It’s true not all years are created equal, and if this year
appeared like it would be a little lackluster after the first few months, the year’s latter half more than made up for it providing some of the best music we’ve
heard thus far in this still young decade. Not only that, but some of 2012’s greatest
albums came as a bit of surprise. And
here they are (along with 10 honorable mentions):
Schoolboy Q
Habits and Contradictions
Key track:
"Hands On the Wheel (feat. A$AP Rocky)"
Django Django
Django Django
Key track: "Hail
Bop"
Daniel Rossen
Silent Hour/Golden Mile
Key track:
"Saint Nothing"
How to Dress Well
Total Loss
Key track: "Cold
Nites"
The Antlers
Undersea
Read the full review here.
Key track:
"Endless Ladder"
Allo Darlin
Europe
Key track:
"Northern Lights"
Holy Other
Held
Key track:
"Held"
Twin Shadow
Confess
Key track: "Five
Seconds"
Tindersticks
The Something Rain
Key track:
"Slippin' Shoes"
Mount Eerie
Clear Moon
Key track:
"House Shape"
50. Miguel
Kaleidoscope Dream
Key tracks: "Do
You…", "Where's the Fun In Forever"
49. Metz
Metz
Key tracks:
"Headache", "Wet Blanket"
48. Lower Dens
Nootropics
Key tracks:
"Brains", "Lamb"
47. Crystal Castles
III
Read the full review here.
Key tracks:
"Wrath of God", "Transgender"
46. The Walkmen
Heaven
Key tracks: "The
Witch", "Heaven"
45. Animal Collective
Centipede Hz
Key tracks:
"Today's Supernatural", "Monkey Riches"
44. DIIV
Oshin
Key tracks: "How
Long Have You Known", "Home"
43. Hot Chip
In Our Heads
Read the full review here.
Key tracks:
"Flutes", "Let Me Be Him"
42. Death Grips
The Money Store
Key tracks:
"Hacker", "I've Seen Footage"
41. Sigur Ros
Valtari
Read the full review here.
Key tracks:
"Valtari", "Varúð"
40. The Shins
Port of Morrow
Key tracks:
"It's Only Life", "For a Fool"
39. Baroness
Yellow and Green
Key tracks: "The
Line Between", "Back Where I Belong"
38. Liars
WIXIW
Read the full review here.
Key tracks: "No.
1 Against the Rush", "Brats"
37. Sleigh Bells
Reign of Terror
Read the full review here.
Key tracks: "End
of the Line", "You Lost Me"
36. Actress
R.I.P.
Key tracks:
"N.E.W", "Marble Plexus"
35. Mac DeMarco
2
Key tracks: "Ode
to Viceroy", "Cooking Up Something Good"
34. Chairlift
Something
Read the full review here.
Key tracks: "I
Belong In Your Arms", "Frigid Spring"
33. Lotus Plaza
Spooky Action at a Distance
Key tracks:
"Monoliths", "Dusty Rhodes"
32. The xx
Coexist
Key tracks: "Angels", "Chained"
31. Passion Pit
Gossamer
I’ll admit that it’s a little difficult for me to listen to Gossamer without hearing it through the
prism of singer Michael Angelakos’ reported troubles. The Passion Pit front man has been fairly
open about the breakdowns and general mental instability he’s faced (which
ultimately led to the band’s cancelled tour earlier this year). Perhaps being privy to Gossamer’s back story just makes Angelakos’ songs that much more
relatable. Because let’s face it, for
all of the band’s pop smarts it’s that human fragility in their music that
arguably makes it so affecting. When
Angelakos sings “I’ll Be Alright”, it’s a little hard to believe him; but that
refreshing lack of pretension sure makes it easy to root for him anyway.
Key tracks: "On My
Way", "Hideaway"
30. Perfume Genius
Put Your Back N 2 It
Read the full review here.
Key tracks:
"Take Me Home", "Floating Spit"
29. El-P
Cancer for Cure
Key tracks: "The
Full Retard", "For My Upstairs Neighbor (Mums the Word)"
28. David Byrne and
St Vincent
Love This Giant
Key tracks:
"Who", "Outside of Space and Time"
27. Cat Power
Sun
Read the full review here.
Key tracks:
"Nothin' But Time", "Manhattan"
26. Purity Ring
Shrines
Key tracks:
"Lofticries", "Fineshrine"
25. Frankie Rose
Interstellar
Key tracks:
"Interstellar", "Apples For the Sun"
24. John Talabot
ƒIN
Key tracks:
"Destiny feat. Pional", "Journeys feat. Ekhi"
23. Jessie Ware
Devotion
Key tracks:
"Wildest Moments", "Taking In Water"
22. Arial Pink's
Haunted Graffiti
Mature Themes
Key tracks:
"Only In My Dreams", "Live It Up"
21. Burial
Kindred EP
Key tracks:
"Kindred", "Loner"
20. Sharon Van Etten
Tramp
Key tracks: "All
I Can", "Leonard"
19. Japandroids
Celebration Rock
Key tracks: "The
House That Heaven Built", "The Nights of Wine and Roses"
18. Spiritualized
Sweet Light Sweet Heart
Read the full review here.
Key tracks: "Hey
Jane", "So Long You Pretty Things"
17. Ty Segall Band
Slaughterhouse
Key tracks: "I
Bought My Eyes", "Tell Me What's Inside Your Heart"
16. Andy Stott
Luxury Problems
Key tracks:
"Lost and Found", "Leaving"
15. Julia Holter
Ekstasis
Key tracks:
"Godess Eyes II", "In the Same Room"
14. Killer Mike
R.A.P. Music
Key tracks: “R.A.P.
Music”, “Ghetto Gospel”
13. Godspeed You!
Black Emperor
Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!
Key tracks:
"Their Helicopters Sing", "Strung Like Lights At Thee
Printemps Erable"
12. Flying Lotus
Until the Quiet Comes
Key tracks: "All
In", "Phantasm (feat. Laura Darlington)"
11. Bat For Lashes
The Haunted Man
Key tracks:
"Marilyn", "Laura"
10. Swans
The Seer
It’s not exactly the most accessible record on this list,
but for as difficult as a nearly two hour long post-apocalyptic nightmare might
seem, the album sure is rewarding. With
tracks like the epic half hour long, atonal title track, to call The Seer a harrowing experience seems a
little redundant. That being said, even
in the album’s deepest trenches, it would be a little bit of a misnomer to call
something so compelling ugly. If
anything, the record is a cinematic journey that’s as gripping as it is
purposeful. But let’s be clear, The Seer is not for the faint of heart.
Key tracks:
"Lunacy", "Song For A Warrior", "Avatar"
9. Grimes
Visions
If Claire Boucher’s breakthrough felt a little unassuming
upon release, I sure found myself returning to it an awful lot. And each listen only proved to heighten its
appeal as one of the most unique records of the year. Her voice often feels like just another
instrument in the mix, with her lyrics, at times, barely decipherable. Of course, her lilting coos are much more
than they may appear, as Grimes is nearly defined by them. It’s those feminine pop melodies peaking
through the mix that give her electronic experiments extra weight.
Key tracks:
"Oblivion", "Genesis", "Skin"
8. Beach House
Bloom
From album to album, Beach House has continued an amazing
level of growth, both in their songwriting abilities as well as the sheer
grandeur of their sound. And yet, what
may be the most satisfying detail in “Lazuli” is the lo-fi synth arpeggio that
opens the song and carries the choruses.
It’s a simple, but ultimately powerful progression that acts as the
perfect counterbalance to the expansive nature of the rest of the instruments
and the colossal presence of singer Victoria Legrand. It represents what makes Bloom work so well. For as
majestic as Beach House sounds these days, what really makes their music
special is what has always made their music special: the attention they give to their craft. It’s those little details that enable the
band to go bigger without ever forfeiting anything in return.
Key tracks:
"Myth", "Lazuli", "Wishes"
7. Chromatics
Kill for Love
Perhaps I wasn’t giving Chromatics enough credit, but I can
honestly say I didn’t foresee a grand hour and a half long marathon of an album
coming from them during the five year wait leading up to Kill For Love’s release. But
the group, it turned out, was making good use of their time away. The album turned out to be a heroic
exploration of synth pop and atmospheric mood pieces, nearly all living up to
their promise. It’s at times engaging
and at other times cold and chilling, but it’s never less than satisfying.
Key tracks:
"Kill For Love", "Back From the Grave", "These
Streets Will Never Look the Same"
6. Grizzly Bear
Shields
If there is one thing Shields
has over its predecessor it’s the record’s amazing consistency. Not to say there were weak links on Veckatimist, but the highlights were
pretty easy to spot. Conversely, Shields may not have a crossover moment
like “Two Weeks” on it, but what it offers in lieu of that is ten remarkable
songs, all striking in their own ways.
It’s one of those rare albums where listing favorite tracks is almost
silly; every song feels like a favorite while you’re in the middle of it.
Read the full review here.
Key tracks:
"Half Gate", "Yet Again", "Sun In Your
Eyes"
5. Fiona Apple
The Idler Wheel…
No longer a late 90’s whipping post, Apple has transformed
her melodramatic confessionals into something quite a bit more refined. The result is her finest set of songs to
date. Her voice, too, has matured
nicely, allowing more nuance to seep in.
But in all honesty, what makes The
Idler Wheel… such a valuable commodity in 2012 is its author’s brutal
honesty. Whether it’s the honesty of her
lyrics or the honesty of the music, which gives few, if any, concessions to the
present day, there’s nothing about the record that feels contrived on any
level. In an era of infinite posturing,
it was about as refreshing as an album gets.
Key tracks:
"Every Single Night", "Werewolf",
"Jonathan"
4. Tame Impalla
Lonerism
Lonerism is in
some senses, the ultimate grower. It’s
deceptively complex, daring you to try and define it. If the record comes across as merely a
successful psychedelic trip early on, in time it reveals itself to be so much
more than that. Growing leaps and bounds
from their debut Innerspeaker, Tame
Impala have taken the blueprint from that record and mixed in dashes of electronic
music and fantastic sonic wizardry. The
band also distinguishes themselves with some of the most contagious melodies
released all year. Based on the
satisfying, if a bit more derivative Innerspeaker,
it didn’t seem like the group was even capable of an album Lonerism’s caliber. But
having spent much time with their latest release, there seems to be no limit to
what to the band is capable of.
Key tracks:
"Feels Like We Only Go Backwards", "Nothing That Has
Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control", "Apocalypse
Dreams"
3. Kendrick Lamar
Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City
I’ve heard few albums with a narrative arc as powerful and
rewarding as that of good kid, M.A.A.D
City. In a lot of ways the
autobiographical nature of the album plays like a great movie, complete with a
redemptive ending. In it, Lamar takes us
on a complex, thoughtful journey through his adolescence and into adulthood,
wherein we hear every thought and rationale for the bad decisions that led to
more bad decisions that led to their unintended consequences. The production is superb and Lamar’s flow is
stellar, able to portray each stage of his life with the conviction that he’s
still living in it even when it’s long past.
At times it’s harrowing, at times it’s humorous, but it always feels
utterly human.
Key tracks:
"Sing About Me, Im Dying Of Thirst", "Swimming Pools
(Drank)", "Real (Feat. Anna Wise Of Sonnymoon)"
2. Dirty Projectors
Swing Lo Magellan
For me, there isn’t a single album on this list that I have
listened to as many times as the remarkably addicting Swing Lo Magellan. By
stripping away any perceivable excess, Dirty Projectors were able to show off
their superb songwriting skills and put their magnificent voices front and
center. No longer content to simply hold
listeners at arm’s length, the band delivered an inviting work that deliberately
focused on more accessible, if still meticulous, song craft. Not only that, but they show off their
remarkable range in the process. From
the sweet “Impregnable Question” to the celebratory “Unto Caesar”, each song
successfully inhabits its own space along a wide continuum of feelings and
approaches. It’s no coincidence that the
most human album in the Dirty Projectors’ catalog also ranks as their best.
Rear the full review here.
Key tracks: "Gun
Has No Trigger", "Just From Chevron", "Dance For You"
1. Frank Ocean
Channel Orange
Is it just me, or was 2012 the year artists spanning genres
came together to make albums of enormous size and scope. These were albums defiantly designed to be
consumed as a whole. Of all of the truly
epic records on this list—and there are plenty— none hit on quite as heavily as
Channel Orange. It may not have the thematic focus of say,
Kendrick or The Swans; but the sheer breadth of the thing more than makes up
for it. Between the album’s three best
songs alone you have a gut wrenching ballad (“Bad Religion”), a mind bending,
ten minute epic (“Pyramids”) and a remarkably infectious anthem (“Sweet Life”).
Ocean has the remarkable ability of
painting gripping pictures that range from the surreal to the too real. But even while he details different walks of
life, he never quite gives away his hand.
He leaves any judgments solely to the discretion of the listener. But what really makes Ocean so affecting is
the way he so skillfully puts the listener squarely in the narrator’s
seat. Even if you’ve never lived in the
lap of luxury or been addicted to crack, thanks to Ocean’s gift as a
storyteller, the conflicting and complicated nature of the lifestyles on
display here are easily to identify with.
Key tracks: "Sweet Life", "Bad Religion", "Pyramids"
Here are 20 of the best tracks of the year not represented by any of the albums above:
20. The Men, “Open Your Heart”
19. Laurel Halo, “Light + Space”
18. St. Vincent, “Krokodil”
17. Ty Segall, “Thank God for Sinners”
16. Fresh & Onlys, “Euphoria”
15. Mirrorring, “Fell Sound”
14. Rhye, “The Fall”
13. Still Corners, “Fireflies”
12. jj, “Beautiful Life”
11. Nas, “Accident Murderers”
10. TNGHT, “Higher Ground”
9. Divine Fits, “Would That Not Be Nice”
8. Atoms for Peace, “Default”
7. The Flaming Lips, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
(feat. Erykah Badu)”
6. Dum Dum Girls, “Lord Knows”
5. Local Natives, “Breakers”
4. Niki and the Dove, “Tomorrow”
3. Blur, “Under the Westway”
2. Kwes., “Igoyh”
1. Usher, "Climax"
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