Best of 2012

  

Stephanie Dee from Twee Time, Friday 8-9 pm

Originally published in the CJLO Magazine.

Band of the Year

PARLOVR

A new album (Kook Soul, their first in four years), two singles ("You Only Want It 'Cause You're Lonely" and "Holding On to Something"), a Polaris Music Prize nomination (long list), the cover of the Montreal Mirror (their first and only for the now-defunct weekly)... Tours! Local Shows! Video Shoots! Plus, their very own obsessed female fan (no, I don't mean me!), who I've seen at many of their shows and the Polaris salon at Casa del Popolo over the summer. Oh, and did I mention their guest spot on my radio show, Twee Time on CJLO? Indeed, 2012 was a really big year for Parlovr, and it became so clear during their Pop Montreal performance of "Just Marriage" (there will be a video for that too) that these three guys, Alex, Jeremy, and Louis, are stars. I'm looking at you, Jonathan Cohen, book this band on Fallon already! 

Canadian Album of the Year

Rah Rah - The Poet's Dead

This album swooped in at the end of October and pushed every other Canadian CD I was listening to this year right out of rotation. The Poet’s Dead, Rah Rah’s third full length, has many surprises. The band draws from numerous musical styles for this album—“Art & A Wife” alt-country, “Run” indie-rock, “I’m a Killer” electronic, “First Kiss” folk-rock—and no two songs sound alike. However, it became apparent by the title track that these kids planned and plotted each song, always thinking about what would come next, and the result is a cohesive, well-paced, beautiful composition. My prediction: Polaris Music Prize Winner 2013.

Non-Canadian Album of the Year

The Men - Open Your Heart

The Men were at the top of my "Best of Spring" picks back in June, and although there have been many a great album released in 2012, I just can't seem to get over the genius that is Open Your Heart. Read my full review of the album here.

Favourite 2012 Albums

01. Ringo Deathstarr – Mauve (listen to: "Slack", "Waste")
02. Raveonettes – Observator (listen to: "Curse the Night", "The Enemy")
03. METZ – METZ (listen to: "Rats", "Negative Space")
04. Kestrels – A Ghost History (listen to: "Drowning Girl", "Islands")
05. Cadence Weapon – Hope in a Dirt City ("Conditioning", “Hype Man")
06. La Sera – Sees the Light (listen to: "Break My Heart", "It's Over Now")
07. Ty Segall Band – Slaughterhouse (listen to: "Tell Me What's Inside Your Heart", "Wave Goodbye")
08. Nubians – Nubians (bandcamp) (listen to: "Vile Bodies", "D-Troit")
09. JEFF the Brotherhood – Hypnotic Nights (listen to: "Mystic Portal II", "Country Life")
10. Duchess Says – Anthologie des 3 perchoirs (2012 vinyl re-release) (listen to: "Ccut Up", "Black Flag")

Twee Time Guest DJs

- Alex, Jeremy, and Louis from Parlovr (podcast)
- Johanna and Jared from the Nymphets (podcast)
- Sinbad and Dave from Pigeon Phat (podcast)
- Brooke, Lara, and Rebecca from Montreal boutique Citizen Vintage (podcast)
- Florent and Jesse from C T Z N S H P (podcast)

Interviews

- Jake Orrall from JEFF the Brotherhood (transcript)
- Jessica Latshaw from the YouTube viral video "Never a dull moment on the NYC subway" (podcast)
- Laura, Quentin, Scott, and Mike from Les Monstres Terribles (podcast)

Live Shows to Remember

- Red Mass Disco 3000 + Duchess Says @ Club Lambi
- Parlovr + Pigeon Phat @ Le Divan Orange (POP Montreal)
- White Lung + Nubians @ Casa del Popolo
- Public Enemy @ Stade Olympique (Experience Montreal)
- Atari Teenage Riot @ Stade Olympique (Experience Montreal)
- Esmerine @ Sala Rossa (M pour/for Montreal)
- The Men @ Il Motore (and again at Underworld)
- A Place to Bury Strangers + Bleeding Rainbow + No Joy @ Sala Rossa (M pour/for Montreal)
- PS I Love You @ Sala Rossa (M pour/for Montreal)
- Elephant Stone @ Le Divan Orange (POP Montreal)
- DIIV @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (CMJ Music Marathon)
- Pig Destroyer @ Public Assembly (CMJ Music Marathon)
- Twerps @ Pianos (CMJ Music Marathon)
- METZ @ Il Motore
- Ty Segall @ Il Motore

Memorable Moments

- More tattoos from Dave C. at PSC Tattoo!
- Meeting Rick Trembles, and seeing the awesome CJLO Magazine cover he created for our print mag!
- Meeting Perry Shall, artist and musician from numerous Philly bands, most notably Dry Feet and Hound
- Seeing Damian Abraham from Fucked Up perform David Comes to Life wearing only a pair of thin underwear and a plastic beer cup
- Finally seeing Public Enemy live
- Witnessing Flavor Flav get a crowd of Quebecers to chant "fuck separatism"
- Chatting with DJ Lord when he DJ'd at the after party on Saint-Denis
- Seeing Duchess Says for the first time (read my review here)
- Asking JD Samson from Le Tigre for directions to Artists & Fleas in Brooklyn

Biggest Disappointment

The end of the Montreal Mirror and way in which its demise was handled by Sun Media