Year-End Lists

Pretty Much Amazing: 60 Best Albums of 2012

1. Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do – Amazon
2. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
3. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city
4. Tame Impala – Lonerism
5. Japandroids – Celebration Rock
6. Grizzly Bear – Shields
7. Chromatics – Kill for Love
8. Grimes – Visions
9. Purity Ring – Shrines
10. Dan Deacon – America
11. The Walkmen – Heaven
12. Flying Lotus – Until the Quiet Comes
13. Jack White – Blunderbuss
14. Jessie Ware – Devotion
15. Beach House – Bloom
16. Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music
17. Lower Dens – Nootropics
18. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light
19. Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan
20. El-P – Cancer 4 Cure
21. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
22. Twin Shadow – Confess
23. Death Grips – The Money Store
24. Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
25. The xx – Coexist
26. THEESatisfaction – awE naturalE
27. The Men – Open Your Heart
28. David Byrne & St. Vincent – Love This Giant
29. Father John Misty – Fear Fun
30. Bat for Lashes – The Haunted Man
31. Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream
32. Bob Dylan – Tempest
33. Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory
34. Lotus Plaza – Spooky Action at a Distance
35. DIIV – Oshin
36. Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls
37. Niki & The Dove – Instinct
38. Divine Fits – A Thing Called Divine Fits
39. Animal Collective – Centipede Hz
40. Naomi Punk – The Feeling
41. Dr. Dog – Be the Void
42. Ty Segall Band – Slaughterhouse
43. ScHoolboy Q – Habits & Contradictions
44. How to Dress Well – Total Loss
45. Peaking Lights – Lucifer
46. The Shins – Port of Morrow
47. ∆ (alt-J) – An Awesome Wave
48. Chairlift – Something
49. Liars – WIXIW
50. John Talabot – fIN
51. Cat Power – Sun
52. Swans – The Seer
53. Poliça – Give You The Ghost
54. iamamiwhoami – kin
55. Metz – Metz
56. Zammuto – Zammuto
57. Hot Chip – In Our Heads
58. Ab-Soul – Control System
59. Porcelain Raft – Strange Weekend
60. Perfume Genius – Put Your Back N 2 It

Frontier Psychiatrist: Top 50 Albums of 2012

1. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange – Amazon
2. Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
3. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city
4. Ty Segall – Slaughterhouse
4. [tie] Ty Segall – Twins
5. Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory
6. Grizzly Bear – Shields
7. Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
8. Flying Lotus – Until the Quiet Comes
9. Tame Impala – Lonerism
10. Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan
11. Andrew Bird – Hands of Glory
11. [tie] Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself
12. Animal Collective – Centipede Hz
13. Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music
14. The Men – Open Your Heart
15. Liars – WIXIW
16. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart, Sweet Light
17. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
18. Swans – The Seer
19. Schoolboy Q – Habits & Contradictions
20. Twin Shadow – Confess
21. Action Bronson & Party Supplies – Blue Chips
22. Punch Brothers – Who’s Feeling Young Now?
23. Japandroids – Celebration Rock
24. Lower Dens – Nootropics
25. Grimes – Visions
26. Lana del Rey – Born to Die
27. Dan Deacon – America
28. Anaïs Mitchell – Young Man in America
29. Chromatics – Kill for Love
30. Jessie Ware – Devotion
31. A.C. Newman – Shut Down the Streets
32. Sufjan Stevens – Silver & Gold
33. Ed Schrader’s Music Beat – Jazz Mind
34. High on Fire – De Vermis Mysteriis
35. BBU – bell hooks
36. Titus Andronicus – Local Business
37. Spider Bags – Shake My Head
38. The Menzingers – On The Impossible Past
39. Django Django – Django Django
40. Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream
41. The xx – Coexist
42. Dr. John – Locked Down
43. Purity Ring – Shrines
44. Miike Snow – Happy To You
45. Daughn Gibson – All Hell
46. El-P – Cancer 4 Cure
47. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Mature Themes
48. Thee Oh Sees – Putrifiers II
49. Andy Stott – Luxury Problems
50. Netherfriends – Middle America

Robert Christgau: Top 102 Albums of 2012

1. Neil Young With Crazy Horse – Americana – Amazon
2. Dabke – Sounds of the Syrian Houran
3. Loudon Wainwright III – Older Than My Old Man Now
4. Pink – The Truth About Love
5. Todd Snider – Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables
6. Skrillex – Bangarang
7. Himanshu – Nehru Jackets
8. The Mountain Goats – Transcendental Youth
9. Various Artists – The Rough Guide to High Life
10. Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball
11. Azealia Banks – 1991
12. Chris Berry & The Bayaka of Yandoumbe – Listen . . . Oka!
13. Lee Ranaldo – Between the Times and the Tides
14. The xx – Coexist
15. Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
16. Orchestra Baobab – La Belle Époque: Volume 2 1973-1976
17. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city
18. Karantamba – Ndigal
19. The Human Hearts – Another
20. Homeboy Sandman – First of a Living Breed
21. Spoek Mathambo – Father Creeper
22. Greenberger Greenberg Cebar – Tell Me That Before
23. Taylor Swift – Red
24. Saigon – The Greatest Story Never Told: Chapter Two: Bread and Circuses
25. Serengeti – C.A.R.
26. Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream
27. Homeboy Sandman – The Good Sun
28. Omar Souleyman – Haflat Gharbia: The Western Concerts
29. Plug – Back on Time
30. Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby – A Working Museum
31. Heems – Wild Water Kingdom
32. Elle Varner – Perfectly Imperfect
33. Standard Fare – Out of Sight, Out of Town
34. The dB’s – Falling Off the Sky
35. A Place to Bury Strangers – Worship
36. Death Grips – No Love Deep Web
37. Various Artists – The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia
38. Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas
39. Japandroids – Celebration Rock
40. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
41. Beach House – Bloom
42. Etta James – The Dreamer
43. Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos
44. Best Coast – The Only Place
45. Death Grips – The Money Store
46. Ab-Soul – Control System
47. Iris DeMent – Sing the Delta
48. Various Artists – Songs for Desert Refugees
49. Saint Etienne – Words and Music by Saint Etienne
50. Tommy Womack – Now What!
51. Public Enemy – Most of My Heroes Still Don’t Appear on No Stamp
52. Big Baby Gandhi – No1 2 Look Up 2
53. Pet Shop Boys – Elysium
54. Staff Benda Bilili – Bouger Le Monde
55. Corin Tucker Band – Kill My Blues
56. Carolyn Mark – The Queen of Vancouver Island
57. s / s / s – Beak & Claw
58. Thomas Anderson – The Moon in Transit
59. Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory
60. Jamey Johnson – Livin’ for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran
61. Various Artists – The Rough Guide to the Music of Morocco
62. Ani DiFranco – ¿Which Side Are You On?
63. P.S. Eliot – Sadie
64. The Coup – Sorry to Bother You
65. Sleigh Bells – Reign of Terror
66. Give – Balkan Beat Box
67. Lukid – Lonely at the Top
68. Big K.R.I.T. – 4Eva N a Day
69. Low Cut Connie – Call Me Sylvia
70. Kid Koala – 12 Bit Blues
71. Pete Seeger – The Complete Bowdoin College Concert 1960
72. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist
73. Moreno and L’Orch First Moja-One – Sister Pili + 2
74. Burial – Street Halo/Kindred
75. Bhi Bhiman – Bhiman
76. Homeboy Sandman – Subject: Matter
77. Francis Bebey – African Electronic Music 1975-1982
78. Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded: Deluxe Edition
79. Madonna – MDNA
80. Allo Darlin’ – Europe
81. The Magnetic Fields – Love at the Bottom of the Sea
82. Two Fingers – Stunt Rhythms
83. The Rolling Stones – Some Girls: Deluxe Edition
84. Dylan Hicks – Sings Bolling Greene
85. Serengeti – Kenny Dennis EP
86. Dobie – Nothing to Fear
87. A Place to Bury Strangers – Onwards to the Wall
88. Clams Casino – Instrumental Mixtape
89. Divine Fits – A Thing Called Divine Fits
90. Jack White – Blunderbuss
91. Dobie – …But Fear Itself
92. Ned Sublette – Kiss You Down South
93. Janka Nabay & the Bubu Gang – En Yay Sah
94. Royal Band de Thiés – Kadior Demb
95. Amadou & Mariam – Folila
96. Andre Williams & the Sadies – Night and Day
97. Khaira Arby – Tchini Tchini
98. Joan Soriano – La Familia Soriano
99. Big Baby Gandhi – Big Fucking Baby
100. Linkoban – Super Into On It
101. Various Artists – The Original Sound of Cumbia
102. Tha Grimm Teachaz – There’s a Situation on the Homefront

Pazz & Jop: Top 100 Albums of 2012 (an annual poll published by The Village Voice)

1. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange – Amazon
2. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city
3. Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
4. Japandroids – Celebration Rock
5. Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream
6. Tame Impala – Lonerism
7. Swans – The Seer
8. Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music
9. Grimes – Visions
10. Beach House – Bloom
11. Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan
12. Jack White – Blunderbuss
13. Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory
14. Father John Misty – Fear Fun
15. Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball
16. Bob Dylan – Tempest
17. Taylor Swift – Red
18. Future – Pluto
19. Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls
20. Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
21. Dr. John – Locked Down
22. Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas
23. Cat Power – Sun
24. Baroness – Yellow & Green
25. Scott Walker – Bish Bosch
26. El-P – Cancer 4 Cure
27. Grizzly Bear – Shields
28. Chromatics – Kill for Love
29. Andy Stott – Luxury Problems
30. Jessie Ware – Devotion
31. Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill
32. Loudon Wainwright III – Older Than My Old Man Now
33. Mountain Goats – Transcendental Youth
34. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light
35. Bat for Lashes – The Haunted Man
36. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
37. Julia Holter – Ekstasis
38. Hot Chip – In Our Heads
39. Carly Rae Jepsen – Kiss
40. Todd Snider – Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables
41. fun. – Some Nights
42. Bob Mould – Silver Age
43. Converge – All We Love We Leave Behind
44. Kelly Hogan – I Like to Keep Myself in Pain
45. Death Grips – The Money Store
46. Purity Ring – Shrines
47. Nada Surf – The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy
48. Iris DeMent – Sing the Delta
49. The xx – Coexist
50. The Men – Open Your Heart
51. Jens Lekman – I Know What Love Isn’t
52. Titus Andronicus – Local Business
53. Goat – World Music
54. Lana Del Rey – Born to Die
55. Allo Darlin’ – Europe
56. Metz – Metz
57. Neneh Cherry & the Thing – The Cherry Thing
58. Pallbearer – Sorrow and Extinction
59. Burial – Kindred
60. Sleigh Bells – Reign of Terror
61. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Mature Themes
62. Nas – Life Is Good
63. Robert Glasper Experiment – Black Radio
64. Flying Lotus – Until the Quiet Comes
65. Laurel Halo – Quarantine
66. Liars – Wixiw
67. Divine Fits – A Thing Called Divine Fits
68. Action Bronson & Party Supplies – Blue Chips
69. Redd Kross – Researching the Blues
70. Actress – R.I.P.
71. King Tuff – King Tuff
72. Dean Blunt & Inga Copeland – Black Is Beautiful
73. Lambchop – Mr. M
74. Walkmen – Heaven
75. The Coup – Sorry to Bother You
76. Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Americana
77. First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar
78. Twin Shadow – Confess
79. Avett Brothers – The Carpenter
80. Rush – Clockwork Angels
81. Vijay Iyer – Accelerando
82. Dinosaur Jr. – I Bet on Sky
83. David Byrne & St. Vincent – Love This Giant
84. Santigold – Master of My Make-Believe
85. Le1f – Dark York
86. Elle Varner – Perfectly Imperfect
87. Can – The Lost Tapes
88. Saint Etienne – Words and Music by Saint Etienne
89. Ke$ha – Warrior
90. Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos
91. THEESatisfaction – awE naturalE
92. Ty Segall – Twins
93. Dwight Yoakam – 3 Pears
94. Patti Smith – Banga
95. Matthew E. White – Big Inner
96. Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded
97. Best Coast – The Only Place
98. Kathleen Edwards – Voyageur
99. J.D. McPherson – Signs & Signifiers
100. The dB’s – Falling Off the Sky

MSN: 10 Best Albums of 2012

1. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange – Amazon
2. Dr. John – Locked Down
3. Loudon Wainwright III – Older Than My Old Man Now
4. Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball
5. Jack White – Blunderbuss
6. Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls
7. Bob Dylan – Tempest
8. THEESatisfaction – Awe Naturale
9. Taylor Swift – Red
10. Mumford & Sons – Babel
11. Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
12. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city

Engine 145: Top 25 Albums of 2012

1. Marty Stuart – Nashville, Vol. 1. Tear the Woodpile Down – Amazon
2. Kellie Pickler – 100 Proof
3. Don Williams – And So It Goes
4. Jamey Johnson – Living for a Song: A Tribute to Hank Cochran
5. Iris DeMent – Sing the Delta
6. Waylon Jennings – Goin’ Down Rockin’: The Last Recordings
7. Alan Jackson – Thirty Miles West
8. Jason Eady – AM Country Heaven
9. The Time Jumpers – The Time Jumpers
10. Corb Lund – Cabin Fever
11. Dwight Yoakam – 3 Pears
12. The Trishas – High, Wide & Handsome
13. Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson – Wreck & Ruin
14. Chelle Rose – Ghost of Browder Holler
15. Carolina Chocolate Drops – Leaving Eden
16. Little Big Town – Tornado
17. Buddy Miller & Jim Lauderdale – Buddy and Jim
18. Various Artists – Kin: Songs by Mary Karr & Rodney Crowell
19. Kathy Mattea – Calling Me Home
20. Zac Brown Band – Uncaged
21. Gretchen Peters – Hello Cruel World
22. Joey + Rory – His and Hers
23. Sara Watkins – Sun Midnight Sun
24. Bobby Bare – Darker Than Light
25. Brandi Carlile – Bear Creek

The Source: Top 20 Albums of 2012

1. Nas – Life Is Good – Amazon
2. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city
3. The Game – Jesus Piece
4. Big K.R.I.T. – Live From The Underground
5. Ab-Soul – Control System
6. G.O.O.D. Music – Cruel Summer
7. Slaughterhouse – Welcome To: Our House
8. ScHoolboy Q – Habits & Contradictions
9. Lupe Fiasco – Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1
10. T.I. – Trouble Man: Heavy Is The Head
11. 2 Chainz – Based On A T.R.U. Story
12. Rick Ross – God Forgives, I Dont
13. Wu Block – Wu Block
14. Sean Price – Mic Tyson
15. Big Boi – Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors
16. Roc Marciano – Reloaded
17. Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music
18. Meek Mill – Dreams And Nightmares
19. El-P – Cancer 4 Cure
20. DJ Khaled – Kiss the Ring

Dennis Cooper: 20 Favorite Albums of 2012 (as numbered on Cooper’s site, but note that he precedes the list with “in no order”)

1. Death Grips – No Love Deep Web
2. Scott Walker – Bish Bosch
3. Raime – Quarter
4. Guided by Voices – The Bears for Lunch
5. William Basinski – The Disintegration Loops
6. Pinback – Information Retrieved
7. Flying Lotus – Until The Quiet Comes
8. Détective – However Strange
9. New White Light – Bela Tarr 7-13
10. Swans – The Seer
11. Robert Pollard – Jack Sells the Cow
12. Japandroids – Celebration Rock
13. Grimes – Visions
14. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light
15. Actress – R.I.P.
16. Tame Impala – Lonerism
17. Julia Holter – Ekstasis
18. Los Angeles – 555/666/777
19. El-P – Cancer for Cure
20. Crystal Castles – III

Austin Town Hall: Top 100 Albums of 2012

1. Terry Malts – Killing Time – Amazon
2. Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory
3. Sea Pinks – Freak Waves
4. The Tallest Man on Earth – There’s No Leaving Low
5. Gentleman Jesse & His Men – Leaving Atlanta
6. I Was a King – You Love It Here
7. The Walkmen – Heaven
8. Cats on Fire – All Blackshirts to Me
9. Grizzly Bear – Shields
10. Twin Shadow – Confess
11. Mystery Jets – Radlands
12. The Men – Open Your Heart
13. Royal Headache – Royal Headache
14. Woods – Bend Beyond
15. Grass Widow – Internal Logic
16. Beach House – Bloom
17. Standard Fare – Out of Sight, Out of Town
18. Hunx – Hairdresser Blues
19. Wild Nothing – Nocturne
20. Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan
21. The Fresh & Onlys – Long Slow Dance
22. Chromatics – Kill For Love
23. Tame Impala – Lonerism
24. Eternal Summers – Correct Behavior
25. Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
26. Literature – Arab Spring
27. Magic Trick – Ruler of the Night
28. The Intelligence – Everybody’s Got It Easy But Me
29. Punks On Mars – Bad Expectations
30. Nude Beach – II
31. Exlovers – Moth
32. Cult of Youth – Love Will Prevail
33. Frankie Rose – Interstellar
34. DIIV – Oshin
35. Black Marble – A Different Arrangement
36. Letting Up Despite Great Faults – Untogether
37. The Bankees – Home
38. Bear In Heaven – I Love You, It’s Cool
39. Thee Oh Sees – Putrifiers II
40. Mac DeMarco – 2
41. Plateaus – Plateaus
42. Still Flyin – On a Bedroom Wall
43. JBM – Stray Ashes
44. Andrew Bird – Hands of Glory
45. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Mature Themes
46. Deep Time – Deep Time
47. Sonic Avenues – Television Youth
48. Field Music – Plumb
49. Crystal Castles – III
50. Tanlines – Mixed Emotions
51. Hospitality – Hospitality
52. The Wedding Present – Valentina
53. OBN IIIs – OBN IIIs
54. Cat Power – Sun
55. Jens Lekman – I Know What Love Isn’t
56. The Wave Pictures – Long Black Cars
57. Two Wounded Birds – Two Wounded Birds
58. The xx – Coexist
59. Bat for Lashes – The Haunted Man
60. Hot Chip – In Our Heads
61. Holograms – Holograms
62. Gravenhurst – The Ghost of Daylight
63. Bowerbirds – The Clearing
64. Screaming Females – Ugly
65. The Daredevil Christopher Wright – The Nature of Things
66. We Can’t Enjoy Ourselves – Make a Mess of Sacred Ground
67. Mind Spiders – Meltdown
68. Dana Buoy – Summer Bodies
69. Teen Daze – All of Us Together
70. Allo Darlin – Europe
71. A.C. Newman – Shut Down the Streets
72. Grape Street – A Date With You
73. White Wires – WWIII
74. La Sera – Sees the Light
75. White Arrows – Dry Land is Not a Myth
76. Dot Dash – Winter Garden Light
77. Pop Singles – All Gone
78. The Eastern Sea – Plague
79. Woolen Kits – Four Girls
80. King Tuff – King Tuff
81. Natural Child – Hard in Heaven
82. Evans the Death – Evans the Death
83. Ty Segall Band – Slaughterhouse
84. The Calm Blue Sea – Arrivals & Departures
85. The Babies – Our House on the Hill
86. Parquet Courts – Light Up Gold
87. Titus Andronicus – Local Business
88. Unnatural Helpers – Land Grab
89. Volcano – Pinata
90. The Memories – The Memories
91. Beachwood Sparks – Tarnished Gold
92. Daughn Gibson – All Hell
93. The Pharmacy – Stoned and Alone
94. Big Wave Riders – Life Less Ordinary
95. So Many Wizards – Warm Nothing
96. Crocodiles – Endless Flowers
97. Metz – Metz
98. Saint Motel – Voyeur
99. Junk Culture – Wild Quiet
100. Lace Curtains – The Garden of Joy and the Well of Loneliness

Billboard: 10 Best Albums of 2012 (as voted by Billboard staff)

1. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange – Amazon
2. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city
3. Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream
4. Jessie Ware – Devotion
5. Taylor Swift – Red
6. Beach House – Bloom
7. Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball
8. Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory
9. Cat Power – Sun
10. ∆ (alt-J) – An Awesome Wave