The Meltdown 102: The Top 30 of 2012

The Top 30 of 2012

Top 30 of 2012

There was a lot of great music in 2012. There were 38 records that I gave a 5 star review and 50 more that got 4 out of 5 stars. Winners this year?

Tooth and Nail. Tooth and Nail had a great year of releases and one of the labels best in a long time! Yeah, they had a couple records I wasn't completely into but their overall output in 2012 was solid.

The other big winner this year is Kickstarter. The OC Supertones, Project 86, Starflyer 59, and Joy Electric are just some of the bands that released records that were fully funded by their fans via Kickstarter. 2012 really was the beginning of a new era for music.


Honorable Mentions:
Tongue & Pen - The Likeness EP
The Modern Post - Grace Alone EP
Converge - All We Loved We Leave Behind
Sigur Ros - Valtari
Wolves At The Gate - Captors
Altars - Conclusions 
Children 18:3 - On The Run
The Chariot - One Wing

And now... The Top 30!

                                                       30. Starflyer 59 - IAMACEO

Starflyer 59's thirteenth LP is indie rock perfection. The record fits in nicely and compliments the band's discography nicely!


                                          29. Sixpence None The Richer - Lost In Transition

It had been ten years since Sixpence's last full-length (although only four since their ep and Christmas albums) but the band hasn't lost a step.


                                                28. The Burial - Lights And Perfection

The Burial full-legnth follow-up to their stellar debut ep is a huge step forward. Tech metal goodness.


                                              27. Sent By Ravens - Mean What You Say

Sent By Ravens second full-legnth and ultimately their swan song was a killer post-hardcore record. If you're going to go out, go out on a high note. And that's what Sent By Ravens did.


                                                 26. Letter To The Exiles - Make Amends

After a pretty unimpressive debut, Letters To the Exiles returned with an excellent melodic hardcore album.


                                                      25. Michael Know - Live This Love

Michael Knox's debut is an album full of heart-felt, well crafted pop songs. The best record you haven't heard yet!


                                    24. To Speak Of Wolves - Find Your Worth, Come Home

With a new vocalist in tow, To Speak of Wolves ditched the post-hardcore stylings of their debut to deliver a brutal record! Heavy heavy stuff!


                                                 23. The Overseer - We Search, We Dig

The Overseer's Solid State debut was a raw, powerful record.


                                               22. Owl City - The Midsummer Station

The Midsummer Station is Owl City's finest work to date. Adam Young adds some more diversity to his band's sound, creating more pop goodness.


                                                   21. Becoming The Archetype - I Am

Becoming The Archetype bounces back from their disappointing last album, Celestial Completion. With a new singer in tow, The Archetype boys delived a new brand of death metal with I Am.


                                                   20. Project 86 - Wait For The Siren

Wait For The Siren was a breathe of fresh air for Project 86. With a new band in tow,  vocalist Andrew Schwab seems to have found a new passion, and it comes through on Wait For The Siren.


                                                     19. mewithoutYou - Ten Stories

Time heals all wounds. Including mewithoutYou's last album. Ten Stories takes the folk elements of It's All Crazy and adds some of their signature post-hardcore stylings, creating a great indie soundtrack.


                                                     18. As I Lay Dying - Awakened

Awakened is just a fantastic metal record! As I Lay Dying do what they do well.


                                                17. Abandoned Pools - Sublime Currency 

Sublime Currency is a delightful electro/indie pop record. Catchy melodies and great hooks. A top to bottom killer record.


                                                      16. Your Memorial - Redirect

Your Memorial's follow-up to Atonement builds off what the band did so well on their Facedown debut and makes it better! A melodic hardcore masterpiece. Great hooks, killer riffs, strong melodies.


                                                            15. Eisley - Deep Space

Eisley's Deep Space ep is more intimate musically than last year's stellar The Valley. The songs are rich and lush, providing a soundscape we haven't heard from Eisley until now.


                                                    14. The Wedding - No Direction

No Direction is straight up rock &roll! Turns out rock isn't dead after all.


                                                     13. MxPx - Plans Within Plan

The punk legends just don't make bad music! Plans Within Plans is another great pop punk record.


                                                         12. Lovedrug - Wild Blood

Instantly catchy. The riffs on Wild Blood are super infectious.


                                                  11. House of Heroes - Cold Hard Want

The great moments on Cold Hard Want are absolutely great. Catchy songs that feel more heartfelt than House of Heroes past albums.


                                                                10. Lecrae - Gravity

Gravity is special. There's something for all types of hip-hop fans. The songs are catchy, but more importantly, Lecrae has something to say and his lyrics hit hard.


                                              9. Further Seems Forever - Penny Black

The return of Chris Carrabba to Further Seems Forever was everything I hoped for! Catchy, slightly off-tempoed emo/rock songs! It's the follow-up to The Moon Is Down that all FSF fans wanted.


                                                   8. Beautiful Eulogy - Satellite Kite

Hip-hop for the indie music fan. Some off kilter beats, some spoken word, some great melodies, and lyrics with a message. Satellite Kite isn't just for hip-hop fans.


                                                          7. States - Room To Run

Room To Run was actually released last year but Tooth and Nail gave it new life and re-released it this year. A great mix of Blondie and Denali. Female-fronted indie rock and it's best!


                                                        6. P.O.D. - Murdered Love

Murdered Love feels like the rebirth of P.O.D. A great blend of heavy rapcore, catchy radio songs, punk tracks, and ballads. Murdered Love hits hard from the time to press play to the time I Am finishes.


                                                             5. Britt Nicole - Gold

When I reviewed Gold, I said it was everything I didn't like about christian music but it was exactly what christian pop music needed. I didn't expect to completely fall in love with the album. A great pop record with a strong message. Not your everyday CCM record but a true modern pop record.


                                                                   4. Sins - Sink Away

This album was literally just released but I've been waiting for this album for 2 years now. Sins is the punk rock side project of Anberlin guitarist Joseph Milligan. Sink Away is super catchy, hard hitting punk rock in the vain of Face to Face! Great record!!!


                                                     3. Hammock - Departure Songs

Hammock makes the most beautiful music in the world! Departure Songs is a double record full of great ambient pieces, a handful of post-rock songs and killer shoegazer tracks. Music to meditate on and to. 


                                                    2. Gideon Grove - Wildfires

Ok, Wildfires by Gideon Grove is the best record of the year that you haven't heard! Haunting melodies, wide, lush soundscapes create something special and unique. 


                                                      1. Deftones - Koi No Yokan

Up until I heard Wildfires, Koi No Yokan was the only record that made me stop what I was doing and take time to truly listen. I knew the Deftones had delivered not only the record of the year, but the record of their career!

Starflyer 59 - IAMACEO

Ever since I started listening to Christian music in 1996, Starflyer 59 has been around. I've been a fan since 97's Americana and the band has been one of my favorites since 01's Leave Here A Stranger. While members have come and gone, front-man Jason Martin has forged ahead and continued to make indie rock goodness.

As the band heads into their 20th year of existence, IAMACEO marks a new chapter for Starflyer 59. It's the band's first non Tooth and Nail released album. There's no cd version of this record. Fully funded via Kickstarter, Martin and company choose to release the album on mp3 and vinyl.

IAMACEO is similar musically to the band's previous two outings (Dial M and The Changing Of the Guard) and like those albums, Martin continues to write deeper and more meaningful lyrics.

The title track kicks off this album, almost as a declaration of band's new freedom from Tooth and Nail. A great upbeat rock song with a classic vibe, but the lyrics hit hard ("You can build it on your own, but you're still not in control"). Is the song about leaving Tooth and Nail? Is the song about, no matter how much freedom you have, there's always someone over you, even if you're the CEO? Is it a veiled reference about God? It's one of the great thing's about Martin's lyrics, sometimes there's a mystery that's left for the listener to just take from it what they want.

Bicycle Rider is a slightly 80's tinged pop song. As always, you know a Martin riff when you hear it. Always catchy in it's almost simplistic nature. Is This All There Is just asks the question the title suggest. The harmonica, which Martin has used in the past, creates a subtle alt-country vibe. Open Hands is a dirty rock song. The guitar tone on Martin's lead is one I don't think I've heard on a Starflyer song since The Birthrite. The piano and harmonica driven Father John feels familiar. It has a swanky feel like the songs on Talking Voice vs Singing Voice did.

I Feel Black is one of my favorite moments on the record. A fun surfy riff that opens up the song, a punchy bass riff moving through the verse but the chorus is dark sounding. The juxtaposition between the verse and chorus creates a beautifully complex moment on the record.

IAMACEO is a fantastic record. Hopefully it's not Martin's last because with each album it feels like Starflyer 59 has more to give.

Joy Electric - Dwarf Mountain Alphabet

Some bands you assume will be around forever. So when Ronnie Martin announced after Favorites At Play that Joy Electric was going on hiatus, it was shocking and sad. It was also understandable. Joy Electric had always been underrated and out of place. Tooth and Nail was loyal to Ronnie Martin but that market was never accepting of Martin's creativity and originality. Joy Electric's brand of synthpop was never going to to be the next big thing.

So the announcement that Dwarf Mountain Alphabet was on it's way was exciting for myself and all Joy Electric fans. And we waited all last year... And this year... Until finally a kickstarter campaign was launched to fund the record. And finally Dwarf Mountain Alphabet has been released!

And let me say, the wait was worth it! The album is a great combination of Christiansongs and The White Songbook.

Dwarf Mountain Alphabet is more dancey than any previous JoyE release. The songs are upbeat and fun. The greatest example is the re-written version of Sing Once For Me. Same melody and same hook, but different lyrics and a completely different feel. The song has a new energy and life that, while I love the old version, it didn't have the same vibe.

I do wish that Ronnie had beefed up his rhythm section a little. What are the "drum" tracks seem a little hollow and some ounchy 808 would've really helped to make Dwarf Mountain Alphabet a full fledged 80's synthpop dance record. But I imagine that's not what Martin was going for.

Dwarf Mountain Alphabet is the perfect return for Joy Electric. The songs are upbeat and fun but Martin's lyrics feel deep and personal, more spiritual than they've been at times. Joy Electric fans will love Dwarf Mountain Alphabet!

Quick Hits - Come and Live Records

Come and Live Records just dropped a handful of records over the last couple of weeks. All of them you should check out!

Everett's second ep, Arrival  is a perfectly simple ambient piano album, leaving the largely post rock and electronics of Destination behind. The songs are beautiful, almost haunting at times. A great record for fans of Stars of The Lid and Sigur Ros.

The Anchor Fellowship's live album is a fantastic worship record! The songs build and crescendo nicely and the re-arranged hymns are perfect. For fans of Hillsong and Jesus Culture.

I've been a huge fan of The Sleep Design's debut, All That Is Not Music Is Silence, so I was super stoked to see a new ep from the band. Kings is more post-rock perfection. The ep moves brilliantly from ambient pieces to thundering crescendos. For fans of Caspian and Saxon Shore.

And for those in the Christmas spirit, looking for some new tunes, we have Solid Rock Music's Gloria. Mostly classic Christmas hymns with a few new originals thrown in. A great record for those looking for more Christmas music.

As always, all of these records are available as free downloads at comeandlive.com.

Tiffany Thompson - One Voice

A year ago Tiffany Thompson released We Are the Dreamers, an ep that showed tremendous growth and maturity. It was fiery and passionate, sultry and biting. It was a beautiful new step for Thompson and her sound.

If Dreamers was a huge step forwards, One Voice is a step sideways. It's not a regression and its not a new step forward. One Voice is taking the maturity and confidence from We Are The Dreamers and personalizing it.  Dreamers had an attitude to it that Thompson hadn't shown before. One Voice feels more like personal reflections. It's a new level of honesty.

Take It and Run is the strongest pop hook on the record. There's some almost southern gospel about the song. Not in a bad way. Like you'd expect a choir to be backing Thompson on the chorus. Let It Break Through and Real Joy (both previously released) are two great personal spiritual tracks. It's that kind of honesty and realness that separates One Voice from Dreamers. The title track also features that deep level of realness but it's more of an anthemic song. Sundown feels less like it should have a gospel choir backing Thompson, but it has the same Over the Rhine, southern feel that Take It Run has. A nice piano driven ballad. Bed of Decision is a song from the Dreamer sessions and I'm glad this track finally sees the light of day. The album's closer, In The Distance, is also, in my opinion, the strongest track on the record! A rocking tune and with a strong chorus!

One Voice is a strong follow-up to We Are the Dreamers. It has a different feel musically, but the honesty in the lyrics is what sets this records apart and makes it stand out on it's own.