Celebration Rock: 12 From 2012

This has been a great year for music. Yuko and I drove to Coachella in April to experience Radiohead and Tupac's hologram; we saw Lucinda Williams at the Bowery Ballroom in New York and the Knights at the historic Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park, then Public Enemy in Brooklyn's Wingate Park...back to Edmonton for The Tallest Man on Earth with the phenomenal Strand of Oaks supporting; then Leonard Cohen, Paul McCartney....and we're ending the year on a high note in Jamaica following some crazy riddims. Here are 12 of my fave tunes from the year:

1. Japandroids: "The House That Heaven Built"



2. First Aid Kit: "Emmylou"



3. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: "Only In My Dreams"



4. Alabama Shakes: "Hold On"



5. Grizzly Bear: "Yet Again"



6. A.C. Newman: "I'm Not Talking"



7. Kishi Bashi: "Manchester"



8. Rufus Wainwright: "Montauk"



9. Grimes: "Genesis"



10. Low Cut Connie: "Boozophilia"



11. Leonard Cohen: "Going Home"


12: Himanshu: "Womyn"

 

Japandroids: Hearts On Fire!

We run the gauntlet
Must get to France
So we can French kiss some French girls
- Wet Hair

The Japandroids are an incendiary duo hailing from East Van in the Great White North. It's all about the attack with these boys - an absolute Who-like abandon sets them apart from other noisemakers. Like the Black Keys, the Japandroids (JPNDRDS) are made up of only drums and guitar but on Post-Nothing, their first full length release from Unfamiliar/Polyvinyl records, the touchstone isn't the blooz - it's pure euphoria. Here's "Young Hearts Spark Fire:"