Centipede Hz/Our House on the Hill/What Are You Wrong With/Nope/American Radass

Centipede Hz - Animal Collective (Domino, 2012)
Underrated. So much. I'm not saying that Centipede Hz is anywhere near Merriweather Post Pavilion, or Strawberry Jam, or Feels. Not even close. But, still, it is a damn fine album. This is a less challenging version of Strawberry Jam: swirling synths, schizophrenic rhythms and song structures, almost non-stop intensity, but all of it through a more polished lens. The melodies of Avey Tare and Panda Bear are about as good as usual, and even Deakin gets a song on this one, and it might be my favorite. I did not need Centipede Hz to be the best Animal Collective record. I just needed it to be really good. Mission accomplished.


Our House on the Hill - The Babies (Woodside, 2012)
Solid follow-up to last year's self-titled album. The Babies are Cassie Ramone (Vivian Girls) and Kevin Morby (Woods). They play jangly power pop/punk and they do a good job at it. Our House on the Hill doesn't quite hit the highs that The Babies had, but that's okay. It's existence is still appreciated.


What Are You Wrong With - Bedroom Eyes (self-released, 2012)
I know barely anything about these guys, but they have a good thing going, playing in the whole shoegaze/post-punk feel. These songs sound like a modern take on Swirlies, Swervedriver, and Drop Nineteens to name a few. Looking forward to more from them.


Nope - Coping (Protagonist, 2012)
More emo! 2012 killed it with new emo music, and Coping almost went unnoticed to me due to how late in the year I decided to invest time into them. But, it payed off. Like a lot of the new emo I like, Nope brings to mind a cross between Braid and Cap'n Jazz (complex song structures, noodly guitars), but maybe with a little more positive vibes? Am I sounding like a broken record? Deal with it. This shit rules.


American Radass - Dads (Flannel Gurl, 2012)
Guess what? More quality emo. Dads may have the worst band name in the group, and also, American Radass is a stupid title (trying a little too hard to be cleverly silly?), but there are still some good songs here. Dads are a bit more finger-tappy than the other emo bands I've gotten into this year, which is totally cool by me, but there are just a few things that hold them back versus all the other bands (not a fan of the production, don't like the singer's voice). I won't complain too much, though. They still do the style well.