Houndmouth’s self-titled EP, Miner’s Hey Love, and Coed Pagent’s four volume set of Seasons EPs top the list of the best shortplayers of 2012. Here’s a list of the ten favorite EPs of 2012.
Beast Make Bomb – Sourpuss [EP] | MP3
Download “Coney Island” (mp3)
Beast Make Bomb plays catchy, guitar-driven music on this self-released EP. The songs have a driving energy lead by frontwoman Ceci Gomez’s fervent vocals and Glenn VanDyke’s buzzing guitars. These four songs clock in at a total of 11 and a half minutes, but it’s pure spumescent ear candy.
Blonde Summer – Slow Daze [EP] | CD MP3
Download ““Slow Days Fast Company” and “Robots on Command” (mp3)
Blonde Summer’s second EP is an eclectic mixture of indie rock. The album (stream at Blonde Summer’s Bandcamp site) opens with electric guitar noodles in pop song format, moves to a fuzzed out song, and then on to some spacier sounds. The 5 tracks are all catchy and unique.
Coed Pageant – The Seasons EPs Vol. 3: Sundry Summer [EP] | MP3
Coed Pageant (Bradley and Gretchen Bergstrand of The Palace Flophouse), released an EP for each of the season this year. All four are worth listening to at Coed Pageant’s Bandcamp site, but Sundry Summer is the best of the batch. The music is ubercatchy, DIY-folk with prominent lyrics.
Denney & The Jets – Denney & The Jets [EP] | MP3
Fronted by Chris Denney, Denney & The Jets are a five-piece rock ‘n roll band from Nashville. They’ve released a handful of singles and shortplayers since 2010, mostly on their Bandcamp site. The band has a raw, raucous sound that varies from bluesy barroom to hip-shaking twang music.
Francis – This Must Be Blood [EP] | MP3
Download “Creek of Lonesome Town” (mp3)
Following their debut album, 2011’s Lekomberg, We Were Kin, the Swedish quartet Francis presents a corsage of catchy pop with flares of blues and folk mixed with the decidedly electric sound.
Hollis Brown – Nothing & The Famous No One [EP] | MP3
Download “Gypsy Black Cat” and “Ride on the Train” (mp3)
This EP, which is available for FREE from Hollis Brown’s Bandcamp site, is a great batch of folk rock. These four solid, catchy songs are fleshed out with electric guitar, keyboards, and the rhythm section. Hopefully this shortplayer is an introduction to more output from this band.
Holy Esque – Holy Esque [EP]
Holy Esque’s debut EP starts with a slow fade in to an anthem of guitar and keyboard fuzz. The four songs by this Scottish band have striking energy and catchy melodies.
Houndmouth – Houndmouth [EP] | MP3
Download “Penitentiary” (mp3)
There isn’t a bad song on this self-titled EP. In fact, all four songs are great. Each one is a catchy burst of folk rock with wonderfully layered vocals and music that sounds like it falls somewhere between a gospel revival and The Band’s Music From Big Pink.
Miner – Hey Love [EP]
Download “Hey Love” (mp3)
Miner, fronted by Justin Miner, create mellifluously perfect folk rock. The songs have a rollicking sound built around his acoustic guitar, banjo, and swooping vocals.
Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers – Old Gold [EP] | CD
Download “Heart Like a Wheel” (mp3)
Zoe Muth’s voice sounds uniquely her own while bringing to mind Loretta Lynn, Emmylou Harris and Nanci Griffith. This shortplayer, which is a follow-up to one of last year’s best albums (Starlight Hotel), is all covers with one original, but every song has the powerful combination of Muth’s lively vocals and great accompaniment by her band, The Lost High Rollers.
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