Sam’s Friday Top 5: Popular Albums of 2012

I want to preface this by acknowledging the glory of many albums released this year that were not commercially successful, and to also say that these are obviously my opinions, so we can agree to disagree if your list is different. (Oh, and #6 on my list would have to be Keyshia Cole’s Woman to Woman. It is such a wonderful album and falls to #6 merely because there happened to be five that were better than it this year, but only five.) Some also-rans include Pink’s The Truth About Love, Mumford & Son’s Babel, and Linkin Park’s Living Things. I also suggest listening to them. Now, on with the Top 5!

5. The Idler Wheel is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords will Serve You More than Ropes Will Ever Do – Fiona Apple.

Fiona Apple is the queen of taking extended breaks from album recording, ostensibly to enjoy her cabin in the woods far, far away from civilization. She does, however, continue to write music and lyrics, honing her songwriting craft, as is evidenced on this, her fourth official studio album, and first since 2005’s Extraordinary Machine. I can honestly say I didn’t know what to expect because of the wait. Miss Apple seems to get less commercial as she ages, which is just fine with me, but on Extraordinary Machine it was rather hit-and-miss whether or not she succeeded in getting across her point. It was also rather a quieter, folksier affair, and I prefer Fiona’s grit and vinegar approach to songwriting. Well, I needn’t have been worried because The Idler Wheel… (title shortened to protect my sanity) is definitely a return to those hard, harsh lyrics and spot-on musical progression that made me a fan in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, though, if you haven’t heard it yet. It is in no ways a Tidal 2. In fact, it is probably as far different sonically that you can get from that initial record, but it maintains the same integrity. And when she releases another album, probably in 2020, I won’t be worried.

4. Not Your Kind of People – Garbage.

Garbage has never disappointed me since their first album back in 1995, the aptly titled Garbage record. It was aptly titled not because it sounds like a mess, but because, just like garbage, it is filled with so many disparate sounds and ideas that you wouldn’t think go together, but they do. And Garbage has maintained its integrity throughout the years. Amazingly enough, they actually snuck up on me with this album, releasing it a full week before I realized it was even out. In fact, I thought they had broken up, but they had been recording instead, and what a recording it is! Now, if you’ve never heard Garbage before, you have to adjust your listening ears because it is quite unlike anything you’ve heard before. It can be loud and soft at the same time, and the sounds are not sounds you would hear from any other bands out there. They’re unique, and that uniqueness is what makes Not Your Kind of People a spectacular record. They also tend to use voice modifiers with Shirley Manson’s (their lead singer) vocals so that sometimes you can’t even tell it is her. But somehow they remain Garbage, because of that cutting edge quality that cements them as the number four album of 2012.

3. Overexposed – Maroon 5.

As the album title suggests, in the past few years, Maroon 5 has indeed been overexposed. From lead man Adam Levine’s stint as one of the coaches of The Voice, to the release and backlash associated with their previous studio album, Hands All Over, the band was intent on getting back to what made them popular in the first place, which was lush hooks, funky rhythms, and smooth singing. They do just that on this, their fourth studio release. Overexposed is just the right combination of swagger and style without being overly wrought with layered lyrics (like Hands All Over) or too-slick production, both previous knocks on the group. It plays like an old-school record in that from start to finish it moves with a groove that is central to each song, but also to the record as a whole. It is a great response to those who believed the band was indeed overexposed.

2. Red – Taylor Swift.

I really didn’t want to like Taylor Swift. I mean, she was this twangy, young twig of a girl who wrote songs that twangy, young girls were supposed to listen to and enjoy, but they weren’t for big, strong men who listen to Metallica and Snoop Dogg. And yet, Taylor Swift just crosses boundaries. Her lyrics hit me from the start, and they weren’t just about twangy, young girls. They were about everyone. Everyone has fears, doubts, joys, and surprises, and Miss Swift infuses her songs with those commonalities. And she never disappointed. I was ready to dislike Red, as the critics had said she was trying to grow up with this album, and to an extent they were right. However, I like what she has done to merge that young girl with the woman she is becoming, while staying true to her roots and musical vision. I like Red because it’s cool and cheesy at the same time, because of its emotional resonance, and its “everygirl” flavor. I like it because it’s Taylor Swift, and it was oh so close to being my number one for the year, but here is where it settles, in second place.

1. Battle Born– The Killers.

Coming into 2012, I liked every single song The Killers had ever released, and you could say I was biased, but they had also set a pretty high bar they were going to have to reach with the new album for me to call it a success. Not only did they reach that bar, they set an entirely new one with the best album of their career to date, Battle Born. From the opening anthemic beat of “Flesh and Bone,” to the U2-esque “Runaways,” to the soaring, stadium inspired “The Rising of the Tide,” the album rocks and rolls like rarely an album has done in the past five years. It is this completeness of the album form, while maintaining its integrity as a collection of individual songs as well, that sets it apart from all other albums released this year. That’s what makes it my number one record, and it wasn’t even close between it and any other rock albums released this year. If it wasn’t for Taylor Swift, a completely different type of artist, it wouldn’t even have had competition for that number one spot. I suggest you listen to it when you get a chance, whether or not you like The Killers. If you like rock music, it was the quintessential one released in 2012.

Sam

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