The Best of 2012 in Music: Albums, Songs, Shows, Lists, Discussions, Fun!

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I would assume that we'll start a new thread later next month for the point tallying? Otherwise, it'll all get lost in a month of discussion :twocents:

My Last.fm is so inaccurate these days :(

But most played songs from 2012 that I've listened to according to Last.fm:
Chairlift - I Belong in Your Arms
Th Killers - Runaways
Chairlift - Wrong Opinion
Cloud Nothings - Stay Useless
Chairlift - Met Before
*Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know (obviously only a 2012 release in the states)
Cloud Nothings - Fall In
The Big Pink - Future This
The Big Pink - Hit the Ground (Superman)
Wild Nothing - Nocturne
Wild Nothing - Paradise
Laura Gibson – Milk-Heavy, Pollen-Eyed
Laura Gibson – Red Moon
Grimes – Genesis
Grimes – Vowels = Space and Time
Grimes – Symphonia IX (My Wait Is U)
Porcelain Raft – Put Me To Sleep
Craig Finn – When No One's Watching
Porcelain Raft – The Way In
Japandroids – The House That Heaven Built
Stars – Hold On When You Get Love And Let Go When You Give It


The rest of it is just albums in total. But really, that's WILDLY inaccurate, first of all, since "Theory of Relativity" by Stars isn't even on there, and because I've heard the album Nocturne enough that every track from it would have been there.
 
u2popmofo said:
I like Animal Life far more than practically every other song that was released by any band this year.

Fixed.

Actually, there's a fair chance that shearwater album would be my favorite album of the year. It's the only one that came out a while ago that I both loved immediately and go back to. Even Springsteen, the magnetic fields, Ducky Boys...I enjoyed them all immensely and played the fuck out of them for about a month around their respective release and haven't listened to them since.
 
On the Aussie front you are doing yourself a disservice if you don't at least listen to Alpine's A is For Alpine. A pretty great little indie album with female vocals.

Obviously I'm going to second this. I suppose it's a bit hard for me to be objective about it given how close I am to the band, but I really do think it's a fantastic effort - I wasn't sure they'd actually top the Zurich EP but I think this does (shitty album name aside).

It's been a good year for Aussie music. Some of my other local favourites:

Voltaire Twins: Apollo EP and Romulus EP (synth pop)
The Process: The Process (goth/post-punk with a bit of post-rock)
Pop Singles: All Gone (jangle pop - the title track has one of the most infectious bass lines ever recorded in jangle pop history)
Sugar Army: Summertime Heavy (alt rock)
The Laurels: Plains (shoegaze)
DZ Deathrays: Bloodstreams (noise rock)
Allo Darlin': Europe (jangle pop, and I don't care that they're technically a British band; Elizabeth Morris's songs are Queensland through and through)
Ne Obliviscaris: Portal of I (black/prog metal)

Across the Tasman, Ladyhawke outdid herself with Anxiety (synth pop) and Bailter Space's return with Strobosphere (shoegaze/post-punk) was pretty awesome. God we have a good music scene down here.

Internationally, my album of the year remains Alcest's Les Voyages de l'Âme, closely followed by Pinback's Information Retrieved. Agalloch's Faustian Echoes EP is pretty fucking sensational too.
 
That Alcest album makes my list of "albums that were pleasant enough I didn't hate them, but never need to hear again".
 
Here are some albums I enjoyed in barely any order:

Beach House - Bloom
Father John Misty - Fear Fun
Passion Pit - Gossamer
Wild Nothing - Nocturne
Jack White - Blunderbuss
Shearwater - Animal Joy
Sharon Van Etten - Tramp
Bat for Lashes - The Haunted Man
Tame Impala - Lonerism
Twin Shadow - Confess

Not only have I not heard that much, some of the ones I have heard I have already forgotten. Bad year by me.
 
That Alcest album makes my list of "albums that were pleasant enough I didn't hate them, but never need to hear again".

I could say that if you replace "hear" with "read", you've described your posting history.

So I will. :tongue:
 
I doubt it. If that was the only word you replaced, you'd be calling my posts pleasant at least once. I'm sure they were never that.
 
Unfortunately I barely had time to listen to any new music this year, but when I did I listened to St Lucia's brilliant EP.
 
Here are some of my favorite albums of the year in no particular order:

Tame Impala - Lonerism
Wild Nothing - Nocturne
Twin Shadow - Confess
Stars - The North
Real Estate - Days
Poor Moon - Poor Moon
Passion Pit - Gossamer
Melody's Echo Chamber - Melody's Echo Chamber
Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action at a Distance
Grizzly Bear - Shields
The Fresh & Onlys - Long Slow Dance
Father John Misty - Fear Fun
Damien Jurado - Maraqopa
 
As it stands, my top ten (in no order):

Bat For Lashes - The Haunted Man
Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
Chairlift - Something
Frankie Rose - Interstellar
Japandroids - Celebration Rock
The Killers - Battle Born
Metric - Synthetica
Shearwater - Animal Joy
Spirtiualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light
Wild Nothing - Nocturne

And on the Brink:

  • Twin Shadow - Confess
  • Stars - The North
  • Sun Kill Moon - Among the Leaves
  • Beach House - Bloom
  • Passion Pit - Gossamer

I would love to see a few more albums get around to that point, I have a lot left, and a lot to rehear that's missing from the list incluing:
DIIV - Oshin
Bloc Party - Four

Chromatics - Kills For Love
Mountain Goats - Transcendental Youth
Four Tet - Pink
School of Seven Bells - Ghoststory
And of Course!

Ke$ha - Warrior
 
A few more suggestions for those loading up their year-end "To Check Out" playlists:

Santigold - Master of My Make-Believe
Friends - Manifest!
Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods
Grimes - Visions
Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It
Kanye West presents... - Good Songs Cruel Summer
Best Coast - The Only Place
Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Civil Twilight - Holy Weather
Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon
Strand of Oaks - Dark Shores

And don't forget Van Halen - A Different Kind of Truth...not too bad, actually...
 
I've lost my passion for listmaking. And there isn't anything from this year that I'm seeing as an eternal love like my favs from years past. Or maybe I'm just experiencing some anhedonia.

(not really in order but what came into my head sooner prob means I care more)

Cat Power
Dirty Proj
Passion Pit
Fiona Apple
Tame Impala
Saint Etienne
Beach House
Tennis
Donald Fagen
Dinosaur jr
Father John Misty
Peter Buck
Frank Ocean
 
That Alcest album makes my list of "albums that were pleasant enough I didn't hate them, but never need to hear again".
This. Although I have listened to it a couple of times because it's so easy to listen to. Nearly always fits my mood.
 
I agree about the Alcest album. Totally fine and listenable, but nothing I'd give higher than a 3/5 to. I like their debut way more, the only other album I've heard by them.
 
The think I'm most ashamed of this year is that I have totally neglected the new Walkmen album. They were one of my favorite bands a couple years ago and I just have had a hard time getting the ambition to truly give this album a chance.

I will make it happen though.
 
It's in the running between one or two other albums as my favorite this year.
 
I can think of maybe five more albums that I would like to hear before the year ends:

Electric Guest: Mondo
John Talabot: Fin
Soft Moon: Zeroes
The Walkmen: Heaven
Woods: Bend Beyond
 
I think I've only ever heard one song by them. It was on a movie soundtrack I think.
 
My list of albums left to hear:


Neneh Cherry & The Thing – The Cherry Thing

I was intrigued to see this on your list; I didn't realize she was still making music. I gave it a listen this morning. Some of the work by the band is really good (the repetitive bass lines are fun), but on the whole it wasn't working for me. The 90s child in me still hears her singing and rapping over hip hop beats instead of big band, I suppose. Thanks for putting it in this thread, though.
 
Good call on the Cherry, LM. Totally forgot to check that one out after reading about it.

And I found Raw Like Sushi for $1 early this year. Sure, it's all downhill after Buffalo Stance, but that's one of the best tracks of the 90's.
 
RED can barely contain the pure, youthful, life-affirming power packed in each of its corners. It is the best record released in the last two years. Agile and ambitious, frightening, fun, a downright cocky artistic statement from America's most potent living songwriter.

That being said, I have also really loved these albums:

Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan
Jack White - Blunderbuss
Grizzly Bear - Shields
Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel...
Lana Del Rey - Born To Die
Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
Beach House - Bloom
Bob Dylan - Tempest
Spiritualized - Sweet Heart, Sweet Light
Tennis - Young & Old
Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
Cat Power - Sun
Best Coast - The Only Place
 
It blows my mind how differently you and I feel about Red considering our past agreements regarding said artist.
 
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