Year-End Report: Looking Back at 2012 - Odds & Ends

As you can tell, this is coming a bit late. Now that you have had the time to shake off the year-end lists from lesser tastemakers, you can pursue the one true 'best of' from Stereo Typing. Fine, that's not exactly why this was posted so late, but it does give you a chance to look over this feature and judge on its own merits. The first part of my coverage is examining just about every aspect of entertainment apart from the almighty album. The Top 50 Albums of 2012 will follow shortly. Below are the top EPs, 7"s, shows, and a few other categories of interest. There will be links to previous reviews where appropriate, otherwise I took the time to say a few words and/or link to material. Please check it all out after the jump, and don't forget to leave a comment if you discovered something new!

Graph - EP 3

Maybe it’s the gloomy weather (the sky has been dark grey since I woke up) but I feel like covering some of the bands that are no longer with us. Hopefully, you’ve already listened to Ovlov’s final recordings in my previous post… If not, do so now... Ok, back to this release. The aptly titled EP 3 is the last we are going to hear from spastic math rockers Graph. “Middle” and “Frig” start things out right with short, punchy, and catchy songwriting. “Old” pummels the listener with abrasive bursts before relieving their eardrums with airy guitars reminiscent of American Football. “When We Get to Heaven We’ll Wait for Other People” is the catchiest song on the release and combines pop, punk, and noise elements into a swirling mixture of guitars and spirited rhythms. The final track, “Newest”, is my favorite. It has a disjointed start that slowly builds to a hypnotizing repetition before erupting in a headbanging finale. I have seen many basement shows with these guys that have left the audience spellbound and it saddens me that I won’t have the chance to do so again.

Young Adults Make An Impression at Great Scott

I’ve been meaning to write a review for the incredible line-up I saw on August 20 at Great Scott. On that Saturday, I spent a good portion of my night watching a who’s who of up-and-coming bands. The lineup consisted of Shores (Grand Rapids), Quilty (Brooklyn), Creepoid (Philadelphia), and Young Adults (Boston). Each band had their own unique style and presentation and did not hold back as the performances got better and better.