2012 Album Rankings (sans write-up)

1. channel ORANGE - Frank Ocean

2. good kid, m.A.A.d city - Kendrick Lamar

3. Kaleidoscope Dream - Miguel

4. Life is Good - Nas

5. Uncaged - Zac Brown Band

6. Born And Raised - John Mayer

7. Celebration Rock - Japandroids

8. Black Radio - Robert Glasper Experiment

9. Kiss - Carly Rae Jepsen

10. Pineapple Now-Laters - BJ the Chicago Kid 

11. R.A.P. Music - Killer Mike

12. Cruel Summer - GOOD Music

13. 1999 - Joey Bada$$

14. Blunderbuss - Jack White

15. Some Nights - fun.

16. On The House/welcome to: OUR HOUSE - Slaughterhouse

17. Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album (Part I) - Lupe Fiasco

18. The Heist - Macklemore & Ryan Leslie

19. Habits & Contradictions- Schoolboy Q

20. The Man With Iron Fists - RZA

Honorable Mentions:

Red Wine & Ambien - Novel

Control System - Ab-Soul

Gossamer - Passion Pit

Dreams & Nightmares - Meek Mill

Live From The Underground - Big KRIT

Payback - Danny!

Babel – Mumford & Sons

Until The Quiet Comes – Flying Lotus

Up All Night – Kip Moore

My sample size is way down from last year. I have listened to (or attempted to listen to) 85 albums thus far from 2012. Last year that number was 245. That being said, I think I weeded out more of the deeper indie and indie hip-hop. I will try to revisit this again before the year is up and offer a less superficial analysis, but for now, this will do.

TROY- Hip Hop Flashback

"TROY (They Reminisce Over You)" by Pete Rock & CL Smooth features one of the most classic beats in the history of the genre. Fostered after the death of the duo's close friend Trouble T. Roy, the track pays tribute to their departed friend, and remains a standout track in the genre's growing history.

Amy Winehouse - You Know I'm No Good

Im in an R&B mood, per usual this time of week. Tonight I am compelled to revisit Amy's Back to Black album. So much of the songwriting on the album enters the realm of poetry. Kills me to know we will never have the opportunity to hear her grow and develop...

Album Power Rankings 2012

And on the 200th day of 2012, the Power Rankings returned! I must admit, I don't quite remember how my ranking system worked. Was it based on my personal favorites? What I was playing the most? What I felt was, artistically, amazing and needed to be highlighted? Perhaps it was a combination of all of these. At least that's my hope, because that is what I am going with on this edition.

First: a few Honorable Mentions. They are just off the board at the moment, but this being the first week of rankings means they are certainly candidates to jump onto the leader board.


Dreamchasers 2: Meek Mill
Live From the Underground: Big KRIT
Pineapple Now & Later: BJ The Chicago Kid
Habits & Contradictions: Schoolboy Q
Welcome to the Fishbowl: Kenny Chesney


10. Lookin 4 Myself: Usher

The lone pop entry on the list. I'd be lying if I said "Scream" isn't my summer jam for 2012. And the Pharrell assisted "Twisted" is a blueprint to making a good pop song.

09. Port of Morrow: The Shins

Its been a couple years since that Broken Bells album was released, so we were due for some new music from the Shins frontman. Port of Morrow doesn't disappoint. I bet this album would sound great in Natalie Portman's giant headphones.

08. Blunderbuss: Jack White

I've never been a big Jack White/White Stripes fan, but this album straight up rocks.

07. Bloom: Beach House

The indie special on the Power Rankings. Beach House's latest is also their best.

06. RAP Music: Killer Mike

Until a week ago, this was the best hip-hop album I had heard from 2012. Killer Mike attacks the mic with so much aggression and intensity, you become genuinely worried he might be in the room with you. Good thing his lyrics are much deeper than his name would suggest.

05. Celebration Rock: Japandroids

I can't put my finger on what it is about the Japandroids that I like, but I like them. They rock really hard for a band made up of only two members. Their lyrics are simple, but its as though they're self aware of that fact and are in on the joke with you. Top rock album in this week's rankings.

04. Born And Raised: John Mayer

Its been WAY too long since we last heard the smooth blues of Mr. John Mayer. Why does he have to keep destroying his vocal chords!? We need to take that Tupac hologram technology and apply it to JM and have hologram him sing and real him just play guitar on stage next to each other. Who wouldn't pay to see that?

03. Uncaged: Zac Brown Band

The next three albums were all released with a week of each other. Talk about an overload of great music. The highest ranked and only country album on our rankings belongs to Zac Brown Band. The group never disappoints, and they are incredibly appealing because their music is a melting pot of American music-- Southern Rock, Folk, Blues, R&B, and of course, Country. Definitely pick this one up.

02. Life Is Good: Nas

Nassir Jones. Nasty Nas. The Don. Esco. Escobar. Nastradamus. I consider him to be the overall best rapper of all time. And his latest album is his best in a decade. Now a older and wiser man, Nas looks back on where he started, where he is today, and the woman he lost along the way. And there is a track with Amy Winehouse on here, as the two were fans of each other. Amazing production paired with the always on point lyrics of Nas, life truly is good with this album in it (see what I did there?). 

01. channel Orange: Frank Ocean

It is going to take something very very special (probably from Kanye) in order to knock this album off the #1 spot this year. I think its near perfect. Frank is a very special artist. No review can capture how I feel about this one. Just go get it.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Same Love Ft Mary Lambert

Title speaks for itself. If you haven't heard Macklemore before, check him out. Laid back style and very real subject matter. I'll use his words to explain the song.


"This song is a humble submission to help bring this conversation to the surface, so that we can reflect on the language we use, and how powerful it can be. Rethinking, and understanding the gravity of how we communicate with each other. Change happens when dialogue happens. When we confront our prejudice and are honest with ourselves, there is room for growth, and there is room for justice." - Macklemore

Fertilizer.

Good Morrow MFP Reader(s)! Posting early in case I run out of time before I leave work today. I introduce to you James Fauntleroy, member of the mixed-genre groove group Cocaine 80s (with 'controversial' rapper Common & producer No I.D.). I recently heard a snippet of this song on Frank Ocean's new album and thought, "Damn, why can't this be a full track!" Well turns out, it is, because its actually a cover of this. Enjoy

Frank Ocean, channel Orange, & The Album of the Year

Had to do a quick post before I leave work. Figure I will take the easy way out and share a Frank Ocean song. His album just released a week early this past Tuesday on iTunes. Smart way to beat the leaks and capitalize on the buzz that began when he gave some writers a preview of the album a few weeks back. 

Without further ado, here's Frank on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, performing "Bad Religion," with some help from the Roots. Went with this version to (a) show off how amazing he is live and (b) serve as a nod to the fact that it was on Jimmy Fallon that his Odd Future group mates Tyler, the Creator and Hodgy Beats made their TV debuts over a year ago.

Return to Country Wednesdays

Wednesdays were Wild West Day, weren't they? Well in honor of tradition, I am serving up a country song on this fine Wednesday afternoon. I hear its a lovely day-- too bad this cubicle doesn't have a nice window view... I digress. Here's my favorite track from Miranda Lambert's "Four The Record." Its called Mama's Broken Heart. Fell in love with it when I saw her in concert with a good friend earlier this year. She kicked ass.

Lana & Rocky are Jackie O and JFK

Hey everybody. So I remembered seeing this video a few weeks back and had wanted to share it. Lana Del Rey's track National Anthem gets the visual treatment, and she recruits A$AP Rocky to be the black JFK to her Jackie O. Very different concept, but I think they actually pull it off. And they actually look like they might be in love. And who doesn't love that?

While I'm Here

So while I am on here and maintaining some interest in this thing, I'm curious if I should bring back any of the old series I used to do? The album rankings? Theme Days? Should I show what Im playing a lot right now? This is likely rhetorical since Id be surprised if I have any readers after a year absence, but feel free to comment!

Also- I think I'll post a retrospective of my favorite 2011 albums. I started that damn ranking system, I should damn well give it a proper ending.