déCollage

In 2012 we have seen massive alterations & altercations in the music industry. The Year of Spotify, with over 5 million paid subscribers worldwide and an estimated worth of $3 billion, we witnessed a paradigm shift in the business. While I owned every album from my list of favorite albums from 2011, this year I own less than half of the albums on this list due to streaming them on Spotify. {Which saddens me, déCollage hasn’t seen even a penny in revenue from Spotify.} What does the future hold? Less albums & more singles? More pirating? An over abundance of remix albums? Here in the déCollage HQ, we hope not. 2013 concept albums, we welcome you!

1. Dirty Projectors ~ Swing Lo Maggelan Always changing over their 10 years writing. That’s why they’re my favorite artists. Love songs…definitely their poppiest record.

2. Yeasayer ~ Fragrant World Cohesive! Is this their best release yet?

3. The Weeknd ~ Trilogy I confess that I probably listened to this more than almost any other album this year. His trite lyrics will make you laugh. I’m not sure what the draw is…other than phenomenal production and instant gratification.

4. Animal Collective ~ Centipede HZ Some of my favorite moments this year were listening to “New Town Burn Out” & “Monkey Riches” back to back. But, NOTHING could top seeing them in Las Vegas in October!

5. déCollage ~ The Telos Amaranthine  What kind of artist would I be to not put my own record on my favorites list? I listened to this thousands {millions?} of times over the past three years while creating it. It’s actually my favorite album this year, since I’m biased I rated these on a curve to balance my biases. Probably my most cohesively avant-garde work to date.

6. Sufjan Stevens ~ Silver & Gold: Christmas Infinity Voyager One of the most prolific artists of our time has released 100 Christmas songs over the span of 10 years and 10 albums. This one’s my favorite, either because it doesn’t sound like traditional Christmas music, or because it was written during the “Age of Adz” period.

7.Tantric Picasso ~ Make Your Love Bigger

8. Sigur Ros ~ Valtari Your recipe for meditation

9. Rubedo ~ Massa Confusa  This is one of my favorite bands in the universe. And this one was produced by Ikey Owens of The Mars Volta. You must see them live! They capture the metaphysical and make it palatable, sonically visceral.

10. Sean Renner ~  7 Days  Sean is a genius in our midst, a mad scientist. Covering a broad range of ineffable emotions, you’ll find yourself on the verge of weeps, or skips of joy. AND he wrote & recorded it in 7 days using samples friends sent him beforehand!

11. Tame Impala ~ Lonerism Thanks for showing me this & jamming it on vinyl everyday Pablo Cruz!

12. déCollage & Snozberry Studios ~ {Outside The Parentheses} Remixes
Snozberry Studios & I invited local artists to remix our new single “Semicolon Parentheses”, and we just released thm on 1/1/13 for FREE. ManCub was the winner of our lil tournament. Our music video has induced 11 seizures so far.

13. Zammuto ~ S/T  The Books member, Nick Zammuto’s, optimally creative math rock escapade! Meeting him in Boulder this summer was formative. Need I say more?

14. Grizzly Bear ~ Shields

15. Grimes ~ Visions One of the most beautiful videos this year.

16. Crystal Fighters ~ Star of Love Remixes If you haven’t heard their original Star of Love, LISTEN UP!

17. Flying Lotus ~ Until The Quiet Comes “Putty Strut Boy”!

18. The Mars Volta ~ Nocturniquet The 2nd half of “In Absentia” seals the deal.

19. Jack White ~ Blunderbuss  Maybe this one would be in my top five, but I haven’t given it enough listens yet.

20. Alex Winston ~ King Con Sugar Rock

21. MeWithoutYou ~ Ten Stories 

22. alt-j ~ An Awesome Wave

23. Battles ~ Dross Glop A remix album of my favorite album from 2011!

24. Of Montreal ~ Paralytic Stalks

25. How To Dress Well ~ Total Loss

26. Purity Ring ~ Shrines

27. Beach House ~ Bloom

28. Kendrick Lamar ~ good kid, m.A.A.d city