal joke. More impressive, Swedish sister act First Aid Kit craft their famous harmonies dressed in swoon-worthy 70s style dresses on the Main stage. The early time doesn’t affect their beautiful performance, husky voices accompanied by clap-alongs and plenty of hair swishing. 

We head to the comedy tent to catch one of my new favourites, Doc Brown, a comedy rapper. Don’t let the phrase ‘comedy rapper’ put you off. As an ex-rapper, Doc Brown/Ben Smith knows his way around a rhyme. He is one of the highlights of the weekend, with his righteously angry rap about people who put the milk in first when it comes to making a cuppa. Next up is one of the biggest names in comedy, Tim Minchin, whose musical comedy has made him something of a rock star. His set includes old-time favourites such as ‘Prejudice’ and new favourite ‘Woody Allen Jesus’ (the song that was infamously deemed too controversial for The Jonathan Ross Show). Unfortunately, some parts of his set seem a tad too indulgent, with some songs dragging on too long and some gags coming across a bit too big-headed.

Another act which surprisingly disappoints is Alt-J, a band which normally impresses live with their intricate percussion and offbeat, catchy songs. The stage may not help; playing an enclosed tent may have aided the atmosphere of their set better. This seems a shame for a band who has just released a debut album.

The Antlers, luckily, don’t disappoint. Much rockier live than on record, they play a fantastic set in the Word Arena, including a beautiful rendition of ‘Two’ from third album, ‘Hospice’. Yeasayer follow, playing a set full of new songs, including the fantastic ‘Henrietta’. They also play some fantastic live versions of the ‘Odd Blood’ favourite, ‘O.N.E’, which catches everyone in the crowd by surprise. Neither the very drunk couple staggering into everyone, nor the annoying girls holding up a message on paper plates (and therefore blocking a lot of people’s view) can detract from a triumphant, highly enjoyable set.

Bon Iver is the headliner for the night, and plays on a beautiful stage decked out in fishing nets and lights. The set includes many songs from both albums, and it is a joy to see how well the ‘Bon Iver’ songs translate so well live, with Justin Vernon’s haunting vocals entwining with a myriad of different instruments.

SATURDAY

It is early (11am) on the Saturday morning and already there is a considerably sized queue outside the comedy tent. Someone, half-serious, tries to start a chant: ‘What do we want? Science based comedy? When do we want it…?’ When at last the tent opens there is a huge rush to get to the front. People are running. What is all the fuss about? Brian Cox is in the vicinity, that’s what. The first event of the Saturday Morning is a recording of the last in the series of Radio 4’s ‘science based comedy’ show ‘The Infinite Monkey Cage’. The show is co-presented with comedian Robin Ince, who brings his brilliant, enthusiastic humour to the mix. At the end of a very interesting discussion about the importance of both science and art in life (unfortunately simplified, rather confusingly, to ‘Science Vs. Art’ at first), Brian Cox is surrounded by teenagers as if he were (still) a rock star. Well, he is on the telly. And he does have very lovely hair…

Over on the Word stage, Sharon Van Etten plays a beautiful set. Her voice is husky and powerful, and this works very well with her fantastic guitar playing. The highlight of her set is the last song, with a plodding drumbeat leading up to a majestic, Sigur Rós-style build up, layered with echoing Warpaint like vocals.

Back to the comedy tent, we catch Josie Long at her finest; her enthusiastic and passionate political comedy is really impressive. She is not afraid to let rip onstage and go a bit mad either, which makes her even cooler. She really is one of the best stand-ups in the country!

Django Django play the teeny-tiny i arena in the woods, and there are as many people outside the tent, craning in as there are packed like sardines inside. There is such a buzz about this band, and there is no wonder; their angular pop sounds just as good live as it does on record. They also have a fantastic, energetic stage presence (from what I could see through the low branches outside the tent).

Later on at the i arena, Nika Danilova, or Zola Jesus is prowling around the stage, dressed head to toe in white. (“Its days like this I wish I wasn’t so committed to wearing white!” she laughs, alluding to the sea of mud). She is every bit caged animal as she eschews the mic stand for the majority of the set and paces the stage. Her operatic voice really is something, especially live, and versions of ‘Sea Talk’ and the powerful, bittersweet ‘Night’ bring a tear to the eye.

Later that night, Robin Ince brings his Late Night Revolution, a pick and mix of sketches and singers, to the Literature tent. This boasted the amazing Grace Petrie, who is the female Billy Bragg, pedalling stories of love and politics with the help an acoustic guitar and fantastic voice. Another highlight of the ‘Revolution’ is Johnny and The Baptists, my new favourite comedy folk band. They sings songs about having sex in a library (NOT the children’s section) and unrequited love amongst many other things, aided with fantastic violin playing and melodramatic singing. One thing the ‘Late Night Revolution’ was missing was a bit more Robin Ince/Josie Long stand-up, but alas, time was tight. Still, a very nice excuse to stay up late.

SUNDAY

Reginald D Hunter and Rich Hall bring their unique views of Britain from Americans point of view to the comedy tent. Reginald D Hunter exudes cool where Rich Hall is grumpy, but with a twinkle in his eye. He shouts at teenagers in the front row who are leaving for a loo break, before deciding he wanted youngsters to leave, yelling ‘JUSTIN BIEBER IS A C***!’ to try and achieve this.

St Vincent plays at that time of the day on the Sunday afternoon where the lack of sleep starts to catch up with some of the less hardy punters (me). However, ANNIE CLARKE?! impresses, with a fantastic stage presence- red lips and jet-black, curly hair teamed with the perfect shuffle dance. Her sexy vocals entwine with amazing guitar riffs, and I’m pretty sure everyone leaves a little bit in love with her.

Slow Club open their set in the packed out i arena with a cover of ‘Disco 2000’ by Pulp, and end it with a party; their friends dancing onstage with pom-poms and bassist Steve/Sweet Baboo taking his shirt off to play the last song. Their set is a bit short of songs from debut ‘Yeah, so’, however, wellie-stomping ‘Giving Up On Love’ being the only one which seems a little bit of a shame. Perfume Genius follows, and what a heart-rending-ly beautiful set he provides. You can tell just how much Mike Hadreas connects with what he creates, and how much it means to him emotionally. The prime example is during ‘Mr. Peterson’, he himself cries just as much as many of the people in the audience. You would have to be pretty tough not to cry too. The atmosphere in the tent is spell-bound, the fragility and raw emotion in Hadreas’ voice and the delicate piano notes watched in absolute silence before being applauded enthusiastically. Hadreas is also incredibly humble (a really refreshing and appealing attribute), looking genuinely surprised when he said, several times, ‘I hadn’t expected this, thank you so much’ about the reception his beautiful songs received. We leave the set slightly emotionally bruised and a little bit breathless, with watery eyes and a feeling that we have just seen something incredibly special.

It does seem a little bit of a shame that the highlights of Headliner Paul Weller’s set are mostly songs by The Jam. However, he is not, as one smart arse near us claims ‘shit’, and even if he was, they are perfectly welcome to go and watch something else. Smoking endless cigarettes on stage, The Modfather does look just a bit, well, old. Too old for all this maybe. However, some songs from his new album ‘Sonik Kicks’ do go down well, especially ‘Dangerous Age’ with its doo-wap style vocals. When he does play the Jam, it’s fantastic, especially ‘Town Called Malice’, which gets everyone dancing.

Latitude was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, a beautiful site packed with countless activities and stalls and of course, the coloured sheep. The atmosphere was also incredibly friendly and not once did I feel unsafe, even when alone. This was topped off with an impressive line-up of music, comedy and literature. A really wonderful festival.


Words and Photos: Holly Read Challen

Latitude Festival 2012 - Preview

With ten days to go, it’s time to get excited about Latitude festival once again, with its fantastic line-up and famous coloured sheep. The headliners are impressive: Friday night sees the beautiful (and in my opinion, un-missable) Bon Iver taking the top slot, while the other headliners are the huge dad-band Elbow and the Modfather himself, Paul Weller. Also playing and worth a mention are Metronomy and Wild Beasts, both worth a watch too. But who else should you see this year?

1. Yeasayer

The fantastically oddball lads from Brooklyn’s new album is out in August, so a mix of old favourites and first listens to new material can be expected.

2. The Antlers

Another Brooklyn band, The Antlers should not be missed, with their fragile yet expensive sound draped in falsetto.

3. Sharon Van Etten

A singer-songwriter with a distinctive voice, which is sometimes fierce and sometimes gentle. Also worth a watch just in case Justin Vernon from Bon Iver comes and duets with her on ‘Love More’ – Bon Iver covered the song. (A long shot, but boy, that would be magic!)

4. Zola Jesus

This is one artist who should never be missed. Nika Danilova aka Zola Jesus makes stunningly beautiful, eerie and industrial operatic music. This set it bound to be breath-taking.

5. Alt-J

Having recently released their debut, ‘An Awesome Wave’, Cambridge’s finest purveyors of geometry-focused angular geek pop are definitely worth a watch, with beautiful harmonies and odd lyrics.

Latitude also prides itself on its fantastic array of comedy and poetry, (its strapline is ‘more than just a music festival’) so these are also worth a mention:

1. Jack Dee

Always worth it. One of the grumpiest men in comedy, and one of the best for that very reason.

2. Tim Minchin

He had to be in this list, and doesn’t really need any introduction. You shouldn’t need any encouragement for this one either! Go and see him!

3. The Infinite Monkey Cage with Robin Ince and Brian Cox

The brilliant combination of Mr. Ince’s offbeat, charming and enthusiastic comedy and Mr. ‘making physics sexy’ Cox’s knowledge and lovely northern accent is not to be missed. (Don’t let the fact that they are joined by the annoying Al Murray put you off!)

4. John Cooper Clarke

Again, you really shouldn’t need any encouragement to go and see the legendary manc in the sunglasses with the hair. Expect hilarity and Northern wit.

5. John Hegley

A charmingly eccentric poet possibly familiar to Radio 4 listeners, who writes poetry and songs about existentialism and, famously, glasses!

Full line-up can be found at http://www.latitudefestival.co.uk/line-up/

Holly Read-Challen

Alt-J (∆) - An Awesome Wave

You would have to have been living in a broadband lacking cave recently to miss out on the Alt – J hype which has swept so suddenly over the internet. The Cambridge four-piece dubbed as ‘folktronica’ (which is a fucking stupid label really) have turned heads by being pretentiously named after the command to create a delta symbol on a mac, but also as a result of their tight-knit harmonies and hypnotic guitar lines.

Fortunately for the band, ‘An Awesome Wave’ easily puts to bed any accusations of pretention, as it by far and away the most self- assured debut of the year so far. The band haven’t been shy to explain the references which litter the album. ‘Breezeblocks’ is based on Where The Wild Things Are and ‘Fitzpleasure’ on a book by Hubert Selby Jr. The complex instrumentation of ‘Dissolve Me’, one of the best songs , fades away to almost nothing as Joe Newman whispers ‘she makes the sound/the sound the sea makes/to calm me down’; the most haunting lyric.

‘Matilda’ is calmer than a lot of the rest of the album although it keeps up a high tempo which is consistent throughout ‘An Awesome Wave’. ‘Interlude 1’ is the main interlude of the three which intersperse songs to stand out as it shows off the quartet’s raw talent as the a-cappella track leaves the bands voices free from instruments to build through various harmonies. The contrast between the layers of guitars and calm simplicity ensure that the listener is truly drawn into ‘An Awesome Wave’. The songs can switch from fast paced to washed out and thoughtful within seconds, giving them a sense of unpredictable excitement.

Comparisons have been made to Radiohead and the XX, as the album has been received rapturously pretty much everywhere. It is quite rare for a band to only increase their hype once their album has come out (all of us can think of bands which have promised much from first singles but delivered litte), but alt-j definitely deserve it. Not so much ‘folktronica’, more like ‘layered guitar lines mixed in with stunning vocals and hip hop drums’. Although that’s not quite as catchy as a tagline.

8.9

Jessy Parker

Alt-J - Fitzpleasure

A fair few people have commented that Leeds based Alt-J are going to do well this year, and on the evidence presented so far it’s fairly easy to see why. Musically fascinating but relatively accessible at the same time, they appear to have it all.

‘Fitzpleasure’ only serves to encourage the “hype” (as it were). Looped vocal shouts are quickly met by throbbing bass and Joe Newman’s highly individual vocals, before instantly dropping back into a beautiful guitar led melody, and from there it builds. More than anything though, it’s the sound of band releasing exactly what they want to release, there’s no constraints on the music at all. It feels so free and unpredictable, and yet the band manages to avoid getting lost in the experimentation almost (it would appear) with ease.

By the end of this track, you struggle to find an argument against this being Alt-J’s year (at least within the small indie band scene). With wonderfully crafted music, the band have created a sound that is staggeringly individual without coming remotely close to alienating the listener from what they are trying to achieve. The only issue that could be foreseen is that the tracks they’ve put out so far follow a fairly similar pattern and style, but given the inventiveness displayed here, changing it up a bit shouldn’t be too much of a struggle for them. With UK tours supporting Ghostpoet and Wild Beasts on the horizon; the future is bright for this lot, make no mistake.

By Sean Collison