2012 artist favorites

2012 Artist Favorites

Paula Cullen of September Girls

Favourite Albums of 2012:
Goat – World Music
Royal Headache – Royal Headache
Melodys Echo Chamber – Melodys Echo Chamber
Tamaryn – Tender New Signs

Favourite Gigs of 2012:
PINS at Soup Kitchen in Manchester
Indietracks Festival in general (esp Veronica Falls & Orca Team)
Twinkranes at Whelans Dublin.

Irish Bands I Heartily Recommend:
The #1s
HUNK!
Twinkranes
The Urges
Cheap Freaks
Cave Ghosts
Squarehead

Favourite Clothes of 2012:
Hats
Anything black
Stupid big grey overcoat that makes me look like Matthew Perry in early Friends.

Favourite Bass String of 2012:
The “E” String

Favourite September Girl:
Changes regularly, but at the moment, I’m really digging Lauren.

Bart Cummings of Bart and Friends

Music I listened to a LOT in 2012, not necessarily released in 2012:

Pat Kelly
Lightships
Back Tambourine
Veronica Falls
September Girls
de montevert
Al Green
Monnone Alone
Alton Ellis
Prince Buster
Zebras

…but let’s be honest, I’m a parent with young kids, so I spend what little spare time I have exhausted in front of the TV watching:

Game of Thrones
Mad Men
Treme
30 Rock
Dr. Who
Horrible Histories
Boardwalk Empire
Walking Dead

Tobias Isaksson of Azure Blue

Great tracks from 2012:

Solange – Losing You
Chad Valley – My Girl
Poolside – Between Dreams
Sky Ferreira – Everything’s Embarrassing
Frank Ocean – Thinkin Bout You
Wild At Heart – Darling
Lindstrøm – Rà-àko-st
Todd Terje – Inspector Norse
Taken By Trees – Dreams
Pet Shop Boys – Leaving
El Perro Del Mar – Walk On By
Saint Lou Lou – Maybe You
Beach House – Lazuli
Azari & III Into The Night (Nicolas Jaar Remix)
Future Islands – The Fountain
The 2 Bears – Warm & Easy (Leo Zero Remix)
Grimes – Oblivion
Charli XCX – You’re The One (Blood Orange Remix)
iamamiwhoami – Good Worker
Lorentz & Sakarias – Garbo, Astrid & Taube
Nordpolen – När Mitt Blod Pumpar I Dej
Iberia – An Ending
Frida Hyvönen – Terribly Dark
Perfume Genius – Hood
Yeti Lane – Warning Sensations
World Tour – Too Far
Catcall – Satellites
Blood Orange – Dinner
Harald Björk – Domus
Niki & The Dove – Tomorrow
The XX – Angels
Faye – Water Against The Rocks
Eddi Front – Gigantic
Jessie Ware – 110%
Drake ft The Weeknd – Crew Love

Stefan Larsen of Northern Portrait

Favourite things anno MMXII

Recordings:
Apart from the wonderful 2012 Matinée releases, the outstanding records for me have been:
Holiday Crowd – Over the Bluffs
Evans the Death – Evans the Death
Blur – Under the Westway single
The Garlands – The Garlands

Concerts:
Chris Isaak
Holiday Crowd
– both in Copenhagen

Places and moments:
Haven, Carlsberg, first day of Spring, Copenhagen

Marr Lodge Estate, Somewhere in Scotland

Visiting Champagne micro producer Philippe Simon of Simon-Selosse, Avize

Watching the big surf whilst enjoying a world class margarita at Turtle Bay Resort, Hawaii

Harry’s New York Bar (birthplace of the White Lady and Bloody Mary), Paris

Lunch at Fred 62, Los Angeles, with Monsieur Tassos and family just after being given a box of new EPs – thanks Jimmy!

Lawrence McCluskey of Bubblegum Lemonade and Strawberry Whiplash

Yes it’s been another great year for songs, with ‘Break My Heart’ by La Sera being my favourite. Roll on 2013!

Laz Lemonade’s 2012 Favourites:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu_eaiVkFbG8ie-gjv4Nb_yPjj4xov7B9

Ace City Racers – “Waiting” (Fred Perry Subculture) 2012 single
Apple Orchard – “Not This Time” (Dufflecoat Records) 2012 Single
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – “Only In My Dreams” (4AD) 2012 from the LP ‘Mature Themes’
Beach House – “Myth” (Bella Union) 2012 from the LP ‘Bloom’
Cats On Fire – “A Few Empty Waves” (Matinée Recordings)
Cate Le Bon – “What Is Worse” (Ovni) 2012 from the ‘CYRK II’ E.P.
Cate Le Bon – “The Eiggy Sea” (Ovni) 2012 from the ‘CYRK II’ E.P.
Correatown – “Valparaiso” (Highline) 2012 from the LP ‘Plieades’
Corner Boy – “Keep On Trying” (Dufflecoat Records) 2012 single
Crushed Beaks – “Breakdown” (ASL)
Crocodiles – “My Surfing Lucifer” (Souterrain Transmissions) 2012 single
Crocodiles – “Bubblegum Trash” (Souterrain Transmissions) single released 3rd December 2012
Crocodiles – “Endless Flowers” (Souterrain Transmissions) 2012 single
Earlimart – “10 Years” from the LP ‘System
Errors – “Relics” (Rock Action) single released 5th November 2012
Euros Childs – “Be be High”
Fergus & Geronimo – “Spies” (Hardly Art) 2012 from the LP ‘Funky Was The State Of Affairs’
The Fresh And Onlys – “Presence Of Mind” (Souterrain Transmissions)
The Hermit Crabs – “On The Spectrum” (Matinée Recordings)
Hooded Fang – “Vacationation” (Full Time Hobby)
Howler – “Back Of Your Neck” (Rough Trade) 2012 from the LP ‘America Give Up’
La Sera – “Break My Heart” (Hardly Art) 2012 single
Moon Duo – “Sleepwalker” (Souterrain Transmissions) single released 24th September 2012
Moon Duo – “Circles” (Souterrain Transmissions) single released 26th November 2012
Opossom – “Girl” (Fire) single released 8th October 2012
Pale Sunday – “Happy When You Lived Here” (Matinée Recordings)
People Get Ready – “Windy City” (Brassland) from the LP ‘People Get Ready’
The Proctors – “Fun Sunday” (Dufflecoat Records) 2012 single
Rachel Zeffira – “Here On In” (RAF) single released 10th December 2012
Surf School Dropouts – “Baby, I Long to Be Yours”
September Girls – “Wanting More” (Matinée Recordings)
Teen – “Electric” (Carpark) 2012 single
Tame Impala – “Elephant” (Modular) 2012 single
Tashaki Miyaki – “All I Have To Do Is Dream” (For Us) 2012 from ‘Tashaki Myaki Sings The Everly Brothers’
Temples – “Shelter Song” Single late December 2012
Thee Oh Sees – “Lupine Dominus”
Veronica Falls – “My Heart Beats” (Slumberland) 2012 single
Wild Balbina – “So Kind” (Elefant) 2012 B-side of the single ‘Eat Tacos’
Woods – “Find Them Empty” (Sacred Bones) 2011 single
Woodpecker Wooliams – “Red Kite” (Robot Elephant) 2012 from the LP ‘The Bird School Of Being Human’

Josh Meadows of The Sugargliders and The Steinbecks

These are a few of my favourite things from 2012…

Favourite new songs:
Digging shelters by Neil Halstead
Travelin’ man by Still Flyin’
Only Son of the Ladiesman by Father John Misty
Hold on when you get love and let go when you give it by Stars
Golden by the Daytime Frequency

Favourite old song:
Care of Cell 44 by The Zombies

Favourite new book:
The Mountain by Drusilla Modjeska

Peter Momtchiloff of Would-Be-Goods

2012 favourites:

1. Cate Le Bon: Cyrk
2. Monsieur Mo Rio: The sun express
3. Beth Jeans Houghton: Yours truly, cellophane nose
4. Om: Advaitic songs
5. The Monochrome Set: Platinum coils
6. Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday: Roman reloaded
7. Burning Hearts: Extinctions
8. The Magnetic Fields: Love at the bottom of the sea
9. Cats on Fire: All blackshirts to me
10. Hive Dwellers: Hewn from the wilderness

Tip for 2013: Adam Green and Binky Shapiro

Mark Monnone of The Lucksmiths and Bart and Friends (plus Monnone Alone, Last Leaves, Still Flyin’…)

2012 favourites:

Deep Time — Deep Time LP
Grand Salvo — Slay Me In My Sleep LP
The Stevens — s/t EP
Chris Cohen — Overgrown Path LP
Chromatics — Kill For Love LP
Milk Teddy / Saturday Looks Good to Me live split tape
Sonny Smith — One Act Plays LP
The Clean — Oddities LP
Pop Singles — All Gone LP
Sea Lions live in LA
The Wedding Present live in Sydney
Jonathan Richman ‘Jonathan Sings’ tape stuck in my car stereo for the summer, just like this time 20 years ago

2012 was chockers with personal music highlights: Last Leaves played our first shows (and got to open for The Wedding Present on their first ever Australian tour); I continued to be swept along by the Still Flyin’ juggernaut with a new album and world touring; Bart continued to astound with ever more beautiful songs; Monnone Alone mastered our debut album and got jittery knees on the eve of its release. Oh, and I joined a calypso band.

Aside from all of these shining moments, I also enjoyed possibly my favourite year so far as a label dude at Lost And Lonesome, having had the opportunity to work with some musical heroes, old and new.

Matthew Pendlebury of Charlie Big Time

Gig of 2012: Roddy Frame at Ramsbottom Music Festival – one of the wettest weekends in the UK but one of the best!

Band highlight of the year: being loved and cared for by Matinée!

Tips for 2013: The Salient Braves – a UK band withan album 20 years in the making, and A Naked Season, a fine UK band who can write full on pop in their sleep.

Jason Sweeney of Simpático and Sweet William

Albums:
Kate Bush – 50 Words for Snow
Antony & the Johnsons – Cut the World
Julia Holter – Ekstasis
Penny Hewson – It’s an Endless Desire
Cass McCombs – Humor Risk
Laetitia Sadier – Silencio
Ned Collette and Wirewalker – 2
Grizzly Bear – Shields
Saint Etienne – Words and Music By Saint Etienne
Max Richter – Recomposed By Max Richter: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons
Michael Andrews – Spilling A Rainbow
Oliver Blank – Confessional Music
The Sea & Cake – Runner
Reissue of The Disintegration Loops by William Basinski
A Winged Victory For The Sullen

Singles:
Swimsuit – Crazy / Carsick
Lali Puna – I’ve Been Over The Rainbow
Shout Out Louds – Blue Ice
Atoms for Peace – Default
Ned Collette and Wirewalker – Long You Lie
Luke Ashby – Minor Death

Nostalgia:
Revisiting ‘Sweet & Sour’ TV series on Youtube.
Watching ‘Prisoner Cell Block H’ on Youtube (currently up to episode 200)

TV:
The launch of NITV (National Indigenous TV)
Redfern Now (ABC TV)
Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell (ABC TV)
Latest seasons of ‘Parks & Recreation’ and ’30 Rock’

Film:
Samsara

Roy Thirlwall of Melodie Group and The Windmills

Record: Old Ideas by Leonard Cohen, Tramp by Sharon Van Etten

Gig: Plantman at various venues, Jonathan Richman at Union Chapel, Laibach at Tate Modern

Film: Searching for Sugarman, Frankenweenie

Book: How Soon Is Now? The Madmen and Mavericks Who Made Independent Music by Richard King

Thing: FIFA13 on PS3

Melanie Whittle of The Hermit Crabs

Bands: Tiny Fireflies

Songs: Belle and Sebastian – Ghost of Rock School, The Very Most – Patricia, and Math and Physics Club – Jimmy Had a Polaroid

Books: Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeannette Winterson and This Is Not About Me by Janice Galloway

Poetry: Tomorrow, We Will Live Here by Ryan Van Winkle

Plays – John Peel’s Shed at the Tron Theatre, Glasgow http://www.johnpeelsshed.com

Experience – recording some new Hermit Crabs songs in Boise, Idaho and hanging out with Jeremy from The Very Most and his friends and family; playing Baffin Island set on local Boise radio station and the presenters saying ‘Glasgae’

Live experiences – Laura Marling at the O2 Academy, Glasgow

Jimmy Tassos of Matinée Recordings

Twelve tremendous tunes not released on Matinée in 2012:

1. Crocodiles – Bubblegum Trash (Souterrain Transmissions)
2. The Holiday Crowd – Pennies Found (Shelflife)
3. September Girls – Danny Wood (Soft Power)
4. The Garlands – Chandeliers (Shelflife)
5. The Sunbathers – Hope (Dufflecloud)
6. Black Tambourine – What’s Your Game (Slumberland)
7. Crocodiles – Endless Flowers (Souterrain Transmissions)
8. Beach House – Myth (Sub Pop)
9. The Holiday Crowd – Born Under A Different Sign (Shelflife)
10. Baffin Island – We Were Meant To Meet (WeePOP!)
11. Martin Rossiter – Drop Anchor (Drop Anchor Music)
12. Liechtenstein – Ambitions (Fraction Discs)