It’s been a hell of a year for Richmond music. I couldn’t believe half of the things I listened to, and how impressed I was. Making the list for this year was a difficult task but a rewarding one at the end. I have to make a few notes to start. There are a few obvious omissions, including Black Girls Hell Dragon, The Trillions Tritones, Canary Oh Canary Last Night in Sunway Knolls, the split between The Snowy Owls and White Laces, and a few others. Most of them were mentioned last year, but as a result of one thing or another they received remastering or were re-released in 2012. I’ll try to make a better effort to remain patient in the coming years. Now that this is covered, here are ten releases from this year that I felt were really something else.
10 – Matthew E. WhiteBig Inner
I know. Number ten. What am I thinking? This has received quite a bit of attention and to me, it seemed like it could slide on by at the beginning of my list. It’s a really great sounding record. I can sit back and listen to this album with a grin on my face throughout. There is an intangible element here that the Spacebomb crew were able to achieve with every sound and progression they employ. It's unlike anything else I have heard this year. The album's grand opus, “One of These Days,” kills me when the orchestral scores begin to emanate from every possible corridor. There was talk for a long while about which group from Richmond would be the breakout artist in 2012 and you know what? I am not surprised that it turned out to be Matthew E. White. I think we are all the better to have him as a composing maestro for all of us to tailor our material around.
9 – Bermuda TrianglesTransmissions
My main reason for including this band in my favorite live groups in Richmond was because I don’t know if they have yet been successfully captured on a recording. However, Transmissions does a grand job at it, and I think it has a lot to do with the evolution of the group. Bermuda Triangles is significantly better since bringing Tony Lynch into the fold on drums. If anything, his addition was the right spark that the group needed to move towards making them legendary. Songs like “Black Knight Satellite” and “”R” for Real” are great examples of why this is a release worthy of checking out for any music fan. There is a lot of abstract material, but the fun is putting it all together and getting to figure it out along the way.
8 – The Snowy OwlsWithin Yr Reach
I couldn’t have predicted a better year for any band in Richmond. The Snowy Owls spent most of 2012 figuring out how to maneuver themselves into the proper equation. Whether that was through live performances or operable dynamics, this band has easily become a favorite of most everyone in town. Within Yr Reach is a phenomenal example of what determination can lead to. The title track and “So Near” are unbelievable in their demonstration of the way one group can take their influences and incorporate a tremendous amount of personality in to every nuance. I don’t tend to make too many promises, but with the anticipated release of a full-length in 2013, I can’t help but think Snowy Owls will be making another appearance on one of my year-end lists in the very near future.
7 – Wolf//GoatIn Watermelon Sugar
As I get older, I can’t help but begin to believe in fate. I know that sounds ridiculous but here’s my story. I ran into my friend at Chop Suey and he bought me a copy of a collection from Richard Brautigan. His immediate requirement was that I skip ahead and read In Watermelon Sugar. Then, months later, I heard a song called “Flesh Tones” by the band Wolf//Goat and had my mind destroyed. There is no easy way to describe this band without failing to capture everything that is wonderful about them, but this is my best attempt. It’s as if Wolf//Goat became fascinated by both indie folk groups like The Speckled Bird and primitive rock n' roll groups like The Nervous Ticks and tried to determine how they could fit into both realms. Take the crazy gritty nature of one and incorporate the subtle touches of the other, while transcending what anyone could possibly conjure up from either. I am almost certain that this year should prove to be even more fruitful for the group.
6 – Heavy Midgets/TungsSisters
This split release is easily one of the best discovery records of the year. These are two of Richmond’s finest groups, banded together to create an incredible collection of unique sounds. You can sense a determination in “We Are On The Run” and “Safe On Your Mountaintop” that don’t seem to level off in any small segment. Even “Oh Susanna” is a wonderful contender for best song on this release, and we are only talking about the Heavy Midgets side thus far. I can only imagine Tungs must have been relieved to be second on this split, because their side is just as remarkable. “Tapestry” and “Yosarrian’s Blues” remind me of what I love about DC during the nineties. It’s as if they uncovered a resource of personal inspiration that dove deep into the ideals of Desoto Records and made a name for themselves by thrashing around. Split releases are supposed to be about two bands making their sounds meet halfway while also offering a friendly competition. At the end of the day, somehow, both Heavy Midgets and Tungs found a way to do their best work. In this competition, they are both victorious.
5 – Hold Tight!Blizzard of ‘96
You know that first time you listen to a record that you end up adoring? I was so taken aback by this release that it felt kind of like being in high school and hearing Saves The Day's Through Being Cool for the first time. Hold Tight! are an undeniably awesome band, and this release showcases it perfectly. It hits you fast and as soon as the side ends, you can’t help but flip your faithful vinyl immediately. “Point of Rocks,” “Purple Beanie,” and “Moving Day” slay on every listen and it makes perfect sense. This is a group that relies on positivity and honesty on every release. Hold Tight! are the best at what they do and it’s really impressive to see that they have reached the point where they are capable of putting together a release this great. Blizzard of ’96 is a record that I could keep on my turntable for days, sitting on the floor of my bedroom listening.
4 – Nelly KateIsh Ish
I was mesmerized with this record when I first heard it. What really caught me was listening to each side of the record separately, which I think was it’s first intentional format. It’s a record based around an idea of musical conversation, as if Nelly Kate had figured this out from the start and determined the presentation long before she had even sang a word into a microphone. In each piece of music included here, she expresses a desire that we all have felt for feelings that have faded away, or are unrequited. When I listen to songs like “Minds+Corners,” I feel like a part of me that might have been missing has been refilled by newfound desire. There is a resiliency to these songs that goes beyond contemporary storytelling. This is a record about taking chances and seeing how it all falls together in the end. Bravo, Nelly Kate. Bravo, indeed.
3 – SundialsWhen I Couldn’t Breathe
While I might have compared Hold Tight!’s release to Saves The Day, I have even grander comparisons when it comes to Sundials’ Asian Man Records debut. With their previous album, Never Settle, perhaps the group could be compared to Jawbreaker's 24 Hour Revenge Therapy. By the same token, When I Couldn’t Breathe is their Dear You--but with no end in sight. Sundials completely caught everyone off guard with this release, and it’s really terrific. “New York Crunch” is probably the catchiest thing they have ever written, while “Some Kind of Time” is my personal favorite. I have always anticipated the moment when Sundials would really take their place at the top of the scene. Little did I know that in doing so, they would fulfill one of my personal childhood dreams by being added to the same roster as all-time favorites like The Lawrence Arms and Alkaline Trio.
2 – White LacesMoves
When you hear the first moments of Moves leadoff track “Trading,” it becomes immediately apparent that you are in for a long ride. This is the type of record that we will only be able to compare future releases to. Moves was the perfect vehicle for White Laces to make everyone aware that they are probably one of the best bands in Richmond. There isn't a single thing to focus on and ordain it as a standout component. They did something even more impressive, developing a record around understanding one another as musicians. Doing so made a palatable release that shows a collaborative effort by some of Richmond’s great creative musical minds. I still find myself humming along to the drum circle section of “Impossible Windows,” which continues to haunt me as one of my favorite Richmond tunes. You might think that this album will be a difficult one for the group to top, but I personally think White Laces are simply showing what they are made of on Moves. Future releases can only continue to impress us even more.
1 – Warren HixsonCruel Whims
When I was organizing my annual fundraising event for WRIR, Nelly Kate had to decline my invitation to be a part of it, but she did recommend that I talk to her friend Brent and see if his band Warren Hixson could play. I had yet to hear them, and my first inclination was that, for that reason, it didn't make sense for me to include them. Little did I know that I would soon see them at a fourth of July barbecue, where I would fall in love with their sound. It was soon after that I began my journey into Cruel Whims and I’ve never looked back since. “Baby Boogie” is an easy favorite off of this release, and yet I also can’t help but fall head over heels for “Dress Like A Policeman” and “Cannibal Jury.” While songs like “I Feel Like Tim Robbins” exist in a realm of orchestral bliss, the rest of the record is a rumination on discovering identity and trying to exist within the world we create for ourselves. Warren Hixson are a band that can only challenge the medium, and that’s why it seems fitting to have them be my favorite Richmond release for 2012. With that level of ambition, the group can only continue to succeed. If you want a real kick though, most of the songs they have been playing live aren’t even featured on this release. What that can mean for a next full-length leaves me incredibly excited--you have no idea.
By Shannon Cleary
Top Image--White Laces by PJ Sykes