Top Albums of 2012: 50-1
Here it is. I know you’ll hate it; I know you’ll disagree, but that’s not the point in making an arbitrary list. We here at ATH worked really hard to fit in the tastes of the four of us, and when we decided upon our Top 50, it really boied down to simple math. What albums did we love when they came out? Do we still enjoy spinning those records months later? If they’re in the Top 50, then the asnwer is probably yes. I mean, our Top 2 records came out in January, and still play a vital part in my weekly listening. There’s no disclaimer here. We are who we are, we like what we like, and we hope that’s okay with you. If not, drop us a line and let us know where we went wrong.
50 – Tanlines – Mixed Emotions
49 – Crystal Castles – III
48 – Field Music – Plumb
47 – Sonic Avenues – Television Youth
45 – Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Mature Themes
44 – Andrew Bird – Hands of Glory
43 – JBM – Stray Ashes
42 – Still Flyin – On a Bedroom Wall
40 – Mac Demarco – 2
39 – Thee Oh Sees – Putrifiers II
38 – Bear In Heaven – I Love You, It’s Cool
37 – The Bankees – Home
36 – Letting Up Despite Great Faults – Untogether
35 – Black Marble – A Different Arrangement
34 – DIIV – Oshin
33 – Frankie Rose – Interstellar
32 – Cult of Youth – Love Will Prevail
31 – Exlovers – Moth
30 – Nude Beach – II
29 – Punks On Mars – Bad Expectations
28 – The Intelligence – Everyboyd’s Got It Easy But Me
27 – Magic Trick – Ruler of the Night
26 – Literature – Arab Spring
25 – Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
24 – Eternal Summers – Correct Behavior
23 – Tame Impala – Lonerism
22 – Chromatics – Kill For Love
21 – The Fresh & Onlys – Long Slow Dance
20 – Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan
19 – Wild Nothing – Nocturne
18 – Hunx – Hairdresser Blues
17 – Standard Fare – Out of Sight, Out of Town
16 – Beach House – Bloom
15 – Grass Widow – Internal Logic
14 – Woods – Bend Beyond
13 – Royal Headache – Royal Headache
12 – The Men – Open Up Your Heart
11- Mystery Jets – Radlands
10 – Twin Shadow – Confess
9 – Grizzly Bear – Shields
8 – Cats on Fire – All Blackshirts to Me
7 – The Walkmen – Heaven
6 – I Was a King – You Love It Here
5 – Gentleman Jesse & His Men – Leaving Atlanta
4 – The Tallest Man on Earth – There’s No Leaving Low
3 – Sea Pinks – Freak Waves
2 – Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory
1- Terry Malts – Killing Time
So there it is. Why are you hating on us already? Here’s a few thoughts on why Killing Time made #1. First, I wake up in the morning and it pumps me up; I can sing along in the shower, fueled by the guitars. Second, I can hit the gym and get pumped up without listening to dub step; it’s great to run to. Third, it’s perfect to blast while driving down the highway with the wind in your hair. Fourth, it reminds me of being a kid; there’s no frills, just punk rock filled with bits of modern indie rock. Finally, it’s a solid record from start to finish; I still jam to it more than twice a week, and I still love it. It’s hard to find another record on this list that fits into every aspect of my life, thus making it the best listen I’ve had all year. Oh, and it’s one of the few records I gave 5 stars to in our short five year span as a site. Cheers.
The top 10 most vast, massive, triumphant, soaring, relentless, distorted, eerie, heartbreaking, intimate, and hauntingly beautiful albums of 2012:
Dead Can Dance – Anastasis
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
Hammock – Departure Songs
Matthew Dear – Beams
Perfume Genius – Put Your Back N 2 It
The Raveonettes – Observator
Sigur Rós – Valtari
Swans – The Seer
Trust – TRST
Xiu Xiu – Always
1. Now, Now “Threads”
2. Guided By Voices “The Bears For Lunch”
3. Cursive “I Am Gemini”
4. Fang Island “Major”
5. Deerhoof “Breakup Song”
6. Animal Collective “Centipede Hz”
7. Godspeed You! Black Emperor
“Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!”
8. Pinback “Information Retrieved”
9. Grizzly Bear “Shields”
10. Motel Beds “Dumb Gold”
11. Clinic “Free Reign”
12. The Sea And Cake “Runner”
13. Imperial Teen “Feel The Sound”
14. Thee Oh Sees “Putrifier II”
15. Ty Segall “Twins”
16. Coheed And Cambria “The Afterman”
17. Menomena “Moms”
18. Yellow Ostrich “Strange Land”
19. Robert Pollard “Jack Sells The Cow”
20. Baroness “Yellow And Green”
21. Liars “WIXIW”
22. John K. Samson “Provincial”
23. Cloud Nothings “Attack On Memory”
24. Dirty Projectors “Swing Lo Magellan”
25. Tame Impala “Lonerism”
gotta respect the #1, if only for the relative longevity …. reviewed back in Feb, still #1 in December. Its easy to burn yourself out on even a good album after several months.