Member Since: 6/8/2008
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Chicago Sun Times: Top 10 Albums of 2012
10. Robert Glasper Experiment, “Black Radio” (Blue Note)
9. Jack White, “Blunderbuss” (Third Man)
8. Grimes, “Visions” (4AD)
7. Emeli Sandé, “Our Version of Events” (Capitol)
6. Bhi Bhiman, “Bhiman” (Boocoo)
5. Japandroids, “Celebration Rock” (Polyvinyl)
4. John Fullbright, “From the Ground Up” (Blue Dirt/Thirty Tigers)
3. Fiona Apple, “The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do” (Epic)
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Returning to action after seven years, Apple is as emotionally taut as ever on what is possibly her most arresting record to date. These 10 uneasy-listening gems condense the dark, lurching cabarets of Kurt Weill and Tom Waits into claustrophobic headspaces. They’re the kind of performances you listen to with your phone in hand, 911 dialed, your finger poised over “send” because she’s clearly about to let someone — or herself — absolutely have it.
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2. Tame Impala, “Lonerism” (Modular)
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Braiding countless indie-rock tropes with the best strains of 1970s psych-pop, from Paul McCartney to Todd Rundgren, this Australian group’s sophomore album is the gift that kept on giving all autumn. Its sweet swirls of guitars and synthesizers make a heady mixture of melody and occasional menace that’s maybe not so tame, after all.
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1. Frank Ocean, “Channel Orange” (Def Jam)
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Much of the diversity of 2012 was encapsulated within R&B, from Miguel’s fresh beats to the Weeknd’s cool mystery. Above it all strolled shy, moody Frank Ocean, a thoughtful artist who crafted an album brimming with genius and vision — one that would have attracted its now nearly universal acclaim even without the publicity stir caused by Ocean’s mid-summer revelation of a same-sex relationship. Ethereal, gauzy, held together by force of will alone and mixing classic soul harmonies with soft, glitchy rhythms, “Channel Orange” balances smooth singles (“Thinkin Bout You”) with ambitious suites (“Pyramids”), synthesizing traditions while establishing his own.
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http://www.suntimes.com/entertainmen...ionary-rb.html
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