BEST MUSIC OF 2012

MONO - "For My Parents"

Dynamics is the secret to make exciting, stirring music. Pink Floyd understood this and was the first to reintroduce dynamics to popular music since the days of classical music.
This japanese combo have been perfecting their post progressive epic soundtrack(ish) music to soul stirring effect with powerfully sweeping melodies and a timelessness that is as deep as the ocean.
Probably the best album of 2012.




                                                        

GODSPEED YOU BLACK EMPEROR - "'Allelujah! Don't Bend!             

                                                                         Ascend!"

Nobody saw this one coming. The giants of post rock released this album out of the blue. Another legendary and triumphant chapter in the history of this groundbreaking band.

EXTRA CLASSIC - "Your Light Like White Lightning, Your Light

                                     Like A Laser Beam"

One of the freshest releases of 2012 instilled with soulful 70s psychedelia and reggae. Wonderful to see and hear Dri Verhoeven again. She deserves recognition and hopefully this is the vehicle with which she'll achieve it although I must stress out of respect to the excellent musicians playing with her, this is a band project, not just about Dri.

BILL FAY - "Life Is People"

Kudos to producer Joshua Henry for resurrecting this most vital and important English voice. The wonderful musicians embrace these songs with sublety, never overshadowing Fay's voice, letting the message be heard loud and clear. After watching his rare early albums sell for hundreds on the internet, he may be able to retire comfortably. Let's hope there will be more records before he does...

NE OBLIVISCARIS - "Portal Of I"

The australian underground band have conspired to produce a stunning progressive concoction of extreme music. This exciting, complex progressive extreme metal pays no respect to formula and is so organic, it sometimes smells of the earth after the rain. Essential!

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX - "(Mankind) The Crafty Ape"

This band has been a work in progress and maybe, finally, they are settling into a stable lineup. The influence of post rock is giving progressive rock a more organic sound that will help it stand the test of time. The trained ear may detect a Pink Floyd influence but this will always be a pro rather than a con.

AMANDA PALMER - "Theater Is Evil"

& Grand Theft Orchestra

She asked for a hundred thousand and raised 1.2 million on Kickstarter. Despite the controversy following the "local musicians paid with beer and merch" announcement, the whole affair is nothing less than staggering. Controversy always followed Palmer. It follows every daring, free spirit that takes chances.
The music is brimming with inventive arrangements and sometimes she wears her 80s influences on her sleeve. She is fast becoming one of the most amazing stories in rock music.

IN MOURNING - "The Weight Of Oceans"

The Swedes have created another masterpiece of progressive death metal. Passionate, powerful and atmospheric.

AMERICAN HOLLOW - "Screaming Into The Void"

Quite silly to categorize them as a prog metal band. There is much more to American Hollow who probably got their name from the documentary with the same title. They are more organic and atmospheric than your run-of-the-mill prog metal band and explore ambient sounds. A most promising band. Check out their wonderful EP, too.

PASSENGER - "All The Little Lights"

Oh, well. Sometimes you're in the mood something sweet and this fits the bill perfectly. Very smooth and very sweet. It has been building up slowly and now they are playing to sold out venues.

WILLIAM BASINSKI - "The Disintegration Loops"

Temporary Residence has released a comprehensive box including vinyl (for the first time), cds and DVDs documenting this fascinating and poignant music. The story behind the Disintegration Loops is as fascinating as the music which was assisted by bad storage and time degeneration of the original tapes. What has eluded critics who don't have recording engineering knowledge, it is not only the effect of the ferrite breaking off from the tape that adds to the sublime effect, but also, a significant amount of "crosstalk". Thanking my good friend Stavros P. for bringing this wonderful work to my attention.

RODRIGUEZ  -  "Searching For Sugarman"

Just when you thought you heard every single astonishing story ever to have come out of rock n' roll, comes the amazing, heartwarming documentary that unearths a talented singer/songwriter, virtually unknown to 99.9% of the world. Of course, the documentary would not have been as fascinating had his songs been forgettable. A must see and a must hear (vinyl).

JONI MITCHELL -  "The Studio Albums 1968-1979"

Lest you forgot how essential Joni is...

THE PENTAKOMO CAMEL

A presidential election debate on TV where,
a) The journos are not self disciplined enough to construct a question within the agreed time frame. So      
    self righteous, obviously, that they are enamoured by their own voice.
b) The 3 presidential hopefuls bob-and-weave at the questions avoiding to answer to the point and
     sell hope while the debt of the country has not been, yet, agreed upon.
and where,
a) and b) both are much more part of a star system than their respective professions.

But let's see who are fueling the careers of these people...
a) Special interests
b) Grovelers
c) Dimwits


They are all IRRELEVANT to me...

Well we're heading for a past that you leave not defend
Where the downtowns hold the sadness of you can't go back again
It's there you'll find all the debtors
Motel signs with broken letters

And we can be the super shoppers
We can say we're really smart
We can say our town is doing fine without a beating heart
We can even say the money saved is all our own
It's bought and sold, it's bought and sold
"Bought And Sold"                 (DAR WILLIAMS)


Of course, 11 people are running for the Presidents office but this democratic system will choose only the 3 that are affiliated to political parties to appear on TV. Talk about equal opportunity...
Of course, we never had real politicians, on this island. Spin doctors, yes, but, politicians...it's not funny. Our politicians will answer anything but the question, bringing to mind that exquisite old Cypriot saying : "Camel farts at Pentakomon". And while we are at the subject of farts...

These people are IRRELEVANT to me...


And you can say they're out to hunt you
You can say they are out to fish you
You can join a gang of restless youth
Or start your own militia
You can even say your violence is all your own
It's bought and sold, it's bought and sold

"Bought And Sold"        (DAR WILLIAMS)






To Vote Or Not To Vote is the argument in a (not so) parallel universe.
If you think the problem lies with the faces, then vote.
If you think the problem lies with the system, then don't.
Now, even the last dimwit half-brain can understand that this mutation of democracy is the problem.
Faces come and go and still every year we are worse off.
The system is decaying fast and only when the pool they fish their votes from becomes smaller and smaller maybe, just maybe, they will realize the need for change. Until then, let the TV shows on offer
make you numb(er)...

-"Hey mister. You MUST vote. If you don't like any of them, then cast a blank vote... That's the protest
   vote. The blank vote..."
-"No, mate. The only blank thing is on the page of your IQ test results..."
-"Hey mister. What you're saying is wrong. The right to vote is sacred..."
-"Sacred? Well, while you choose to introduce religion into the conversation be prepared to turn the
   other cheek..."



Well I look up to the people who are less bought than I
You can show them what you're selling and they'll only ask you why
Their paychecks don't have lots of zeros
They're my friends, they're my heroes
And the TV sets are angry 'cause they can't make them pay
But I like the way these people read the signs and walk away

And we can call ourselves the makers and the keepers of our time
We can spend our sand dollars and sand nickels and sand dimes
We can even say prosperity is all our own, it's bought & sold
We can even say our loneliness is all our own, it's bought & sold
"Bought And Sold"                        (DAR WILLIAMS)