ALBUM OF THE YEAR NOMINEES:
MASTER OF MY MAKE BELIEVE
by Santigold
Read about Santigold's 2012 on It's My Kind of Scene:
What we said about Master of My Make Believe:
"Overall, Master of My Make-Believe is a worthy successor to Santogold.
It's far more cohesive, showcases a songwriter who's only grown
stronger and is full of tracks designed to grow on you over time. I'm
giving it four out of five now, but I'm pretty sure my tune will change
throughout the course of the year. For the better of course." (Matt Bond)
"It’s funky, it’s fresh, and it passes the nod test. You’re nodding too, right?" (Katie Langley)
"The thing is, [This Isn't Our Parade] isn’t even my favourite track from Master Of My Make
Believe, but whenever the song finishes I’m left with that “and I say
hey hey hey hey” for a long while. If this isn’t even my favourite and
it’s this good, imagine just how good she gets. Awesome." (Jo Michelmore)
LONERISM
by Tame Impala
Read about Tame Impala's 2012 on It's My Kind of Scene:
What we said about Lonerism:
"Equal parts psychedelic rock, dream pop and indie delight; Tame Impala's Lonerism comfortably
stands as one of the finest releases of the year. If you've heard and
loved the ridiculously catchy single 'Elephant,' you're sure to get a
kick out of their entire new collection of tracks that place these Perth
lads in the upper echelons of not just Australia's music scene, but the music scene. Period." (Matt Bond)
"A bluesier alternative to the rest of the J Award winning album, Lonerism, 'Elephant'
made me see Perth's most intriguing band in a whole new light. Kevin
Parker's trippy vocal performance gets you right in the mood for a
righteous singalong, while the bass guitar has you shaking around the
tiny space in your living room that you've just decided is a dance
floor... like an elephant." (Matt Bond)
"Admit it... when you hear a song from Lonerism you are overcome with a feeling to dust off your old tie-dye tees and hippie pants and
party like it's 1969. While there are many Australian acts capturing
the sounds of days gone by, Tame Impala's signature brand of psychedelia
can be so authentic you actually have to remind yourself you're
listening to an album released in 2012." (Matt Bond)
NOT YOUR KIND OF PEOPLE
by Garbage
Read about Garbage's 2012 on It's My Kind of Scene:
What we said about Not Your Kind of People:
"Just before they released their
fifth album ‘Not Your Kind Of People’ in the middle of this year, I had
that crazy little feeling in my stomach, such a feeling of anticipation
it almost made me sick. When I first heard that album, from the very
first note, the pounding of ‘Automatic Systematic Habit’ took my breath
away and I don’t care what kind of critical reviews it received, I don’t
care what number it reached on the charts, I don’t care what anyone
else thought of it, for me, this is an album that will define part of
2012." (Jo Michelmore)
"Shirley Manson has developed to the point that she can truly be named as one of the greatest front-women of all time. Scratch that, one of the greatest fronts for a band, female or male, of all time. Vig, Erikson and Marker match their leading lady every step of the way. They're not focused on creating the pop sound of BeautifulGarbage, they're not focused on making a statement like Bleed Like Me... they're just three great rock musicians that are focused on making an incredible album. Combine that with Manson's return to a lyrical style that leaves a lot of interpretation to the listener and you've got a winning LP on your hands." (Matt Bond)
THEATRE IS EVIL
by Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra
Read about Amanda Palmer's 2012 on It's My Kind of Scene:
What we said about Theatre Is Evil:
"Any music lover will have experienced it. That moment when you listen to
an album for the first time and you just know. You know that this is an
album you will be listening to for the rest of your life. It will not
be sitting on the sidelines waiting to be rediscovered. There is no
possibility you'll get sick of it. You know that this is an album that
you will love, learn from and listen to for the rest of your life.
Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra's Theatre Is Evil
gave me that moment and I couldn't be happier. Or more excited. And
incredibly heartbroken in the way that you can only forgive the most
indescribably breathtaking music. Amanda Palmer takes you on a journey
of epic proportions. She reaches for dizzying heights and takes you down
to crushing lows." (Matt Bond)
"I’ve listened to it countless times
and countless times I’ve been astounded by it, I’ve sung along, I’ve
bounced around, I’ve cried and I’ve known exactly that what music means
to me, it means to someone else as well." (Jo Michelmore)
"...my expectations for Theatre Is Evil were so high, I don't think
I've ever anticipated the release of an album more. Palmer took my
expectations, shoved them in a rocket ship and launched them into space.
Destination? A galaxy far, far away. She exceeded my very high
expectations, ok? I am an Amanda Palmer fan, but this album doesn't even
need me to look for reasons to defend it. The music speaks for itself." (Matt Bond)
THE MOMENT
by Mia Dyson
Read about Mia Dyson's 2012 on It's My Kind of Scene:
What we said about The Moment:
"Her comeback is more than welcome as she not only delivers the greatest
work of her career, but one of the best albums I've had the pleasure of
hearing in 2012. Dyson is a lover, a fighter and she captures that
classic Springsteen-Americana sound (with a distinct Mia Dyson twist) in
all of it's brilliant glory, offering up personal accounts of
heartbreak, perseverance and the open road." (Matt Bond)
"Saving the best for last, 'Two Roads' brings to a close a most
satisfying collection of ups and downs; of honest moments between
performer and listener. Albums that end with a stellar, memorable ballad
are the best and 'Two Roads' is definitely stellar. And it is
memorable. You could say that about every song on The Moment. Do yourselves a favour... go get this album." (Matt Bond)
BLUNDERBUSS
by Jack White
Read about Jack White's 2012 on It's My Kind of Scene:
What we said about Blunderbuss:
"Like a good book,
a good album should take you on a journey, take you away from where you
are and set you down in places and scenes you’ve never been, places
that are uncomfortable and amazing and comfortable and incredible. From
the opening track, this album took me far away from my iPod and I loved
it. I visited filthy little blues bars just before midnight, jazz clubs
filled with smoke in the early hours of the morning, an old school
saloon in the middle of the desert with someone playing an aging piano
in the corner, a Motown gig in the 60s, a merry go round in the middle
of a fair. This strange mix of scenes make for a remarkable album, the
lyrics centering around love lost, bitterness, heartbreak, some anger and
a little bit of violence." (Jo Michelmore)
"‘Blunderbuss’ ends with a pleading lyric “take me anywhere you go…” and it’s a sentence I’m happy to hear from him over and over again, because it’s an album that has already seen me through so many different times, so many different places. This year, Jack White put himself right at the top of my favourite artists list and it’s a spot I suspect he won’t be leaving anytime soon, which means exactly what I said at the start….oh Jack, oh sigh." (Jo Michelmore)
SAD SUMMER HITS
by Texas Tea
Read about Texas Tea's 2012 on It's My Kind of Scene:
Top 112 Songs of 2012, #83 - 'I Love You Like I Love This Black Eye'
2012 Scene Awards - Best Group (Winner)
2012 Scene Awards - Best Group (Winner)
What we said about Sad Summer Hits:
"2012 release Sad Summer Hits certainly lives up to its title.
Twelve tunes of the finest alt-country persuasion that range from bouncy
singalong goodness to devastating tales of domestic abuse and
professional brides. Each a 'hit' in its own right, a hundred listens
just isn't enough." (Matt Bond)
"This is an album that I know will define a season for me, it will be one I play years from now and remember this summer, it’s an album that will transcend time but bring me back to the first warm afternoon I heard it. Music that creates memories and makes memories is the best and Texas Tea have made an album that after only a week has already made memories and won a place in my heart." (Jo Michelmore)
"When I first heard Sad Summer Hits in October I said that it would be an album that would define a season for me, and I was right, it has. Two months on, I’m totally and wholeheartedly in love, Texas Tea have become one of my favourite Australian artists and hopefully one that the rest of the world will fall in love with soon enough too." (Jo Michelmore)
"There is a dramatic improvement in their lyrical work, the album is more cohesive than their previous efforts and did I mention they still make you want to go out (or stay at home!) and dance? Yes, this is Australia's finest electronic duo delivering a homage to countless dance genres that defined the 80s and 90s." (Matt Bond)
"Perhaps I am a victim of a change of heart, because I’m cursing myself for not having my own change of heart and becoming a fan of Sarah Blasko’s sooner. With the help of the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, [Cast The Net] is the type of song that has convinced me of Sarah’s beauty, her emotional vulnerability on show, her haunting vocal encouraging yet tender, without sounding overconfident she holds me in the palm of her hand, safe and secure." (Jo Michelmore)
"Well, she proved that Anything Could Happen when she hooked up with
Skrillex didn’t she? Thankfully that ended quickly and now everything is
ok in the world of pop again. I love the simplicity of this perfect
little electro pop number, it doesn’t ask much of its listeners and yet
it gives so much. This is what pop music should be." (Jo Michelmore)
"This is an album that I know will define a season for me, it will be one I play years from now and remember this summer, it’s an album that will transcend time but bring me back to the first warm afternoon I heard it. Music that creates memories and makes memories is the best and Texas Tea have made an album that after only a week has already made memories and won a place in my heart." (Jo Michelmore)
"When I first heard Sad Summer Hits in October I said that it would be an album that would define a season for me, and I was right, it has. Two months on, I’m totally and wholeheartedly in love, Texas Tea have become one of my favourite Australian artists and hopefully one that the rest of the world will fall in love with soon enough too." (Jo Michelmore)
PACIFICA
by The Presets
Read about The Presets' 2012 on It's My Kind of Scene:
What we said about Pacifica:
"I speak about the soundtrack to life a lot, because it fascinates me, we
all have them and no two person’s soundtracks are the same. They’re a
personal thing and some songs fall into them because they change your
life and some songs fall into them because they just happen to be there.
Sometimes you can’t avoid a catchy tune and a dance and sometimes the
songs that seem throw away tracks become a feature in one of your
chapters. When I think of 2012, The Presets are sure to feature heavily
in my soundtrack, right at the top of my list." (Jo Michelmore)
"There is a dramatic improvement in their lyrical work, the album is more cohesive than their previous efforts and did I mention they still make you want to go out (or stay at home!) and dance? Yes, this is Australia's finest electronic duo delivering a homage to countless dance genres that defined the 80s and 90s." (Matt Bond)
I AWAKE
by Sarah Blasko
Read about Sarah Blasko's 2012 on It's My Kind of Scene:
What we said about I Awake:
"This self-produced modern masterpiece (yep, went there) is the
mind-blowing blend of realised ambition, hauntingly beautiful cinematic
orchestration and the already perfected musical stylings of the Blasko. I Awake thankfully isn't a massive departure from her last LP, As Day Follows Night.
Instead, she appears to have taken the greatest elements of her
previous work, combined them with her fine-tuned lyrical work from last
year's Seeker Lover Keeper stint and amplified everything to a
dramatically beautiful effect." (Matt Bond)
"Album number four, I Awake, takes you on an unforgettable journey
that speaks to your heart, mind and soul. It has moments that will kick
you down and moments that will lift you right back up. It can be just
as mysterious as it is dangerously honest, telling an unfamiliar story
one second and then your own the next. Her brilliant and mature
songwriting is matched in the sounds created by Bulgaria's New Symphony
Orchestra; a move that you can't help but applaud." (Matt Bond)
"Perhaps I am a victim of a change of heart, because I’m cursing myself for not having my own change of heart and becoming a fan of Sarah Blasko’s sooner. With the help of the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, [Cast The Net] is the type of song that has convinced me of Sarah’s beauty, her emotional vulnerability on show, her haunting vocal encouraging yet tender, without sounding overconfident she holds me in the palm of her hand, safe and secure." (Jo Michelmore)
HALCYON
by Ellie Goulding
Read about Ellie Goulding's 2012 on It's My Kind of Scene:
What we said about Halcyon:
"In that surprising and somewhat unsurprising way, Ellie Goulding delivers with Halcyon. "Won't you come, won't you come, won't you come, just don't say a word." The stakes are raised on the opening track, 'Don't Say A Word.' Light trip-hop influences make way for a sudden shift into thundering drums as Goulding shows she isn't going to be afraid to branch away from what made her debut, Lights, such a celebrated album. Don't worry, she doesn't stray too far; just enough to hammer home that Halcyon is bigger, grander and even more epic at times than its predecessor." (Matt Bond)
"In that surprising and somewhat unsurprising way, Ellie Goulding delivers with Halcyon. "Won't you come, won't you come, won't you come, just don't say a word." The stakes are raised on the opening track, 'Don't Say A Word.' Light trip-hop influences make way for a sudden shift into thundering drums as Goulding shows she isn't going to be afraid to branch away from what made her debut, Lights, such a celebrated album. Don't worry, she doesn't stray too far; just enough to hammer home that Halcyon is bigger, grander and even more epic at times than its predecessor." (Matt Bond)
2012 ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
WINNER: AMANDA PALMER
AND THE GRAND THEFT ORCHESTRA
- THEATRE IS EVIL
Runner-Up: Jack White - Blunderbuss
2nd Runner-Up: Texas Tea - Sad Summer Hits
3rd Runner-Up: Sarah Blasko - I Awake
2011 Winner: Seeker Lover Keeper - Seeker Lover Keeper
Runner-Up: Kimbra - Vows
2010 Winner: Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
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That's it for us in 2012! Thanks for reading, boys and girls - we love you! We'll see you in the new year... hopefully music in 2013 can live up to the incredible year that's coming to a close. Who knows, maybe Rebecca Black will finally make her triumphant return. One can dream, right?
Ex oh ex oh...
Jo, Katie and Matt
It's My Kind of Scene...
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