The Wheel's Still In Spin

Favorite Albums of 2012

From the resilient folk of Bhi Bhiman to the poignant rap of Brother Ali and Oddisee, from Bob Dylan’s continuing lyrical excursion to the catchiness of The Dig and The Mowgli’s, here are my 20 favorite albums of 2012.

Favorite EPs of 2012

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.

Recommended Albums of 2012

Here is a list of all the albums that were recommended here on The Wheel’s Still In Spin this year.

Favorites Movies of 2011

This weekend the Indie Spirit Awards and Academy Awards will be bestowing their trophies upon some of the best movies from 2011. It is due time that I presented my highly subjective, personal list of favorite films from 2011.

1. Beginners | Read the full review

   The first time I saw this film, I enjoyed it but I couldn’t completely grasp why. It follows the relationship of Oliver (Ewan McGregor) and Anna (Mélanie Laurent) by mixing in Oliver’s memories of his recently deceased father (Christopher Plummer), who announced he was homosexual late in life. With subsequent viewings, I understood that this movie is masterfully pieced together in the same way our memories function and our mind reprocesses our experiences. It captures the essence of an idea without directly expressing it. Available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Instant Video.



2. Midnight in Paris | Read the full review

   The pairing of Woody Allen’s wit and nostalgic longing with Owen Wilson’s positive whimsicality is a pure cinematic delight. Add to that great cinematography of Paris and a supporting cast of classic literary and artistic characters and the movie becomes 94 minutes of pleasure. Available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Instand Video.



3. 50/50 | Read the full review

   This is a feel good movie about a serious and grave topic, the diagnosis of cancer. It is a solid balance of realism and Hollywoodism. The emotions and the solitude of dealing with the disease are combined with juvenile, male humor. And Seth Rogen played a character that seems to typify how his acting skills are viewed – annoying but amusing. Available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Instant Video.



4. Incendies | Read the full review

   Upon the death of their single mother, a pair of French Canadian twins is given the task of discovering their father and unknown brother. This sets them off on individual journeys of great distances and wide emotions to understand their mother’s past, culminating in a gripping and unforgettable ending. Available on Blu-ray/DVD and Instant Video.



5. Take Shelter | Read the full review

   This is a well-crafted movie about a man who has images and hallucinations of a dreadful, impending storm. He spends his money and time building a buried storm shelter in his backyard, causing his family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors to question his sanity. Michael Shannon gives a stellar performance as the man who is trying to make sure that both his family and his mental stability are safe. Available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Instant Video.

Favorite Albums of 2011

Here is my highly-subjective, personal list of favorite albums of 2011.

1. Wild Flag – Wild Flag | CD Vinyl MP3
   Download “Romance” (mp3)

   Rarely do supergroups like this one meet their expectations. But the members of Sleater-Kinney, Helium, and The Minders combined to surpass expectations. On their self titled debut, Carrie Brownstein’s punk guitar and Mary Timony’s grunge riffs dominate but all four musicians meld together perfectly to create ferocious and powerful music. This band picked up where Sleater-Kinney’s last album, The Woods, left off but then added to the sound.

   
   
2. Alexi Murdoch – Towards the Sun | CD Vinyl MP3
   Download “Towards the Sun” (mp3)

   This is the second album by Murdoch and his first since 2006. He was featured on the soundtrack to the film Away We Go. With his tender picking and swooping vocals, he sounds like a complacent and more contented version of Nick Drake. His music is nearly as engaging as Drake’s, but Murdoch has a more placatory sound without the dark undertones. It sounds familiar, even on the first listen.

   
   
3. Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers – Starlight Hotel | CD MP3
   Download “If I Can’t Trust You With a Quarter (How Can I Trust You with My Heart?)” (mp3)

   This honky-tonk songstress is backed by an assiduous band. Her songwriting brings to mind Loretta Lynn, but her voice has the timbre of a young Emmylou Harris. The way she drawls out lines like, “The way you love me, darlin’, suits me just fine,” you know she’ll be raising more than a few barns with this album.

   
   
4. Yuck – Yuck | CD Deluxe CD Vinyl Deluxe Vinyl MP3 Deluxe MP3
   Download “Rubber” (mp3)

   This four-piece band plays music that is heavily influenced by the alternative bands of the 90s. The guitar driven music has riffs that summon Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. references. Their self titled debut is a tight and compact set of explosive dirges, shoegaze songs, and melodic guitar prowess.

   
   
5. Dead Man Winter – Bright Lights | CD Vinyl MP3
   Download “Nicotine” (mp3)

   Dave Simonett is the lead singer and guitarist of Trampled By Turtles, an all acoustic band. He also now fronts Dead Man Winter, a band that allows him to explore more amplified music. There’s still an acoustic basis for these 11 songs that are steeped in Americana. The band adds a diverse set of instrumentation with layers of guitars, lap steel, banjo, and fiddle. The best songs, like “Get Low,” and the opening track, “Nicotine,” play like burning rock that will be hard to put out.

   
   
6. Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin’ | CD Vinyl MP3
   Download “Stone Rollin’” (mp3)

   The former singer of Tony! Toni! Toné! is back with another album of classic soul music. This set drips with a retro sound that perfectly captures the energy of the original R&B and soul revues and is the year’s best album of that genre.

   
   
7. The Cave Singers – No Witch | CD Vinyl MP3
   Download “Swim Club” (mp3)
   Download “Black Leaf” (mp3)

   For their third album, this folk rock trio release another set of addictive songs. No Witch has a little bit more production than their last album (a favorite from 2009) but that ends up being a good thing for this consistently alluring album. The vocals are direct and focused to the center of the mix while the guitarwork travels between ripe folk and aggressive blues lines.

   
   
8. Library Voices – Summer of Lust | CD Vinyl MP3
   Download “Generation Handclap” (mp3)

   The duo of Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer share instruments and vocals on these eclectic pop songs. They blend acoustic and electronic instruments into catchy and upbeat music and mix modern and nostalgic sounds into indelible songs.

   
   
9. Thievery Corporation – Culture of Fear | CD Vinyl MP3
   Download “Culture of Fear” (mp3)

   The DJ duo of Eric Hilton and Rob Garza has returned with a new album that mixes trip hop, jazz, and other styles. There is a deep groove to the music and vocals that have a strong sense of conscience. It’s a diverse album with multiple guest vocalists and rounded out with a stellar set of studio musicians.

   
   
10. Scattered Trees – Sympathy | CD MP3
    Download “A Conversation About Death on New Year’s Eve” (mp3)
    Download “Love and Leave” (mp3)

    The lead singer of this sextet from Chicago wrote Sympathy after his father passed away. The songs have unworldly outlooks. The music sounds as if Thom Yorke had taken the shells of early Radiohead songs and used the current cast of Wilco as the backing band.