Anyhoo, my list, including my yearly non-2012 albums list.
1. Tame Impala – Lonerism (15)
From start to finish, Lonerism is an (almost) hour of total aural bliss. The textures and soundscapes created in the songs by Kevin Parker make for an album that I am always shattered ends, despite its 55-minute length being 10 or 15 minutes longer than your average album. Lyrically it touches upon similar themes as its predecessor – loneliness, self-doubt, attempts at positive self-talk. Not that the album feels depressing in any way – it's the opposite in fact. The combination of warm synths, chugging guitars, a propulsive but gentle rhythm section makes Lonerism feel like a colourful, happy trip through a familiar neighbourhood. Such is the strength of the album I still find it impossible to pick a favourite track. “Music To Walk Home By” features a thrilling guitar riff as it comes to a life-affirming close, “Why Won't They Talk To Me” and “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” both feature glorious, wistful choruses, “Apocalypse Dreams” and “Elephant” were both obvious single choices. Hell even the 57-second “She Just Won't Believe Me” adds a great deal. An outstanding achievement from the Perth group, best experienced outdoors in the sunshine with good headphones and a few beers.
2. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange (14)
I honestly expected this would be my number one for the year. I had huge expectations, particularly after hearing “Thinkin Bout You”, “Sweet Life” and especially “Pyramids” before the album was released. I'd been lacking really good 'urban' R&B in my life since the early 00s (probably through a bit of laziness) but Frank Ocean seemed the answer. And Channel Orange delivered in fucking spades. Took everything I loved about Nostalgia Ultra and improved upon it. The songs are brimming with personality and great production. “Monks” sounds like an N.E.R.D. song, and one of their best at that, “Sweet Life” is gorgeous and has one of the best hooks of the year, as does the more downtrodden “Lost”. “Bad Religion” is one of a number of songs that deals with Ocean's sexuality and is remarkably honest - “it's a bad religion / this unrequited love / to me it's nothing more than a one-man cult / and cyanide in a styrofoam cup / I can never make him love me” - and the performance of it he did on Fallon was breathtaking. He even managed to rope in Andre 3000, whose jaw-dropping performance on the introspective “Pink Matter” just simply added another element to a mighty impressive debut proper from the most talented member of Odd Future.
3. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city (13)
This was the surprise packet of 2012 for me. Not so much that I liked a Kendrick Lamar album – Section.80 fucking rules – more just
how much I liked good kid, m.A.A.d city. On first listen I was left a little underwhelmed, but like most albums which aren't all that accessible it just takes a little while for the scope of the thing to reveal itself. good kid is an incredibly addictive album, one that I will definitely be listening to for years to come, and that's not something I can say about many albums. Kendrick has a killer flow, be he slowing it down like on “Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe” or (Beach House-sampling
) “Money Trees” or going hard and fast like on banger-of-the-year “Backseat Freestyle”. Lyrically it's head-spinning, way beyond pretty much every single one of his contemporaries (that I've heard, anyway). Take anti-alcoholism anthem “Swimming Pools (Drank)” - this coming from a 25-year-old in an industry where alcohol abuse has become marketable. Then there's the album's two-part centrepiece, “Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst”, which, even though it's far from my favourite on the album, clearly puts Kendrick above most other rappers. The album itself puts him into elite territory.
4. Bat for Lashes – The Haunted Man (12)
I watched the film clip for “Laura” when it came out back on July or whenever it was and was absolutely captivated. I didn't hear a better song this year, and it remains the highlight of this album, for me anyway. It is something of a red herring though, its stripped-bare production being found nowhere else on The Haunted Man. The other 11 tracks make much use of synths and strings and even an all-male choir on the title track. That song, “Lilies”, “All Your Gold”, “Laura”, “Marilyn” and “A Wall” are all absolutely sensational songs driven by incredibly passionate vocals from Natasha Khan, who sings “thank god I'm alive” in opener “Lilies”, and sings it with such conviction that it feels like the motto for the album. It is dragged down slightly by a couple of average tracks, and ends with a whimper with the “Rest Your Head”/“Deep Sea Diver” one-two, but the quality of its best songs ensure The Haunted Man will be an album I return to frequently in the future.
5. Lotus Plaza – Spooky Action at a Distance (10)
The first album of the year that I truly loved. Many thanks to Mikal for continuously pimping it, for it probably would not have been on my radar otherwise. Kind of like Lonerism, Spooky Action is just total aural bliss from start to finish. The lyrics are decidedly simple but effective, and suit the music – laid-back, hazy, dream-like guitar – perfectly. The riff on “White Galactic One” has one of the best indie guitar riffs you'll hear, “Out of Touch” features a guitar that sounds like U2's “Mercy” in the chorus, “Jet Out of the Tundra” was one of my favourite songs of the year with its gorgeous guitar line and slightly melancholic piano. I love songs that sound like their titles, and that might sound ridiculous, but that's what this track and this album did for me – made me smile, took me away to a calm, happy place.
6. Something for Kate – Leave Your Soul to Science (7)
I pimped this album to pretty much no avail all year, and I don't expect to see it get the three votes required to feature in our top 30, but that doesn't bother me, I'm just so glad that my favourite “alternative” Aussie rock group are back, and making more vital music than they ever have before. If there's a criticism I can make of the band it's often that their music sometimes feels like a bit of a slog to get through, but that is not the case with Leave Your Soul to Science. Opener “Star-Crossed Citizens” remains my favourite track with its slamming, cathartic guitar riff, but elsewhere there's plenty to like – the poppy, energetic single “Miracle Cure”, the acoustic “Deep Sea Divers” - a tale of interesting people in New York City written in typical Paul Dempsey style – the slow-burn “Fireball at the End of Everything”. A welcome return for a great band.
7. Hot Chip – In Our Heads (6)
I suffer from “The Warning” syndrome. Everything Hot Chip has released since I have compared to it, one of my favourite albums of last decade. So at first I was disappointed by In Our Heads, which I assumed was more of the easily accessible dance music without any of the quirkiness that made me fall in love with them in the first place. And that's true to an extent, but the new one features just too much goodness to ignore. “Flutes” is a great dirty dance tune, downtrodden “These Chains” puts crooner Joe Goddard on vocals to great effect, while “Ends of the Earth” is another terrific banger. They rarely put a step wrong.
8. Cat Power – Sun (5)
In typical Cobbler fashion this is the only Cat Power album I've heard, but unlike previous forays into the music of Okkervil River and PJ Harvey, listening to the latest first worked a treat. The album is all over the place – much like Chan Marshall herself it seems – but that's what I loved about it. There's the moody, glitchy opener “Cherokee”, catchy piano-led single “Ruin”, the gorgeous “Manhattan”, perhaps the album's best track, the rockin' “Silent Machine” and of course the 11-minute collab with Iggy Pop, “Nothin' But Time” the don't-give-up slow-burn epic, time-honoured in indie rock. A diverse blast that sounded refreshing in 2012.
9. Japandroids – Celebration Rock (5)
I had to be in the mood to listen to this album, and sadly, it appears I wasn't in the mood all that often, listening to it only five or six times since its release. But that doesn't detract from what a great rock album it is from start to finish, something I desperately needed amid all the dreamy indie and hip-hop I listened to this year. Popmatters summed it up best – it's an album about desperately trying to hang on to fun, wild old times, and there's nothing wrong with hedonism. It made me want to get my best mates around to my house, crack open a heap of beers and just blast loud, noisy rock music until the sun comes up. Can't wait to see them live.
10. G.O.O.D. Music – Cruel Summer (4)
Far from perfect, but the six-song stretch from opener “To The World” to “Cold” was just about unbeatable this year. “Clique” and “Mercy” have become anthems, with most of the lines from both becoming catchphrases this year, while “Cold” goes extremely hard. “New God Flow” found Ghostface Killah in terrific form. The album falls down in the second half – though “Creepers” is one of Kid Cudi's better efforts.
11. Flying Lotus – Until the Quiet Comes (3)
A completely different album to its predecessor, but this album just added several more strings to Steven Ellison's bow. His signature low, rumbling, wormy bass is still there but the hyper glitchy noises of Cosmogramma have been replaced by more contemplative, spacey beats. A fantastic record for the late night.
12. Father John Misty – Fear Fun (2)
When I interviewed Josh Tillman earlier this year he spoke to me about how most new music didn't resonate with him, and how Fear Fun was his attempt at making an album he'd like to hear. It delivered – one of the most refreshing albums of the year. Great bluesy guitar and drumming throughout and hilarious lyrics too.
13. Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends – Flaming Lips (2)
That the Flaming Lips were able to pull off an album with a range of different collaborators – several of whom they have not met – and have it still sound cohesive is a testament to the genius of this band. Ranging from almost unlistenable freak-out noise to slower tracks like the awesome Erykah Badu collab “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and the irresistible Tame Impala collab “Children of the Moon”, Heady Fwends was one of the year's most entertaining albums.
14. BADBADNOTGOOD – BBNG2 (1)
The kids behind BADBADNOTGOOD are not even 20 years old, but in BBNG2 they put together one of the year's coolest records – a skilful mish-mash of hip-hop, jazz and electronica that covered tracks like Earl Sweatshirt's “Earl”, James Blake's “Limit to Your Love”, Kanye West's “Flashing Lights” and even My Bloody Valentine's “You Made Me Realise”. The heavy bass, horns and breakdowns are a joy, especially through good headphones.
15. New Build – Yesterday Was Lived and Lost (1)
The side project of Hot Chip members Al Doyle and Felix Martin, New Build put out one of the year's best poppy dance albums. Though a little more generic in sound than Hot Chip, New Build's debut featured a number of genuinely great tunes, from the melancholic one-two of “Schism of the Mind” and the darker house tune “Do You Not Feel Loved?” to the soaring pop of “Medication”.
Honourable Mentions
Nas – Life is Good
A great return to form with some of the year's best hip-hop tracks.
Passion Pit – Gossamer
Some great tunes but a step down from the eccentricity of Manners.
Alpine – A is for Alpine
Great indie pop album I simply didn't listen to enough.
Beach House – Bloom
Great when I have it on. Never stuck with me however.
The Tallest Man on Earth – There's No Leaving Now
Two standouts in the title track and “1904” but the rest is just pleasant.
Best Albums Not Released in 2012 I Heard For The First Time
Madvillain – Madvillainy
See my post in the sentimental thread.
The Avalanches – Since I Left You
A brilliant sample album that sounded fresh to my ears, some 12 years after its release. The sunny title track “Since I Left You” is absolute beautiful, and from start to finish the album flows impeccably, moving from one mood to the next. Along the way there's plenty of bangers to be found - “A Different Feeling”, “Electricity”, the Daft Punk-aping “Live at Dominoes” - before it comes full circle with “Extra Kings”. Perhaps the best tribute I can pay the album is that it grabs me emotionally – not an easy feat for an album with no lyrics built on samples.
Mos Def – Black on Both Sides
Truly a hip-hop masterpiece. Astounding production throughout and Mos Def is one hell of an MC – not just in style but also in his lyrics. You'll be hard-pushed to find a song in the genre as socially aware as “Mathematics”, perhaps the album's highlight, featuring a 1-10 counting gambit from Mos Def, lengthy verses about the divide between the rich and poor, all delivered flawlessly. Elsewhere “Hip Hop” has the dopest of beats, “Ms Fat Booty” takes a soul sample and creates a cheeky yet addictive tune, “Umi Says” gets all jazzy and Mos croons rather than raps and instrumental closer “May-December” ends things on an unexpected but most welcome note.
Miles Davis – Bitches Brew
The 40th anniversary vinyl box set I brought of this is definitely one of the coolest things I own, which is fitting, because the album itself is cool as fuck. I don't know enough about the genre to comment on what it's doing or what impact it had, but the more loose mix of guitars and drums and keys and horns all amalgamate to create one of the most awesomely unique listening experiences I've ever had.
Beck – Midnite Vultures
Lemel suggested this album to me, and what a clever recommendation it was. There's rock, soul-y slow jams, quasi-hip-hop, glitchy electronica, memorable lines, it's just an absolute fucking blast that goes in whichever direction it chooses.
Wilco – Being There
I chose to listen to this Wilco album first because it was around the time people seemed genuinely annoyed I didn't meticulously research artists' albums and figure out an order in which to listen to them, but it wasn't a mistake. In fact, if anything, it was the right move – the double album covers a lot of ground. The slower, melancholic tracks are just perfect, the kind that stick out in my mind and soundtrack moments big and small. “Misunderstood” remains my favourite Wilco song. Can't wait to see them live.
UNKLE – Psyence Fiction
Only heard it once, but loved it. Can see myself returning to it pretty frequently. Another album to put in my beloved late-night category.
Pete Rock and CL Smooth – The Main Ingredient
Didn't know about these guys – had heard of them both but they weren't on my radar at all. I'm glad Lemel and I think Earnie Shavers turned me onto them – the warm old-school hip-hop sound made me fall in love with it immediately. Pete Rock's production is minimalistic but always on point, while CL Smooth's vocals are befitting of his moniker. A great shame it's not held in higher regard.
Lupe Fiasco – Food and Liquor
A modern-day classic. “Kick, Push” is one of my favourite songs by anyone, ever. Great, lively production and extremely engaging vocals from Lupe, who I imagine must have been hugely refreshing in the mainstream when he broke out.
Prince – 1999
Overlong, but I'll be damned if “1999”, “Little Red Corvette”, “Delirious”, “D.M.S.R.” and the gloriously funky “Lady Cab Driver” aren't some of the best 80s dance tunes ever released.
Honourable Mentions
Sigur Ros – Takk...
Tom Waits – The Heart of Saturday Night
Tycho – Dive
Beck – Sea Change
Prince – Sign O' The Times
And fuck In Aeroplane Over Sea.