For The Key’s year-in-review, we asked our trusted sources – our writers and photographers, XPN’s on-air staff, fellow bloggers in the Philly scene and even a few musicians – to send us their Top Five Whatevers. Could be the traditional music route – albums, songs, concerts of the year – or it could be only loosely connected. We’ll be sharing these recaps every day through to the end of the year. Today, contributing writer Adam Gould shares his top hip-hop and electronic releases of the year.

I would like to preface this list by saying that I found this year to be pretty underwhelming. Some of my favorite bands put out albums and none of them would have made a Top 10 list. There were a bunch of ‘good’ albums, but I don’t remember the last time there were so few ‘great’ albums. I can’t believe I am going to say this, but I miss 2006. That being said, hip-hop was awesome this year.

5. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city
I listened to this album probably more than any other album this year, except for maybe Action Bronson & Party Supply. It is a great album to listen to basically anywhere at anytime. Kendrick is a gifted, poetic MC, and one of the better storytellers I have ever heard. He is really exciting when left to his own devices. Not to downplay the plethora of great guest-appearances, he is just better when on his own. The album doesn’t feel too long, but is a hefty listen, with no filler. This year was notable in the amount of good hip-hop, and Kendrick may be the most promising of the bunch.

4. Action Bronson & Party Supply – Blue Chip

Man, this guy can be really raunchy and obscene, but it is always quickly coupled with the image of an artisan cheese plate, or something of the like that the rapper/gourmand whipped up in the kitchen. This is a mixtape that shows at his most confident, and he has never lacked confidence. He is hilarious, and he is a really good rapper. He is not only a great lyricist, he is technically one of the best right now. And his song “9-24-11” is probably my favorite song with a dead-Patrick Swayze reference of 2012.

3. Lushlife – Plateau Vision

Does ‘Conscious Rap’ still exist? Lushlife isn’t really conscious rap, but he is thoughtful, at times academic. He is beyond conscious rap, he is a new breed, he is meditative rap, yet he barks the mantra. He represents his hometown, and he represents DIY. Very cool.

2. Cashmere Cat – Mira Maru EP

This is a really short EP, but it is awesome, and hit the spot stylistically for me. It hasn’t been out for very long, but it is on my list mostly because of the promise that the EP showed. It is hypnotic, sexy, and meticulously produced. You can feel this is a labor of love in the depth of each song on the album. He creates lush collages that are impressive both as a whole and each separate part.

1. The Milkman’s Union – The Golden Room EP

These guys don’t make hip-hop or anything close to it. I talked to these guys earlier this year about rap collaborations and how they were lyrically informed by rappers, so in a way this is connected. Really though, I just liked this EP a ton.

Since we (TSI, Rich and Myself) recently moved to East Kensington / Fishtown in 2012 – here’s my top five Philly local businesses in our new hood:

Loco Pez - This place looks like your dad’s basement from 1979. The decor is awesome and the food is addicting. We go here sometimes once a week. It’s super cheap, but always packed, so the good thing is that it’s a fast turn around for tables. It’s more traditional Mexican rather than Americanized, which is awesome, and you can tell everything is made on site. I’ve tried many things on the menu, but my go to is the Carne Asata tacos ( small soft tacos) and a bowl of red rice, along with a bunch of homemade hot sauces. 

Groove Hound - Great dog grooming. We have a 13 year old basset hound (Winston) who hates baths, so we are picky about groomers because of his age and since his is terrified of the whole experience. The owner really cares about animals and is also a dog trainer. They know how to check for ear infections and fleas, and Winston always comes home super soft, clean, and actually happy. And the best part, it’s super cheap! $24 for wash, nail trim, ear clean, and dry, along with a handsome scarf.

Pizza Brain – By now everyone has heard about this iconic pizza shop/museum, right? It’s pretty cool to have something so unique right in our hood. For those of you who don’t know- it’s the 1st ever pizza museum and the owner holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the most pizza memorabilia, which is all on display in the shop. And, yes, they sell pizza. Eat in or take out. The owner is there frequently, is super friendly and lots of times ringing you up/taking your order behind the counter, which is refreshing. They also have employees draw custom pieces of art on the underside of pizza box lids. So when you get home you might be in for a treat beside the pizza by winning a slice free slice and a free piece of art on your box.

Atlantis (The Lost Bar) – This place is a small neighborhood joint that’s got a great selection of beer for cheap. Each time we go the door guy is the same, and he always greets you with “Welcome to The Lost Bar” as if you are entering a magical place. Not magical, but clean, new’ish, table and bar seating, TV’s and a pool table. Not only having a great beer selection with super reasonable prices, they also make a kick ass bloody mary.

Greensgrow Farm - It’s like a little piece of the country right in the city. Originally being from the cow country of South Jersey, I love that this place is only a few blocks away. They have mostly everything you would look for at a country side road stand; tons of veggies, lawn and garden decor and gadgets, home made items, local honey, fall pumpkins, x-mas trees, wreathes (seasonal of course). For the winter months, they offer a co- op for fresh produce and they also grow hops for the Philadelphia Brewing company. They host a Fall Fest every year with street venders and bands, and a big favorite here is Milkshake – the awesome pig who you can pet.

OK, so here is my year-end list of top 5 favorite albums from non-Philly artists that I’m just getting in under the gun. I know. I should have chosen a more original topic like some of the other folks who were asked to contribute to The Key’s Year-end Mania, but since I spent most of my year focused on writing about Philly’s indie music scene, it actually was a lot of fun for me to think about and revisit other albums making the rounds internationally/nationally.

Why didn’t I just call it “My Top 5 Favorite Albums of 2012”? Well, because there was a rad local release that found it’s way into that list, and I didn’t want to give it away just yet. You can find the record sitting at the top of my list of “40 Favorite Philly Releases of 2012” HERE along with more fine works that came out of our beloved hometown this year. So without further ado, below is my top 5 list of non-Philly sounds that caught my attention in 2012. Keep in mind that these picks are obviously based more on my gut feelings than an exact science so nothing is finite and it’s all subject to change depending on my mood when I wake up. Cheers!

1. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light

How’d Spiritualized’s Sweet Heart Sweet Light make it to the top of my list? Well, when I first listened to the album, it didn’t really standout to me, but after revisiting the record while creating a “Best of 2012” list for Pulp Lab, I began to dig deeper into the LP and realize how timeless of an album that it actually is. The dichotomy of sadness and hope found in Sweet Heart Sweet Light is a beautiful uplifting contrast, and the fact that Jason Pierce was mixing the record while going through experimental chemotherapy treatment for a degenerative liver disease makes all the Jesus/God lines and death references combined with some psychedelic gospel rock ‘n’ roll more honest and meaningful to me. I can easily see myself coming back to this album throughout my life making it a classic in my book. Sweet Heart Sweet Light is by far Pierce’s finest release since Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating in Space.

2. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.a.a.d. city

You could probably interchange Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.a.a.d. city with Sweet Heart Sweet Light on this list. I think that I have multiple times already. With artists like Drake cornily making hip hop as he once said “for the ladies” and topping the mainstream charts while castrating the genre, this album is breath of fresh air. I was discussing good kid, m.a.a.d. city with Kurt Hunte from Plastic Little (who also likes Kendrick Lamar, but usually prefers an artist like Big Sean) at The Institute bar. He made a comment that Lamar’s music is “heady.” To which I responded, “That’s exactly why I like it.” good kid, m.a.a.d. city is a magnificent, thought-provoking album that is responsible for bringing back faith in the future of hip hop to me.

3. Grimes – Visions

With all the talk about Grimes starting right from the gate of this year, I’m sure that you’ve had your fill by now. However, love her or hate her – she made a great album full of fun, shadowy dance beats. And while some might not be able to get past her child-like vocals, I find them angelic and impressive. Though I admittedly probably wore the album out listening to it the first half of the year, Visions is still able to standout as I reflect on all the releases that I have come across in 2012.

4. Swans – The Seer

I love dark, weird, heavy, epic jams…HA!

5. DIIV – Oshin

Oshin, for me, is all about the gorgeous guitar tones and thick underlying bass. I often lose myself in them. It also doesn’t hurt that what is most likely my favorite song of the year, “Doused,” is on it.

Here are our top videos for BITBY. 2013 is gonna shred.

5. Nothing live Key Studio Session at WXPN – “The Rites of Love and Death”

4. Tanlines at Making Time – “All Of Me” [watch on Vimeo]

3. Heyward Howkins official music video – “Sugar Sand Stitched Lip”

2. Exitmusic live outside Johnny Brenda’s – “White Noise”

1. Nothing official music video – “Downward Years to Come”

Runners up:
13. The Spinto Band at AKA for record store day
12. Snowbird Vintage promo
11. Dirty Beaches at Art in the Age
10. Savoir Adore in Austin, TX
9. Heyward Howkins in the snowy backyard
8. Creepoid official video – “Golden String”
7. Turning Violet Violet in the backyard
6. Metz at Art in the Age – “Art Debt”

There is always music that is yours. Perhaps the musicians who wrote and played those songs that are yours would beg to differ, but don’t overthink it. I’m not talking about a song that says all the loving or bitter-as-hell things you’ve never been able to express. Let me break down my opinion of what is yours:

1. You want the record on vinyl so you can hug the music, and literally make it near (and dear to) your heart.

2. You’d probably consider it the greatest thing you could be doing with your life to see them live. And everyone not going to this concert is a doofus.

3. You think that the musicians making these songs probably don’t watch TV. It’s just too low-brow for them. If anything, they definitely don’t watch comedies. Maybe Louie.

4. Their music has appeared in your dreams. And any song that appears on your dreams is a queue from an unconscious part of your brain saying “Hey! Wake up and remember how good this song is before you forget it!”

5. Hearing one song unlocks a string of music history connections that you feel compelled to share with the world.

So, let’s get down to the top five music that belongs to me in 2012.

1. Saint Etienne – “Over the Border”

Saint Etienne understands the obsessive fandom where music and life become one. On the first track of Words and Music by Saint Etienne, she namechecks Peter Gabriel, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, New Order, Postcard Records, and Marc Bolan of T. Rex as some of the most important music in her life. Even if her music preferences aren’t the same as mine, listening to “Over the Border” is like reading Rob Sheffield or Nick Hornby connect everything about life to music. Perhaps this isn’t the best song on the album (“Tonight” and “I’ve Got Your Music” are standouts), but it has the feeling of everything I believe in.

2. Amor de Dias “Jean’s Waving”

The Clientele happen to be the favorite band of my college years, and the only time I saw them play, I didn’t really know their music. I was just waiting for Camera Obscura to get on stage. By the time I was ready to drop everything in my life to hear some Clientele songs live, they stopped being a band. Harsh realities can be cruel, until they open new doors.

Alasdair Maclean of The Clientele and Lupe Nunez-Fernandez of Pipas released a record in 2011 under the name Amor de Dias. That spring, they played at The Church in Philly, and I ended up learning that Lupe went to school in Bryn Mawr, was a barista around Rittenhouse Square, met Pipas-mate Mark Powell when he worked at Repo Records in Bryn Mawr…so many connections to our fair city! More reasons to love this new band!

“Jean’s Waving” is the first track to appear from their newest record, The House at Sea (out Jan. 29 on Merge) . As a part of an album that was written in nine days, the track reveals simplicity and bravado that trademark the duo’s careers. They play to their strengths here, which is an exciting tease at something familiar and new.

3. Tamaryn – “Prizma”

A lot of musicians are also visual artists. They can see song structure like a painting, or as an architect drafts the blueprints of a building. Tamaryn, a visual artist in her own right, is very aware of how she presents herself and her art. They’re the same thing. She doesn’t have any formal schooling, but grew up with very aesthetic parents who always made sure she was around art. She’s the kind of person I imagine not watching TV. Maybe Louie. I say Louie, because in that show, people are intolerable, let you down, and even when things are going good, there’s no happy ending. That’s how life works. But the show goes on because there’s this unrelenting belief in the goodness and beauty of love that has to be exposed. Neither Louie nor Tamaryn sugarcoat the pain of reality, and no one should confuse their end-product with a different creator. Tamaryn once tweeted: “I only want to make music with a feverish yearning. I will never make an album because I am supposed to or to gain something. Only in Love.”

4. Eternal Summers – “Good as You”

The other day, I had this catchy tune stuck in my head that was so repetitive that it could have been a Christmas carol. It was some kind of classic. The chorus went “na na nanana na na na na…” and not knowing any of the words was driving me up the walls. What was this classic song? This jingle with no name? It was “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay. Sometimes figuring out those misplaced tunes leads you to realize what your ears have been craving all along. The fix. I remember waking up one day and realizing that the singing in my dreams, from some powerful apex of a song, was lodged somewhere in the new Eternal Summers album. The only thing I could remember was the tune and “I want to tell you…” So, I started skipping through the tracks on Correct Behavior, until I found “Good as You.” And the words from my dreams were all there: “I want to tell you what you’re feeling / you could see what I’m concealing / Want to have you / want to be true / something good as / something good as you”. Is my brain really that smart? Because this was a reflection of the emotional state of my life.

5. Steve Reich – “Electric Counterpoint – Fast (Movement 3)”

Ok, this didn’t come out this year. I was listening to the Balance 22 compilation (which did come out this year), mixed by Funk D’void, where this appears deep in the mix. It was instantly familiar, because it was the track that RJD2 samples in “The Proxy”. This particular version of the song (Kraftwerk also did an interesting cover) comes from jazz guitarist Pat Matheny’s live performance of the song. The massive overdubs and repetition that gradually changed in hues were mesmerizing, and contained some of the same ideas heard in a lot of modern music. Everything from movie scores, to electronic trance, to Dustin Wong’s incredible Dreams Say, View, Create, Shadow Leads (which I strongly considered writing about here) probably owe a nod to the work Reich did in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Enjoy a much more thorough playlist of my favorites in 2012 here.

Photo by Laura Jane Brubaker

For The Key’s year-in-review, we asked our trusted sources – our writers and photographers, XPN’s on-air staff, fellow bloggers in the Philly scene and even a few musicians – to send us their Top Five Whatevers. Could be the traditional music route – albums, songs, concerts of the year – or it could be only loosely connected. We’ll be sharing these recaps every day through to the end of the year. Today, Folkadelphia host Fred Knittel recaps his five favorite film soundtracks of the year. Click on the titles to hear them on Spotify.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

• Written & directed by Stephen Chbosky
• Soundtrack featuring The Smiths, Cocteau Twins, David Bowie, New Order, and more.

I will fully admit to having never read this now classic teenage book of adolescent awkwardness, awakening, and discovery. While my peers were following Charlie’s story, I was probably unearthing the Smiths’ Strangeways, Here We Come cassette tape in my parents’ garage which forever changed my own personal musical trajectory.  Of course now, watching the film, I was struck by the near universality of constructing your individuality with music as the cornerstone (and, I swear, it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with Morrissey).  This is all to say that the Perks of Being a Wallflower OST is an absolute blast of nostalgia and solid ‘80s and ’90s jams. The movie syncs these dreamy tracks with equally dreamy images of youth and love. I felt a tear or two well up (no, there was something in my eye!)

Rodriguez – Searching for Sugar Man

• Directed by Malik Bendjelloul
• Soundtrack featuring original songs by Rodriguez

I felt pretty ignorant after hearing the soundtrack to Searching for Sugar Man (something I did before actually even seeing the documentary). I could not believe that I had somehow glossed over a songwriter with seemingly equal poignancy to Bob Dylan and recorded with the absolute best backing band.  After viewing the film, it turns out that I was not alone and, in fact, the entire world, save South Africa, essentially overlooked Rodriguez. He’s finally getting his due particularly through the exposure from the release of the film. If you have not yet heard Rodriguez or seen the film, go do so now!

A Late Quartet

• Directed by Yaron Zilberman
• Soundtrack featuring an original score by Angelo Badalamenti and Bretano String Quartet performing Beethoven’s Op. 131

The title of the movie A Late Quartet draws from the major musical focal plot point of the film- Beethoven’s Op. 131, one of the composer’s late period string quartets, completed in 1826 and considered a true masterpiece. The title of the film can also be applied to the movie’s quartet of musicians, acted by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Christopher Walken, and Mark Ivanir, who fall into a professional and personal crisis after Walken’s character is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The most satisfying part of the film is that the Beethoven string quartet and the film’s thematic arc start to mirror each other, creating a synergistic effect of drama and tenseness instilled by this chamber drama. Add to this Angelo Badalamenti’s emotionally charged score (yes, yes, the same Angelo Badalamenti that worked on all of that David Lynch’s films), and we have some serious heartstrings being pulled, plucked, and played.

Sound of My Voice

• Directed by Zal Batmanglij
• Soundtrack featuring an original score by Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend) and songs by Hot Chip and The Cranberries (kind of).

Sound of My Voice, directed by Zal Bamanglij and scored by his brother (and Vampire Weekend member) Rostam Batmanglij, may have been a movie that you missed in 2012. Now is the perfect time to visit this indie-scale drama that continually keeps you asking questions long after the film ends. It’s maybe about cults, it could be about time traveling, it might involve the hunt for fugitives. Actors Christopher Dunham and Nicole Vicius, who play Peter and Lorna, decide to expose underground cult figure Maggie, played by Brit Marling, through investigative journalism and documenting their experiences. Instead they are drawn deeper in the fold and mystery when Maggie reveals she is from the future, sent back, a la La Jetee or Twelve Monkeys style to warn the past (which is our present). Throughout the film, we hear the moody and thrilling score from R. Batmanglij, Brit’s rendition of “Dreams” by the Cranberries, and the electro-pop Hot Chip to take us to the credits with feelings of wonderment and unknowingness. Stream this one sooner than later!

Cosmopolis

• Written & Directed by David Cronenberg, Source material by Don DeLillo
• Soundtrack featuring an original score by Howard Shore & Metric (and K’Naan)

By all accounts, Cosmopolis is a weird movie; Robert Pattinson (yes, that Robert Pattinson from the Twilight saga) plays a young, disaffected, billionaire asset manager, who takes his limo across midtown Manhattan in order to get a haircut. That’s essentially the plot of the movie. Throughout the drive, bizarre, disorienting, sexual, visceral, violent, shocking, and nearly random encounters and experiences occur, mostly in the back of R Pat’s limo. All throughout, we are presented with a collaborative soundtrack featuring top tier movie scorer Howard Shore and Canada’s Metric. The effect is that the music alternates between cold-as-the-soul-of-the-city sharpness and dance-your-butt-off-in-the-back-of-your-stretch-limo intensity. The film may not have fully succeeded as a new Cronenberg classic, the soundtrack certainly is worth your time.

For The Key’s year-in-review, we asked our trusted sources – our writers and photographers, XPN’s on-air staff, fellow bloggers in the Philly scene and even a few musicians – to send us their Top Five Whatevers. Could be the traditional music route – albums, songs, concerts of the year – or it could be only loosely connected. We’ll be sharing these recaps every day through to the end of the year. Today, Plow United bassist, Ex-Friends singer-guitarist and occasional Key contributor Joel Tannenbaum shares his top music news headlines* of 2012.

5. Julio Iglesias releases Saludos desde Asbury Park, NJ, a song-by-song rebuttal to Bruce Springsteen’s Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ. 

4. Joey Sweeney releases digital-only retrospective spanning his 80+ year career.
Early vaudeville material largely ignored.

3. The Spin Doctors’ “Two Princes” certified top-selling mini-disc single of 2012.

2. Ben Nichols of Lucero cast as Eddie in Ang Lee’s Eddie and the Cruisers remake.
Other members of Lucero not cast as Cruisers.

1. Chris Christie realizes lifelong dream of meeting Glenn Danzig.
Meeting facilitated by President Obama during Hurricane Sandy aftermath.

*entirely fabricated

Thanks to Justin Agnew and Tom Kretchmar.

We music lovers read, browse, skim, agree with, disagree with and soon forget so many of these lists this time of year. But if you’re a rock/punk/alternative lover from in or around Philadelphia, hopefully you’ll remember this one.

Collaborations amongst hard-working artists are undoubtedly how the best music is made. And in a time when folk, hip-hop and electronic music seem to top most of these other lists this year, I wanted to highlight the local singers, instrumentalists and producers who work together to do what they love despite what’s popular.

Collaborations are also where we see scene veterans training or complimenting emerging talent, and vice versa. Whether it’s bringing them out on tour or asking them to provide guest vocals on a new track, it’s great to see bands helping each other, or big-time producers working diligently on what they think should become the next big thing.

Here are five examples, in no particular order, of just how much love and talent the city of Brotherly Love has to go around.

1. Jon Simmons of Balance and Composure providing guest vocals on Terrible Thing’s “Last Look.”

West Chester native Fred Mascherino, the stand-out guitarist formerly of Taking Back Sunday and The Color Fred, recently released an EP with his newly reformed project, Terrible Things.

The album’s emotional first single “Last Look” was written about the week Mascherino’s wife spent in the hospital. Despite the personal nature of the song, Mascherno tapped Balance and Composure vocalist Jon Simmons to lay down some gruff guest vocals. Along with twangy guitars, the Doylestown hardcore bandleader almost helps give the song segment a country feel.

Mascherino is quoted saying he is a big fan of Jon’s voice, and that “him singing on that song brings it to another place and makes it really special for me.”

2. Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem playing with Dave Hause at XPonential Festival

Photo by Jaci Downs

I was lucky enough to attend the XPoNential Festival this past summer. Among the great local bands and headliners that took over the Susquehanna Bank Center stage, one collaborative set still stands out in my memory.

Before The Avett Brothers and Wilco rocked the main stage, Philly singer-songwriter Dave Hause gave a stunning performance on the small Key Stage set up on the center’s concourse.

As Hause started tearing through his hits like “C’Mon Kid” and “Resolutions,” I noticed that his guitar player looked pretty familiar. When I realized it was Fallon, it hit me how lending his skills for Hause’s set not only helped out his friend and fellow musician, but made people like me that much more excited to listen to The Gaslight Anthem’s new record (which didn’t disappoint, either).

3. The wonders of producer Will Yip – Title Fight and Circa Survive

Nearly everything that Will Yip produces in this genre turns to gold, and the bands invited to work in his Conshohocken studio find themselves on the yellow brick road toward greater success.

His handiwork provided two near-Philly natives with beautiful albums this year: Title Fight’s “Floral Green” and Circa Survive’s “Violent Waves.” Yip had worked previously worked with each of these bands in the past, but graduated from mixer to producer and recording engineer for both releases.

It seems musicians and music fans based locally and elsewhere are starting to realize he has the Midas touch.

4. Brianna Collins of Tigers Jaw providing guest vocals on Young Statues’ cover of “A New England” by Billy Bragg

The sweet youthfulness these two vocalists bring to a song that talks about being a young 20-something is fitting, and a stark contrast to the grittiness and sparseness of the original.

Philadelphia-based Young Statues provides a similar brand of indie pop rock to Scranton band Tigers Jaw, but this collaboration for Young Statues’ recently released “Covers” EP was refreshing and unexpected.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see this song performed live on a local stage sometime soon.

5. Shane Henderson and Trevor Leonard, formerly of Valencia, teaming up with Will Noon of fun. To form Shane Henderson and The Future Perfect

As a long-time fan of Philly pop punk band Valencia, I was sad to see them announce an “indefinite hiatus” late last year. But frontman Shane Henderson was clearly not done making music, and recently made a much happier announcement about his new band, Shane Henderson and The Future Perfect.

Fellow Philly natives Trevor Leonard and fun. drummer Will Noon fill out this three-piece and the acoustic pop rock sound the band seems to be going for. With only one single out so far, I’m excited to see what’s to come for this and many other Philly bands in 2013.

1. Rasputin’s Secret Police – Comfortable (February)

Two kids. A decade of playing music together. Seven releases. This band truly speaks for itself.

Tags: stomp rock, 6666, slop metal, brotherly love

2. Bleeding Fractals – Dim Orange Lights (June)

Bleeding Fractals is a infinitely dynamic West Philadelphia 4-piece who all go to Drexel. This album tears it’s way from beginning to end; complete with droning harmonies, bloodcurdling screams and drums, drums and more drums!

Tags: math punk, college, beers, city bears 

3. Glocca Morra – Just Married (July)

The basement sounds from a South Philadelphia indie-punk outfit. It’s raw, it’s catchy and it evokes so much nostalgia that it’ll feel like Christmas morning…1995…running down the stairs…and your presents were replaced by 100 kids punching each other in your living room.

Tags: basement, motherfuckers, derrida, April 20th 1969

4. Pill Friends – it’s kyle’s birthday everyday (September)

A New Hope band that relocated to South Kensington. The depth of this album’s emotion is only matched by its sincere emotionlessness.

Tags: michael j. fox, klonopin, birthdays, death

5. Thinking Machines – Extension Chords (December)

With a voice like J. Robbins and music that sounds like ghosts forging metal in an old factory beneath a town shrouded in darkness, Thinking Machines doesn’t emerge very often but when they do…well…this happens.

Tags: stargaze, robot feelings, extension chords

Every year around this time, music lovers the world over clamor to check out “Best Of” lists from sites like Pitchfork and Stereogum. And while these sites make an effort to cover all sorts of music, their reach is only so far. And thus I present: my top 5 under the radar acts of 2012. You won’t find them on Pitchfork’s “Best of” list—or anywhere else on Pitchfork for that matter. They’re signed to small labels, and/or releasing music independently, and thus have not grabbed the attention we know they deserve. Check ‘em out below… then make sure to keep an eye on them the next couple of years, as we know their influence will only grow.

5. Mark Adams

photo by Emily Miller

We’re already shared “The Bus Argument” here, Adams’ funky take on new wave themes, but it turns out this California songwriter/vintner has more than one trick up his sleeve. His 2012 record Pajanatan teems with creative, feel-good pop, from easy-going charmer “Nationwide” to slinky, 6-minute psych offering “Oil on Mars.”

4. Deep Sea Arcade

I’d never heard of Australian rockers Deep Sea Arcade until I latched onto swinging single “Lonely in Your Arms,” as featured on MTV’s The Inbetweeners. The band might be unknown in this hemisphere but in the land down under, they’re rising stars, thanks to quirky, 60’s influenced pop nugs, as featured on their debut full-length, Outlands.

3. The Bastards of Fate

Seeing The Bastards of Fate live this summer (in a tiny dive bar in South Philly) was one of the most memorable shows of the year, thanks to front man Doug Cheatwood’s crazy antics, and a completely unique take on songwriting. The band’s debut record Who’s a Fuzzy Buddy is a wild, schizophrenic romp through avant-garde experimentations, complete with big choral hooks, impassioned harmonica, a slew of bizarre sound effects, oh yeah, and some pretty catchy melodies too. Check out the video for “Digging Up the Dinosaurs” here.

2. Work Drugs

No one captures a mood and a feeling quite like Work Drugs, Philly’s premiere “boating and yachting” band, but also the world’s premiere sexy dancing time band. Members Tom Crystal and Ben Louisiana have a knack for combining melody and imagery in just the right way: leading to seductive grooves you can get lost in all night, then awaken to slowly, hung over, the next morning. Scoop up their most recent single, “Young Lungs,” here.

1. Savoir Adore

Brooklyn’s Savoir Adore crafted one of the most beautiful records of the year in Our Nature, a scintillating journey through a magical dream world, where young girls fall in love with monsters, and everything glistens in the moonlight. From pure pop confections like “Anywhere You Go” to skulking dance grooves like “Regalia,” this record was definitely one of my most-played in 2012, and is a must-listen for fans of dreamy, ethereal pop. Check out our interview with 1/2 Savoir Adore, Paul Hammer, here. We’re excited to see what they come up with next!

Zilla Rocca’s top 5 joints for a beer
1. Industry
2. South Philly Tap Room
3. Royal Tavern
4. Bainbridge Street Barrel House
5. Bob & Barb’s

Zilla Rocca’ top 5 joints for a cocktail
1. Twisted Tail
2. Franklin Mortgage and Investment
3. Trestle Inn
4. Ranstead Room
5. Hop Sing Laundromat

I was not always an Anglophile.  It all began when I spent several months studying in London in 2011, chasing down any band from Philly that was playing a gig in any corner of the proverbially foggy city.  But once I returned stateside at the start of 2012, I found myself doing the opposite – chasing down any band from the U.K. that was playing in any corner of Philadelphia (and in one or two instances, New York).  The reverse culture shock was significant and unexpected.  As much as I love Philadelphia and its music community (which is to say, a lot) I spent 2012 pining for a metropolis 3500 miles away.  I tried everything to fill the void, from venturing into Haddonfield, NJ for some fish and chips, to drinking cups upon cups of tea (and, of course, wallowing in my room, staring at the hundreds of pictures I had taken).  But then I noticed that my favorite part of London, its eclectic and eye-opening music scene, seemed to have traveled home with me.  So, here are my five favorite (favourite?) U.K. acts that crossed the pond (either physically or, in one case, sonically) in 2012 to share a bit of the old country with my home city of Philadelphia:

1. Daughter “Youth” The Wild Youth EP

Daughter’s Elena Tonra has the melancholy songs to ease any painful longing, whether it be for a person or a place.  And with only a couple of EPs to their name, Tonra and her bandmates have set their place on both sides of the Atlantic as a band to watch.

2. Ben Howard “Black Flies” Every Kingdom

Though technically released at the end of 2011, Ben Howard’s debut crossed over in a big way in 2012.  Howard proudly carries on the acoustic guitar tradition of John Martyn and Nick Drake but moderns it up a bit with an outdoorsy angle thanks to his surfing background.

3. ∆ (alt-j) “Something Good” An Awesome Wave

These guys just won the Mercury Prize for 2012 (and recorded a great World Cafe session here) so clearly they’re doing something right.  And I think that “something” is representing the adventurous and cutting-edge side of British music that sometimes gets lost in the Brit-pop and classic rock.

4. Dry the River “History Book” Shallow Bed

Like Daughter, East London’s Dry the River specialize in the sound you might imagine a breaking heart would make. Their debut is exquisite and dynamic and takes the notion of British folk to another dimension.

5. Pale Seas “Bodies” Bodies / My Own Mind (single)

Though they are perhaps my favorite musical discovery while I was abroad, Pale Seas have not physically crossed the Atlantic Ocean to the U.S. (yet).  They did, however, open for The War on Drugs at a London gig and they just won the 2012 Spotify Artists and Managers award in the “up-and-coming” category so we can be hopeful that the Southampton / London group will visit our shores in 2013 with a full-length in tow.

Honorable Mentions:

Syd Arthur “Edge of the Earth” On an On
Cian Nugent “Grass Above My Head” Grass Above My Head
Michael Kiwanuka “I’m Getting Ready” Home Again

I decided for my list of the Top 5 of 2012 to be somewhat a hodge-podge but unifying in the sense that they are all things, both large and small, that shaped this year for me.

1. Younger generations asking me about what I’m spinning – I’m at an age now where I can feel time behind me more intensely. I think we go for awhile where we can reflect but everything around us physically still feels a bit of the same time and place. Now, I see the places around me shifting. Younger folks seem more like peacocks on the loose to me and I’m like the old gorilla with those deep eyes that sits behind my cage which is in this case the DJ booth. And someone will walk over and say, “What is this?” and I realize I’m about to tell them about Linda Ronstandt or Joni Mitchell or Santo & Johnny or fill in the blank and turn this person’s world inside out. I then realize that is something so comforting to me about great music, it never depreciates, it’s immortal and blazing hot and is the tie that binds.

2. Recording music with a full band live to tape – I was afforded the chance to do this this year because of lovely humans who decided to become patrons of our work. While I’ve made other recordings, this was the first one I could cut the music live in a single room with the whole band feeding off of each other’s vibes and energy and love. It was one of the most rewarding musical experiences of my life.

3. Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House in Chinatown – I forget how I made it here, a combination of suggestions of others and independent curiosity. A bowl of their shrimp noodle soup is $6, a plate of peanut noodles $3, less than a beer in a bunch of places these days. We’ve celebrated a lot of our small and large victories here running the spectrum of “Honey, I did my laundry, let’s go get noodles!” to “Honey, we just got album of the year at Pledge Music! Let’s go treat ourselves to noodles!” I remember reading Patti Smith’s book Just Kids and observing her conservation and money smarts in an effort to keep making art above all else and related, the noodle house is where we live like kings.

4. Light reflections caused by perforated metal - Ok. So I realize this may confuse some but it is just as it says. I have really fallen for light reflections cast by the process of light, either candle or soft bulb, coming through metal. I have a punched tin lamp or a candle shrine my friend made from scrap she found out in the world that serve this purpose. I cozy up in my bed and it’s like a trip back to being a child taken by finger shadows in the quiet of night. I’d sit there staring at this over a big party any night.

5. The expression “do it like you mean it son” – This expression I co-opted from my friend Ali who will say this out loud to everything, to an omelette she’s cooking, to a massive mural she’s painting, to a trip to Mexico she always wanted to take then did. Sometimes it’s more an acknowledgement than a command, like, “We do it like we mean it son.” I keep this expression in my pocket, and remind myself of it when I need to or bring it out all big-ups stylee when I’m feeling footloose and living intentionally. This year was huge for me for doing it like I mean it sons!

Working nights means I can’t catch every great band that passes through Philly.  But I do what I can, whether that means using up vacation time for a must-see show, cramming a few days’ worth of performances into a couple of hours, taking a quick trip to another town, or going the festival route. Here were my five most memorable nights of music in 2012.

1. June 15 (Theresa Andersson and Lucius at Tin Angel; Eternal Summers, Bedroom Problems and Catnaps at MilkBoy)

Dashing from show to show is a mood-booster for a music junkie, but it’s fraught with peril. Worst-case scenario: You suffer through a lousy opener at an empty club, wait too long for the band you came to check out and give up before they get there; then you get stuck on the bus while hurrying to catch another show across town, only to get shut out because the headliner’s almost done and the place is too packed to accommodate even one more person. But when it works, you wonder why it ever has to be so hard. June 15 was one of those serendipitous nights. First came harmony-happy Lucius and loopy one-woman noise-soul band Theresa Andersson at the Tin Angel; a swift walk later, the fun was just getting under way at MilkBoy, with the sweet-and-sour Catnaps, dreamy-doomy Bedroom Problems, and hypnotic Eternal Summers. Not a bad one in the bunch.

2. June 23 (Supercluster, The B-53s and The New Sound of Numbers at the Georgia Theatre; Nutritional Peace at Ciné; Incendiaries at Little Kings Shuffle Club)

AthFest — Athens, Ga.’s eclectic music festival — is always my favorite way to start the summer. It doesn’t even matter who’s playing anymore; even if I haven’t heard of most of the acts, I always find a new band or three to love. This year’s installment may not have been as can’t-miss musically as the past few years’, but the Saturday-night club crawl offered an irresistible challenge: John Fernandes played multiple instruments in multiple groups at multiple venues. We enjoyed The New Sound of Numbers’ amiably experimental pop at the Georgia Theatre; ran over to Ciné to be awed by Nutritional Peace’s sprawling art-jazz; and ended the night back where we’d started for Supercluster’s life-affirming new-wave meditations. Outside of Fernandes’ orbit, we danced our asses off to The B-53’s faithful re-creations of classic B-52’s tunes and nodded vigorously to Incendiaries’ twisty, righteous riffage.

3. Sept. 16 (Patterson Hood & The Downtown Rumblers and Hope for Agoldensummer at World Café Live)

Patterson Hood and his non-Drive-By Truckers band did a great job with the character-driven pieces on Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance, while Claire and Page Campbell of Hope for Agoldensummer opened the show with songs from this year’s excellent Life Inside the Body and then slipped gently into the ensemble for the headlining set. But the night’s highlight was “After It’s Gone,” the non-album track Hood wrote to fight plans to build a Walmart in downtown Athens. Proof that a protest song, done right, can still be powerful enough to help thwart a corporate giant and passionate enough to satisfy listeners without a direct stake in the matter.

4. Sept. 28 (Madonna at Wells Fargo Center)

So what if Madonna made us wait for it? Her perfectionism is legendary, and it’s only natural that she wanted the tour’s North American debut to be flawless. Though heavy on material from the blah MDNA, her set was the year’s most thrilling spectacle. What was the best part? The mystical-industrial overture? The guns-blazing “Gang Bang”? A fresh treatment of “Open Your Heart,” in which she was backed by a Basque folk trio? All solid choices. But seeing “Express Yourself” performed with a nine-man marching band suspended in midair had me floating the rest of the week.

5. Oct. 11 (John Wesley Harding, Jukebox the Ghost, Eleni Mandell, Chuck Prophet, Dave Alvin & Christy McWilson, Robyn Hitchcock & Scott McCaughey, Nick Lowe, and Los Straitjackets at Cat’s Cradle)

The first official night of Yep Roc’s long-weekend YR 15 party was teeming with singer-songwriters I can see anytime here in Philadelphia (emcee John Wesley Harding, for one) and those who rarely play here (Christy McWilson, an unbilled foil for Dave Alvin), as well as a youth choir and comedian Eugene Mirman. But of all the fantastic collaborations on tap, one really summed up the spirit of the whole label-centric lovefest. Wandering around Chapel Hill and Carrboro that weekend, it was impossible to avoid running into friendly fans and bands. A chance encounter with Robyn Hitchcock at a coffee shop prompted a tender take on “No, I Don’t Remember Guildford,” along with a dedication as funny, touching and weird as you could hope for. It’ll stick with me for a while.

Honorable mentions: March 9 (The Suzan at the Art Museum), May 11 (Bei Bei at PSALM Salon), Sept. 18 (Corin Tucker Band and Trophy Wife at Johnny Brenda’s).

I’m a firm believer that Philadelphia is slowly making a name for itself as a culinary destination with the success of the Garces, Starr, and Rittenhouse newcomer Vernick. However, none of those hoity-toity places can hold a candle to the provincial Szechuan ass-burning entrees of Han Dynasty. I eat at Han Dynasty about every 2 weeks. I crave the addicive mala sauce (a combination of sichuan peppercorns, housemade chili oil, and some sort of drug they’re not telling us about) on a daily basis. It may be the most flavorful food I’ve ever put inside of my mouth. One day I plan on sneaking into their basement to become a reclusive writer with a penchant for spice level 10 Dan Dan Noodles. 5 stars, Han.

2. Long in the Tooth on Sansom

Remember when people listened to records on the old Edison crank-machine? I’m a grandpa at heart and I like my vinyl records just fine, thank you very much. Uncle Neil Young says it still sounds the best and I can’t argue with him. Thank heavens for Long in the Tooth, a record store situated on Sansom Street across from the Adrienne Theatre and next to Helium Comedy Club. Owner Nick Devlin is one of the most knowledgeable dudes in the biz and I always spend a ludicrous amount of time and money in his store. We often talk about the Melvins, bad eating habits, and why things suck. We also share a deep affinity for PJ Harvey. I walked in there the other day and picked up Philip Glass’ “Einstein On The Beach” vinyl box set (with libretto! original pressing!) for $30. I’m a customer for life.

3. The top of City Hall (a.k.a City Hall Tower)

City Hall Tower is vastly underrated. Who doesn’t love going into a rickety elevator that then leads you into a cramped crawlspace with small windows that allows you to witness a 360 degree of our beautiful city? You only get to spend a total of 7 minutes up there, but damn, it’s an awesome 7 minutes. Bring your partner and a camera. Be a tourist in your own hometown!

4. Johnny Brenda’s

Johnny Brenda’s is the best venue in Philadelphia. Hands down. I’ve seen tUnE-yArDs, Buke and Gass, Hermit Thrushes, Make a Rising, Pattern is Movement, Ariel Pink, R. Stevie Moore, The Clean, and Bill Callahan there. Best staff, best bar food, and best sound. If I ever left Philadelphia, there’d be a huge void in my soul because I’d miss that place so much.

5. People/Friends

Perhaps this is a bit shameless and corny but I’m really proud of all of my friends for their achievements in 2012. Perhaps the Mayan apocalypse made everybody work a little harder…so 2012 was a productive year. Shout-outs to my sis Julie, Dr. Dog, Ape School, Hop Along, Capillary Action, Laser Background, DRGN KING, and many more for inspiring us all to work harder and be better humans. 2013 is totally going to rule because of you guys.

1. Bee Mask – When We Were Eating Unripe Pears (Spectrum Spools)

The experimental electronic musician Chris Madak stretches sounds so far your ears will rip, and bleed, and it feels delicious, like an unripe pear.

2. Nick Millevoi – In White Sky (Flenser)

The Many Arms guitarist’s bleakest and scariest solo work so far.

3. Superlith – Plasma Clusters (Eh?)

The trombonist Dan Blacksberg and circuit-bent Casio keyboardist Julius Masri unleash droning, brutal, bubbling and gorgeous noise.

4. Starkey – Orbits (Civil Music)

Digi-orchestral splendor, hard melodics and trunk-busting bass thrive on electronic music artist Starkey’s deep-space opus.

5. +HIRS+ – NUNMILK (Human Beard)

The queer-grind duo deliver violent, blistering, devil-worshipping ditties that never last longer than 57 seconds.

Bonus: Mary Lattimore – Mary Lattimore (self-released)

On her first solo album (Arc In Round’s Jeff Zeigler plays synth on the 25-minute-long opener), harpist Mary Lattimore contrasts blissful melodic sweeps with the eerie warbles, blurs and drones realized by (gently) ramming her harp through effects pedals.

By which I mean songs you just can’t get out of your head, not necessarily because of lyrical content or musical depth, but because of a sound that hooks you.  I suspect it has something to do with repetition and viscerally-felt clapping or drum noise and the other things noted below. There are studies about why music is addictive – read more here and here.

1. Django Django  “Default”  (I especially love the auto tuney parts.)

Django Django – Default from Django Django on Vimeo.

2. Electric Guest  “This Head I Hold” (The trancey rhythm, falsetto singing and catchy lyric: “Don’t think / take drink”)

3. The Avett Brothers  “Live and Die”  (The chorus, tempo, rhymes and simplicity…life and death!)

4.  Lianne LaHavas  “Is Your Love Big Enough?” (“Lo-oo-oo-ve…”)

5. Kopecky Family Band  “Heartbeat” (Claps, finger snaps and “oo-oo’s.”)

Then there’s…
Delta Rae “Bottom Of The River”
The Lumineers ”Ho Hey”
The XX “Chained”
Martin Harley “Mojo Fix”
Ben Harper/Charlie Musselwhite  “I Don’t Believe A Word You Say“

The following represent my five favorite concert photos I took this year.

1.Wild Flag, Tuesday, April 3, 2012, Trocadero Theatre, Philadelphia, PA

Very little in contemporary rock is closer to perfection than bringing together Carrie Brownstein, Mary Timony, Janet Weiss, and Rebecca Cole in one space. The aural ecstasy that is a Wild Flag concert oozes forth from this shot: Brownstein’s leg-kick, Timony’s guitar crouch, Cole as keyboard-extraordinaire, and Weiss at one with drumming.

Photo by Chris Sikich

2. The Baseball Project, Thursday, June 5, 2012, City Winery, New York, NY

As a musical compendium of eccentric baseball knowledge, The Baseball Project, which is composed of Steve Wynn, Scott McCaughey, Peter Buck, and Linda Pitmon, truly rock and roll the listener, with a dash of pure fun for good measure. This night they took the fun to one extreme in this faux shot of anger between rival (at least in the 1991 World Series) Minnesota Twins fans Craig Finn (providing vocals to his song “Don’t Call Them Twinkies”) and Pitmon and Atlanta Braves fan Mike Mills (pinch-hitting for Peter Buck on this night).

Photo by Chris Sikich

3. Andrew Lipke and The Azrael Quartet, Saturday, August 25, 2012, Christ Church, Riverton, NJ

The music of Andrew Lipke lent itself quite well to the reverential surroundings of Christ Church for the concert this photo was snapped at. With help from his Azrael Quartet, Lipke, one of Philadelphia’s most underrated musicians, filled the space with works as varied as apocalyptic tales from his 2011 record The Plague and his lengthy, multi-movement work “Siddqah.”

Photo by Chris Sikich

4. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, Saturday, September 8, Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

Despite witnessing The Boss four times in Philadelphia and once in New Jersey during his Wrecking Ball tour, I found myself at Chicago’s Wrigley Field with quite a bit of luck in hand: a spot up close in GA. Springsteen certainly did not disappoint, playing his heart out in pouring rain and with the help of not only the magnificent E Street Band but also guests Tom Morello and Eddie Vedder. This shot, taken at the end of a three-hour master class on rock ’n’ roll, brims with the joy of experiencing The Boss.

Photo by Chris Sikich

5. The Minus 5, Yep Roc 15, Saturday, October 13, 2012, Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC

Scott McCaughey, complete with his trademark bushy white hair and baseball cap, leaps in this shot, putting a final rush of energy into The Minus 5’s bristling garage-rock set. He is far from done on this third and final night of celebrating Yep Roc Records, as he later joins The Sadies.

Photo by Chris Sikich

5. TJ Kong and The Atomic Bomb- Manufacturing Joy

Vocalist/guitarist Dan Bruskewicz takes listeners through a bluesy journey filled with tales of late nights at bars, cocaine and the after effects of both on the group’s impressive second self-released full length. Listen here:

4. Dr. Dog- Be The Void

On their 7th LP, Philadelphia’s most beloved rock n’ roll band shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. The tried and true song-writing partnership of Scott McMicken and Toby Leaman got a breathe of fresh air on Be The Void with the addition of percussion powerhouse, Earl Slick, and pedal fanatic Dmitri Manos.

3. Grande Marshall- 800

18 year-old producer/emcee, Grande Marshall, brings new life into the city’s underground hip hop scene on his debut tape. Marshall chooses to avoid the loud, Meek Mill influenced ‘street hip hop’ sound of Philadelphia in favor of blunted, almost atmospheric production and a laid-back lyrical flow. Listen here:

2. Spacin’- Deep Thuds

Psychedelic blues rockers, Birds of Maya, have grown to spawn local guitar hero, Mike Polizze’s Stooges-influence Purling Hiss and the Grateful Dead meets punk rock sounds of Spacin’ lead by Jason Killinger. Spacin’s debut LP, Deep Thuds is a lo-fi record that combines garage rock sounds with extended spacey grooves. Listen to “Empty Mind” here to get a preview of what this band’s sound is all about.

1. Lushlife- Plateau Vision

Producer/emcee Lushlife, a.k.a Raj Haldar, released one of the most exciting hip hop releases I’ve ever listened to this year with Plateau Vision. Haldar manages to combine elements from Phil Spector-esque pop, experimental indie groups and classic hip hop to create a truly unique album that is as much Illmatic and it is Pet Sounds. Listen here:

It’s been a great year for music fans, but it’s time to start looking ahead to 2013. While you ponder your new year’s resolutions, take some time to look at upcoming concerts and releases—there’s a lot of stuff to get excited about. Some of my favorite artists are putting out new albums next year, and most have already scheduled Philly shows as well. Here’s a list of the 5 albums I’m most excited to hear in 2013.

1. Josh Ritter – Beast In Its Tracks – March 5th (playing The Trocadero on May 16th)

Josh Ritter has been my favorite singer-songwriter for a while now, so it’s great to see that the wait for the follow up to 2010′s So Runs the World Away, his fantastic 6th LP, is almost over. Beast in Its Tracks will end that wait on March 5th. According to Josh himself, It was born in the 18 months after his marriage had fallen apart. That’s right, it’s a Josh Ritter heartbreak album. And I couldn’t be more excited.

2. Frightened Rabbit – Passenger Verse – February 5th (playing Union Transfer on April 6th)

Frightened Rabbit is a band that just keeps getting better and better. The Scottish band gained acclaim here in the U.S. after their brilliant 2008 record, The Midnight Organ Fight. In 2010, they released another great album, The Winter of Mixed Drinks, that found them an even larger fan-base. Passenger Verse will be their major label debut, a jump that adds a little anxiety to the anticipation of the record–but the songs we’ve heard so far (“The Woodpile,” “Dead Now,” and “State Hospital”) indicate this may just be their best album yet.

3. Dawes – TBA

Earlier this fall, Taylor Goldsmith took to Twitter to let us know that Dawes had finished their next record, so it’s safe to assume it will see its release sometime in 2013. The group followed their outstanding 2009 debut, North Hills, with the jaw-dropping Nothing is Wrong in 2011, and I’ve got a good feeling they’ll continue the upward trend with an even better third LP.

4. Local Natives – Breakers – January 29th  (playing Union Transfer on April 4th)

Local Natives’ upcoming sophomore album is one I’m nervously excited to hear. It’s a long-awaited follow up to a critically-acclaimed debut, Gorilla Manor (fall 2009), so the pressure is on. There’s a chance the album is a major disappointment, and an equal chance it’s one of the year’s best.

5. Hey Marseilles – Lines We Trace – March 5th (playing Johnny Brenda’s on March 27th)

Another band that’s taken their sweet time getting out a sophomore LP, albeit with much less pressure, is Hey Marseilles. Their debut album, To Travels and Trunks, was originally released in 2008 (and re-released in 2010) and has unfairly gone a bit unnoticed. Lines We Trace will come out on March 5th and I hope to see it bring this talented Seattle group more recognition.

Honorable mentions: Toy Soldiers – The Maybe Boys (TBA), DRGN KING – Paragraph Nights (January 22), Nightlands – Oak Island (January 22)

I moved back to Philly 140 days ago today and for a while I wasn’t happy about it. I was living in Portland, Oregon for a year and a half. It’s like adult summer camp and it’s a really hard place to leave. Still, it was time to come home, get a job, sign a lease, and ask my parents for money and food. The past six months have been the most challenging and rewarding so far. Here’s a list of special songs that helped me feel really sorry for myself at times and slapped sense into me at other times. These five songs are part of a revolving play list of local music that I can’t get enough of, part of a scene that’s showed me my folly and made it easier to come home from summer camp.

1. Cruiser, “The Fritz” Cruiser EP

“DON’T WANNA GO, DON’T WANNA GO HOME NOW…” really resonated with me because a) I totally didn’t want to and b) once I was back home, I never wanted to leave the bar. I’d stay up late Wednesday nights and close out the El Bar. To get myself going in the morning, I’d blast this song as loud as allowed to dissolve any bad feeling (hangover) risen from the night before. So peppy, it really helped me wake my brain up and start all over again. Which, when successful, inevitably led me back to the bar. Sigh.

2. Purling Hiss, “Running from the City” Public Service Announcement

The scraggly guitar intro is just as exciting as it is painful. Its deep, fuzzed-out vocals are under decipherable, so the song can be about anything you want it to be (see: starting over! making new friends! not regressing, not regressing, not regressing…). Call it free association.

3. Vacationer, “Summer End” Gone

I remember when this song first found me. It was September and I was in my little kitchen cooking up a stir-fry dinner. The heartbeat drums, lyrics filled with nervous energy, the mention of summer ending, it was all too hard to not feel like someone was Truman Showing me. Too relatable, too topical. This song opened up my memory box–full of rocky coastlines, ice cold waterfalls, sunny rivers and damp campsites–and it splayed all of those pictures right out in front of me. That’s what this track is to me, a memory box, and it might forever be that, the way I said goodbye to Portland.

Vacationer – Summer End from Vacationer on Vimeo.

4. The War On Drugs, “Baby Missiles” Slave Ambient

By the time I got into playing this track over and over again, things were really looking up! I got a full-time job and was able to throw a few bones to the credit cards companies that were funding me up to this point. My roommate and I decided to stick around for another year and I was finally feeling at home in my new Fishtown. No longer did I need some angsty, scratch-fuzz rock to gnaw at my open wounds.

5. GrandeMarshall, “Dearly Beloved” 800

How can you feel sorry for yourself while you’re listening to this? It’s the apple pie of rap (you can even hear little children playing in the background!) I got super excited when a friend turned me on to GrandeMarshall while I was still in the Northwest. Not sure I knew yet about my plane plans, but I was proud that this young kid from Philly could produce a classic, genre-f*cking mix tape like 808. I played this song for everyone, it was annoying I guess. When I got back to the East coast, I thought I’d be swimming in a sea of GM fans, but I was wrong. He’s still this diamond-in-the-rough (listen to “SEC580,” it literally twinkles), and while he’s had some buzz through Fader magazine and plenty of mix tape blogs, he’s still under the Philly pavement. Listen and learn.

This does not mean the “best” necessarily. Tune in starting Dec 26 for the eight best World Cafe interview segments (two per day).  These are five interviews that exceeded my expectations.  People who ended up being a lot of fun to talk with or were much more forthcoming than I expected.

1. Nils Lofgren – What a storyteller.  From early days showing up at The Childe Harold in DC to meet Neil Young to how he was asked to become part of The E Street Band, Nils had fascinating stories to tell. Listen to the interview here (via the WXPN media player).

2. Bassnectar – Not knowing a whole lot about the Dubstep and EDM world it was fascinating to have a guide like Lorin Ashton who performs as Bassnectar. He took us through building a track up to the all important “Drop” when sonic joy ensues. Very open and intelligent guy. Listen to the interview here.

3. Lana Del Ray – After seeing her unsettling performance on Saturday Night Live I thought maybe she was all about the hype.  Not so. She was surprisingly  down to earth and had a real sense of her strengths and who she was.  Really good stripped down performances and she even gave us one for our Live at The World Cafe CD. Listen to the interview here.

4. The Tallest Man On Earth – The Swedish alternative singer-songwriter Kristian Mattson is one of my favorite new artists. I had also heard that he disliked interviews. So I really prepared and he told people afterward how much he loved our conversation.  A lot of that made it into the edit we aired. Listen to the interview here.

5. Dwight Yoakam – I had no idea how smart the country star/actor is.  He took off on my questions and talked for over an hour, about half of which made it onto the show. Once again he was eager to talk about his early life and influences. Listen to the interview here.

I started working at XPN in the spring of 2006. I was quickly exposed to some of Philadelphia’s brightest up-and-comers, many of whom still rock/pop/hop to this day. Some bands didn’t last, but an uncanny thing happened in 2012: members of several of those beloved bands reemerged with new names and newer sounds. Here are five of my favorite second acts in Philadelphia in 2012.

1. Sun Airway

Shifting away from the guitar crunch of The A-Sides, Jon Barthmus and Patrick Marsceill now craft sweeping, synth-driven masterpieces. Their latest, Soft Fall, is a romantic triumph. As a full band, Sun Airway has joined XPN for a Free at Noon Concert and an XPoNential Music Festival slot.

2. White Birds

After releasing one of my favorite Philly albums, Born And Thrown On A Hook, Bucks County’s Drink Up Buttercup disbanded. My hearbreak wouldn’t last long, though, as three of the band’s four members reconvened as White Birds. Furthering this trend, members of White Birds also moonlight as the noir-ish Night Panther.

3. Purples

Shambling and endearing, The Teeth fit snugly on the roster of the Philly-via-New Orleans label Park The Van (early home to Dr. Dog). After calling it quits with The Teeth, bassist Peter MoDavis took a few of his bandmates to form Purples, who recorded a Key Studio Session in May 2012.

[BITBY BKSTG] PURPLES at XPN’s THE KEY STUDIO SESSIONS from BITBY on Vimeo.

4. Bleeding Rainbow

Here’s where things get tricky. Strictly speaking, Reading Rainbow, the poppy/punky/noisy duo of Sarah Everton and Rob Garcia, never broke up. In fact, the band gradually doubled in size. But along with the name change to Bleeding Rainbow came a major shift in sound for the Shaking Through alums. Look for 2013 to be a big year for these guys, as their Kanine Records debut, Yeah Right, comes out in January.

5. Brian Dwyer

Finally, I get to talk about one of my favorite departed Philly bands: Papertrigger. With rousing choruses and menacing production, Papertrigger’s lone album, Snake Sale, is a must-listen. And while the band remains unfortunately dormant, you might have bumped into drummer Brian Dwyer at his Kensington pizzeria/odditorium, Pizza Brain. It might not be a musical venture, but you can’t help but be impressed by his Guinness Record-netting collection of pizza knick-knacks.

Music videos: they’re so much fun, and sometimes they contain biting social commentary too. This year there were so many amazing vids that making this list was hard—and so quick shout-outs to Passion Pit, “Take a Walk” (filmed in Philly!), Jaill, “Perfect Ten” (colored slime, GG Allin antics), Hot Panda, “Future Markets” (weird masks/futurism), Nicky Romero, “Toulouse” (MORE weird masks, creepy dancing), and The Very Best, “Kondaine” (men visit Kenyan medicine man, get turned into goats), which were so close to making the cut. But in the end there can only be five.

5. A Place to Bury Strangers, “So Far Away”

A Place to Bury Strangers “So Far Away” from Secretly Jag on Vimeo.

Basically everyone I know is obsessed with Instagram, and this vid takes the world’s 1,000,000 cloud pics + compiles them into something greater than the sum of its parts.  This must have taken so long to put together, but was totally worth it, since it rules so hard.

4. Fanfarlo, “Shiny Things”

What happens when art succumbs to greed? Fanfarlo explore one take in this mesmerizing vid, which also features some excellent ribbon-dancing.

 3. King Tuff, “Alone & Stoned”

I loved this song before I saw the video, and the video made me love it even more. These people are all so weird and hilarious, yet somehow perfectly epitomize almost all of my friends.

2. Said the Whale, “We Are 1980”

Imagine that George Orwell named his famous dystopian novel 1980 instead, then watch this video.

1. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, “Thrift Store”

I don’t like this quite as much as my top pick last year…but I still like this a lot a lot a lot. There’s so much hilarity here it’s hard to pick fave moments: so let’s just say, damn can Macklemore work the footie pajamas. I think the thrift stores in his hometown Seattle must be better than in Philly though—my guy friends are always complaining about the limited men’s section over at The Second Mile.

But if you’re like me, you find best-of lists a little boring. I mean, they’re kind of a necessary evil, in terms of the cultural community putting the past 12 months into context. That said, after the fifty-billionth iteration they can almost become a chore to read and to put together. So for The Key’s year-in-review, we asked our trusted sources – our writers and photographers, XPN’s on-air staff, fellow bloggers in the Philly scene and even a few musicians – to send us their Top Five Whatevers. Could be the traditional music route – albums, songs, concerts of the year – or it could be only loosely connected.

We’ll be sharing these recaps every day through to the end of the year. Today, I’ll get things started with my top five Philly music discoveries of 2012. Coming across an exciting emerging musician I’ve never heard before is easily a highlight of my job, and there was no shortage of that this year. (See the incomplete honorable mention section.) With this list, though, I tried to focus on the less-discussed acts, the ones you won’t find on a show every weekend. Some artists hit the ground running this year, and that’s great – these artists are ones that are worth your time to seek out.

1. Radiator Hospital – I first caught this new-to-town, midwestern-bred act opening for Ted Leo at a West Philly basement show last month. Singer-songwriter Sam Cook-Parrot has an extensive discography, a lively homemade vibe along the lines of Half Japanese and Daniel Johnston, and an infectious and instantly likeable delivery. Bonus points for his Jarmels cover. Listen to “…You Call That A Kiss?!” below.

2. Family Vacation – This group of Temple students contacted me out of the blue this fall. They had not even played their first legit show and I was nonetheless floored. Jangley indie pop nicely informed by Youth Lagoon  and My Morning Jacket, lots of chemistry and a free EP to boot. Listen to “Winter’s Wind” below.

3. Citizen Xavier – This emerging Philly rapper has great taste, from rapping over a Teddy Pendergrass hook to his uber-nerdy Goonies-referencing video and song, “Reel Characters.” Even if he didn’t sample and namecheck great bits of music and film, his Erik B & Rakim big-beat stylings are a winner. Watch the video for “Left / Right” below.

4. The Sun Flights – A back-to-basics acoustic duo that doesn’t get lost in the typical folky trappings. There are no overlong songs, no overly dramatic presentations, no kind of heady musicological focus that might alienate a general audience. At the same time, they write songs that people who are into all of those things would still enjoy. The perfect balance of haunting new-folk mystique and accessible pop. Listen to “I Am A Robot” below.

5. Asaad – I’ve seen this rapper’s name pop up now and again for a while, going back to his guest spot on a Dragon King song in early 2011. So maybe not “new” exactly, but he had a tremendous year, from #DIRTYMIDDLECLASS to New Black History Month to #TROY, mixing thoughtful, quasi-philosophical verses with raw, nasty, provocative ones. The beats and sounds he raps over are equally exciting, and unpredictable. Watch a video for “Jumanji Flow” below.

(Incomplete) Honorable Mentions: Rock School-founded psych four-piece Keepers, impressive impassioned post-punk outfit The Downtown Club, soulful singer-songwriter Daniela Romeo, hard-hitting thrashers Ruby the Hatchet.