IAN SKELLY (SOLO / THE CORAL)
Not content with being drummer for the best band from Liverpool since the Beatles, Ian Skelly has now released a particularly accomplished solo album "Cut From a Star" that is just brilliant. His favourites of 2012 were :
1. Bob Dylan - Tempest
2. Jonathan Wilson - Gentle Spirit
3. Father John Misty - Fear Fun
4. By The Sea - S/T
5.Tame Impala – Lonerism
6. Bat For Lashes - The Haunted Man
7. Paul Weller - Sonik Kicks
8. Neil Young - Psychedelic Pill
9. Lana Del Rey - Born To Die
10. Richard Hawley - Standing at the Sky's Edge
MATT RENDON (THE RESONARS)
Matt Rendon of the Resonars has been responsible for a few classics himself in 2012 with the excellent Thoughts E.P on Trouble In Mind Records and his best album yet "Crummy Desert Sound" due out very soon on Burger Records. He's been digging these puppies lately:
Agent Ribbons - Let Them Talk / Family Haircut 45
The Audacity - Mellow Cruisers
Feeding People - S/T
Sam Flax - Age Waves
Grass Widow - Internal Logic
Infinity People - In Love With The Light
La Sera - Sees The Light
Spanish Moss - Kelp
Summer Twins - S/T
The Tough Shits - S/T
THOMAS MADDEN (SPANISH MOSS)
Thomas Madden had a pretty good year with the release of Spanish Moss's excellent debut "Kelp". Here's his carefully considered top ten of the year:
10. Gap Dream - S/T
9. Brian Jonestown Massacre - Aufheben
8. Ty Segall Band - Slaughterhouse
7. Natural Child - For the love of the game
6. White Fence - Family Perfume Vol 1
5. Feeding People - Island Universe 7 inch
4.(Tied) Fresh & Only's- Long Slow Dance /
Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light
3. The Resonars - Crummy Desert Sound
2. MMOSS - Only Children
1. Ty Segall - Twins
JAMES MCKEOWN
The man responsible for number two on my top ten of the year is James McKeown - his "English Dream" is magnificent and you should also check out his psych / kraut / prog / alternative band Hi-Fiction Science. This is what he's been checking out in 2012 :
1. Django Django - S/T
2. The Eccentronic Research Council - 1612 Underture
3. Bill Fay - Life is People
4. Storm Corrosion -S/T
5. Trailer Trash Tracys - Ester
6. The Shins - Port of Morrow
7. No-Man - Love & Endings
8. Ariel Pink - Mature Themes.
9. Grizzly Bear - Shields
10. X-TG - Desertshore/The Final Report
CHRIS SHERMAN (SKY PICNIC)
Sky Picnic made it to number five in my own best of the year list with their excellent second album "Paint Me a Dream" so it's only fair that their frontman Chris Sherman should weigh in here with a few favourites of his own:
The Amazing - Gentle Stream- (technically, it's a 2011 release, but it didn't get it's official US proper release until October this year)
Melody's Echo Chamber - S/T
Tame Impala - Lonerism
Rush - Clockwork Angels
FRANK MASTON (MASTON)
I'm predicting that Maston will be one of THE big psychedelic acts of 2013. After two excellent self released E.Ps (which are now out of print), Trouble In Mind have signed Maston and will release debut album "Shadows" in February. At the risk of sounding like I'm showing off, I've heard it and it's brilliant. What's been floating Frank Maston's boat in 2012 then you may well ask? A mixture of new and old:
10. Apache Dropout - Bubblegum Graveyard
9. Ty Segall - Twins
8. Bat for Lashes - The Haunted Man
7. Tame Impala - Lonerism
6. Prince - Purple Rain
5. Electric Light Orchestra - Into the Blue
4. Mac DeMarco - 2
3. Ennio Morricone - Diabolik
2. Beach House - Bloom
1. Paul McCartney - Ram (Reissue)
MARTIN NUNEZ (SIR PSYCH / THE SMOKING TREES)
2012 was a bumper year for Martin Nunez with the release of not one, but two great albums "The Popsike World of Sir Psych" and the Smoking Trees "Acetates". As his top ten of the year proves his good taste stretches to his listening habits too. Says Martin : "These are the albums that I listened to the most. Obviously The Smoking Trees and Sir Psych albums are first & second, mainly because I know those two albums inside and out & what it took to create them from scratch. I listened to a bunch of good new music this year but these albums never got put away & I still play them regularly today.
10. Ian Skelly - Cut from a Star
9. Ty Segal & White Fence - Hair
8. Jessica Pratt - S/T
7. Mmoss - Only Children
6. White Fence - Family Perfume Vol. 1&2
5. Prince Rupert's Drops - Run Slow
4. Opossom - Electric Hawaii
3. The Sufis - The Sufis
2. Sir Psych - The Popsike World of Sir Psych
1. The Smoking Trees - Acetates
CRAIG BRIGHT (KONTIKI SUITE)
Kontiki Suite are responsible for my very favourite album of the year "On Sunset Lake". And they've almost got a second album ready too. Bring it on. Craig's faves of the year make good listening and reading:
"Here's my top 10, which is kind of in order, but would change tomorrow."
10. The Junipers - Paint The Ground
9. Old Crow Medicine Show - Carry Me Home
8. The Sufis - The Sufis
7. Tame Impala - Lonerism
6. I Was A King - You Love It Here
5. Sugarfoot - The Love That We Outwore
4. Lightships - Electric Cables
3. Dr John - Locked Down
2. Beachwood Sparks - Tarnished Gold
1. Allah-Las - Allah-Las
"And because I'm such a completist, I can't not provide you with a list of the other folk whose albums I love but which either didn't quite make it or might make it tomorrow: Ty Segall and White Fence, Yeti Lane, Ian Skelly, Dexys, Pond, Melody's Echo Chamber, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, Hiss Golden Messenger, Beaulieu Porch, Calexico, The Liminanas, Donald Fagen, Mayer Hawthorne, Richard Hawley, Hot Chip, Bill Fay, Woods, Thee Oh Sees, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Mmos, Hot Chip and Ty Segall."
MIKE NEWMAN (BEYOND BEYOND IS BEYOND RECORDS)
Beyond Beyond is Beyond co-owner / operator Mike Newman is a chap who's taste I trust implicitly, after all, his label's first release was the excellent Prince Rupert's Drops debut. Oh and this year's first releases are a Mmoss / Quilt split and an album by Kiki Pau. 'Nuff said. Here's his favourites of 2012:
UFO Club – S/T
Sleepy Sun – Spine Hits
Eternal Tapestry – A World Out of Time
Prince Rupert’s Drops – Run Slow
Sky Picnic – Paint Me A Dream
Allah Las – S/T
Tame Impala – Lonerism
Foxygen – Take the Kids Off Broadway
Goat – World Music
MMOSS – Only Children
Ty Segall and White Fence - Hair
SEAN BOHRMAN (BURGER RECORDS)
Sean Bohrman's no stranger to good music with his label Burger Records responsible for all sorts of great releases from the likes of Mmoss, The Resonars, The Freezing Hands and a ridiculous amount of other great stuff. His favourites of the year in no particular order were :
The Memories - S/T
The Memories - Love Is The Law
Taylor Swift - Red
The Sufis - S/T
Gap Dream - S/T
Natural Child - Hard In Heaven
Natural Child - For The Love Of The Game
Sam Flax - S/T
The Memories - Love Is The Law
Taylor Swift - Red
The Sufis - S/T
Gap Dream - S/T
Natural Child - Hard In Heaven
Natural Child - For The Love Of The Game
Sam Flax - S/T
The Go - Fiesta
The Memories - Live At Burger
DAMIEN YOUTH
Everyone's favourite musical maverick, Damien Youth has an enormous back catalogue of psychedelic power pop acid glam folk to trawl through which you should start investigating immediately. In 2012 he's been loving :
Belbury Poly- The Belbury Tales
Pepe Deluxe - Queen Of The Wave
22 20's - Got It If You Want It
Django Django - Self Titled
Tame Impala- Lonerism
Swans - The Seer
Bill Fay - Life Is People
Calibro 35 - "Ogni riferimento a persone esistite o a fatti realmente accaduti è puramente casuale"
Dr. Dog - Be The Void
Death And Vanilla - Self Titled
PHIL MOORE (SHINDIG CO-EDITOR, SHINDIG HAPPENING EDITOR)
Phil Moore is one of the men responsible for the magazine Shindig and it's sister web blog, both of which should be on your reading lists (right after the Active Listener of course!). Top taste that man!
The Sufis -S/T
Tame Impala - Lonerism
Night Beats - S/T
Cowbell - Beat Stampede
Toy - S/T
Suzi Chunk - Girl From The Neck Down
The See See - Fountayne Mountain
Smoke Fairies - Blood Speaks
The Allah-las - S/T
Sleepy Sun - Spine Hits
SCOTT MAGEE (SHAKE HANDS WITH DANGER RADIO)
Scott Magee is a kindred soul who puts together one of my favourite blogs / radio shows "Shake Hands With Danger Radio".
10. Black Tambourine - Onetwothreefour EP
9. Lilacs & Champagne - S/T
8. Phedre - S/T
7. The Band In Heaven - S/T EP
6. The Janitors - Head Honcho EP
5. The UFO Club - S/T
4. The People's Temple - More For The Masses
3. Dead Horse One - Heavenly Choir Of Jet Engines
2. Vinyl Williams - Lemniscate
1. Shacklock Meth Party - This
Some of our readers sent in their top ten's too - here's a few of them:
Franco Marchetti :
Hookworms - Live Volume 2
The People's Temple - More for the Masses
Pontiacs - Bursting
Black Bombaim - Titans
Dead Horse One - Heavenly Choir of Jet Engines
Ty Segall - Twins
The Machine - Calmer Than You Are
The Sufis - S/T
Ufesas - S/T
Night Beats / Ufo Club - Split
Mark Fowkes :
01) Aqua Nebula Oscillator - Third
02) Eternal Tapestry - A World Out of Time
03) Beak> - >>
04) Cate Le Bon - Cyrk
05) Dirty Three - Toward The Low Sun
06) The Sufis - The Sufis
07) Pepe Deluxé - Queen of the Wave
08) The Lost Rivers - Sin And Lostness
09) DJ Food - The Search Engine
10) The Limiñanas - Crystal Anis
Ryan Barry :
The Laurels - Plains
Tame Impala - Lonerism
Guided By Voices - The Bears For Lunch
Black Market Karma - Easy Listening / Semper Fi
Chris Cohen - Overgrown Path
Ty Segall Band - Slaughterhouse
The Hedgehogs - Our Minds Dyed Today
The People's Temple - More For The Masses
Radar Men From The Moon - Echo Forever
Cate Le Bon - Cyrk
Carl Griffin:
Julia Holter - Ekstasis
Woodbine & Ivy Band
Sproatly Smith
Tame Impala -Lonerism
Flaming Lips & Heady Fwends
Woods' - Sun & Shade
Real Estate - Days
Belbury Poly - Belbury Tales
Advisory Circle - As The Crow Flies
Alexander Tucker - Third Mouth.
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