Woo! Part II of the end of year 2012 piece and yes that means the final part will come in the early days of 2013, sue me.
Part II will be me mentioning which albums came up just short of my top five for 2012, and there are quite a few. Some of these projects are from my midway through 2012 piece earlier in the year so I won't touch on those for the purpose of avoiding redundancy. In no particular order by the way.
Also again forgive me for Blogspot's formatting.
Wow, why couldn't you be a little better?
"Albums that just missed the cut for my Top 5"
Best Coast - The Only Place
"Say whaaaaat? I thought you didn't enjoy this album Ishmael" Yeah I did review this album this summer and I didn't really like it at first. But as you know from Part I of this series, I'm awful with first impressions.I sat on this album, picked it back up later in the year, and can't explain why but loved it. It probably had to do with me not expecting to hear old Best Coast's style of heavy distortion and just accepting the album for what it was. Because all in all, it's still Best Coast doing what they do and that's making fun beach-y, simple songs about love and having good times. That's really all I want from an album from them.
To top it off I felt like I severely underestimated Bethany's songwriting in this album. Not overly complex but it does feel much more genuine this go around compared to Best Coast's previous works. My music crush for Bethany Cosentino is at an all-time high right now. I feel like I could write a much bigger followup review of this album in a separate post but I'll leave it at this.
Schoolboy Q - Habits &Contradictions
Ah yes, another Black Hippy artist, what can I say? Schoolboy Q delivers with his debut album more than I expected. The headline track on this album was without a doubt "Hands on the Wheel" with A$AP Rocky where Q and A$AP share a truly amazing chemistry on the mic that has me wondering when these two are gonna do an entire project together.Schoolboy Q separates himself as a solo artist with an album that couldn't be more tailored to his style. Really can't say this album sounds like anything out this year which is a huge plus because Schoolboy isn't a typical rapper.
Logic - Young Sinatra: Undeniable
One of the albums part of my mid-season top 5. My opinion hasn't changed, still do enjoy the project. But nothing more to add outside of that.Young Sinatra: Undeniable, mid-season review.
Brother Ali - Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color
I'm new to Brother Ali but before checking him out, I've never heard such a rebellious sound, with a peaceful background and thought process behind it. An album with an aggressive sound but a calm undertone and meaning.Ali's content throughout depicts the faults of America and contradictions within society but not in a cliche' gloom and doom fashion as he counters that with a very lighthearted "I still love this place" sentiment at the same time. He touches on the traditional issues with today's world as well as many that aren't talked about. This line in the title track Mourning in America perfectly summarizes the album's style,
"They say they built our nation for a reason. Then they stained it with the bleeding of the slaves that never seen it. I ain’t hating I still want to believe it and I’m not trying to leave it I just call it how I see it."Very good project, and an easy recommendation for someone looking for a politically and socially charged, yet sincere album. With this and P.O.S' album, Rhymesayers Entertainment has had a great 2012.
Gary Clark Jr. - Blak and Blu
Local artist! Blak and Blu is Gary Clark Jr.'s debut major label release and it introduces the Austin artist to the masses very well. Clark Jr. not only captures the vibe of Austin blues, he adds soul elements that make this project his own.Something this album has that I immediately embraced, good ole' fashioned bluesy guitar solos that make you long for the sound of the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan. Clark's appeal as a musician can easily be noticed by fans of many genres as I'd say Blak and Blu is one big melting pot of all things blues and rock. Ask me in a few months and this album might catapult itself into my top 5 for this year, but now my list is set in stone and I'm satisfied with it being mentioned in this company.
Fun. - Some Nights
Another album I touched on in my mid-season review. I was a fan of their Queen influenced sound as I am a huge Queen fan. Nothing regressed about this album for me, it simply got leaped by superior projects over time.Fun. - Some Nights, mid-season review
Joey Bada$$ - 1999
I was really high on Joey early in the year and while I will not say his talent as gone down, 1999 just didn't stick with me as long as I thought it would.My first artist spotlight was over him and Pro-Era bringing back an east coast style that was thought to be found only in nostalgic trips to naS' discography. 1999 is still a good mixtape, definitely worthy of a download and listen. Everyone should get to know Joey Bada$$, Pro-Era, and the late Capital Steez (R.I.P.).
Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania
Ah yes, my beloved Pumpkins. I still do hold this album close to my biased heart as its Corgan returning to what made him one of the best song writers and musicians of the 90s. In summary, the album sounds very similar to how Zeitgeist should've sounded with a handpicked lineup that compliments Billy Corgan very well.Oceania is another part of the ongoing 44 song Teargarden by Kaleidyscope project that the Pumpkins have been releasing individual songs for since 2009.
Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania, mid-season review.
Childish Gambino - R O Y A L T Y
Gambino's only release in 2012 after a very busy 2011 year. This mix-tape actually received mixed reviews from what I read around the net, mostly because it was Gambino going with a new sound.
Traditionally he had stuck to Drake-esque rap-singing about past relationships, growing up, and being caught in a new environment and how he deals with everything. But that was only part of his appeal as his funny lyrics and punchlines filled in the other aspect of his appeal. That made him relatable to a wide audience including me so it isn't hard for me to see why many didn't enjoy R O Y A L T Y like I did.
It's certainly different, but that's not a bad thing. Gambino was experimenting with a new sound and I appreciate that about him. Him being from the South it was cool to see him mess around with ATL production and teaming with artists like Ab-Soul and Danny Brown that compliment him. We'll see where Gambino goes from here if he continues down this more braggadocios sound or if he'll return to what got him his fan-base. To me? I would have no problem with either, even though I may prefer his old sound.
Big K.R.I.T. - Live from the Underground
Much anticipated, much appreciated. When compared to his previous projects Live from the Underground may not be seen as on par but in my view it's just as good. K.R.I.T. gives something for everyone in his debut album as he epitomizes what it is to be a southern rapper.
Big K.R.I.T. - Live from the Underground, mid-season review.
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