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Best of 2012: Albums

30 Jan

Best of 2012- Albums

Last week, I gave you MFH’s Best of 2012: Songs. This week, I return with the best albums of the year. As I said before, 2012, for me, was the year of exploration into the countrier side of things. I discovered more brilliant artists keeping one of America’s most historic genres alive than I ever thought existed. Many of which you’ll see here.

Before we get to the list, let’s talk about some of the changes that have been made. First, I’ve done away with any sort of number limitation. I’ve decided that, when it comes down to it, choosing the best albums of the year is difficult enough. Limiting the list to 10 or 15 is arbitrary. If I can’t truly decide why I like one album more than another, they both deserve to be listed. Second, this year is more than just folk. Last year, because I was writing my first ever end of the year lists, I thought it fitting to only include those that were of the genre this blog was built around. This year, I’m letting it fly. You’ll see a lot of folk, country, and roots music, but also some rock, hip hop, and even artists I’m not sure how to classify.

I hope your 2012 was as musically wonderful as mine was, and I hope 2013 has great sounds in store for you as well. Here are MFH’s Best of 2012: Albums:

Anais Mitchell- Young Man In AmericaAnais Mitchell | Young Man In America

My first foray into Anais Mitchell’s music was a special one. Her razor sharp voice, deft lyrics, and astute understanding of how to use the song as a medium for storytelling, blew me away. Young Man In America is an onslaught of talent that you will leave puzzled. Puzzled as to why Ms. Mitchell isn’t yet a superstar.

Best song: “Young Man In America”

  Continue reading →

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Best of 2012: Songs

22 Jan

Best of 2012- Songs New

Like everything in my blogging life the past seven months or so, my end of the year lists are a little behind schedule. Yes, it’s three weeks into 2013, which is enough time for everyone to have already given up on their New Year’s resolutions, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to take a look back at 2012. At least that’s what I’m going to keep telling myself, so play along. Pretend it’s still December.

2012 was an incredible year for music. So many great albums and songs came out in the past year, that making a year end list seemed an impossible task. You’ll notice a few changes from last year’s lists if you’ve been following MFH for a while. Because of the quantity of good music, I’ve expanded my Best Songs list to 50 and the only reason I’ve decided to keep it at a number limit is because otherwise things would get out of hand. If I allowed myself free reign of all the songs I enjoyed in 2012, this list would be massive (choose ALL the songs). So, for the sake of sanity, I’ve clocked it at 50. There were a ton of songs that could have found a spot on this list, but I had to cut it somewhere.

For me, 2012 was the year of country. I’ve started hosting an americana/roots radio show on Impact 89FM, meaning that my life has become inundated with country music. It’s a genre I have fought for for a long time, but now I realize more than ever the creative and innovative ways artists across the United States, and world, are keeping country music alive. You’ll notice the difference in this list, and my forthcoming Best Albums list, but, if you’re a country detractor, I promise you this isn’t your Top 40 country. This is gritty, real, emotionally burdened, country. More in the vein of Johnny Cash and Doc Watson, than Toby Keith.

The second big change is that last year, because it was my inaugural year for Best Of lists, I decided to keep everything as folky as possible. This year, I’m letting it fly. You’ll see country as I mentioned, folk, indie rock, R&B, hip hop, and more. The majority is of course folk, because that is my first love, but this year’s lists are more diverse than a year ago.

Enough of my rambling, let’s get to the list! Here is My Folking Heart’s Best of 2012: Songs! Continue reading →

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Jeff Mangum Live at The Redford Theatre

13 Jan

Jeff Mangum Redford TheatreSitting in the middle of an empty stage, in a chair that looked like one you’d find in your grandmother’s home, where the furniture hasn’t changed for 40 years, he was the center of everyone’s attention, the biggest name on the marquee. But with shoulder length hair, mostly concealed by a green military cap, and a beard that he would later tell us, at the brave request of a fan, he’d been growing “since May,” Jeff Mangum looked like he was trying to hide.

It made sense. He’d been hiding for more than a decade.

After the release of Neutral Milk Hotel’s seminal record, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, mastermind Jeff Mangum quickly disappeared, but the music didn’t. Aeroplane, which was at first under appreciated by critics, grew a life all it’s own, as the man behind the curtain chose to stay right where he was. The record became a staple in the lives of a new generation, like myself, who were only 6,7,8 when the record was released. Through the 00′s, Aeroplane was transformed from a record that few knew, to one that everyone had to hear before they died. It frequented “Best of” lists, and claimed the top spot, as the best album of the 90′s, numerous times. Continue reading →

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Feature: Best Music on TV

7 Jun


Music is often an underrated component of great television. Acting, direction, and writing are all mentioned as the foundations of brilliant television and no doubt they are, but a TV show that uses great music will forever hold a special place in my heart. I’ve come across many shows that use great music over the years, and ironically, only one of these shows will still be on the air come fall 2012. Nonetheless, here are my top 5:

Friday Night Lights

Friday Night Lights might be the most underrated show in history. Many put it off, believing it was just a show about football, and a cheap way to make a buck by spinning off from the movie of the same name. Those people could not have been more wrong. No television show of the last decade was as seamless as FNL. Moments rarely felt forced, acting and writing combined so fluidly that it was easy to forget it was all fiction. Incredibly powerful, moving, and real, this drama would have been one of the best shows I’ve ever seen had there not been a lick of music. Luckily for me, the show heads had some great taste.

MFH favorites used:Tony Lucca, Iron and Wine, The National, The Heartless Bastards, A.A. Bondy, Jakob Dylan, TV On the Radio, The Black Keys, Explosions in the Sky, Whiskeytown, Drive-By Truckers, Jose Gonzalez, Spoon, Ryan Adams, Rogue Wave, Shakey Graves, Wilco, Beck, Vampire Weekend, The Avett Brothers

Introduced me to: Whiskeytown, Drive-By Truckers, Explosions in the Sky

Favorite musical moment: Continue reading →

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