Best EP's and Singles of 2012

As early as I finished my end of the year list last year, I sure waited until the last minute to complete this year's.  Damn you real life, full time employment and moving!  For as much music as was released in 2012, this year will forever be the year of disappointments.  There were a few shining gems but most albums fell short.  There were brief moments of brilliance on each album but the rest of the tracks left you empty, desperately craving more of the good stuff.  As disappointing as it was, it makes for a good yearly compilation.  Just gather all of the greatest songs and you will have a flawless compilation.

As with 2011, our aural cavities were probed once again by bands risen from the dead.  Hot Water Music released Exister, their first full length in 8 years.  Further Seems Forever, reunited with original frontman (and Dashboard crooner) Chris Carrabba, released Penny Black, their first full length with the original lineup since The Moon Is Down was released in 2001.

First, I present to you the Best EP's and Singles of 2012 with the Best Full Lengths to follow later.  

06.  Cursive - The Sun and Moon/The Cat and Mouse

The Sun and Moon/The Cat and Mouse EP was rolled out around the same time that Cursive's full length, I Am Gemini, was released earlier this year.  The first two tracks, "The Sun and Moon" and "The Cat and Mouse" also appear on I Am Gemini but it's the remaining b-sides on this EP that earn a spot on this list.

"Chemical Strain" is an angular and groovy track that tackles the consequences of drug use and abuse and slowly builds into a frenetic and distorted climax.  It captures the same musical essence that the full length possesses without the same esoteric theme and lyrics that were required of the concept album.

"Supernova '95" has an instant tie-in with the band's older work, sharing a nearly identical title with the pre-Cursive band Slowdown Virginia's "Supernova '75".  The music is the usual discordant Cursive and the lyrics are the spiritual sequel to the b-side "Ten Percent To The Ten Percent" off of the Hurricane Katrina benefit compilation, Lagniappe.  It should be noted that the elegance and poetry of Ten Percent's workplace frustration has been replaced with outright rage and dissatisfaction.  As Kasher sings out "Burnt out, Burnt out / These jobs are fuckin' jokes / Burnt out, Burnt out / The dollar is a hoax! / What's a degree get me? / Opportunity? / A foot in the door? / The doors are closed", you have to wonder how a man who has spent over a decade fronting various bands is so familiar with the daily grind.  For the rest of us poor saps, lines like "You used to dream in color, so American / Reds, and whites, and blues, but mostly green / 'Til you learned economy is just a Ponzi scheme" just ring way too true.

Recommended Tracks: "Chemical Strain" and "Supernova '95"

05.  Kevin Devine -  Matter of Time: KD&GDB Tour EP 2012

Tour EP's always occupy a unique territory in a band's discography.  Sometimes a band will simply compile a couple of their more well known songs and release it in a tour-only format (lame!).  Other times, a band will compile some b-sides that aren't readily available and may re-record an acoustic or alternate version of an album track (awesome!).  The latter is what Kevin Devine did when he released his 2007 Tour EP.  So it was easy to see why I was excited about this year's Tour EP, with its promise of re-recording his greatest hits with his backing band, The God Damn Band.

Unfortunately, the title track (and only new song on the EP) is the only shining gem in an otherwise disappointing pile of dirt.  At first glance, the track listing leaves you hopeful.  It spans his discography from his most recent effort to old favorites like "Cotton Crush".  It even features a sprawling 14+ minute jam that combines "Buried By the Buzz", "Carnival" and "Another Bag of Bones", which should have been my first warning.  As I have mentioned millions of times before, the acoustic versions of Kevin's songs almost always triumph the album versions because they forgo the additional instrumental noise, guitar noodling and distortion in lieu of raw earnestness and emotion.  This EP captures everything that Kevin does wrong when it comes to the album versions.  The songs meander about, incorporating a ridiculous amount of noise and artifacts from what must have been an interesting jam session.

With all of that said, the title track "Matter of Time" is incredible.  It isn't in the vein of Between The Concrete & Clouds and instead opts to go the route of an acoustic ballad.  Lyrically, it is steeped in a kind of psuedo-romance that is usually not present in any of Kevin's lyrics.  It is nice to hear him sing lines like "But I’m well-aware that she’s my compass / The strawberry sun, God’s grace and sweetness" in contrast to his usual less-than-joyful words.  Skip the rest of the EP, but relish the fact that we got this new song out of the deal.

Recommended Tracks: "Matter of Time"

04.  Laura Jane Grace - Black Me Out (Nervous Energies Session)

For those of you who have been living under a rock, Laura Jane Grace is the new identity of Against Me! frontperson Tom Gabel. After battling for years with gender dysphoria, Laura finally gathered up the courage to begin living the way she always felt on the inside.

This single wasn't an official release but it deserves a place nonetheless.  Nervous Energies invites some of your favorite indie rock bands to perform a session for them, most of the time acoustic, which they then put up online.  "Black Me Out" is a song that Against Me! has been kicking around for over a year now.  I don't know if it will end up on their next full length, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, which is a concept album about a transgender prostitute, but I am glad to experience the song now.

The song is filled to the brim with piss and vinegar as Laura belts out lines like "I want to piss on the walls of your house / I want to chop those brass rings off your fat fucking fingers / As if you were a kingmaker / Black me out".  It's such a genuine song that you forget all about the slick and produced New Wave era Against Me!.  This song is already an aggressive beast with gnashing teeth and claws and it is just one person and a guitar -  I can't even imagine how abrasively delicious it would be if they recorded it with a full band. 

Recommended Tracks: "Black Me Out"

03.  Person L/Weatherbox Split EP

Person L is the side-project of former The Starting Line bassist/vocalist Kenny Vasoli.  Weatherbox is the brainchild of perpetual stoner Brian Warren.  The Person L side of this split is... horrible.  "Ok" is a song that alternates between ethereal vocals and distorted guitar riffs accompanied by screaming and yet it never finds solid ground.  "Winter Clothes" is even worse, saturated in a ridiculous amount of distortion and echoed vocals.  Kenny's singing becomes more of an irritating caterwaul as the song progresses.  Perhaps I am just not a Person L fan but I can't even imagine who this would appeal to.

Besides, I was more interested in Weatherbox taking another crack at regaining the former glory of their debut album, American Art.  The songs that have followed since the original line-up dissolved have been less than stellar, none more so than their sophomore album, the atrociously bad The Cosmic Drama.  With each new release, I cross my fingers and pray to the music gods that they have finally found their way again.  They have showed promise ("Broken Glowsticks" off of Christpuncher and Follow The Rattle of the Afghan Guitar) but it has fizzled away before culminating into anything worthwhile.

Thankfully, this split's offerings ("Kickflips For Weeks" and "Two Seductresses") seem to recapture a shade of brilliance hidden under the druggy fog that envelops Brian's brain.  Perhaps it's because he toned back the stoner-friendly instrumentation and returned to more straight-forward music, but I'm digging the new songs.  "Kickflips For Weeks" features the same esoteric lyrics that Brian Warren is known for though they are a lot more relatable this time around.  This first track features some very fun vocal melodies and layered lines.  "Two Seductresses" is my favorite off of the split.  It's a little more rock and roll with gang vocals and more energy than a hummingbird sipping Red Bull.  I'm beyond glad that they seem to be moving back in the right direction.  The lyrics are less nonsense and the music is more focused.  I might actually buy the next full length, assuming Brian doesn't insist on a cassette-only release... again.

Recommended Tracks: “Kickflips For Weeks” and "Two Seductresses"

02.  Frank Turner - I Still Believe (Single)

Despite being initially released at the end of October 2010, Frank Turner still managed to find a way to release another single featuring "I Still Believe" in April of this year.  This would be an easy one to write off... if Frank hadn't selected a cover of a Queen song as the b-side.  The only thing better than a Queen song is hearing it covered by some of your favorite present day musicians.

Frank puts his own spin on "Somebody To Love", a song he's been playing live for a good while now.  It's good to hear it put on wax finally.  This was a Record Store Day exclusive whose scarcity made it virtually unobtainable.  I can't really review a Queen song - if you know the song, you already know how good it is.  This is just an upbeat, English folk singer's take on it, including a driving piano riff, a guitar solo and backing vocals provided by the Sleeping Souls.

It is a nice slice of his music to hold us over until his new full length is released in March of 2013.  Also keep an eye out for his new hardcore side project, Möngöl Hörde, featuring his former bandmate/drummer from Million Dead and one of the guys from his Sleeping Souls backing band.

Recommended Tracks: "Somebody To Love (Queen)"

01.  Chuck Ragan & the Refugio Kids & friends

Chuck Ragan has always seemed like a man of the people and this EP just drives that perception home.  This is not an EP made for fame or recognition of any sort.  It doesn't even matter if the EP carries Chuck's name.  This is music made for the sake of music and nothing else.

Back in the Fall of 2010, Chuck visited the refugee children of Refugio e.V. Munich, an organization that offers shelter to victims of torture, political persecution and armed conflict that now live in exile in Germany.  While visiting, he played a show for the children at a place called EineWeltHaus, a venue designed for intercultural discussion and emphasis on art.  This was an exercise designed by the children's therapy group to help them overcome their "double speechlessness" - that is, their inability to speak the native language in a foreign country and the inability to even describe the traumas that they have experienced.  Chuck's price of admission for the show?  He asked attendees to donate musical instruments to the refugio kids.

A year later, Chuck followed his heart and returned to the same place to make music with the children.  He recorded four songs with them, as the original press release says (translated from German), "a meeting that initially opposites might be: Chuck Ragan's rough raspy voice hits the four songs the fragile background choir of children, who for the first time in their lives English songs sung in a studio atmosphere - a warm, authentic snapshot, in charity, respect, and the connecting power of music in the forefront."  And I really couldn't put it any better than that.  It's amazing to listen to this collaboration of children living in exile and our road-weary troubadour.

Recommended Tracks: “Come Around” and “Bedroll Lullaby”