2012 in review

I see I have only written 3 posts this year: one on Hawksmoor, one on Lacan, and one on the Olympics. That seems like a fairly representative hoard.

My head has been filled with psychoanalysis and counselling (I’ve been studying since March of last year, and in therapy since March of this) and church architecture (which, slightly surprisingly, has obsessed me since I visited St Mary Woolnoth, St Margaret Lothbury and St Stephen Walbrook in the Spring.

I wonder if my very limited output has any relation to being in therapy – i.e. as one declares stuff about oneself for a pretty intense hour each week, and then follows that hour with counselling lessons, private self-examination etc, is there much space left to write? I’m not sure.

Anyway, it doesn’t require too much self-examination to list my favourite music of the year – plus, of course, the playlist from our annual review of the year with Alex.

So to start, my 12 albums from ’12: 



1/ How to Dress Well, Total Loss
2/ Burial, Kindred
3/ Sun Araw / M Geddes Gengras / the Congos, Icon give thanks
4/ Dawn Richard, Armor on
5/ Jessie Ware, Devotion
6/ Killer Mike, R.A.P. music
7/ Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Mature themes
8/ Julia Holter, Ekstasis
9/ Sleigh Bells, Reign of terror
10/ Donald Fagen, Sunken condos
11/ VCMG, SSSS
12/ Triad God, NXB

Honorable mentions: Sand Circles, Animal Collective, the XX

Over-rated of the year: Frank Ocean

Major disappointment of the year: Flying Lotus

Miraculous comeback of the year: the Beach Boys

Not quite got around to yet: Kendrick Lamar, Scott Walker

Review of the year (tracks chosen by Alex, Robert, Steph; Alex, Robert Steph etc):
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tracks not covered above: Kodiak, “Spreo superbus,” Jeremih, “773 love,” Advisory Circle, “Everyday hazards,” Spoek Mathambo, “Let them talk,” Frank Ocean, “Pyramids,” Leonard Cohen, “The darkness,” Lone, “Stands tidal waves,” Plan B, “Drug dealer,” Hiawatha, “Dogs of war,” Thundercat, “Walkin’,” Lord Boyd, “Shark dad,” Nicki Minaj, “Come on a cone,” Charli XCX, “Stay away,” Mohn, “Saturn,” Animal Bodies, “Thought and consequence,” Aux 88, “Phantom power,” Ariel Pink & R. Stevie Moore, “SteviePink Javascript,” Carly Rae Jepsen, “Call me maybe,” Azealia Banks, “1991,” Cooly G, “Playin’ me,” Korallreven, “Sa sa samoa (Elite Gymnastics remix,” Shadow Shadow, “Riviera,” Gatto Fritto, “Beachy head,” Grimes, “Oblivion,” James Ferraro, “Sushi,” The Men, “Ex-dreams,” Solar Bears, “Cosmic runner,”