The Academy of Joey Awards 2012: The Best Music of the Year!

2012 is wrapping up and that means that it's list season. Lists of the best food, movies, stupid things said by Michele Bachman, etc. are popping up everywhere and, not one to be left out, I'm compiling a list of the only thing in pop culture I actually pay attention to/give a rat's ass about: Music!

Your other option was a list of the best psychological studies of 2012 so be thankful it's not that.

Here are my picks for the best of the best of my little slice of the music world. Feel free to let me know what some of your favorites are or bitch about me not picking your favorite artist because *GASP* different opinions!!!

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Get ready for the shocked gasps when you see that my pick for the artist of the year is...

METRIC

Have you all recovered from this surprising revelation? I know, me picking Metric for the best overall artist is earth shattering but you need to calm down. COLLECT YOURSELF, GODDAMMIT.

Okay good. This was without question the year of Metric. Now before you go all, "But [insert breakthrough act/shitty pop artist/old school artist who had a hit here]..." let me explain. Yes, Metric's most recent album, Synthetica, didn't crack the top 10 on Billboard sales but hot damn, they came in at number 12. Pretty good for a band that runs their own label, effectively putting out their own records and not getting help from the major label music machines. They sold out shows all over the world, they played VH1's Divas thingy, they headlined festivals, they grabbed the attention of Rhianna (who could take notes from Metric on how to make less awful music), and scored a film with Howard Shore. They may not be topping charts but they're doing their own thing, winning fans on their own terms, and they're showing the world that you CAN stay true to yourself and be successful in the entertainment industry.

And they had the honor of hanging out with us after their Minneapolis show.

 Now, considering I saw them three times this year (two of which were in a different country), I don't think it'd be fair to include them for consideration for the rest of the categories as they'd sweep them all so I am removing Metric from the running for the rest of my picks... but know that everything they do is perfection.

 LIVE ARTIST OF THE YEAR

I go to a lot of concerts so this category is always a difficult one for me to pick. Throw in Osheaga, the music festival I went to this year, and things get even more difficult.

 STARS

I managed to see these guys twice this year (Once at an intimate show at the Triple Rock and once when they opened for Metric) and hot damn do they put on an excellent show. Their energy and awkward dance moves is infectious. Amy and Torquill have voices that melt together to produce something more beautiful than Ryan Gosling's abs. They also are genuinely thankful for all the love from the audience and, on top of it, Amy is the most adorable person on the planet. Also, my favorite jam off The North, their most recent release, "Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It" is even more stellar live than it is recorded.

Honorable mentions

The Ting Tings: It was tough not to pick these two. Despite only having two members, they manage to put on a show that's full of pure rock goodness. I honestly never sweat that much in my life from all the dancing. I was exhausted, but didn't want it to end.

Sleigh Bells: If I were to describe everything a rock show should be, it would be a Sleigh Bells show: Loud guitars, hot chicks (in the form of their lead singer, Alexis Krauss), crowd surfing WHILE STILL SINGING AND PLAYING GUITAR by both Alexis and Derek, rowdy dancing... I was honestly shocked by how great these two were.

Doomtree: I usually am not a fan of rap but these guys are so freaking great. They have high energy, deep lyrics that aren't just "fuck a ho and drank some Patron," and Dessa. Dessa is her own category of awesome.

Feist: This lady puts on a show. Not only does she interact with the audience, but she has them participating in various aspects of her show. She played multiple instruments and wowed the crowd of 40 thousand at Osheaga. And, in a personal favorite part, she stopped mid song to accept a palm tree that had been passed up through the crowd as a gift from a fan. Why they picked a palm tree is a mystery, but it was awesome regardless.

BEST NEW ARTIST

Another difficult category to pick for me. There were a ton of great new artists that came to my attention this year. However, I think one sticks out a little more than the rest.

KIMBRA

Most of you probably know Kimbra from her song with Gotye, "Somebody That I Used To Know," but she's a great artist in her own right. This spritely little Kiwi has an amazing voice and does all sorts of interesting things with her vocals. She also has the coolest outfits I've ever seen. I read somewhere that she makes most of her clothes herself... Multitalented! I look forward to seeing what she has to offer in the future!

Honorable mentions

Hey Ocean: These guys were the first band I saw at Osheaga and it was a great way to kick off the festival. Super high energy and Ashleigh Bell is a great vocalist. There's a great video of them doing a cover of "Sprawl II" by Arcade Fire that I suggest you check out.

Polica: A great local band from Minneapolis that I also saw at Osheaga (and saw on the plane there... and awkwardly ran into them at the festival). They use a lot of autotune but unlike most uses of autotune, it's not to make up for a lack of vocal prowess. It actually enhances the music and live, Channy is able to let her impressive vocal abilities shine through.

blondfire: These guys have been getting a lot of hype regarding their song "Where The Kids Are" and they absolutely deserve it. The music video for the song is whacky and the song is catchy as hell (and a great song to snowboard to!). But they're more than just a one hit band. Check out their other music, as well. It's pretty great!

SONG OF THE YEAR

Ahhh, the best single song of the year. With the sheer volume of music released this year, how to pick just one song?

"PUSH AND SHOVE" BY NO DOUBT (FEAT. BUSY SIGNAL AND MAJOR LAZER)

Gwen Stefani is probably the only white girl on the planet who can get away with talking about hustling and not sound like she's trying too hard. This song is a sort of bizarre mash up of genres. It's a bit pop, a bit dance, a bit reggae. The lyrics are kind of quirky but in the context of the song, they work. This sounds like it would end up as a musical hot mess but it actually works... Really, really well I might add.

Honorable mentions

"Somewhere to Hide" by Shiny Toy Guns: Shiny Toy Guns' latest release is a great album overall (more on that in a bit) but this song stands out to me and, in my opinion, is a wise choice for their most recent single. Singer Carah Faye Charnow does an absolutely killer job on vocal, perfectly blending her powerful pipes with the completely danceable beat.

"The House That Heaven Built" by Japandroids: These guys have been getting a lot of attention this year and even sold out THREE shows in Minneapolis. This song is largely what has been driving this hype. It's a really simple, repetitive rock and roll jam that's infectious and will remain stuck in your head all day.

"I Don't Recall" by Lavender Diamond: I heard of Lavender Diamond a few years back and wasn't overly impressed by them (I also think their name is rather tacky). However, this song is so full of emotion and realism that I decided to give them a second chance. The vocals are sincere and the lyrics, despite their simplicity, manage to express everything they need to without frills.

 ALBUM OF THE YEAR

This is the category that I would consider my biggest honor. A whole album, with 12ish songs that are actually worth listening to, is rare. So who put forth the best effort this year?

 HALCYON BY ELLIE GOULDING

I'm going to admit something I probably shouldn't: Sometimes I cry from how perfect Ellie Goulding is and how much I love her. Now that I've outed myself as absolutely pathetic, we can move on. Halcyon is an absolute treasure. Despite being a pop artist, Ellie doesn't really do what anyone else is doing in pop music today. She plays with her vocals and reaches soaring high notes on the opening track, "Don't Say A Word," and "Hanging On." She mixes her airy voice with dubstep beats on numerous songs and, on songs such as "Explosions," and "I Know You Care" she uses minimal instrumentation and REALLY shows off that she can sing. My personal favorite, "Only You," starts out with a strange autotuned vocal section and moves on to be largely based on a repetitive beat that wiggles in your brain long after the song has finished. For those who get a physical copy with bonus content, the album comes with a bonus track, "I Need Your Love." This song features Calvin Harris and has some of the best synthesizers I've hear in a long time (and it's great to snowboard to!).

Honorable mentions

  

III by Shiny Toy Guns:  STG fans have been waiting years for this album, which features the return of Carah Faye on vocals and man, does she make the wait totally worth it. Their other lead singer, Chad, does just as great of a job. The band manages to infuse a lot of rock influences with electronic dance music and the result is a hard rocking, futuristic treat for your eardrums.

Sounds From Nowheresville by the Ting Tings: The Ting Ting's first album had a lot of great singles but didn't flow as well as album as Sounds does. This album is a great sophomore release and Katie White even gets a chance to prove that she actually can sing on tracks like, "Day To Day." I suggest giving the acoustic version a listen in addition to the original.

Give You The Ghost by Polica: I believe I said everything I need to say about Polica in their Best New Artist honorable mention, but I'd really like to stress it again: Go give them a listen. Their debut album is gorgeous and I'm sure you'll be seeing them on my favorites lists in future years.

So that's it! Those are my picks for favorite music for this year. Looking ahead, 2013 already looks exciting with the Joy Formidable, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Tegan and Sara, Lady Gaga, and more set to release new material and many exciting concert tours, including Fleetwood Mac, Stars, and, hopefully, No Doubt! I hope everyone has a great 2013 and that the music gods are just as wonderful to us as they were this year!

On a side note, this is my 100th blog! Woo hoo! Given my sporadic blogging, I'm surprised I've managed to somehow bust out 100! 

The Joeys Halfway Through the Year Edition: The Best of 2012 So Far

It's June and those who follow music blogs or go on iTunes or read the newspaper or basically aren't imprisoned in a turret in a castle surrounded by lava, you're no doubt seeing a bunch of half way through the year lists. Well, guess what? THIS IS ANOTHER ONE!!!! Except mine is better and more accurate because it's written by me. Same categories I usually have but half as long because 1) it's only the midpoint of the year and there's still a ton of new music to come and 2) I need to be studying for biochemistry. Wahoo.

BEST NEW ARTIST

I feel like this year there have been so many new releases by old favorites that I haven't had time to search for new music. One can only listen to so much music at once before it becomes chaotic and you end up trying to kill your neighbors' cat in a psychotic rage.

This showed up when I Googled "psychotic rage."

One artist I did hear about and have become more than a teensy bit obsessed with is Kimbra. I. LOVE. KIMBRA. Not only is she a talented musician, but she seems really down to earth and cool. And she always wears really poofy dresses. And she's from New Zealand so she has an adorable accent. And... Oh God, I could go on forever. If you haven't heard her yet, check her out below.

Honorable mentions: Polica (using autotune CAN be artistic!), MNDR (super catchy, super rad, super... super)

BEST LIVE ACT

So this has been a hella busy year for me concert wise. I went to 10 (yes, 10) shows in April and have two music festivals, SoundTown and Osheaga, coming up. Most of them were really, really good so this was a difficult one for me to pick. I do, however, need to pick someone so...

The Joy Formidable meets the Joey.

The Joy Formidable are just so fucking good live. The energy these three bring is infectious and they're all really, really good musicians. And when they do Whirring? Holy moly, everyone rocks out, things get thrown from the stage, guitars get broken... It's unreal.

Honorable mentions: Ellie Goulding (IT WAS SO HARD NOT PICK HER. Damn, you Britain, and your great music!), The Ting Tings (Oh jeez, these are all British artists), the Head and the Heart (not British, but still great... and sexy. Josiah, I'm looking at you)

BEST SONG SO FAR

"I was looking for a hooker when I found you." How can any song that includes that line not be the best song of the year? It would be a crime. And thus, I must pick...

What does a sad (but still fluffy wuffy!!!) cat have to do with sex workers? Find out more below!

"Lost Kitten" by Metric. Oh come on, don't act surprised that a Metric song was picked. Hell, I'm sure my end of the year blog will just be all me gushing about how great they are. But this song. Let's chat about it for a second. Emily does the whole falsetto thing that she does so well. And there's some sort of chimey bell thing. And it's just really, really catchy. So go. Listen. Think about cats.

Honorable mentions: "Skin Graph" by Silversun Pickups (Freakin' love this band, freakin' love this song),  "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye and Kimbra (Fuck you, don't pretend like you don't love it. And also... KIBMRAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!), "45" by the Gaslight Anthem (So much satisfying rock in this song!)

BEST ALBUM

Guess what it is, guys? Just take a guess!! No seriously, you should all be able to predict this based on knowing me and reading the preceding entry. Ugh, fine I'll just tell you.

Synthetica by Metric. I'll be the first to tell you that it's no Fantasies (then again, Fantasies, their previous record, may be my favorite album of all time) but that by no means makes this a bad album. And hey, what do you know? It features "Lost Kitten"!!! And another favorite, "Speed the Collapse." Go pick it up. You won't regret it.

Honorable mentions: "Neck of the Woods" by Silversun Pickups (RROOOOOOOCCCCKKKK... and Nikki Moninger), "Not Your Kind of People" by Garbage (Goddamn do I miss the 90's... and goddamn do I love chick rock), "Vows" by Kimbra (KIMMMMMMMMMMMBRAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!)

MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUM FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR

So I found out this week that like... 8 bands that I love are coming out with new albums so this one is another really difficult one. But actually, it's not because I've been waiting for TEN FUCKING YEARS for this album

Totally stole this image from Beacon Street Online so you should go check them out.

No Doubt. I mean, no doubt I'd pick No Doubt. They might be the only one to give Metric some competition when it comes to the end of the year. Sorry, everyone else. You can't compete with my favorite bands!

Honorable mentions: Stars (I might pee myself from excitement), The Gaslight Anthem (Please be as good as "45"!!!), Matt and Kim (EEEEE!!!!!!) ... and a few more that are rumored so I won't mention them as not to get my own hopes up.

2012 IS THE BEST YEAR IN MUSIC EVER.

Okay, off to work/homework. Stay classy, readers!

The Best of 2010

Last year, for the first time, I made my list of the top 10 albums of the year and it was a really great way for me to reflect on all the great music that came out that year. I decided that this year I'm going to try something different and see which I like better... Instead of doing a list of albums, I'm going to pick a best album, best song, best live act, best new artist, and best flashback album (an album that came out a previous year but I didn't discover until this year). I figure this way I get to mix things up a bit and talk about a variety of different works that deserve credit for their awesomeness. I'm also going to include a short section on what I look forward to most in 2011. So, without further adieu, here's my picks for the best of 2010!

Album of the Year
This year had a lot of strong releases from some of my old favorites including Broken Social Scene, Stars, and Motion City Soundtrack as well some newly discovered artists like Basia Bulat and Woodpigeon. My pick for album of the year is (surprisingly) not from any of these artists, however. It's from an artist that I've listened to in the past and enjoyed but was blown away by the work they put out this year, Land of Talk.

Their release, Cloak and Cipher, is haunting and beautiful and a rocking good time all packaged into one album. Lizzie's distinct vocals are what really carry the album. Her voice is soft but doesn't get too breathy or weak like some female singers' voices can. Also, it's what her voice actually sounds like; I saw them live in September and there's no editing needed to create her unique sound (unlike many artists these days, it seems). If you're going to download just one song, make it Quarry Hymns. It's a truly beautiful song.

Song of the Year
This one gave me more trouble than picking album of the year. I toyed back and forth with a bunch of ideas. For a while I was going to choose "Sentimental X's" by BSS or "Changes" by Stars. "To Die For" by Tonight Alive was a strong contender and, more recently, "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" by Arcade Fire was almost going to be chosen. While these songs are great and I strongly recommend all of them, there was one song that blew them all away...

"Black Sheep" by Metric. Yes, this song has existed in some form or another or other for a while but it was this year that the final studio version was released on the soundtrack for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and let me just say, this song is SICK. It starts out with a lot of sexy, "Awww, yeahs!" and brings on the rock. The real great thing about this song is the guitar solo during the outro. I've always known that Jimmy Shaw was a great guitarist but this solidified his status as a guitar god. Seriously, give it a listen. If you're not mindfucked there's something wrong.

Best Live Act
I go to a lot of shows and 2010 was no exception. This year, I got to see Motion City Soundtrack (twice!), Meg & Dia, Metric, Broken Social Scene, Stars, Land of Talk, and many more artists that I love. They were all fantastic show but none of them compared to the two hour dance-mindfuck-empowerment-sing-along fest that was the Monster Ball put on by Lady Gaga.

This lady proved she's not just another pop star and truly put on a SHOW. As mentioned before, it was almost two hours long. Usually, having a short attention span and all, I'd get bored but Gaga kept it coming and even as she closed with "Bad Romance" I was left wanting more and even considering going to see her again the next night (which didn't happen for monetary reasons). Tickets to see her are expensive but she makes it worth every penny and then some with lights and dancers and a fountain of blood. Probably my favorite moment of the concert was when she was doing Speechless on the flaming piano. How cool is that?!


Best New Artist
I've said this for every category but again, this one was a toughie. There were a lot of great new artists this year but probably my favorite was Tonight Alive.

They're a really awesome band from Australia and have a nice, clean alternative rock sound. They get compared to compared to Paramore a lot and I guess I see the comparison to some extent but Jenna doesn't have the same snarl that Hayley does and I honestly think that the comparison is just made because both bands have female fronts (an unfair comparison if you ask me; just because two bands have female fronts does NOT mean they sound the same). They released their first album, All Shapes and Disguises, in June and it features a cover of "In My Eyes" by Rufio that I actually prefer to the original (which is not a common occurrence for me- I generally don't like covers). I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what this band has in store for us in the future!


Blast From the Past Album
I don't know how I didn't hear about this band earlier but early in 2010 I discovered the Rural Alberta Advantage and their 2008 release, Hometimes. This album is fantastic and one of the rare albums that I actually like all the songs on it. If you want a sample of it, download "Drain the Blood" or "Edmonton."

2011 Excitement
I'm not even gonna lie: 2011 is going to be a great musical year. No Doubt will (more than likely) be coming out with a new album and I have been waiting for this album FOREVER. In addition, the Sounds are apparently done with their new album that should be released sometime this year and the Ting Tings are releasing a new album as well. Metric is headed back to the studio so maybe we'll be getting a new album from them as well. Lady Gaga's new album is due out beginning of the year and I've heard rumors that she'll be releasing her new single soon. Of course, there will also be a ton of other releases that I haven't heard about yet... 2011 should be an exciting year in music!