Yesterday I covered six of the best and most notable (but under-the-radar) releases of 2012. Here are six more.

World Party – Arkeology
Karl Wallinger was one of those artists we feared “lost in action.” He suffered an aneurysm a few years back, and that meant (among other more serious things) that there was no World Party music for quite some time. But this lavish box set brings together old and new(ish) music that shows Karl is still at or near the top of his game.

Various Artists – Red Bird Girls
Phil Spector wasn’t the only auteur creating great female vocal pop in the early 60s. And while the approach might’ve been merely to create disposable, short shelf life pop, the music on this set (of the sort that hasn’t been played to death, I should add) is timeless fun.

Todd Rundgren’s Utopia – Live at Hammersmith Odeon ’75
This set has long circulated among collectors as a bootleg, but it’s nice to see (and hear) it get an official release. This is early-ish Utopia in the period during which they were changing their approach from a Mahavishnu Orchestra-style prog group to a powerpop one. This recording captures the best of both those worlds, live and onstage.

Bill Evans – Live at Art D’Lugoff’s Top of the Gate
There are many Bill Evans Trio recordings out there, but this previously-unrleased archival recording captures the jazz trio sharing the room with a noisy (and sometimes disinterested) audience at a Greenwich Village restaurant. It’s the “second trio” here, and the performances are simply sublime.

Various Artists – Surf Age Nuggets
Picking up where Rhino seems to have given up, Rock Beat has put together and amazing box set (a book set, if we’re being literal) of great instro-surf you’ve never heard. Interestingly, it beats the hell out of a pair of new Dick Dale reissue/comps from the same label. Sometimes – like here – the unheralded stuff beats the better-known material.

The dB’s – Falling Off the Sky
One of those bands whose influence has outpaced their commercial impact, The dB’s roared back after a lengthy quiet period. The result is what I believe to be their finest album ever. I know it’s a pejorative term for some, but the songs on Falling Off the Sky are mature. Tied, in fact, with The Explorers Club‘s Grand Hotel for my choice of the best album of 2012.

Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified
when new features, reviews and essays are published.

Yeah, everybody does their “Best of the Year” lists. Why should I be any different? Well, partly because I can’t help it. My own tastes are decidedly outside the mainstream. But I’d argue that my favorites belong in the mainstream, because they’re that good. In fact most of my top twelve releases of 2012 are tuneful, accessible pop (in its classic sense) music. And the ones that aren’t (a bit of prog, some jazz, some instro-surf) are equally compelling in their own ways.

Now, my list doesn’t include the oft-discussed new release from Mumford & Sons and so on. Not to take anything at all away from that record any many others, but if you want to read about them, there are plenty of (other) places you could go. Plus, do you really need convincing about that music one way or another? I thought not.

So instead I present my top twelve releases for 2012, skewed toward music that (a) you probably haven’t heard, (b) might not even know about if I didn’t bring it to your attention and (c) is worth your time. And to support (c), I’m providing handy-dandy links to my original, detailed reviews of each record.

Steve Barton – Projector
As a member of San Francisco-based Translator, Barton was responsible for some of the better unjustly-ignored music of the 80s, though “Everywhere That I’m Not” got some chart action. His solo album is an altogether more personal affair, with shades of David Bowie at his very, very best.

The Corner Laughers – Poppy Seeds
I write quite a bit about the amazing pop factory that is Mystery Lawn Music. So far, they seem to able to do no wrong (the album by MLM labelmates Hollyhocks nearly made this list, too). But The Corner Laughers combine the best of sunshine pop (think: Spanky and Our Gang) with a modern-yet-classic pop sensibility. And they’re an impossibly cute bunch of people, which never hurts.

Stevie Jackson – (I Can’t Get No) Stevie Jackson
Here’s another breakout solo album from a member of a highly-regarded group. Stevie Jackson is part of the collective known as Belle & Sebastian, and while he’s not the primary songwriter in that group, everything that you would love about the group is present in his songwriting and playing and singing. This record is a delight start to finish (but then, so are all on this list, says I).

The Poster Boy – Melody
You might not expect one of the finest pop/powerpop albums of the year to come from Budapest, Hungary. But here it is nonetheless. I can’t say enough good things about this record. But I do try.

The Higher State – The Higher State
This decidedly retro release hits all the right notes — the arrangement, the production style, the lyrics – so that one might almost miscategorize this as an archival release, or one of the best unheard albums from 1968 or so.

The Explorers Club – Grand Hotel
While on their first record, this Charleston SC -based outfit sought to create new music in the style of the best Beach Boys era – roughly the Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) to Wild Honey era – on their second release, they deftly sidestep the dreaded sophomore slump curse and instead turn out an album that conjures the best of late 60s/early 70s AM radio pop. I’ve seen them live, and what they pull off onstage is nothing short of amazing. For me, the best new album of 2012, tied with one other I’ll cover in the next installment.

Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified
when new features, reviews and essays are published.

As more-than-occasional readers of this blog may have noticed, I have written pretty extensively about matters related to Paul Revere and the Raiders. For those interested, here’s a quick summary with links to the highest-profile of these.

• The Paul Revere and the Raiders Story, as appeared in Shindig! Magazine; based on interviews with vocalist Mark Lindsay; bassist Phil “Fang” Volk; guitarists Jim “Harpo” Valley and Keith Allison; and Raiders manager Roger Hart.

• Review of the 2010 Collectors Choice Music 3CD set The Complete Columbia Singles
• Essay based on my visit to Branson MO and meeting Paul Revere himself in late 2010
• Interview/feature with Mark Lindsay, covering his solo career on Columbia
• Definitive history of Brotherhood, the band formed in 1967 by ex-Raiders Phil Volk, Drake Levin and Mike Smith, as appeared in Ugly Things Magazine

Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified
when new features, reviews and essays are published.

This was easily the most difficult category for me. So many amazing albums came out that it’s pure folly to limit myself to only five. So I haven’t (but six was still tough).

DC Fontana – La Contessa — For me, this group had the hands-down best album of 2011. The near-perfect La Contessa brings together elements of highly charged Northern Soul, and fronts it with the lovely and lively Karla Milton, a worthy successor to Julie Driscoll‘s late-sixties work. To call this music thrilling is no overstatement. If this doesn’t make you move, like the man said, Jack, you’re dead.

Agony Aunts – Greater Miranda – They might or might not even appreciate the nod, since Agony Aunts is but one of many side-projects from the Bay Areas pop cottage industry operating under the Mystery Lawn Music banner. But this effort — with members of the Corner Laughers and The Orange Peels – is consistently endearing and entertaining. And if you dig it, most everything else from this crowd is nearly as splendid.

Dennis Coffey – Dennis Coffey – One of the legendary Funk Brothers, Coffey’s distinctive guitar lines graced many a 70s funk, soul and rock album out of Detroit. After a number of years’ low profile, Coffey roars back with this incendiary set. Dennis Coffey is that rarest of creatures: an album where the guest spots actually make sense.

The Penguin Party – Sex Furniture Warehouse – In film, comedy is much tougher to pull off than drama: while most agree what’s dramatic, opinions differ widely as to what’s humorous. Which isn’t to say that The Penguin Party’s latest is a comedy album: more properly it’s described as as and honest musical look at middle-aged life that happens to be funny as hell.

Blackfield – Welcome to My DNA – That this one made my list surprises even me. While I’m a huge Steven Wilson fan, Wilson’s involvement with this album (he’s a busy guy) is well below the 50% mark. And in general I’m no huge fan of Aviv Geffen‘s highly Israeli-accented voice. And — in contrast to earlier Blackfield releases — this is much more a Geffen project than a Wilson one. But the songwriting and playing on Welcome to My DNA are so uniformly amazing that I had to include it. It’s more accessible, in the end, than Wilson’s own 2011 solo release, the also-excellent Grace for Drowning.

Special Bonus Mention: Ben Craven – Great and Terrible Potions – This one falls into the “classic prog” genre. With production, songwriting, playing and arrangement that recall the heydays of progressive rock, Ben Craven’s one-man release is a tour de force.

Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified
when new features, reviews and essays are published.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION:

To celebrate the two-year anniversary of this blog, I’m taking the opportunity to look back over some of the more than five hundred blog entries I’ve posted. I’ve conducted interviews, written essays and reviewed new albums, reissues and DVDs.

I love Paul Revere & the Raiders; at its best, their music is emblematic of the zeitgeist of the mid 1960s. I’ve written a lot about them and related topics, and more – my biggest project to date, in fact — is in the works.

• The Complete Columbia Singles collected (onto three CDs) all of the a- and b-sides the group recorded for Columbia.
• In 2010 I wrote an expansive cover story for Shindig! Magazine about the Raiders.
• I actually drove all the way to Branson MO to meet Paul Revere. Here’s that story.
• Phil Volk was the bassist for the Raiders during their most popular period. Here’s what he’s up to in 2011.
• After Phil left the Raiders, he formed Brotherhood with ex-bandmates Drake Levin and Mike “Smitty” Smith. I’ve written a major feature on that band; it will be in print later in 2011 in Ugly Things Magazine. The story behind the story is pretty interesting in and of itself.

 Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified
when new features, reviews and essays are published.

To celebrate the two-year anniversary of this blog, I’m taking the opportunity to look back over some of the more than five hundred blog entries I’ve posted. I’ve conducted interviews, written essays and reviewed new albums, reissues and DVDs. Every now and then I take a break from interviews and reviews, instead penning various-degrees-of-idiosyncratic little essays. Here are some of my favorites.

• One That Should’ve Got Away, a thinly-veiled account of one of my band breakups
• What I’m Listening To, And Why, in which I reveal my patented review method. Well, not really.
• The Top Five Things I Learned at Margaritaville is a wry look back to the mid 1980s.
• “Don’t Fret,” or, “I Write the Songs” Garage Style recounts one of the more humorous episodes from my deservedly-humble musical past.
• A Look Back at “Psychedelic Siren” gives some attention to this punk-rock obscurity.
• The Buzztones’ Show of Excellence recalls a particularly memorable gig.
• Crate-digging at the Dog Groomers serves up another 1980s slice of life.
• Travel Diary: Branson MO takes an ever-so-slightly mocking yet affectionate close-up look at this, um, unique town.
• And in my Mayer Hawthorne Concert Review I pull back the curtain on corporate tie-in marketing. Surprise: it’s not always a bad thing.

 Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter
and get notified when new features, reviews and essays are published.

To celebrate the two-year anniversary of this blog, I’m taking the opportunity to look back over some of the more than five hundred blog entries I’ve posted. I’ve conducted interviews, written essays and reviewed new albums, reissues and DVDs. Like many people of my generation, The Beatles are my favorite group. Here’s a collection of Beatles-related writing I’ve done over the last couple of years.

• The book The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones revives that age-old rivalry with wit and style.
• John Borack’s wonderful book Life is What Happens looks at John Lennon from the points of view of music and memorabilia.
• I saw Paul McCartney in concert in 2010. Here’s a concert review.
• The box set Collaborations compiled the work that George Harrison and Ravi Shankar did together.
• After George passed away, his friends put together the amazing, moving, entertaining Concert for George.
• John Lennon Rare and Unseen is a cut above most DVD projects of its ilk.
• I worked with Ken Brown on an unpublished manuscript covering his time with proto-Beatles group The Quarrymen. Here’s the lowdown on that unreleased project.
• Modern instro-soul/funk group Soulive released their take on the Beatles on an album called Rubber Soulive.
• But Booker T & the MGs did it first (and best) on McLemore Avenue.
• Lots more Beatles-related stuff. Here’s nine more.

Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter
and get notified when new features, reviews and essays are published.

To celebrate the two-year anniversary of this blog, I’m taking the opportunity to look back over some of the more than five hundred blog entries I’ve posted. I’ve conducted interviews, written essays and reviewed new albums, reissues and DVDs. I’ve written a great deal about Steven Wilson and his myriad projects, and I’ve been fortunate enough to interview him multiple times.

• Here’s a review of the DVD Insurgentes, a sort of career-spanning video essay/meditation from Wilson.
• One of Wilson’s longest-running projects is no-man; here’s a review of their Mixtaped DVD.
• Another important SW project is Blackfield. The duo – fronted by Wilson and Israeli pop star Aviv Geffen released Live in NYC on DVD and CD.
• In 2011 Blackfield released their third (and best) studio album Welcome to My DNA.
• Wilson has been working on some fascinating remix/reissues of the King Crimson catalog; I discussed that with him in this interview.
• Porcupine Tree does not allow audience recordings of their concerts. I asked Wilson to explain why, and his reply was interesting.
• Porcupine Tree’s second official concert DVD Anesthetize documents their Fear of a Blank Planet tour.
• Other Porcupine Tree material remains out of print; I discussed that topic with Wilson in this 2010 interview.
• My first conversation (in-person!) with Wilson was during the PT Fear of a Blank Planet tour. Here’s that story.
• I spoke with Wilson most recently during the tour to promote Porcupine Tree’s The Incident. Here’s that feature.

  Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified
when new features, reviews and essays are published.

To celebrate the two-year anniversary of this blog, I’m taking the opportunity to look back over some of the more than five hundred blog entries I’ve posted. I’ve conducted interviews, written essays and reviewed new albums, reissues and DVDs. Here’s a look at some modern progressive rock that has caught my attention.

• Knight Area – A Dutch band, these guys lean in a very melodic direction; their album Realm of Shadows has gotten countless plays here.
• Jakko M. Jakszyk – This guitarist/vocalist was a member of the 21^st Century Schizoid Band, and on his solo album The Bruised Romantic Glee Club he corrals some Very Heavy Friends into helping him out. I’ll have an interview with him later this summer.
• The Pär Lindh Project album Time Mirror is some seriously over-the-top symphonic prog, but it’s a helluva lot of fun. Enjoy the strong melodies, the high-flying virtuosity and have fun trying to count how many damn keyboards the guy uses. Wow.
• Mars Hollow makes a convincing argument that not all worthwhile progressive rock comes from outside the USA. Their self-titled album mines a Rush-like vein. Their newest is out very soon, and I’m looking forward to checking it out as well.
• Wobbler are a tradition-minded lot; their album Rites at Dawn sounds a bit like what Yes might have done in that quiet period between Relayer and Going for the One. Dig.
• The Pineapple Thief is a UK-based group that is sadly not well known in the USA. They combine the best elements of groups like Radiohead and Porcupine Tree, to name two, all the while crafting a sound that’s their own. I spoke at some length with band leader Bruce Soord.
• I discovered Polish progressive band Riverside through Pandora, and really dig a lot of their stuff. When they lean toward metal, I am a bit less interested. Leader Mariusz Duda released a fine, connected pair of concept albums under the Lunatic Soul moniker that are more atmospheric than his band’s work. Here’s our conversation.
• For me, the hands-down best progressive rock album of the last few years is X from Spock’s Beard.

Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified

While it’s true that a staggering amount of music crosses my desk each year, a large percentage of it tends to be reissues, archival releases and the like. Those are my area of specialty and interest. But I am a keen follower of new music as well. My tastes rarely coincide with anything like the Top 40, so I won’t be considering 2010 releases from Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber (assuming there were any; I neither know nor have any interest in knowing).

Maple Mars is unapologetically powerpop. Released on the genre-specific Kool Kat label, on Galaxyland this outfit creates intelligent yet hook-filled music that will appeal to anyone who thinks Jellyfish deserved to be huge. But they also draw upon the best of 60s and 70s pop traditions. And they do it all while rocking. What’s not to love?

Nick Curran used to fill the first guitar chair in the Fabulous Thunderbirds. But you won’t find more than brief hints of that band’s style on Reform School Girl. Imagine instead an unholy mix of Jerry Lee Lewis, the Misfits, Eddie Cochran and Motörhead. Not for the weak-willed, this is hard stuff. It’s what the Stray Cats should have sounded like. And the production is absolutely perfect. Nick: more, please.

Gold Motel are a pop group with a female lead vocalist. Their songs are memorable and hooky, and filled with subtle little hints of the best of 80s new wave. Initially released only as a download, Summer House got a physical release right near the end of the year. By the way: When the band posted a link to my review, they credited me as the well-known animator Bill Kopp. I’m not that guy.

I stumbled across The Orange Peels’ album 2020 late-late-late in 2009, and in fact listed it as a best of that year. But it was officially released in early 2010, and I still play it all the time. Catchy almost beyond description, 2020 draws sonic inspiration from some very interesting and unexpected places. The group members are involved in myriad other projects as well, and some of those have caught my attention too.

Spock’s Beard have breathed new life into progressive rock. They survived the loss of their leader/primary songwriter/front man and actually went on to get even better. Their tenth album – appropriately enough titled X – brings melody to the fore, while offering plenty of hairpin musical turns for prog fans. X is a compelling, exhilarating listen from start to finish, and it’s among the most frequently-played CDs in my office, car and Zune. It’s hands-down my favorite album released in 2010.

Follow “the_musoscribe” on Twitter and get notified
when new features, reviews and essays are published.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: