#7 Album: Ty Segall – Twins

Even for someone as regularly prolific as Ty Segall, 2012 seemed a busy year. Between producing albums for Ex-Cult and Heavy Cream, touring, and pronouncing his last name (apparently it’s like “seagull‰Û), the king of the West Coast garage scene found time for three albums of his own.

Already pleased with his first two releases this year, I was relieved and ecstatic to find that Twins not only lived up to the other two, but was perhaps Segall’s best yet. Falling somewhere between the psychedelic, synth-heavy jams of Hair and the heavier, punkier Slaughterhouse, Twins strays from any one cohesive idea. A more moderate pace, a bombastic style, and catchy riffs characterize the album, and of course, there’s a heavy layer of fuzz over everything, however songs jump all over the place. There’s the aggressive, two-minute mosh-inducer that is “You’re The Doctor,‰” but there’s also “Gold On The Shore,‰” an acoustic ballad addressed to some anonymous summer love. “The Hill‰” has reviewers rightfully drawing comparisons between the vocals of Segall and John Lennon, while the apocalyptic crooning on “There Is No Tomorrow‰” is more akin to Syd Barrett’s subtly dark atmospheres. And while the focus is often on an artist’s “maturing‰” and their “finding their style,‰” it’s frankly a little refreshing to have someone as multi-faceted and unpredictable as Ty Segall around.

By Bill Oldham

#7 Song: Kanye West (ft. Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz) – “Mercy”

This song is ignorant as hell, sure, but don‰’t you dare call it stupid. Backed by the absolutely impeccable production skills of Mike Will, Mike Dean, Hudson Mohawke, and Lifted, Kanye and friends lay down some of the most bragadocious, memorable, and downright hilarious lines of the year. Big Sean has the most ass-related puns of any rapper out there, Pusha T insults your cooking supplies, Yeezy tells you why he‰’s the most fashionable rapper alive, and 2 Chainz compares his coupe to mayonnaise (it‰’s a miracle whip!).

While “Mercy‰” may not necessarily be the most “artful‰” thing Kanye has every had his hands in, and the hyper repetitive five-note melody and vocal hook may turn off many an early Kanye West fan, it still bangs, bumps, and grinds harder than any hip-hop track you‰’ll hear this year. It’s got lines you‰’ll find yourself quoting incessantly, combined with a beat of gigantic proportions, all making it very clear who still rules to modern hip-hop airwaves.

By Richard Murphy