A phantom on the landscape, a memory of what used to be



The Best Albums of 2012
1. Jason Lytle - Dept of Disappearance
2. Hot Chip - In Our Heads
3. Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
4. Public Image Ltd - This is Pil
5. Crystal Castles - III
6. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - The Heist
7. Grimes - Visions
8. The xx - Coexist
9. Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It
10. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!

Also... Beach House - Bloom; Deadmau5 - Album Title Goes Here; Django Django - Django Django; The Magnetic Fields - Love at the Bottom of the Sea; The Shins - Port of Morrow; Young Prisms - In Between

The Best (standard length) Video of 2012: Man on Fire by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros:

 
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Man On Fire [Official Video] from Edward Sharpe on Vimeo.

The Best (long play) Video of 2012: Sound of Silence by Einsauszwei (Simon & Garfunkel rework):


Also recommended is the full short film from which this video originates: National Relay Service

Bonus Video from the 80’s: Baggy Trousers by Madness:



I spent half the year reviewing, sorting and compiling the best songs of the 80’s - pared down to a manageable 380 songs spanning 17 mostly distinctive playlists (funny how the “novelty song” playlist is not lacking for members from this era).

So far, I have received many responses to this endeavour such as*:

“What? No room for Cyndi Lauper? Do you not like music?” - Jon Gold
“But where’s all the Kraut Rock?” - Anonymous Chicagwegian
“Haven’t you finished that stupid list yet?” – Anonymous Wife

*note: quotes may or may not have been fortified by several g&t’s.

Here’s a sample 80’s playlist thanks in some part to my brief stint of university dj’ing and the authoritarian requirements of CanCon (minimum Canadian content requirements):

1. Dream (About You) by The Grapes of Wrath
2. Teenland by The Northern Pikes
3. Baby Ran by 5440
4. Turn Your Face Away by The Waterwalk
5. Hawaii by The Young Canadians
6. Curling by The Dik Van Dykes
7. Black and White by 4th Floor
8. One in Ten Words by Spoons
9. Into The Flow by Boys Brigade
10. April Fool by Chalk Circle
11. One More Colour by Jane Siberry
12. Closer Together by The Box
13. Lunatic Fringe by Red Rider
14. Lust For Love by Images in Vogue
15. Don’t Walk On Past by Blue Peter
16. Girlene by Glen Meadmore
17. Our Little Secret by Art Bergmann
18. Just Another Day by Go Four 3 DJ

Youthful Craig says, “Boy Howdy”...