favourite albums of 2012 and all that

[Venomous]

you know the drill, post them

1. Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city
2. Death Grips - The Money Store
3. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Cobra Juicy
4. Actress - R.I.P.
5. Grizzly Bear - Shields
6. The Mars Volta - Noctourniquet
7. Zammuto - S/T
8. Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
9. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!
10. iamamiwhoami - kin

pretty good year, much better than 2011
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[Soren]

Oh I was gonna make this thread.

Here's my list.

1. Devotion - Jessie Ware
2. Gossamer - Passion Pit
3. The Idler Wheel... - Fiona Apple
4. 1991 - Azealia Banks
5. Red - Taylor Swift
6. Halcyon - Ellie Goulding
7. good kid, m.A.A.d city - Kendrick Lamar
8. Visions - Grimes
9. True - Solange
10. Vows - Kimbra

I know Vows came out in 2011, but it was released in the US this year with additional tracks (that I think improve the album).

good kid, m.A.A.d city is one of the best debut albums IMO. I think it's on par with the college dropout and maybe illmatic.

Edit: I'm still hesitating about some of the placements. So I guess this is just a 10 best albums of 2012 list.

[Venomous]

Have you heard Section.80 yet? Not as good as GKMC, bit less structured, but it has some excellent tunes in there, and shows how strong he already was.

Agreed completely on GKMC though. It's going to be hard to follow it up, but I'm eagerly awaiting it.
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[CovertSushi]

Yellow & Green is perhaps the only album that I know that was released this year that I've purchased. But god dammit if you guys aren't gay for not listing it.
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[Edward Morrison]

i really don't wanna make a top 10 list, but here's a few great 2012 releases:

Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors - Big Boi
Wu Block - Ghostface Killah/Sheek Louch
Mic Tyson - Sean Price
Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color - Brother Ali


and of course the 3 Black Hippy albums (especially, of course, GKMC)

EDIT: **** I forgot about Skelethon by Aesop Rock. That's a banger album.

[Trick Magnet]

coheed and cambria - ascension
baroness - yellow and green
anathema - weather systems
prize fighter inferno - half measures
thank you scientist - maps of non-existent places
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[Soren]

[Charlie]

Here's my top ten, in no particular order.

Four, Bloc Party
Celebration Rock, Japandroids
18 Months, Calvin Harris
Visions, Grimes
Shields, Grizzly Bear
Until Now, Swedish House Mafia
The North, Stars
Oceania, the Smashing Pumpkins
The Haunted Man, Bat for Lashes
The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Born to Die, Lana Del Rey Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do, Fiona Apple
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[Edward Morrison]

I could edit my post again since I forgot yet another awesome album of 2012, but it's a forgotten album that I really, really liked. So it gets a post of its own!

Vodka & Ayahuasca by Gangrene (which is composed of Alchemist and Oh No)

[Slider]

Gojira - L'Enfant Sauvage
Shearwater - Animal Joy
Coheed and Cambria - The Afterman: Ascension
Patrick Wolf - Sundark and Riverlight
Aesop Rock - Skelethon
Baroness - Yellow & Green

and that's all the notable things I've listened to this year :I

[Giggling Trout]

Didn’t truly fall in love with anything, but I liked a lot of albums this year. Here’s the list that I'm copying and pasting on tumblr, facebook, last.fm, etc.
I’m sure I forgot some stuff and I’ll probably get yelled at for it, but whatever.
(In no particular order)

Hotel of the Laughing Tree – Mammoth Skin pt 1

Probably my favorite release from this band so far. I kinda liked their older material, but this is definitely a step-up. They have this short-winded-prog indie rock thing going on that reminds of The Dear Hunter and some other bands that I listen to, but they still maintain their own original sound.
http://hotelofthelaughingtree.bandcamp.com/track/flowers-and-lawyers

Pallbearer – Sorrow and Extinction

I’m not a huge fane of doom, but these guys make it pretty enjoyable for me. Has some good catchy vocal melodies, and the music doesn’t meander too much (as I find that doom often does). It keeps my attention, and it provides a solid heavy experience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNFlHnyM-7o

Pierce the Veil – Collide with the Sky

I’m surprised at how much I enjoyed this album. I typically hate hot topic bands like this, but these guys know how to write some good tunes. The album had a good sense of diversity and bunch of fun hooks to boot… but man, those vocals can be a bit whiny and high-pitched at times.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBbr9n9JnZg

Jess and the Ancient Ones – S/T

I recently delved more into this “occult rock” stuff, and I’ve found a few goodies during my exploration. This particular album has been my favorite so far. They rock out with raw vintage riffs and sexy female vox, and it makes me giddy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udd0o5VpX2k

In Fear and Faith – S/T

This one just recently popped up on my radar, and I had a pleasant time with it. It’s metalcore, but with a classical/orchestra twist to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K_0GhyaTJc

Zelliack – Noir EP

Baby-makin music right hurr. These guys dabble in jazz and soul, and have created some fun pop songs out of it. Apparently, the lead singer is/was from Sky Eats Airplane and TesseracT. I never would have expected this kind of project from him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Unnw81apok

Tallest Man on Earth – There’s No Leaving Now

I use to hate this guy’s voice, but it grew on me surprisingly fast. And I’m glad it did, because there’s some great music on this thing. He makes folk more poppy than I’m used to, and I’m completely ok with that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibEwxlV1ac4

Converge – All We Love We Leave Behind

Hardcore that’ll melt your face off; that’s what I dig about these guys. It’s good, but perhaps not as good as the previous release.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncyUDtp_rJk

Sons – Keep Quiet

Some of the better Christian music that I’ve heard. It has some chill indie moments, as well as its share of aggressive rocky moments. I really love the production on the vocals, and the use of post-rock elements.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca8rBEqhMio

The Night Flight Orchestra – Internal Affairs

If you ever thought that dadcore music was dead, think again. If you’re a fan of Kansas, Foreigner, .38 Special, Boston, etc… you will probably love this thing. And if not, you can always show it to your parents, and they’ll get a kick out of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE99mc_ubHc

Kimbra – Vows

Yay, it’s back. And with more songs. Slightly better than the 2011 version, imo. Not by much though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vwbe51qp4s

Foxygen – Take the Kids Off Broadway

This thing is a bit over-the-top, but I prefer my music to be chaotic like this. It sounded like everyone who was involved in making this thing (whether it be the musicians or the producer or whoever) was tripping on various hallucinogenic substances. Rocks if you like: The Rolling Stones and David Bowie, but all zany and ridiculous.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nQnyqpkbTc

City of Ships/Rosetta – Split

Good heavy stuff. I think that CoS could be my new favorite sludge band if they continue with this style, and deliver a brutal full-length in the future. Rosetta is pretty sick too, even if their stuff isn’t exactly the most immediately gratifying.
http://birdsrobe.bandcamp.com/track/king-temp

The Steelwells – Cool Kids EP

I’m not exactly sure who this reminds me of. It sounds like many “indie” bands that have popped up in the recent years, and that magazines like Paste and Rolling Stone would praise the heck out of. I just know that it sounds better than those darn Vampire Weekend dudes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFr8VefiryA

Cut Teeth – Televandalism

Punk/post-hardcore/awesome. These guys make me want to run into a room and punch everyone and everything I see.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHEQhjTBqDo

Milo – Milo Takes Baths

The lyrics are geeky and the beats are hipstery. I love that combo, and I love Milo. If you’re in the mood for some good alternative hip-hop, then look no further.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YmVdt-VxRw

Patrick Watson – Adventures In Your Own Backyard

I haven’t seen this album on many top lists and frankly, I’m a little disappointed in the hip community. It has some flaws, but it’s still fairly better than the new Grizzly Bear and Beach House albums. The dude knows how to put together some beautiful, atmospheric songs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R23bifAbWWs

Kitten Berry Crunch – Dreams

So, this EP is a total love letter to the terrible synth-pop artists of the 80s. I’ve heard some other bands attempt this genre, but they don’t pull it off quite as nicely as KBC does. I think he has a lot of potential, and I look forward to what he brings in the future.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPzEFylsz0g

Foxy Shazam – The Church of Rock n Roll

Stylistically, this isn’t too far off from the The Night Flight Orchestra album that I mentioned before. It’s just some good ol’ fashion rock n roll.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHiwn08vNRQ

If These Trees Could Talk – Red Forest

This album has lost some of its appeal after the first listen, but it’s still kinda cool and worth mentioning. Honestly, the song linked below is probably one of the best post-rock songs I’ve ever heard. I prefer my post-rock to be more intense like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fZKTOYf9VA

Pandercakes – Paint By Numbers

These guys are a lot of fun. Every song on the EP is fairly different from the others, and they’re all pretty catchy in their own special way. Songs range from noise rock all the way to chamber pop.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdP-JCuwmtM

DWNTWN – The Red Room

Forget Grimes or Purity Ring or whatever. DWNTWN is where it’s at.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMgMnKQwmkw

And then here’s two more EPs that I want to mention, but don’t want to write descriptions for

Charli XCX – You’re the One EP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGmM2l39LEs

Magic Fades – She Beat All the Haters

http://magicfades.bandcamp.com/track/she-beat-all-the-haters
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http://ultravioletbears.tumblr.com/

[Soren]

Charli XCX is the ****.

[Giggling Trout]

She really is. I'm sure she's gonna blow up this next year, along with AlunaGeorge. Stoked for those LPs
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[Katie Got Bandz]

[Soren]