Favorite Albums of 2012 (Part One of Three)

The New Law - The Fifty Year Storm The New Law's 2012 release The Fifty Year Storm is one of the best instrumental hip-hop albums that I have heard in quite some time. The album takes the listener on an adventure of cinematic soundscapes, beats, electronics, and horns, and remains this way throughout its entirety. I would say it sounds very similar to DJ Shadow meets post-rock meets ambient. As a fan of hip-hop and post-rock/ambient, The New Law's The Fifty Year Storm is hard for me to not listen to every day, even though I have been listening to it since it came out in January.

The Invisible - Rispah The first two things that came to mind when listening to The Invisible's Rispah was Nine Inch Nails' song structure and Radiohead's vocals. While obviously being a fan of these two acts, I was bound to like Rispah. Well guess what? I did, and still do. The Invisible combine a variety of different styles on Rispah including afrobeat, industrial, jazz, and electronica. The Invisible have discovered undiscovered territories on Rispah, and this groundbreaking sound is something this trio can call their own.

Thavius Beck - The Heavens Bleed Sunshine Thavius Beck has been and always will be one of my favorite rappers/producers. His newest offering The Heavens Bleed Sunshine is comprised of five instrumental tracks that range from hip-hop and electro to jazz and classical. Thavius Beck has always been a master of his craft and The Heavens Bleed Sunshine gives the listener a nice sample of what is to come on Beck's upcoming full-length The Most Beautiful Ugly, which is due out this fall.

Ab-Soul - Control System Top Dawg Ent. rapper Ab-Soul might have been the last member of Black Hippy to release a full-length, but he makes up for this by putting himself on the top with the release of Control System. Ab-Soul is not just some rapper that is going to be in the limelight for a minute and then disappear. Instead, I feel like Ab-Soul is going to gain the type of respect that 90's rappers like Dr. Dre, Tupac, and B.I.G. gained. Ab-Soul's Control System is the true return of 90's rap and since its release, rap is stale no longer.

Ancients - Star Showers On The Euphrates Ancients is a new group that is made up of certain members of UK acts Rinoa and *Shels. Star Showers On The Euphrates is a post-rock album with vocals. Did I say a post-rock album with vocals? I absolutely did, and many post-rock fans are quick to blow vocals off. However, the vocals on this album don't stand out as much as other vocals, but instead act more like an additional instrument. The vocals give the already beautiful instrumental peaks more sonic beauty. Ancients Star Showers On The Euphrates bridges the gap between Sigur Ros-esque ambiance and Caspian style guitar work/instrumentals, but with a very unique atmospheric production. Ancients may very well be one of the next best things in post-rock with the release of Star Showers On The Euphrates. I believe it and I'm sure you will too. This album is pure, atmospheric gold.