Royal Thunder's New Video

 Atlanta's Royal Thunder have a way of growing on you. Check out their new video for "Blue."

My Favorite Albums of the Year: 2012

Swans - The Seer

I started scribbling about albums I enjoyed this year, yet imagined it would be more trouble than it actually was to create the below lists. The Top 10 pretty much fell into place; and why bother with synopses no one will read?

Favorites (in order)

Swans - The Seer

Primitive Weapons - The Shadow Gallery

Burning Love - Rotten Thing to Say

Royal Thunder -CVI

Katatonia - Dead End Kings

Kowloon Walled City - Container Ships

Baroness - Yellow & Green

The Secret - Agnus Dei

El-P - Cancer 4 Cure
Gypsyhawk - Revelry & Resilience

Impressive (no particular order)

V.O.D. - The Cursed Remain Cursed
Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
Brokaw - Interiors
Gojira - L’Enfant Sauvage
The Devil's Blood - The Thousandfold Epicentre 
Gentlemans Pistols - s/t
High on Fire - De Vermis Mysteriis
Testament - Dark Roots of Earth
Cattle Decapitation - Monolith of Inhumanity
Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats - Blood Lust
Lita Ford - Living Like a Runaway
Japandroids - Celebration Rock
Xibalba - Hasta La Muerte 
Ceremony - Zoo
Sacred Reich - Live at Wacken
Black Breath - Sentenced to Life
Torche - Harmonicraft
Overkill - The Electric Age 
For Today - Immortal 
Saint Vitus - Lillie: F-65 
Early Graves - Red Horse
Nas - Life is Good
Satan's Wrath - Galloping Blasphemy
Napalm Death - Utilitarian 
Human Toilet - s/t
 

Just Alright
(no particular order)

Demon Hunter - True Defiance
Nachtmystium - Silencing Machine
Neurosis - Honor Found in Decay
C.O.C. - s/t
Ke$ha - Warrior 
Cat Power - Sun 
Garbage - Not Your Kind of People
Best Coast - The Only Place 
Rick Ross - God Forgives, I Don't

Meh
The Sword - Apocryphon
Madonna - MDNA
Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods


Good Singles 
The Afghan Whigs - "Lovecrimes"
Ke$ha - "Die Young"
Rihanna - "We Found Love"


Still Haven't Listened To: 
Mark Lanegan - Blues Funeral 
Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror 
Jack White - Blunderbuss 
Pitbull - Global Warming 
The Killers - Battle Born 
Soundgarden - King Animal

Randoms
• Live Bootleg of the Year: Into Another's set from the CA Revelation 25 show.
• Turbonegro and The Gallows should consider a vocalist exchange program. Seriously.

• Musician with the best Instagram account: hands down, Stallone's Juan Montoya.