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_ J ALBUMS OF 2012
2012
hit us with a deluge of diverse local sounds, which made for a close and contentious vote when it came time for Flagpole's music writers to cast their ballots for the
year's best. As usual, there were far too many honorable mentions to mention, and this list is by no means a definitive one. Still, the following albums, which together
represent a truly weird, wild and wonderful year in Athens music, deserve to be heard and discussed and, above all, remembered.
Grass Giraffes
Transportation EP
Independent Release
The phenomenal debut EP from local
psych-rockers Grass Giraffes claimed the top
spot on our list despite clocking in at under
20 minutes. The five tracks that went into
Transportation packed an out-of-nowhere
punch that immediately made Athens turn its
collective head. Except it wasn't really out
of nowhere, if you'd been paying attention.
Three-fourths of the band had long been carv
ing out separate niches for themselves: Eddie
Whelan, under the alias Eddie the Wheel;
Steven Trimmer, whose earnest but inventive
songwriting had earned him more than a few
fans around town (including Whelan); and
Javier Morales, known for purveying a skewed
but brilliant brand of retro-future pop as The
Dream Scene. Only 16-year-old drummer Robby
Casso was a newcomer, but he, too, stepped
up to the plate, providing the group with its
narco-rhythmic foundation. Meanwhile, the
other members' distinct backgrounds solidi
fied beautifully into a sound both psych-heavy
and pop-forward. Sure, good things are com
ing from this group, but, as evidenced by
Transportation's number-one spot, they have
also already arrived. [Gabe Vodicka]
Muuy Biien
This Is What Your Mind Imagines
Independent Release
This album snuck out almost completely
unnoticed, but soon caught like wildfire by
word of mouth. Like a clan of future cavemen
digging up fire and claiming it as their own,
the members of Muuy Biien re-imagined old-
school hardcore, ambient drones and Ian
Curtis' haircut for a new generation???one, it
seemed at times, solely populated by them
selves. The youngsters claimed kinship, the
oldsters patted themselves on the back, and
Situationist theory now leaves it to the band
to conguer its own spectacle. [Gordon Lamb]
Cloud Recordings
Dream Boat's debut album boasted a ros
ter of Dan Donahue, Page Campbell, John
Fernandes, Scott Spillane, Claire Campbell,
Kris Deason and Suny Lyons. You almost
didn't need to hear Eclipsing to know it was
great. In the hands of fiancee Page Campbell,
Donahue's personal yet universal lyrics
became gauzy, slightly psychedelic numbers,
as organic sounding as anything Hope for
Agoldensummer ever wrote. It was an album
awash with virtuosic professionals. Is it any
wonder it turned out so good? [Rachel Bailey]
Mazarine
pacificUV's third album in almost 15 years,
Weekends, felt like a well-thought-out expla
nation after a long pause. It was a breakup
album, but it wasn't bitter or confessional; it
was the sound of a body going through the
motions while its mind looked frankly, wearily
on. The massive, slow atmospherics and the
sparse, sing-song vocals revealed a fine line
between dance songs and melancholy, and
reinforced the idea that those who say the
least usually have the most to say. [Sydney
Slotkin]
Tunabunny
Genius Fatigue
HHBTM
Tunabunny had promised that the plan for
its long-awaited third album, which we know
now as Genius Fatigue, was to "go beyond"
rock music. Somewhere along the way the plan
was switched; if anything, the band reverted
solidly into the womb of 1990s pop and indie
rock. Like all things Tunabunny, though,
multiple listens to Genius Fatigue revealed
multiple layers and, if not worlds, certainly
territories. It was an album well worth the
time spent listening???as well as making.
[Gordon Lamb]
White Violet
Hiding, Mingling
Normaltown
As a recording engineer at Chase Park
Transduction, Nate Nelson has spent years
ensuring that the music of others sounds
pristine. On Hiding, Mingling, his debut
album for New West Records' Athens imprint,
Nelson applied his trade to his own record
ings. Hiding, Mingling was blissfully insular
and tightly wound, the product of a studio
perfectionist. Throughout, Nelson's restrained
vocals encased the music in frost, as pieces of
organic matter tastefully pierced the surface.
[John Seay]
Matt Hudgins
Better Days Are Coming
Independent Release
Local country songwriter Matt Hudgins
envisioned Better Days Are Coming as a protest
album, a meditation on the sad state of cur
rent affairs. But it was also, in some ways,
an invocation. Released around Election Day,
the all-acoustic record found Hudgins lament
ing the nearsightedness of those in charge
while also praying for positive change. It was
an exceedingly literal affair, at times tragi
cally predictive ("Gun Control") and predict
ably tragic ("PTSD"). But it was all highly
affecting, the stripped-down sound of an all-
too-relatable uncertainty. [Gabe Vodicka]
Bubbly Mommy Gun
Sand Boses
Independent Release
Sand Roses left a spacey impression at
first, all centipede synths and Galaga guitars.
But beneath the atmospherics lay Bubbly
Mommy Gun's driving rhythm section, which
held things together while being just as
odd and inventive as everything around it.
A steady pulse ran throughout???the bassline
on opener "Cuckoo Lungs" cut through trails
of reverb, jerking up and back, fitful as a
tachometer needle. [Marshall Yarbrough]
Motion Sickness of
Time Travel
Motion Sickness of Time Travel
Spectrum Spools
Rachel Evans released a whole lot of music
in 2012, but the hour-and-a-half of seafoam
synth textures, cavelike drones and immersive
ambient movements on her self-titled double-
LP surpassed all the rest. It was an impressive
album, one that commanded the listener's
attention throughout, despite its exhaustive
length and hyper-ambitious design. Not only
was Motion Sickness of Time Travel one of the
best local albums of the year, but one of the
best, period. [Gabe Vodicka]
1 f| Maserati
I II Maserati VII
Temporary Residence Ltd.
Local prog legends Maserati have played
with a number of styles, but this year, dance-
rock was the vehicle of choice. Moving away
from the industrial fuzz of earlier hits, the
band opted for shiny synths and incred
ibly tight, percussive playing (aided by new
timekeeper Mike Albanese). Listening to this
record, one didn't want to dance so much as
swagger rhythmically. Maserati VII was confi
dence made audible. [Rachel Bailey]
Visit Flagpole.com for our Top 5 Concerts of 2012 and
more year-end coverage.
JANUARY 9, 2013 ??? FLAGP0LE.COM 13