The Bacon Review

An annual Top 31 countdown of the best albums of the year

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November 13, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Bjӧrk, “Mutual Core,” from last year’s Biophilia, of which the official remix album Bastards comes out next week.

(do check out that home page when you get a chance. It’s bizarrely beautiful.)

November 13, 2012 /Royal Stuart
bjork, watched
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November 06, 2012 by Royal Stuart

I left SXSW back in March very excited about Cold Specks, based entirely on — I kid you not — a 15 minute set. But then I got her debut album I Predict a Graceful Expulsion a couple months later, and was thoroughly unimpressed.

But now, here we are, 7 months after SXSW, and my head is back in the game. This new video for “Hector” is just right, and the song is great, too. Enjoy!

November 06, 2012 /Royal Stuart
Cold Specks, watched
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November 06, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Well that’s fun. I know pretty much zero about Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, but this video for their song “Hoshi Neko,” from their 2011 album YT//ST, is a good use of stop-motion animation. This is what David Lynch or Tim Burton would do if they were making music videos in 2012.

November 06, 2012 /Royal Stuart
Yamantaka Sonic Titan, watched
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October 26, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Heard this for the first time this morning and have now played it on repeat 5 times. Such a great, simple song by this new-to-the-scene Irish band Little Green Cars. The video’s full of unhappy hipsters (cf), but the song is so good, I’m ok with that.

(also — since when did bands start performing on Dr. Phil, especially as part of their first US tour?)

October 26, 2012 /Royal Stuart
watched, Little Green Cars
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October 25, 2012 by Royal Stuart

I missed this performance by Magnetic Fields front man Stephin Merritt at KEXP earlier this year. Words cannot express my love for this man and his gorgeous music.

October 25, 2012 /Royal Stuart
watched, magnetic fields, stephin merritt, restroom
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October 25, 2012 by Royal Stuart

I have tickets to see Sufjan Stevens’ “Surfjohn Stevens Christmas Sing-A-Long: Seasonal Affective Disorder Yuletide Disaster Pageant on Ice” show when it comes to town in the beginning of December. Seeing this video makes me equally excited and frightened for what’s in store.

October 25, 2012 /Royal Stuart
Sufjan Stevens, Christmas, watched
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October 13, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Thank god Sharon Van Etten released this new video from her early 2012 release, Tramp. I put this album down shortly after SXSW and forgot to pick it up again. Until now. Good stuff.

October 13, 2012 /Royal Stuart
watched, Sharon van Etten
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October 04, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Take the best parts of Passion Pit, Tilly and the Wall and Mates of State and you end up with Norway‘s Team Me, at least that’s what it seems like from the only song I’ve heard of theirs, “With My Hands Covering Both of My Eyes I Am Too Scared to Have A Look At You Now.”

Great song. Pretty crazy video, too.

October 04, 2012 /Royal Stuart /Source
watched, team me, tilly and the wall, mates of state, passion pit, norway
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October 03, 2012 by Royal Stuart

I’ve not heard of the Wooden Sky, but this video, and this song, “I’m Your Man,” from their album Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun, is downright haunting.

That guitar. Those chords. That SOLO.

Must learn more.

October 03, 2012 /Royal Stuart /Source
watched, wooden sky
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October 03, 2012 by Royal Stuart

There goes Grizzly Bear, “Yet Again” with the crazy music videos. This song’s from their recently-released album Shields.

October 03, 2012 /Royal Stuart /Source
watched, grizzly bear
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September 20, 2012 by Royal Stuart

I really like the place Jon Hamm has taken in pop culture, willing to make himself look like a fool day in and day out. Here he is in Aimee Mann’s awesome new video for her song “Labrador” from her new album Charmer.

The video is a complete scene-for-scene remake of ’Til Tuesday’s hit “Voices Carry,” with some comic twists. As you probably already know, Aimee got her start as the lead singer in ’Til Tuesday, and that video came out in 1985. This new version of the video has Aimee reprising her role, with Jon Hamm directing, and Superchunk/Mountain Goats’ Jon Wurster as her love interest. Also starring Ted Leo, Michael Hausman, Daniel Ralston and Leah Giblin.

September 20, 2012 /Royal Stuart
watched, aimee mann, ’til tuesday, jon hamm, john wurster, ted leo, michael hausman, daniel ralston, leah giblin
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September 18, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Chris Hardwick, Rob Corddry, Anna Kendrick and Fraggles: nothing could signal the triumphant return of Ben Folds Five better. “Do It Anyway” is the first single from the band’s recently released fifth full-length, The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind. I like Ben Folds’ solo work, but I’m super excited that he got the band back together.

September 18, 2012 /Royal Stuart
watched, ben folds five, fraggles, chris hardwick, anna kendrick, rob corddry
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September 07, 2012 by Royal Stuart

David Byrne and St. Vincent, with “Who” from their forthcoming collaboration Love This Giant. This video is pretty much exactly what I thought a video with these two wackadoo performers would be like.

September 07, 2012 /Royal Stuart
watched, david byrne, st. vincent
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August 31, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Not sure what to think of this new Moonface video, but hey, it’s Spencer Krug. From the 2012 album, With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery.

August 31, 2012 /Royal Stuart /Source
watched, Moonface, Spencer Krug
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August 22, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Here’s something interesting: Nigel Godrich (he who has produced many Radiohead and Beck albums) has a new project: Ultraísta.

Imagine Thom Yorke’s Eraser, but a little more radio friendly, and a lot more Garbage-y. The video above is for the song “Smalltalk,” and you can hear a couple other songs over on Soundcloud.

The debut album comes out October 2. Looking forward to it!

August 22, 2012 /Royal Stuart /Source
watched, nigel godrich
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August 20, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Gaghlehslfeulfyalllllfllgllll……… That’s how these guys make me feel: braindead and drooling in amazement at how they continue to exceed expectations.

New Frightened Rabbit. LOVE these guys.

New EP State Hospital comes out September 24.

August 20, 2012 /Royal Stuart
frightened rabbit, watched
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August 16, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Here’s Academy-award winner Laura Linney posing as Aimee Mann in the latter’s title song from her forthcoming eighth studio album Charmer.

And John Hodgman makes a cameo.

August 16, 2012 /Royal Stuart /Source
watched, aimee mann, john hodgman, laura linney
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August 07, 2012 by Royal Stuart

“Hell Broke Luce” from Tom Waits’ 2011 album Bad As Me is my favorite song of his from the past five years. This video, directed by old-school video director Matt Mahurin, does the gritty song well.

August 07, 2012 /Royal Stuart
Tom Waits, watched, Matt Mahurin
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July 16, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Here‘s the Shins with “It’s Only Life” from this year’s Port of Morrow.

I’m not so sure I love the song, but I definitely love this video. It was directed by Hiro Murai, who also directed a fantastic video for St. Vincent’s “Cheerleader.”

James Mercer being dragged by his feet along the grass by strange pitch-black creatures in a post-apocalyptic world = pitch perfect.

July 16, 2012 /Royal Stuart /Source
watched, The Shins, Hiro Murai
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July 11, 2012 by Royal Stuart

The Walkmen, at their best with “The Love You Love” from their latest album, Heaven. The video is in beautiful black and white. Not sure if there should be anything read into this, as the video itself makes little sense.

July 11, 2012 /Royal Stuart /Source
watched, The Walkmen
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