Two Albums, One Year: 2012?s Most Prolific Musicians ? NYU Local

In light of perpetually-delayed projects like Guns and Roses? Chinese Democracy and Dr. Dre?s now-infamous Detox, writing, recording, producing and releasing albums can seem like seem like an arduous process, to say the least. Especially for artists signed to major labels, putting out two albums in the same calendar year is almost unthinkable. There have been exceptions though ? like Japanese noise king Merzbow, who has released more than 350 recordings since 1979, most of which are contained in a 50 (!!) CD box set, released in 2000.

Of course, in our modern age of piracy, digital-only record labels, and the semi-implosion of the music industry, things have changed. Artists can self-release music via the world wide web, start their own record labels, become free agents and release their music through a variety of sources, or, in at least one case, say ?fuck you? to the major label they?re signed to and self-release an album. Amazingly, all of the above strategies were employed by artists who were able to release two albums or more in the past year. More music doesn?t always beget good music, but in the four examples below, we believe it did.

Note: rap mixtapes are disqualified because the beats contained within are often not recent, and in the case of artists like Lil B, less thought is put into the lyrics of a ?mixtape song? as opposed to an ?album song.?

Flying Lotus: 2 albums (1 as Captain Murphy)
As if Until the Quiet Comes (which would be an excellent present for your friends in CAS, by the way) wasn?t enough, FlyLo surprised us all this year by creating the once-mysterious guise of pitch-shifted rapper Captain Murphy. The two resulting albums share a trippy vibe, but not much else. With intricate arrangements and a more methodical feeling, UtQC seemed to have more passion attached to it than Murphy?s Duality, but the latter is definitely the more fun album of the two. As FlyLo also produced some tracks for Hodgy Beats this year, all we can do is guess what his next move will be. Our best/most optimistic guess? Disco revival.

Death Grips: 2 albums, 1 additional single
Yes, this is the group that said ?fuck you? to their label (Epic), and self-released NO LOVE DEEP WEB (AKA the album with the dick on the cover), the second Death Grips album of 2012. Though longer and less focused than the first album, The Money Store, NLDW stands out not only for its artwork and unconventional release, but also for its stark introspection, a relatively rare quality in a rap album. Presented back-to-back, Death Grips? two 2012 releases flow together better than any other pair listed here. Oh, and they?re already mostly done with their next album.

Mount Eerie: 2 albums, 2 additional singles
The two albums in question, Clear Moon and Ocean Roar, are accurately titled. The former contains mostly dreamy, ponderous tracks, while the latter is far more abrasive and in-the-red. Ever the naturalist, Phil Elverum really hit the nail on the head with the composition of these two albums, both maintaining organic feelings despite the use of synthesizers and distortion. What?s even more amazing is that the two additional singles listed, Distorted Cymbals and To the Ground, take on even more genres of music, tackling funky prog-rock and 8-bit glitch, respectively. Elverum has always done things on his own terms, from remaining in his small hometown rather than relocating to a larger metropolis, to starting his own label, and 2012 was no exception to this trend.

Ty Segall: 3 albums (1 as Ty Segall Band, 1 as Ty Segall & White Fence), 1 additional single
A key player in San Francisco?s incestuous garage rock scene, Segall wins the MPP (most prolific player) award for 2012. Whereas bands like Arcade Fire can take up to six years to release three albums, he did it in less than six months. Granted, for the albums Hair and Slaughterhouse, Segall had help from his fellow San Franciscans Tim Presley and Mikal Cronin, but still, his accomplishment should not go ignored. If the three albums were drugs, the chilled-out, wacky Hair would be weed; the varied, fuzzy Twins would be acid; the rollicking Slaughterhouse is definitely bath salts.

[Images via, via]

Source: http://nyulocal.com/entertainment/2012/12/06/two-albums-one-year-2012s-most-prolific-musicians/

obama on jimmy fallon google drive apple stock pilar sanders andrew young real life barbie zipper