Tag: Best of 2012

I hadn’t heard Maps & Atlases until I received a tweet from my sister a day ago praising this song as “a barn party of Bon Iver, Toro Y Moi, Fleet Foxes, and New Villager”.  I wasn’t the biggest fan of New Villager but I gave it a shot anyway. The song may well be one of 2012’s best, a gorgeous multilayered vocal with just the most subtle hint of autotune (no small feat) and a muted guitar rhythm that explodes into polyphony worthy of the most daring of Bon Iver tunes. Don’t miss this one.

Old & Gray- Maps & Atlases

Beware and Be Grateful  was released on April 17th, 2012 on Barsuk Records. You can find the vinyl on Insound here, and the digital version on iTunes here .

Tennis is a trio led by husband and wife duo Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley who caught the indie music world with the cheeky delight of their first album, Cape Dory  an album both written during, and inspired by a sailing trip up and down the East Coast of the United States.  The album was full of breezy summer melodies and bright ear candy and they seemed ill equipped to progress any further as a band.  Enter Young and Old , the 2012 follow-up produced by Patrick Carney of The Black Keys. It’s a match made in heaven, as both Alaina Moore’s Billie Holiday-esque coo and Riley’s melodies find a perfect match in Carney’s 60’s garage psychedelia inspired production. Check out “Traveling” and you’ll be sure to fall in love

Traveling- Tennis

Young and Old was released on Fat Possum February 13th, 2012. You can find the vinyl here and the digital version on iTunes here