School is kicking into gear, and the weather is (theoretically) soon to mellow, which means that here at Flagpole it’s time for our yearly “welcome to Athens” screed for all y’all newbies and transplants. So, if you fall into one of those categories—welcome to Athens. It’s a nice place to be.
Our town is a veritable music mecca, and not just because of R.E.M. and The B-52s. Sure, those groups got the scene off the ground (and continue to support it in innumerable ways), but in the decades since, Athens has played host to literally thousands of mega-talented, genre-spanning acts. Some of those have gone on to national success, while countless deserving others have remained, unheralded but unflappable, still doing their thing for one wildly appreciative hometown crowd after the next.
If you’re new to town, you’ll quickly figure out which bands are “your thing” and which ones, well, aren’t. The good news is that there’s something for everyone. Need proof? Here’s a list of Flagpole’s 10 favorite local albums from the first half of this year. If it’s any indication, 2012 should stand as one of the more diverse and exciting in recent memory. So, start a band, sillies: the year-end list is wide open!
The breakout heroes of 2012, Reptar’s debut LP was chock full of the dance party-inducing, world beat-inspired indie-pop that has earned them a devoted following in Athens and beyond.
2. Muuy Biien: This Is What Your Mind Imagines
The most pleasant surprise of the year so far, Mind was a collection of textural ambient music and visceral, ’80s-inspired hardcore that worked beautifully in spite of itself.
3. Motion Sickness of Time Travel: Motion Sickness of Time Travel
Recent transplant Rachel Evans’ gorgeous, 90-minute double LP was a ferocious blend of bubbly synths and cavelike atmospherics that was ambitious without being oblique.
4. The Viking Progress: Whistling While the End Is Near
That some of Patrick Morales’ songs of death and despair were given tuneful, damn near upbeat exteriors made for a nimble and well balanced record.
5. of Montreal: Paralytic Stalks
Kevin Barnes and company delivered an album that divided even their fiercely loyal fan base, a thick and uncompromising record that stands as one of the band’s most interesting to date.
6. Thayer Sarrano: Lift Your Eyes to the Hills
Dark, moody and featuring heavily spiritual themes, this songwriter’s second album could have collapsed under its own weight. But Hills managed to maintain a startling lightness of being.
Formerly Deaf Judges (now minus a member), Mad Axes delivered a knockout with this deliciously weird hip-hop debut that referenced cultural touchstones of yore while sounding firmly futuristic.
The rising post-rock quartet unleashed a beast with this 11-track album, an embrace of emotional honesty that was nonetheless shrouded in musical mystery.
The new project from The Glands’ Joe Rowe followed in that beloved group’s guitar-pop footsteps but added a layer of scruffy classic rock to the mix with unexpectedly fresh results.
10. Grass Giraffes: Transportation EP
Quickly a favorite on Athens’ live scene, this band’s debut recording was a too-brief taste of its infectious, psych-tinged dream-rock that promised big things to come.
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