A couple of weeks back, we took a look at the best books that various Flavorpill staffers had read over the course of the year, and today we’re repeating the exercise with albums — we’ve surveyed our highly trained staff and asked them what the best record they heard in 2012 was. The results, we hope you’ll agree, are rather interesting, encompassing everything from Ke$ha and Swans to a hitherto undiscovered fondness for obscure country reissues. Do feel free, of course, to add your voice to the discussion in the comments section!
Ke$ha — Deconstructed EP
Remove all of the pointless controversy that could have been avoided regarding the new Ke$ha full-length’s first single: what really matters is this E.P. Deconstructed finds Ke$ha covering a country classic in a way that shows it’s quite likely she’s listened to The Cowboy Junkies’ Trinity Sessions, and then ripping her own material apart in a way that’s equal parts torch song and witch house. It’s a bold, brash and thoroughly weird statement-and, yo, there’s no autotune, so get off your high horse about “artistic talent” and “does she actually sing” and prepare to be blow-oh-uh-oh-uh-oh-uh-own away. — Russ Marshalek, Social Media Director
