Album Ratings for 2012

A Happy New Year...'s eve! As the final post of 2012; here's my rundown of every album/EP/B-side compilation I had the pleasure/displeasure of listening to throughout 2012. Some have already been reviewed (which have a hyperlink), but the vast majority will likely never be completed.

So yeah, have an awesome start to 2013 and see you soon!

Resident Evil 6 Review

We’re stuck in a cabin, somewhere in Eastern Europe; a blizzard causes the wooden shack to creek and ache. The fireplace roars and offers momentary comfort from the constant reminder of isolation. A bookcase blocks the only door with a few cabinets and one of the two tables blocking the ridiculous amount of windows for such a small confinement.

She’s telling me something about the G-Virus and again, how I’m their only hope. I’m struggling to take everything in. We’ve barely survived a gun battle back in the city, where thirty foot giants rampaged through a small district and killed, five, maybe six men

Then to top it all off, the big guy, yes, that big guy, has chased us for the past day, going as far to hitch a ride and, subsequently crash several planes, killing anyone stupid or slow enough to stand in his way.

But still, the momentary pause is needed; it’s the first time in hours we’ve been able to take a breather, although deep down, we know it can’t last.

And it doesn’t.

Assassin's Creed 3 Review

Something has been wrong with Assassin’s Creed for too long. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what, but it was definitely something. It certainly wasn’t what plagued the first game; a glorified tech demo with linear mission structures paired with a somewhat interesting story.

It certainly wasn’t its sequel which improved on virtually everything in the original, replacing linearity with spontaneity, creating a protagonist players would want to see grow and develop.

You could say it’s partially down to Brotherhood; ACII’s sequel entering the fray a year later, beginning a trend of perhaps milking the franchise a bit too much. Sure, it added a leadership mechanic, a chance to watch Ezio develop a guild of Assassin’s to liberate Renaissance Rome and continuing on from the cliffhanger ending from the previous game.

No, Brotherhood did indeed add a certain component that not only stuck with Revelations; ACII’s second sequel which not only completed Ezio’s story, but added a completely unnecessary multiplayer mode, but also appeared in the recently released Assassin’s Creed III.

A Few Words on... Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon

There's something undeniably catchy regarding Two Door Cinema Club's follow-up to the popular and surprisingly good debut. While never branching out in a new radical direction and keeping it relatively safe.

Muse - The 2nd Law Review

It’s been a strange time to be a Muse fan. The Resistance, for lack of better terms, was too cheesy, its supporting tour lacked surprises and the spontaneity that made their live shows the best in the world and the period went on for a dog’s age.

Needless to say, I’ve been down-trodden by the prospect of The 2nd Law. Survival was initially a slap in the face and a slightly rockier version of Neutron Star Collision that wasn’t what the band needed and the constant quotes of a radical change could either be dismissed as banter (as the band have said this for every album since Origin of Symmetry) or fore-warning for the horrors unfolding.

So, it’s here, it’s certainly different but different doesn’t necessarily mean good.

Animal Collective - Centipede Hz. Review

To say you liked Merriweather Post Pavilion but find the majority of Animal Collective discography, for lack of better terms “difficult” is blasphemy to their very dedicated fanbase. The problem with MPP was Animal Collective managed to create one of the most innovative pop records for the past century, at the expense of the experimentation that made them so endearing and different from your run of the mill “alternative” band.

The Vaccines - The Vaccines Come of Age Review

Hands down my favourite debut album for last year was The Vaccines What Did You Expect from The Vaccines? Hyped to the brink of certain doom, the album was a surprisingly satisfying rock album, heavy on the short but sweet but just as heavy in the entertainment value of the record.

Despite being little over a year, the band have quickly released the dreaded follow-up album, named The Vaccines Come of Age (or simply Come of Age). With only a year after the impressive debut, the question on mine and many others lips was simply; can the band, famous for their addictive, under three minute tunes either replicate it again without diluting it, or possibly take a significant change?

Bloc Party - Four Review

If I could pick one band that served as the backing track to the best years of my life; it would easily be Bloc Party. Whether it was driving for the first time and narrowly avoiding a head-on collision with a Land Rover with Two More Years, having Price of Gas blaring from my car with friends through East London or meeting my girlfriend at a Bloc Party gig (see, not all of them are car related); the foursome have never been far behind with their expansive array of tunes, always ready to fill the void when needed.

Just when it seemed everything was running smoothly and the band had three pretty damn good albums under their belt, they took a break. A very long break; one filled with plenty of trolling at the expense of NME and plenty of solo releases (one of which was reviewed last year...right here). Thankfully, they're back together, ready with a new album in tow.

But the question remains; after a three year leave of absence (or four years since their last album); where does Four of indie rock's darlings now sit in the music landscape with their fourth album which is also called Four?

The Dark Knight Rises Review

With the amount of hype going into Christopher Nolan's final Batman movie, it's easy to loose yourself or easy to think that there's absolutely no way the film can live up to expectation and that the benchmark has been set too high.

You also have to consider that, with The Dark Knight Rises being the third and final piece of a trilogy and that in many instances; it all goes to pot. Heck, as mentioned in the Toy Story 3 review; film trilogies very rarely work, that the time is prime for unusual plot developments, recycling previous themes and failing to increase the escalation of the film's before it.

Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE Review

There was something intensely annoying regarding Frank Ocean’s mixtape nostalgia, ULTRA. The obvious answer was the pretty cheap move of Ocean simply singing over well established songs with lyrics that either didn’t suit them or the fact that singing over something like Hotel California without it being, you know, Hotel California was, well…annoying to the senses.

Needless to say, these instances are absent on Ocean’s channel ORANGE (complete with more stylised lower case-CAPS LOCK lettering) and the album is the perfect showcase of Ocean’s large repertoire of talents.

The View - Cheeky for a Reason Review

Oh, lad’s rock, you had such promise! Yet all you’ve done is throw bands atop the never decreasing pile on the Indie Landfill after the initial big bang.

Second Opinion - The Amazing Spider-Man

What works with The Amazing Spider-Man (henceforth TASM) is Webb finally offers a more plausible and enticing film that asks the question of just why exactly such an introverted and socially awkward character like Peter Parker; chooses to go down the path to become a superhero like Spider-Man?

The Amazing Spider-Man - Review

I wasn't really looking toward to this movie, something didn't quite click with me during the build up, maybe it's the very widespread opinion that’s it's too soon for a reboot?? Quite possibly. But with the new franchise brings a new story, I’ve read far too many comic books to poo-poo this movie so I saw it and golly did I enjoy it!

Prometheus - Review

Prometheus promised a hell of a lot just simply with its existence, a prequel to Alien? That’s big stuff especially with Ridley Scott at the helm. As much as Scott tried to convince us otherwise in the build up there is no way this film is not a prequel, there’s just far too much content that links it to Alien, some of it works and some of it falls short.

A few words on…. The Cabin in the Woods

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A few words on…. Chronicle

I noticed the other day that Chronicle has been release on DVD/Blu Ray and I remembered how much hype I had for that film before it was released and how bloody impressed I was after seeing it!

A few words on…. Men in Black 3

The third film in a franchise, only so few have been decent, is Men in Black 3 any good or is it another cash in from the now creative-less world that is Hollywood now?

Linkin Park - Living Things Review

I hate the term "Guilty Pleasure" simply because of the implication that liking a certain something will ruin your social status, turn your friends into enemies or give you a one-to-one with a Consultant Psychiatrist who's willing to bring back the lobotomy, just for you.

On the plus side, the term is more than appropriate for anyone over the age of fourteen who listens to Linkin Park. Oh sure, you may look in shock that the Nu-Metal trendsetters of a decade gone are still rolling, but alas, they are.

They even had a bit of controversy with their fourth album A Thousand Suns. Well, controversy in the sense that daring to depart from the formula that had worked well for their first two near-identical albums and their stupidly successful, courtesy of Michael Bay third.

It was more electronically influenced, it was a concept album that made individual track plays almost useless, it utilised far more sampling and...well, that's about it. Credit has to be given that, despite the album being far, far too long and doing the whole "goin' electronic" thing a good decade after Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins and more did and using lyrics and themes that Public Enemy have been treading for thirty years, it was a fresh direction for the band and resulted that was overall; pretty good.

Retcon-Nation's Top Ten Games of E3 2012

For those who followed our twitter feed (which you probably don't, but it's here regardless), E3 2012 was the year of crossbows, neck-stabs and touch screens. Microsoft beat Nintendo to the punch with a handheld DVD extra initialiser called Smart-Glass (more like Smart-Arse amirite?), Nintendo underwhelmed the entire universe with further info on the Wii-U's mostly casual market with rehashes of old games (Yay! Mass Effect 3 and Arkham City...A YEAR LATE!) and Sony took a left turn at uselessness town with their Wonderbook (complete with on-stage mishaps!).

But enough about peripherals; it's games you want and games you shall get! Listed is my top ten titles from this year's show...and just as a forewarning, as a PS3 owner, there's a few exclusives on here so apologies if it seems a tad biased (I'm sure if I cared about Halo, Gears of War or Call of Duty anymore, they'd be here).

Sigur Rós - Valtari Review

I remember waking up at the very beginning of 2007 on New Years Day, not suffering from a hangover (despite my body being 60% alcohol and 40% Marks and Spencer's Sausage Rolls) and the first video I watched on MTV2, whilst many of my friends were still sleeping was Sigur Rós' single Svefn-g-englar.

Obviously still under the effects of the night before, I was mesmerised by the truly moving music, the hauntingly beautiful vocals and strange but enlightening video, so much so that I immediately bought the album on Amazon, not really knowing what to expect but hoping for something similar to that wonderful video.

Since then, Sigur Rós have remained one of my most favourite bands. Although I only discovered them in 2007, they truly hit the big time with Hoppîpolla (aka the song played during every BBC sports and documentary montage throughout 2004) and have remained the best band to come out of Iceland that specialises in gibberish lyircs and bowed guitar.

Their sixth full length album finally saw release after a fashionable hiatus and, eager as ever, I had the thing ready for pre-order, hoping for some more creative goodness. I wasn't expecting the album to top Ágætis byrjun (for those keeping track, I'd consider that album a 10/10) but hoping for something in that range.

Storm Corrosion - Storm Corrosion Review

One of my biggest regrets last year for this blog was never getting around to reviewing Grace for Drowning at the time of its release. In short; it was a fantastic album that improved on everything Steven Wilson had begun with Insurgentes and would was easily in my top five albums for 2011.

With another year, the ever productive Wilson has another release, this time a long awaited collaborative effort with Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt. The duo, under the moniker Storm Corrosion, has previously promised something unlike anything they have previously released.

Stupidly, I didn’t pay much attention to that statement and fully expected something that might be an epic combination of something like Porcupine Tree with Opeth or Wilson’s solo efforts with Bloodbath.

The point is, I was looking forward to Storm Corrosion and upon giving the album enough listens; I have come to two conclusions:

Top Ten Horrifying/Disgusting/WTF Moments in Resident Evil

2012 is a big year for gaming. Each week there’s something new to behold, a story about the next big thing, hints of the direction huge series’ will take in their steady evolution, how the big three console developers plan to one-up each other and claim victory in this crazy little thing called the “console wars”

One of 2012’s biggest releases Reece and I will be looking out for is Resident Evil 6. The long running survival/action-horror series had its humble beginnings as a shoddy Playstation title with player controlled characters that moved like tanks against mindless, shambling, grotesque zombies and worse in a haunted, claustrophobic mansion.

But since its humble beginnings; Resident Evil has mutated into one of the biggest franchises in gaming. Expanding it’s horizons with tighter gameplay, a less cheesier story and some absolutely horrifying moments, Resident Evil holds in it’s decaying hands a legacy that spans just under two decades of critical adulation and a cult following which can’t get enough of stopping Bio-Weapons from taking over the world.

With the eighth title on the horizon as a potential Game of the Year, this is Retcon-Nation’s top ten, most horrifying, disgusting and complete WTF moments in the main series, from Zero to Five (excluding Revelations as neither of us have played it yet).

The Avengers Review

Reaching the end of The Avengers (or Marvel’s Avengers Assemble for us apparently easily confused brits), it finally dawned on me why Josh Whedon was put at the helm rather than say; a director with more summer blockbuster experience than the guy who directed Serenity.

Heck, someone who directed one of the five movies that have led us to this huge team-up would have been the logical choice. But, like the medium this film is adapted from; logic goes out the window or, so it seemed, because there is method in the studio’s madness and that is;

Feeder - Generation Freakshow Review

Ask a Feeder fan if they can pinpoint the moment the band went from one of the UK's most prosperous and consistently entertaining bands to another casualty the old age foe called Father Time and you're liable to get one of three answers. Joe public will ask you not ask them about the fetish over combining their partner's spiralling diabetes and obsession with combining gorging hot dogs and doggy style. You then give them several "famous" songs and immediately, they wonder "What ever did happen to the band that did Buck Rogers?"

The logical fan will say they blame the midpoint of Pushing the Senses; when the band's attempt at capturing Coldplay, Snow Patrol and Xenu forbid Take That's audience with melodic and harmless pop-rock from their previously well established NME Rock/early nineties grunge routes didn't simply not work, but demonstrated every shortcoming the band managed to patch over with their previous four very good/excellent albums.

Then there's the cult follower who can't believe you would insinuate the band is anything other than the bestest, most greatest thing in the whole world and that you must be a total microscopic flaccid dick for thinking anything other, before they and the surprisingly quick mob appear with pitchforks and torches to vivisect you with immediate intent.

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists - Review

Sometimes, I wonder with the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, why pirates haven't become a sub-genre of their own? Then of course, you have to think back to the days of where pirates were on the hollywood list of things to avoid at all costs (as Roman Polanski, Disney prior to PotC and Renly Harlin have discovered the hard way).

The Ting Tings - Sounds from Nowheresville Review

There's no easy way of saying this...ok that's a flat out lie, because for a good while now, I've been tempted to summarise The Ting Tings follow-up album with something short and sweet to prevent me from having to keep playing it.

Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror Review

When people ask me what album's I'm looking forward to for 2012, one of the first answers that comes up is the next Sleigh Bells album. See, two years prior, the duo figuratively exploded on the music scene with a debut album that was so fresh, so new and so different, it stood-out from it's peers.

Lana Del Rey - Born to Die Review

I tried dammit. I tried going into this review without mentioning hype. It’s becoming a byword on this blog and I really didn’t want to do it for fear of repetition. But forgive me general public, for I have sinned and with this particular review, it is an inevitability so hear me out.

Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood of Colour Review

Contrary to your perceptions; Post-Hardcore does not equate to pornstars in berets standing around talking about their feelings. It’s actually a musical genre that people, like me, can lump together that would normally be titled as Emo, Screamo, Goth-Pop and sound completely pretentious doing so.

Fortunately, for Post-Hardcore band Enter Shikari, whose first album had all the stereotypes that made the album a samey, if consistently decent debut, their follow-up Common Dreads decided to incorporate elements from Dubstep to create an album that delivered neat ideas but overall, sounded muddled and confused.

Three years later, the North London outfit have entered the difficult realms of album three and I have to admit, the only reason I keep coming back to Enter Shikari like a battered housewife is the odd glimmer of something better amongst the filler. I liked Anything Can Happen in the Next Half Hour which gave way to buying Take to the Skies for three pounds in a sale. When Common Dreads came about; it was stand-alone single We Can Breathe in Space… which peaked my curiosity.

For A Flash Flood of Colour; it was Destabilise. With its big beats and bombastic feel, it was a song that did what Common Dreads couldn’t do consistently or as epically. So naturally, I gave their latest album a listen, not really knowing what to expect but some what optimistic.

The Maccabees - Given to the Wild Review

Whilst 2011’s major theme was hype, 2012 looks set to continue the trend. We have Lady Gaga already in the middle of writing a no-doubt major selling follow-up to the long, tiresome Born This Way. Muse have again promised a radical change for their sixth album and with The Killers, Bloc Party and Animal Collective marking the year their returns; it looks set to be another year of huge, heavily hyped releases and the usual batch of mediocre rubbish.

So, where does 2012’s really start? It already has kids and it’s a somewhat surprising source.