DJ Matt Werner’s Top 10 Albums of 2012
About this list: It’s biased towards indie Bay Area artists, and musicians included in Oakland in Popular Memory. I want to state my bias and preferences up front because there are too many lists that proclaim themselves as “definitive,” and this is not one. It’s what I’ve kept in heavy rotation over the past 12 months, and features several artists unduly passed over by the mainstream media. While mainstream outlets may use terms like "errant primitivism" to describe albums, I try to just cut to the chase.
1. Daveed Diggs - Small Things to a Giant
“How many Oakland hip-hop artists fill their tracks with Gertrude Stein references and turn nursery rhymes into extended political allegories? How many tackle issues of gentrification in Oakland? Can't think of any? Let me introduce you to Daveed Diggs. His free mixtape Small Things to A Giant shows that a new giant has stepped on to Oakland’s trend-setting hip hop scene.” I wrote these lines in my March, 2012 review of his album, and it’s stood the test of time over the past 9 months. The album featuring tracks like Fresh from the Hood and Dirty World is still fresh and deserves many more downloads. Read my full review: Daveed Diggs tackles gentrification in Oakland in "Small Things to a Giant".1. Daveed Diggs - Small Things to a Giant
2. George Watsky - Watsky & Mody
2012 marks a breakout year for George Watsky. He went on his first international tour, performed at large music festivals like Rock the Bells, and further promoted his online fast-rapping brand with YouTube hits like the Epic Rap Battles of History series and a series on making his album. His album Nothing Like the First Time was the bestselling hip-hop album on Bandcamp.com for several weeks in 2012. But amid all of this, which may have gotten lost in the noise, was a breakout creation by the San Francisco hip-hop artist/poet. Watsky & Mody is the best "bluegrass folk hip-hop album" of 2012. It's the best not only because it may be the only album that quite fits in this hybrid genre--but its fusion of genres and homages to O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Graduate make it one of the most creative albums of 2012. To get in the mood, see the ridiculous music video for Mrs. Robinson.
I’m extra skeptical of every new white rapper that comes onto the scene. But this has a few tracks that really knocked my socks off: Thrift Shop, Same Love, Neon Cathedral. Don’t believe me? Check out his NPR tiny desk concert, and his fun Thrift Shop music video. I also like the DIY ethic he has. According to the Huffington Post: "The Heist reached number 1 on iTunes within hours of being released on October 9, 2012 with no mainstream promotion or support."
I know my fellow UK DJs from my student days at the University of Edinburgh will hate me for saying this, as Mumford & Sons is beyond played out in the UK, but their stuff is catchy. From their 2010 album Sigh No More to their 2012 album Babel, they’ve continuously produced hits like The Cave, Roll Away Your Stone, Little Lion Man, and I Will Wait. They deserve inclusion in the top-10 albums list.
This Def Poetry Jam veteran's third album is his best yet. Mean Ones uses an extended Dr. Seuss metaphor, calling the Bay Area "Whoville," and it shines with his singing talents and producing skills. I recommend first listening to his tracks Dreamer and Fall Back. The 2nd half of the 2nd verse of Dreamer showcases Casal's "bustin'" talent of rapping fast with a lot of substance and internal rhymes. Fall Back showcases his singing talent, which he's developed from prior tracks like Giant. For more info on this album, see my interview with Rafael Casal on the literary/culture website The Rumpus.
We Are Young featuring Janelle Monáe was the go-to fun dancing joint in 2012. As of writing, the music video for We Are Young has 160 million views on YouTube. Fun. had a breakout year with 6 Grammy nominations and was one of the best new rock artists of 2012. I'm interested to see if they're a one-hit wonder, or if they have more good stuff to come.
Dave Smallen makes profound music that takes time to digest. Here are his instructions for enjoying this album: "I’d suggest listening to it loud, in the dark, at a time when you find yourself very much alone." It's a good album for a rainy day. I recommend starting out with the track If I Knew What I Was Looking For.
The hotly-anticipated album from this Sacramento-based hip-hop artist and spoken-word performer deserves inclusion in this list for its commentary on hip-hop today. Spiritrials is the thinking-man's good kid, m.A.A.d city. Don't believe me? Check out his Memento-inspired critique of rap today titled Implant Fantasies. It shows the dark side of Hyphy, in a provocative and thought-provoking manner that rivals Kendrick Lamar's dystopian depiction of LA. Start with Dahlak's tracks Good Gawd and Work (featuring George Watsky).
This over-hyped album actually lived up to some of the hype. The album promotion started out poorly with her bad performance on SNL, but a musician shouldn't be judged by her worst performance, but by her best. She produced some real hits in late 2011/2012: Born to Die, Blue Jeans, National Anthem, and Summertime Sadness. Yes, she’s stuck in the 1960s, but listening to the dubstep remixes of her songs Blue Jeans, Summertime Sadness, and Born to Die show how inventive and catchy the tunes are.
Yes, it's overplayed and over-parodied, but there's a reason why the music video has reached 1 billion views in an unprecedented short period of time. What began as a tongue-in-cheek critique on upper-middle-class culture in a South Korean suburb has gone international and transcended the boundaries of culture and language in a way only a horse dancing 34-year-old K-pop star can. Re-listening to the single and watching the music video shows that despite its cultural hegemony, this pop track has more staying power than Call Me Maybe and Friday. Also, to give him Bay cred, he even performed with MC Hammer wearing Hammer pants!
Most over-hyped album of the year:
Oakland rapper Kreayshawn, was hyped up so much by mainstream label Columbia, riding the wave from her single Gucci Gucci, but her first album flopped. It sold just a fraction of the number of albums that independent artists like Macklemore and George Watsky sold in 2012. If major labels like Columbia stuck with legitimate artists like Macklemore, Watsky, or Dave Smallen, it might be a better business plan than signing Kreayshawn and her n-word dropping sidekick V-Nasty.
