Schnitzel's top ten albums of 2012

Deep heat – Oh Mercy

I've been up and down with this album, going from initial hysteria to cool indifference (which I attributed to my diagnosed allergy to Roxy Music) and finally to an embrace for everything it has to offer. It's so different to everything the band has done before, and after Moose and I sat and discussed this one over beers one night (serious business, indeed) we worked out that we both found it a little weird because for the first time Alexander Gow was being overtly sexual with his lyrics. Previous albums have painted Gow as an uncertain, timid, even shy lover - but Deep Heat is all dirty saxophones and baby-making grooves. Lyrically, he's not quite asking the ladies to squeeze his lemon till the juice runs down his leg, but for the first time is putting himself out there as a confident ladies man - and it's brilliant. Key tracks are ‘Deep heat’, ‘My man’ and ‘Drums’. 

The only place – Best Coast

Best Coast's second album is an absolute gem. Where Crazy for you saw Bethany Cosentino's voice near-drowned in lo-fi fuzz, 'The only place' brings her vocals to the forefront. In her own words, Cosentino "talks about weed and my cat and being lazy", but she does so with heart and conviction, and a voice that can break your heart with one  track and then make you long for the beach and simpler times with the next. At its funnest it is summer made into music, at its most serious it is clever and insightful pop. Must listen tracks are ‘The only place’, ‘Why I cry’, ‘How they want me to be’ and ‘Storms’.

  

The sound of the life of the mind – Ben Folds Five

When Ben Folds Five were first standing up for piano-based rock music, I was a little too young and (let's face it) a little too cool to really give them a go. If you had asked me at the time, I would have said I was more interested in *good* bands, like Silverchair and Blink 182. Now, there's nothing wrong with either of these bands, and I still quite like both of them, but they sat in an opposing camp to BF5 back then, and there was a lot of people that I needed to convince I was 'choice' (it was the mid-1990s, remember). Having discovered and fallen in love with BF5 through Ben Folds' solo albums, I almost view their second coming as my second chance… I can get in on the ground floor this time! Alas, it took me a few listens to get into The sound of the life of the mind… and I even went so far as to proclaim to Moose that this album just didn't 'grab me'. He patiently told me to have another listen and BAM - it all hit me. The whole album is brilliant, Folds' lyrics have done nothing but improve over the years (not that they needed to), and the band sound as tight as ever. They craft stories and invent characters that can make you laugh and cry, and do it all in deftly poppy tunes of three-to-four minutes in length. They're one of the best bands around and this is one of the best albums of 2012… even if it took me a while to realise it. Standout tracks are ‘The sound of the life of the mind’, ‘Draw a crowd’, ‘On being Frank’ and ‘Thank you for breaking my heart’.

Museum – Ball Park Music

I've got a lot of love for these kids. Happiness and surrounding suburbs is one of my favourite albums from 2011 and for the band to follow it up the very next year with 'Museum' is pretty darn amazing. The first three songs - 'Fence sitter', 'Surrender' and 'Coming down' - as strong an opening to any album I have heard: catchy, brilliantly produced and mixed and just plain fun. On the whole, the album isn't quite as charming as their first effort, but it's a brilliant album from start to finish, and you can't really hold it against them for being high achievers, can you? After missing out on seeing this band in Canberra when the pregnant Mrs. Schnitzel was unwell and then failing to get tickets for their recent Newcastle gig, I'm overly excited to see these guys support Weezer in early 2013. They could play 'Museum' end-to-end and I'd be a very happy man. Key tracks are ‘Fence sitter’ and ‘Coming down’. 

Wrecking ball – Bruce Springsteen

Many are calling this the Boss' return to form. Having been a fairly casual fan until this release I can't comment on that, but what I can say is that this album is amazing. As I've said before, this guy still manages to sound like an everyman no matter how old and rich he gets. When he sings 'Jack of all trades', for example, you believe the desperation in his voice as he rattles off a list of odd jobs he'll do to keep his family afloat. This song hits me particularly hard as I spent a good few months earlier this year with impending unemployment and the birth of my child having a race to see which would send me round the bend with stress first (for the record, I did get a job, but only just in time - the lesson: my degree was only mostly useless). It's upsetting to know that I won’t catching any of his shows next March - the good thing is this album is entertaining enough to keep me happily distracted. Be sure to check out ‘We take care of our own’, ‘Jack of all trades’, ‘Death to my hometown’ and ‘American land’.

Crystal Castles III – Crystal Castles

Ever since I heard 'Alice Practice' on the episode of Skins where Sid takes acid and freaks out over his father's death, I've been a little bit in love with Crystal Castles. Their third album is everything you'd want in follow up to their first two (also self titled) albums - a collection of 8-bit video game sound orgasms supporting Alice Glass' alternately pained and towering vocals. I'm not a devotee of dance music, but this album is enough to get even me shuffling about semi-awkwardly (…who am I kidding, I cut a rug better than most!). When rug-cutting, you can’t go past ‘Wrath of God’, ‘Pale flesh’ and ‘Violent youth’.

Blunderbuss – Jack White

Jack White's first solo album is both an exploration for what kind of mark he will leave as a solo artist and a nod to those artists to whom he owes some debt of influence (the second half of the album, in particular, sees White in full Rolling Stones-mode). This is no tribute album though; it's every inch Jack White enjoying the freedom of being a solo artist, and in doing so, crafting a bluesy rock masterpiece through which existing fans and newcomers alike will find common ground. White's guitar work is brilliant, and there's some truly memorable riffs on the record, along with some classic rock lyrics. A right good listen and a clear highlight from 2012. Key tracks are ‘Missing pieces’, ‘Hypocritical Kiss’, ‘I'm shakin'’ and ‘Hip (eponymous) poor boy’.

Some nights – fun.

Possibly the most anthemic and yet tongue-in-cheek release in recent years. It's pretty much Queen, but with Freddie's extrovert broadway confidence giving way to Nate Ruess' faux indie-kid shyness. It's a rollicking ride, and when you listen to this through headphones, you can easily picture a mass of late-teens and early-20-somethings writhing about in aural ecstasy. Better yet, you can picture yourself as one of them. Every hook works like an ear worm, every chorus demands fist pumping, and you can almost hear the band and this release being elevated into the annals of pop culture history. Brilliant, one that'll be remembered as a hallmark of this era. Standouts are ‘Some nights’, ‘It gets better’ and ‘One foot’.

Lonerism - Tame Impala

I'll admit it: when I first listened to this album, I found the (let's be honest, extensive) use of echo effects overpowering. Too much, even. But I persevered… and this feeling of drowning in echo was replaced with the feeling of swimming though a dreamscape. It's a feeling I'd grown accustomed to listening to Innerspeaker, and I'm more than happy to be guided through this echoey, cosmic world by Keven Parker. From start to finish, Lonerism is beautifully chilled out music with hints of darkness. It sounds like the Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Doors and even the Beach Boys (sometimes all at once), and it's hard not to give yourself over to the groove and the harmony of each of this album's 12 tracks. Not just an outstanding second album, but an outstanding album overall. Favourites are ‘Apocalypse dreams’, ‘Music to walk home by’, ‘Keep on lying’ and ‘Elephant’.

The Wall – Pink Floyd

Is it cheap to include a rerelease in the top albums for a given year? Some (most) would answer with a resounding YES. However, I can't go past this year's version of The Wall. Digitally remastered as part of the 'Why Pink Floyd?' campaign, it includes a slew of extra tracks and alternate takes on old favourites. I was fortunate enough to see Roger Waters perform this album earlier this year, and he does so expertly, but it will never be quite as good as when the four (warring) band mates got together in 1979 and recorded this seminal album. Every Roger Water's scream, every soaring David Gilmour guitar solo, every Richard Wright key stroke and every Nick Mason beat comes through clearer and with more purpose than ever on these discs. I have a soft spot for this pioneering concept album anyway (and vividly remember listening to it in full for the first time while driving from Canberra to Newcastle one Friday night… it completely blew me away and I was actually stunned into silence by the time it ended), but this rerelease breathes new life into the songs. Everything is crisp and clear, and the whole thing is dripping with pain and a wry, very personal commentary. A must have for all rock devotees. The best tracks from 1979 remain the best tracks in 2012 – ‘Mother’, ‘Hey you’, ‘Comfortably numb’ and ‘Waiting for the worms’.