Albums of 2012: The Nearly Men Part 1

The top ten albums of 2012 was compiled by sorting my iTunes by year and browsing through the selection (I am an obsessive, every song in my iTunes has a year attached!) If it wasn't in the database, I obviously didn't feel it important enough to even listen to. From the albums in the database, 51 were initially selected as contenders. A first cull left the list at 34, and a second cull left a shortlist of 19. The 19 came from a variety of genres, styles and performers and I had listened to every one of them several times. Compiling the top 10 took some time, and over the next three days I'll look back at the 9 records that didn't quite make the cut.

Halestorm - "The Strange Case Of..."

Released: April 10th

Halestorm's second studio album is a wonderful ride from start to finish, full of punchy rock anthems and beautifully paced ballads. Lzzy Hale solidifies herself as one of the finest vocalists in rock music, showing exceptional range and surprising grit throughout the record. "The Strange Case Of..." is a rousing, powerful set that gets better with every listen, showing evolution and maturity and bodes well for a great future for this highly underrated band.

Key Tracks: "Love Bites (So Do I)", Beautiful With You", "Here's To Us".

Calexico - "Algiers"

Released: September 11th

You're never quite sure what to expect from Calexico, a band whose roots are steeped firmly in country music, but who spin so many different sounds every time they record. Moving out of their Arizona comfort zone to record in New Orleans - the album is named after the district they recorded it - they pick up some new influences while keeping the sound that makes them such a special band in the first place. "Algiers" doesn't break any ground, but it sits very nicely on the ground it's on.

Key Tracks: "Sinner in the Sea", "Puerto", "Hush".

Dr John - "Locked Down"

Released: April 3rd

New Orleans bluesman Dr John has been making music for upwards on 50 years now, and shows no signs of slowing down on his 27th solo outing. Produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach who also plays guitar, "Locked Down" is a roots influenced hybrid of blues, jazz, funk and classic Louisiana R'n'B, that owes as much to the present as it does to the past. It's Dr John's best record in over 20 years, and one of the year's most rewarding listens.

Key Tracks: "Locked Down", "Revolution", "Eleggua".

TV Review: What I Watched Last Night: 04/02/12

Really short reviews here, as I have very little time and absolutely tons to do!

Happy Endings - "Full Court Dress" (S02 E08) ABC (US) 23rd November 2011 
Continuing to be great. All three plots worked well, especially Max and Penny's babysitting exploits. Another great example of an ensemble working in sync.
****

Spartacus: Vengeance - "Fugitivus" (S02 E01) Starz (US) 27th January 2012 
The tragic loss of Andy Whitfield could have been the death knell for this show, but Liam McIntyre has stepped in and done fairly well, playing the character in his own way. With the slaves free and running amok, this debut felt a little unfocused, but the feel of the first season is still there.
*** 1/2

The Big Bang Theory - "The Friendship Contraction" (S05 E15) CBS (US) 2nd February 2012 
The show goes back to the core with Leonard and Sheldon at the forefront. The dynamic works really well, and the jokes - especially from Sheldon - are really good. The B-Plot is a bit sloppy, but does have a good payoff. Pretty good.
*** 1/2

30 Rock - "Today You Are a Man" (S06 E05) NBC (US) 2nd February 2012
Liz learns to negotiate with Jack by watching tapes of Jack giving a negotiation seminar. That's all you really need to know about this episode. Elsewhere, Kristen Schaal pops up as a new Page while Kenneth looks for a new vocation, and Tracy and Jenna attempt to grow as people. 30 Rock really does continue to deliver.
****

Archer - "The Limited" (S03 E06) FX (US) 2nd February 2012
Archer finally gets to fulfil his life's ambition by chasing a guy on top of a train. Yup, this episode sees the ISIS gang transport a Canadian terrorist back over the border. The expected chaos ensues, with grenades, guns and an ocelot. Archer is consistently proving to be one of the best things on television.
**** 1/2

Up All Night - "Preschool Auction" (S01 E14) NBC (US) 2nd February 2012
Chris' brother comes to town, and their competitiveness prevents them from telling each other the whole truth.  Meanwhile, Reagan tries her best to get Amy into a prestigious pre-school and enlists Ava to help out. It's another lovely little episode, with some very funny moments. Nice to see Up All Night snap out of the stagnation it had been in.
****

The Office - "Jury Duty" (S08 E13) NBC (US) 2nd February 2012 
I can't help thinking that The Office got the dynamic of this episode all wrong. For some reason, the main focus was put on Jim skipping work to spend time with his kids. While this would have been a perfectly acceptable B-Plot, the actual B-Plot should have been the focus. It becoming apparent that Dwight is the father of Angela's baby and not her (possibly gay) husband is a thread that should shape the rest of the season. Could do better once again.
***

Whitney - "Mind Games" (S01 E14) NBC (US) 1st February 2012
I was stunned and delighted when John Cleese showed up as a couple's therapist in this episode, because I had no idea he was going to be in it. His cameo was much funnier than Chelsea Handler's similar role earlier in the season, but Whitney's plot fell flat again, which unusually meant that Alex also fell flat. However, the weird relationship between Mark and Roxanne went into another gear. Once again, funny in places, frustrating in others.
***

TV Review: What I Watched Last Night: 02/02/12

New Girl - "Jess and Julia" (S01 E11) Fox (US) 31st January 2012 
As I said about the last episode, Zooey Deschanel and Lizzy Caplan really are my dream team. So it's lovely to see them spend a lot of time together in this episode, which is yet another fine slice of warm comedy. Jess enlists Caplan's Julia to help her get out of a traffic ticket, but it soon becomes apparent that Julia has a problem with Jess. Quite how this is possible, I don't know, but it does lead to a nice little storyline, and at the end up, the two seem to be slowly becoming friends. Elsewhere, it's nice to see the return of June Diane Raphael as Jess' lesbian gynaecologist friend Sadie, and Cece is back as well after an unexplained absence. The guys, especially Nick have some nice threads, and this New Girl is another strong episode of a show that has been consistently fun.
****

Raising Hope - "Gambling Again" (S02 E12) Fox (US) 31st January 2012 
Greg Garcia always likes to use actors he's previously used. Gregg Binkley, who recurred in My Name Is Earl is now a credited star in Raising Hope, while Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Eddie Steeples and Jaime Pressly have also appeared. This week, he re-uses a character, as Patty the Daytime Hooker plays an integral part of the episode. "Gambling Again" sees the Chances develop a common gambling problem. Attending a support group along with Barney, Frank and Patty, they realise betting against them sees them on a hot streak. It takes a sly intervention from Sabrina and Shelly to snap them out of it and see what's really important. It's a pretty funny episode, with some very funny moments, but not the best of what this show is capable of.
*** 1/2

That '70s Show - "Battle of the Sexists" (S01 E04) Fox (US) 20th September 1998 
One of the advantages of making a television show set more than twenty years in the past, is that you can tackle the issues of the day, knowing exactly how they turned out. The episode sees Donna continually beating Eric at sports and games, which irritates him to the point of him no longer wanting to hang out with her. As they both get advice, Donna from Jackie, and Eric from Kitty, they realise that having fun is more important than who wins. The relationship is bubbling along slowly, and it's nice to watch it grow. Elsewhere, Kelso is urged to stand up to Jackie by Hyde and Fez, while a bored Red decides to "fix" everything around the house, much to Kitty's dismay. That '70s Show's first season continues to be a really excellent repeat watch.
****

Better Off Ted - "Heroes" (S01 E02) ABC (US) 25th March 2009 
"Heroes" follows on from where the pilot left off, with Ted still having to do the right thing while Veronica pushes him to be ruthless. The episode sees Phil and Lem fall out when Phil is given a phony award to stop him suing the company following the botched cryogenic experiment of the pilot. This happens at a crucial time where they are attempting to crow cowless beef. Yup, it's a pretty ridiculous plot, but in the context of this show, Veridian Dynamics are a ridiculous company. There's also continuing sexual tension between Ted and Linda, which it looks like may go on for some time. Better Off Ted is off to a solid start.
*** 1/2

TV Review: What I Watched Last Night: 01/02/12

With February Sweeps starting tomorrow in America (a concept I still can't really get my head around) there's been pretty much fuck all on TV this week. So I've watched some older stuff instead.

That '70s Show - "Streaking" (S01 E03) Fox (US) 6th September 1998
President Gerald Ford is visiting Point Place and the guys fancy some civil disobedience. After deciding that streaking (while wearing Richard Nixon masks) is the way to go, it ends up that only Foreman goes through with the deed when he sees his dad floundering over the saccharine pre-determined question he had been chosen to ask. Red then asks his own question after the commotion, and Foreman gets further into Donna's good books. It's amazing looking back at this show and seeing the sheer quality of the early episodes. And it's nice to know there's loads more to come as well.
****

Better Off Ted - "Pilot" (S01 E01) ABC (US) 18th March 2009
Better Off Ted only lasted 26 episodes over the course of 2 seasons, but on the strength of the pilot, it looks like I'll be enjoying watching all of them. Head of the research and development department at a large multinational company, Ted is a sharp suited, fast talking, doting single father. His character is the main focus of this first episode, although it also focuses on his seemingly soulless boss Veronica, the new girl - and probable love interest - Linda, bumbling scientists Phil and Lem, and his young daughter Rose. The pilot sees Ted struggle with doing the right thing while keeping the company happy, with Rose acting as his moral compass. It strikes me how many similarities there are in this pilot to the currently airing House of Lies (a similar lead character and an ensemble not a million miles apart, the breaking the fourth wall, the big business setting, the single dadness), but there will surely be enough differences in the upcoming episodes. A strong start, I look forward to seeing more.
*** 1/2

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia - "The Gang Gets Racist" (S01 E01) FX (US) 4th August 2005
I've been recommended to watch It's Always Sunny... for some time now. I tried it once before, but didn't really get it, but have decided to give it another go. And while I still don't think the pilot is great, I've now seen enough to sense that there is real potential in this show. "The Gang Gets Racist" introduces us to the titular gang, bar owners Mac, Dennis and Charlie, plus Dennis' twin sister Sweet Dee. After being accused of being racist, the guys hire Dee's black friend (who works in PR) to help fill their bar. After inadvertently turning the bar into the hottest gay hangout in town, they have mixed emotions. It takes a series of run ins - Dennis having a threesome with two gay guys (supposed to be a fake set up by Dee, but later revealed to probably be real), and Charlie looking like a twat, things go back to normal. I think what got me about the pilot, is it doesn't feel like a pilot at all. I do think I'll enjoy this show more once I've gotten to know the characters, so look forward to watching the next few episodes.
***

TV Review: What I Watched Last Night: 31/01/12

American Dad - "Stanny Tendergrass" (S07 E09) Fox (US) 29th January 2012 
Would it be wrong to say that Hulk Hogan saved this episode? No. It would not be wrong to say it. Hulk Hogan saved this episode. Don't get me wrong, I actually liked the episode as a whole. The premise was sound, Stan works summers at the country club while he saves up for a membership (the CIA is quiet during the summer!). Roger (in a persona that Stan can't see through - apparently everyone in the family has one) is already a member, and tortures Stan. When Stan eventually gets in, he becomes a snob, and Hulk Hogan - complete with "Real American" blaring - comes to sort him out. A good episode made even betetr by the Hulkster.
****

The Simpsons - "Moe Goes from Rags to Riches" (S23 E12) Fox (US) 29th January 2012 
Huh. Jeremy Irons voicing Moe's bar rag could have been a great idea. The execution however, is pretty bad. The rag tells his story, vaguely like Forrest Gump, appearing at various points in history. Sadly, The Simpsons' laziest plot device comes into play, as the chaacters are dropped into historical situations. The B-Plot sucks, and only Irons' performance stops this from being as bad as the last two shown.
**

Family Guy - "Livin' on a Prayer" (S10 E12) Fox (US) 29th January 2012 
When Family Guy cover religion, it can go either way. This one veered towards the poor, but wasn't atrcious. Lois finds out Stewie's new friend has cancer, but due to his parents being Christain Scientists, they don't believe in hospital treatment. Lois ends up kidnapping the child to take him to hospital, sparking a major manhunt. It wasn't great, although Peter randomly dressing as Harry Potter was funny. There's not much in the way of a B-Plot, but there were some decent cutaways for a change. It just feels like Family Guy is going backwards.
** 1/2

House of Lies - "Mini-Mogul" (S01 E04) Showtime (US) 29th Junuary 2012 
This show is great. We're four episodes in and it's going from strength to strength. This episode saw some excellent character development - Jeannie possibly excepted, but we did see Kirstin Bell writhing around in her underwear, so swings and roundabouts - and saw the first real starring turn from young Donis Leonard Jr as Roscoe. The consultancy of the week was rather unimportant compared to the relationships that were being explored. Only Jeannie's engagement story, which seems to have come out of nowhere, fell a little flat, but the aforementioned lingirie scene did a lot to make up for that! Excellent once again.
****

TV Review: What I Watched This Weekend - 29/01/2012

The Big Bang Theory - "The Beta Test Initiation" (S05 E14) CBS (US) 26th January 2012
While Leonard and Penny resume dating, and decide to take it slowly, while initiating a computer style beta test of their relationship. As an A-Plot, it actually works surprisingly well, as Leonard once again screws things up. Naturally he fixes the problems by the end of the episode, and it looks like we'll be seeing this relationship for a while. Elsewhere Raj becomes even more pathetic than usual when he falls in love with his phone's virtual assistant, giving some great jokes, especially when Kripke shows up having problems with his voice recognition. And while away from the main stories, Sheldon and Amy create a video podcast on flags. Tell you what, I'd watch it. A very good episode, hopefully the form continues.
****

30 Rock - "Idiots Are People Three" (S06 E03) NBC (US) 26th January 2012
The concluding part of last week's story is a resounding success and one of the best episodes 30 Rock has ever produced. Jack is still in Liz's head over her relationship with Criss, which she eventually sorts out, while Tracy continues his "Idiots Protest". But while both of these threads work fine, it's the other two that absolutely shine. Devon Banks is back (hooray for the return of Arnett!) and resumes his feud with Jack. Cue some excellent work from Alec Baldwin and Will Arnett, as Banks thinks he's gotten the upper hand on Jack, only for Jack to realise that he'll win anyway. And while that was great, the return of the Best Friends Gang is one of the greatest C-Plots in sitcom history. We find out why Pete was unconscious as Kelsey Grammar performs a one man show on Abraham Lincoln. Absolutely magnificent.
**** 1/2

30 Rock - "The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell" (S06 E04) NBC (US) 26th January 2012
The backlog of episodes due to the show's mid-season start this year allows two episodes this week. The scheduling was a little strange, but never mind that, it's still a treat to get two. This episode sees Jack eliminate the page program to impress Hank Hooper. When things go wrong, Jack realises he needs Kenneth and the rest of the pages. Predictable? Yes. Funny? Yes indeed. Elsewhere, Jenna gets caught up in her new found fame and dumps Liz as a friend, bringing in a fake Kardashian, a YouTube sensation, and Mick Foley (yup, Mick Foley, legend) as her new friends. The fake movie Jenna stars in is extremely well done, the Emma Stone and Andy Samberg cameos working a treat. And Tracy almost has an epiphany, but then realises he was just pissed off at Grizz and Dot Com. It wasn't as good as the first of this week's episodes, but was another excellent piece of television.
****

Whitney - "Codependence Day" (S01 E13) NBC (US) 25th January 2012
Ok, it's still not great, but Whitney has at least turned into a steady show. This episode sees Whitney get a job as Roxanne's assistant, hired mainly to spy on her work rivals. Things naturally don't go quite to plan, but she manages to make everything ok in her own special way. The character has taken a while to warm to, but it is starting to happen. A character who was instantly likeable was Alex, and he has another great episode as he attempts to find things after Whitney rearranged the apartment. I could relate to his situation completely, as I frequently find myself in just that situation. Alex takes matters into his own hands and rearranges everything again himself. Pretty fantastic stuff from him. Now, unfortunately, Neal, Lily and Mark's plot was a bit weak though, as Mark goes to the other two for help in dealing with a clingy girlfriend. Not great. But another pretty decent episode with some good laughs.
***

Archer - "El Contador" (S03 E05) FX (US) 26th January 2012
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Cyril becomes a field agent and immediately gets dropped into a mission in the jungle with Archer and Lana. When he disappears, Archer and Lana decide to continue with the mission and find him later. The mission goes awry when they get captured, only to find out that Cyril has managed to get himself into the criminal's inner circle. They facilitate an escape thanks to Cyril's quick thinking, but he eventually takes a beating when he pisses off Lana. It's wonderfully silly, and Archer at its best. The B-Plot sees Cheryl, Pam and Ray worried about forthcoming drug tests. They are offered a solution by Krieger, but that turns out to be one of his experiments, which causes the three to go crazy. Archer is magnificent, there's really no other way to put it.
**** 1/2

Unsupervised - "Rich Girl" (S01 E02) FX (US) 26th January 2012
The pilot last week was alright, unspectacular, but not bad overall. It certainly had potential. The potential is still there, but "Rich Girl" is on the same level as the pilot. A new student has joined the school, a drug addled goth girl called Allie. Joel and Gary take her home after she passes out on drugs only to find out that her dad is a dentist and pretty well off. A plan is hatched to hook the dad up with Gary's stepmum, so they can have a better life. It doesn't work, she ends up shagging Darren, and it's back to the status quo. Meanwhile, Megan decides to start smoking weed. It's been an unspectacular start for this series, but I'll definitely be giving it another couple of weeks.
***

TV Review: What I Watched This Week - 27/01/2012

This will usually be a daily feature on the blog, but I've managed to fall behind after being unusually busy this week. Thanfully, due to NFL Playoffs and Barack doing his thing, there's not been too much on over the past seven days, so it's going to work out just fine! I'll be taking a less in depth look at the TV shows I've been watching (in general, some episodes, particularly season finales and one offs, will receive a full article to themselves) as time constraints and the volume of things I've been watching have made it too difficult to get material done!

Archer - "The Man From Jupiter" (S03 E04) FX (US) 19th January 2012
Following on from a three part mini-season back in September, the world's most incompetent animated secret agent is back causing havoc on our screens. Here, he finds out that his hero, the actor Burt Reynolds (voicing himself), is dating his mother, and sets out to try and put an end to it. He changes his mind when Reynolds helps him elude a Cuban hit squad with a little help from Lana. It's great to have Archer back on television, it really is one of the best animated comedies in recent times
****

Unsupervised - "Pilot" (S01 E01) FX (US) 19th January 2012
The latest animated sitcom to hit FX is Unsupervised, from the team behind It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and starring creator David Hornsby, Justin Long and Kristen Bell. Focusing on two teenage boys who live with virtually no parental influence, I was worried that it may come across as a cheap Beavis and Butt-head knock off. Thankfully it didn't (although there were a couple of shaky moments along the way). This was a solid, but unspectacular pilot, but there was enough to suggest that Unsupervised has a lot of potential quality in there.
***

Up All Night - "Rivals" (S01 E13) NBC (US) 19th January 2012
After a really strong start, Up All NIght has quietly settle into a comfortable little niche. While that niche is still pretty good, it would be nice to see them try something a little different. "Rivals" saw a former protege of Ava and Reagan (Megan Mullaly showing up in yet another sitcom, she's becoming a female Fred Wilalrd!) stealing all their talk show ideas, while Chris found friendship with one of the mums from Amy's playgroup. Reagan, who always has the potential to overreact, gets jealous, and the whole thing gets a little awkward. It's the awkward situations that give this show a lot of it's comedy, but Up All Night needs to be careful it doesn't become too formulaic.
*** 1/2

House of Lies - "Microphallus" (S01 E03) Showtime (US) 22nd Januray 2012
This is the 2001-12 season's best new show. It is dark, funny, biting, and has enough twists in each 30 minute episode to keep you hooked right to the end. "Microphallus" has a lot going on, but it all boils down to Marty at the end of the day. Don Cheadle has been excelling as this bastard with a heart, and his is a complex story in this episode that is going to build into something more over the next few weeks if the last few scenes have anything to go by. And fair play to Kristen Bell for continually stealing the show as Jeannie. Three episodes in and I'm hooked on House of Lies.
**** 1/2

Above Suspicion: Silent Scream - "Part 3" (S04 E03) ITV1 (UK) 23rd January 2012
The final part of what has been an excellent mini-series gave us the conclusion that we may have expected, but it was an exciting ride to get there. Despite ending up in hospital due to the actions of a suspect, Anna finds an integral piece of evidence that manages to catch the killer and his accomplice. The procedural part is wrapped up, but the episode takes a shocking twist at the end as we find out that Anna was the one who cost Langton his prootion after all. A wonderfully written and acted three weeks of television and it's a shame we'll have to wait a year for the next mini-series.
****

Happy Endings - "Code War" (S02 E07) E4 (UK) 26th January 2012
Well well well. It's just getting better this show. Happy Endings had a stellar first season, but the beginning of this second has taken it to another level. "Code War" sees Max and Dave engage in an increasingly silly conflict when Dave dates Max's ex girlfriend (thinking that since he was gay, Max wouldn't mind). Brad and Jane go to war over their "work spouses" while Penny and Alex don't actually do much, but still manage to have some of the funniest moments of the episode. If Happy Endings can carry on this quality, it really is going to find itself at the top of the sitcom tree.
**** 1/2