What an unbelievable year. As is tradition this is just my favorites of the year (so none of you contrarians out there can argue with me) but I do make mention of what I consider to be the best of 2012 down at the bottom of the list. Thanks very much for reading -Dustin VandeHoef
30. All We Love We Leave Behind – Converge
“Coral blue grows in you” – Coral Blue
A round of applause for the first metal album to ever make my list! Most songs blend together into a sort of delicious hardcore dj set
29. Mumps, Etc – WHY?
“And I know with no uncertainty, that I’m uncertain and I don’t know” – Kevin’s Cancer
Yoni Wolf is one of my all time favorite lyricists. And while he’ll probably never top the ‘Alopecia’ masterpiece I thought this was a worthy follow-up (Screw you, Pitchfork)
28. Pink – Four Tet
Still waiting on a fully realized album from Hebdan after the gorgeous “There is Love in You”, but I’ll settle for a collection of body moving dance singles until then
27. The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and the Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do – Fiona Apple
“But we can still support each other, all we gotta do’s avoid each other” – Werewolf
I couldn’t seem to get quite as into this album as most people this year, but with that being said I was really impressed by all the percussion on it and the unique sounds she managed to create
26. Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! – Godspeed You! Black Emperor
It is a testament to Godspeed You!’s talent that they can craft a lyric-less album and still clearly convey the message they’re trying to put across. “Mladic” is one of the best songs of the year, and how badass is that album title!?
25. The OF Tape Vol. 2 – Odd Future Wolfgang Kill Them All
“So instead of critiquing and bitchin’, being mad as fuck, just admit not only are we talented, we rad as fuck, bitches” – Oldie
Despite the plethora of different styles within Odd Future gang “The OF Tape: Vol. 2″ comes out as remarkably solid piece of work! Looking back it’s also quite entertaining that Frank Ocean came out as bi on “Oldie” months before his now famous Tumblr post
24. Sweet Heart, Sweet Light – Spiritualized
“Sweet heart, sweet light, sweet heart of, love of my life” – Hey Jane
Contains a number of beautiful songs, but ‘Life is a Problem’ stands a head taller than the rest. A song written by an atheist/agnostic that puts most Christian label songs to shame with its honest approach to spirituality and God
23. Port of Morrow – The Shins
“I made a fumbling play for your heart” – Simple Song
I was lucky enough to have my brother get me heavily into The Shins right before this dropped so my excitement level was pretty high! It’s no ‘Chutes Too Narrow” but it inhabits a completely different, pop-oriented field. Unfortunately though, I was not a huge fan of them live..
22. Paralytic Stalks – Of Montreal
“I’ve inherited spiritual sanctions for some old ancestral crime” – Ye, Renew the Plaintiff
If Kevin Barnes would just get a fucking musical editor who would trim out all his extra bullshit he could make a masterpeice. Until that unlikely moment though it looks like we’re stuck with just snippets of brilliance buried in overindulgence (like this precocious sentence). I always appreciate his honesty though, and ‘Paralytic Stalks’ has some truly heart-wrenching confessions hidden in its noise
21. Blunderbuss – Jack White
“And when they tell you that they just can’t live without you, they ain’t lyin’, they’ll take pieces of you, and they’ll stand above you and walk away” – Missing Pieces
I haven’t listened to much White Stripes so I think that allowed me to accept this album faster than those who have. I love the vaudevillian piano, and I’m a sucker for good album art, so having this cold blue color scheme contrasting with the (now dissolved) White Stripes’ harsh red and whites made a powerful statement to me
20. Luxury Problems – Andy Stott
Almost James Blake-like in its haunting use of space. Full of ghostly female vocals and deep rumbling bass
19. Devotion – Jessie Ware
“From the outside, from the outside, everyone must be wondering why we try. Why do we try?” – Wildest Moments
‘JESSIE WARE GOT DAT HEARTBREAK SWAG” – @akidnamedconnorhanna
Beautiful R&B
18. Sun – Cat Power
“See your heart has a rhythm” – Manhattan
The last time I’d heard Cat Power was when my friend introduced her to me in 2007. And at that point I think she was doing campfire-folk? So imagine my surprise when ‘Cherokee’ started up with its electronic overtones! And the girl proves she can rock on the grooving ‘Silent Machine’
17. Fin – John Talabot
“You, come and get over here, and give me your hands” – Destiny
A rave in the deepest parts of the Amazon rain forest. A dark, twisting electronic album that works just as well on the dance floor as it does in your headphones at 1 in the moring
16. Hundred Waters – Hundred Waters
“Oh, did we find heaven? Oh, did she find us?” – Caverns
‘Caverns’ is gorgeous. ‘Sonnet’ is gorgeous’. ‘Boreal’ is gorgeous. This whole album is gorgeous! And it’s a debut! They capture the sound of our future, a melding of organic and electronic into a soul-filled creation
15. Cancer for Cure – El-P
“So you should pump this shit, like they do in the future” – The Full Retard
A hip-hop interpretation of Orwell’s ’1984′. It’s the future, filled with beats that sound a century ahead of our time and lyrical content following paranoid civilians who are watched and recorded at all times
14. Kindred Ep – Burial
Having only 3 strong songs helps this to be one of the most solid releases of 2012! I can’t help but think of abandoned urban areas when this is crackling in my headphones. Burial continues to rise above his now numerous imitators
13. America – Dan Deacon
“Don’t touch the flame of the burning decay” – True Thrush
An odd hybrid of live instruments and electronic sounds. The suite climax dedicated to our land of amber waves of grain comes together impressively and showcases his classical training.
12. Centipede Hz – Animal Collective
“I’m gonna go run away to the forest, until I really can’t remember my name. I’m gonna come back and things will be different. I’m gonna come back with stories and games!” – Amanita
Certainly not their strongest album, but I love bands who continue to push their sound in new directions and in that aspect Animal Collective are flawless. ‘Moonjock’ is as cathartic an opener as ‘Amanita’ is a closer. They remain the only band I know who can so perfectly capture the youthful wonder at the world around us. Plus, I saw them live this year and it was without a doubt one of the best concerts I’ve ever been too
11. There’s No Leaving Now – The Tallest Man on Earth
“When the night is young, but the bridge is up, something passing by our shore” – 1904
After 2010′s fantastic ‘The Wild Hunt’ this one comes across as a little over-produced. But it still has within it many sublime acoustic tracks, and Krisstian Matsson remains just about the only ‘one guy, one guitar’ sound I have the patience for
10. TNGHT EP – TNGHT
The most explosive 15.8 minutes you’re probably ever going to hear! Attempting to tame these gargantuan instrumental beats via free-styling is likely to end in you just embarrassing yourself
9. Swing Lo Magellan – Dirty Projectors
“What is mine is yours, in happiness and strife. You’re my love, and I want you in my life” – Impregnable Question
That line above is some of the most romantic shit you’re gonna hear all year, and this is coming from a cold hearted bastard. The Dirty Projector’s set aside some of their famous inaccessibility and self-indulgence and craft an almost folk-like album
8. 1999 – Joey Bada$$
“Yo, who da fuck passed you the mic and said that you could flow? Point’em out bitch I wanna know.” – World Domination
An album that sounds like it was dug out of a time capsule some kid buried in the school yard in the 90′s. A perfectly executed old-school sound rapped over by a more than capable Joey Bada$$ (ignore the ludicrous name)
7. Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors – Big Boi
“Operation grind and stack cause these rappers out of touch. Or like a rabbit that just lost one foot to a keychain, out of luck”- The Thickets
The critics panned it but I loved it! I enjoyed his pop/electronic experiments and thought this was a worthy edition to his already stunning, legendary discography
6. good kid, M.a.a.d city – Kendrick Lamar
“I live inside the belly of the rough. Compton U.S.A. made me an angel in angel dust” – m.a.a.d city
There’s really nothing more I can say about this album that hasn’t already been said on every musical blog/website on the planet. “An instant classic!” “The West Coast ‘Illmatic’” “Perfect”…well not quite. But for an hour Kendrick draws you far into his world and gives you a myriad of deeply personal insights into the Compton life
5. Shields – Grizzly Bear
“So bright, so long, I’m never coming back” – Sun in Your Eyes
Not my words, but I’ve heard Grizzly Bear albums described as cathedrals and I find that a more than adequate description. Gorgeous details to pick up on in the meticulously crafted tracks. They managed to top even ‘Veckatimist’
4. R.A.P. Music – Killer Mike
“I don’t trust the church or the government. Democrat, republican. Pope or a bishop or them other men. And I believe God has sustained me with rap so I take a burning bush, put it in a swisher wrap.” – Untitled
Killer Mike couldn’t have picked a better time to release this than the shit storm that was election year 2012. Highly intelligent rap over hyper aggressive beats provided by none other than El-P. Mike’s constant comparisons between the power of rap music in his life to the power of religion in other people’s was fascinating to me. In the words of Mike – rap music is the ‘ghetto gospel’
3. Lonerism – Tame Impala
“I guess I’m alright, but they’re all doing so well. What I wouldn’t give, to be under that spell” – Music to Walk Home By
It wasn’t until I received the vinyl of this on Christmas that I realized how appropriate the cover was. With lyrics largely concerned with feelings of, surprise! – loneliness, the picture of someone trapped behind a gate and looking in suddenly became shockingly appropriate. Gorgeous psychedelia and far ahead sound-wise of their debut
2. channel ORANGE – Frank Ocean
“This unrequited love, to me it’s nothing but a one man cult, and cyanide in my styrofoam cup” – Bad Religion
The most important release of this decade so far. Our generation’s rapidly evolving views on sexuality were captured in one beautiful Tumblr post. And a few days later we were rewarded with a nearly flawless, lush R&B album. The homosexuality is never forced upon us in strong ways but gently mentioned, and every song about the mysterious guy from Frank’s past could just as easily be about a woman in our own. It was the best album of 2012, and ‘Pyramids’ the year’s best song. It was a moment to be remembered and it was hopefully an indicator of Frank’s bright future.
1. Until the Quiet Comes – Flying Lotus
I’m going to put on my ‘Lensless Glasses of Pretentiousness’ here and describe ‘Until the Quiet Comes’ as an auditory womb. The cover resembles a fetus floating in utero, the sounds inside are warm and dreamy, and heartbeat-like rhythms surround you. Where ‘Cosmogramma’ grabbed you by the headphones and threw you up into the mysteries of time and space, ‘Until the Quiet Comes’ is far more concerned with the intimate and personal. ’Tiny Tortures’ is a jazz soundscape to lose yourself in. The finale ‘Me Yesterday // Corded’ is strictly instrumental but filled me with some of the warmest emotions of the year. ‘Until the Quiet Comes’ is an album to throw on in the dead of night, when no one is awake but you, and let the physical world slowly slip away from you for 45 minutes until it ends and you’re forced against your will to return
