The Money Store… Sounds a bit like this

2012 Top 100 LPs #52-49: Spiritualized, Dandy Warhols, Death Grips, Sweet Billy Pilgrim

Published on December 13th, 2012 | Jonny Abrams

Yes, it’s…Rocksucker’s Top 100 Albums of 2012!

Rocksucker listened to a lot of albums this year and conferred varying degrees of merit (in quail form) upon them based on our own spurious criteria…

…and now we bring you our favourite hundred of them, counted down in order arbitrarily/for fun. By dint of mathematics (specifically 4 x 25), top spot shall be revealed on Christmas day. Now, let’s get crackling, and then cracking…

52. Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Crown and Treaty

Tim Elsenburg and co issue joyous, epic third album, like some meticulously produced cross between Elbow and The Antlers. Lie back and let it wash over you; yep, one of those albums, and a fine example of one at that. Furthermore, Elsenburg turned us onto Field Music in our interview with him, so kudos for that too!

Click here to read Rocksucker’s review of Crown and Treaty in full

Click here to read Rocksucker’s interview with Sweet Billy Pilgrim main man Tim Elsenburg

51. Death Grips – The Money Store

Has anyone figured out how to bracket this one, yet? Not that we think it needs to be, but there was a spot of debate on the matter. We plumped for purplemonkeydishwasher-pop, meaning basically whatever you want it to mean, but we’ll try again: it’s a bit like a lunatic holding hip-hop and electro hostage, perhaps in some kind of Silence of the Lambs scenario, you know, the “put the lotion in the basket” guy. Judge for yourself…

Click here to read Rocksucker’s review of The Money Store in full

50. The Dandy Warhols – This Machine

The closest The Dandy Warhols have come to sounding like The Velvet Underground/The Jesus and Mary Chain/early-’90s Flaming Lips. It’s dark, it’s leathery, Courtney Taylor’s vocals are enthrallingly lascivious, the production and mix are full of surprises, and there’s even a vampy cover of “Sixteen Tons”. Impressive stuff.

Click here to read Rocksucker’s review of This Machine in full

Click here to read Rocksucker’s interview with The Dandy Warhols guitarist Peter Holmström

49. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light

Jason Pierce was undergoing chemotherapy while making this, which helps explain the woozy quality and the great big ‘HUH?’ on the album artwork. It’s the usual lyrical concerns (fire, drugs, religion), but you can’t have a Spiritualized album that doesn’t leave you floored at least at some point. Fortunately, this one is well stocked with ‘WOAH!’ moments, not least the gargantuan “Hey Jane”…

The word ‘epic’ gets thrown around all too easily these days, but surely *that* is epic. Another excellent Spiritualized LP, and it’s nice to know that some good has come from Pierce’s ordeal. Needless to say, we wish him well.

Click here to read Rocksucker’s review of Sweet Heart Sweet Light in full

Watch this space for a continuation of the countdown of Rocksucker’s Top 100 Albums of 2012! Bloody do it!

Artists: death grips, spiritualized, sweet billy pilgrim, the dandy warhols

About the Author

Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.