Top 10 of 2012

[jessecuster3]

Is it too soon?

What are your 10 favorite albums of 2012?

What are your 10 favorite songs of 2012?


Here are mine:

Albums:
1. Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
2. Kishi Bashi - 151a
3. Fun. - Some Nights
4. Fang Island - Major
5. Passion Pit - Gossamer
6. Imagine Dragons - Night Visions
7. King Charles - Love Blood
8. Ben Folds Five - The Sound Of the Life Of the Mind
9. Walk The Moon - self-titled
10. Mumford and Sons - Babel


Songs:
1. Blaudzun - Elephants
2. Imagine Dragons - Demons
3. Kishi Bashi - Bright Whites
4. Passion Pit - Take A Walk
5. Alt-J - Breezeblocks
6. Tanlines - All Of Me
7. Walk The Moon - Anna Sun
8.Fun. - Some Nights
9. Grouplove - Itchin on a Photograph
10. Glass Pear - One Day Soon

[MartinNL]

I didn't get too many albums in 2012 so compiling a best of list for albums wasn't too difficult. It was however difficult to narrow down to 10 top songs.



Albums

1. Jake Bugg - Jake Bugg
2. Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
3. Carice van Houten - See You on The Ice
4. Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes
5. Lianne La Havas - Is Your Love Big Enough?
6. Patrick Watson - Adventures In Your Own Back Yard
7. Roxette - Travelling
8. Selah Sue - Rarities
9. Gregory Porter - Be Good
10. Moke - Collider

Songs

1. Ben Howard - Esmerelda
2. Jake Bugg - Lightning Bolt
3. The Black Keys - Little Black Submarines
4. Alain Clark - Nympho
5. Alabama Shakes - Hold On
6. Kensington - Send Me Away
7. San Cisco - Awkward
8. Sabrina Starke - Backseat Driver
9. Carice van Houten - Siren Or The Sea
10. Lianne La Havas - They Could Be Wrong

[FanboyStranger]

1) Titus Andronicus- Local Business
2) Spiritualized- Sweet Heart, Sweet Light
3) Bob Mould- Silver Age
4) The Big Dipper- ...Crashes on the Platinum Planet
5) The Gaslight Anthem- Handwritten
6) Grizzly Bear- Shields
7) Dinosaur, Jr- I Bet on Sky
8) Guided by Voices- The Bears for Lunch (3rd new GBV album of 2012... see next)
9) Guided by Voices- Let's Go Eat the Factory (1st new GBV album of 2012... GBV would have made a classic album if they had combined the best songs from the three, but that would have been very un-GBV-like )
10) And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead- Lost Songs

[Christopher Cross Is God]

Songs:

1) The Aikiu - Pieces of Gold
2) The Librarian - Slow (Skeleton Hands Hard Version)
3) Trust - Shoom
4) Electric Youth - The Best Thing
5) Hurts - Sunday (Paul Van Dyk Remix)
6) Santigold - Disparate Youth
7) Skeleton Hands - Same Old Madness
8) Lana Del Rey - Gods and Monsters
9) Chvrches - Lies
10) Bastille - Overjoyed

[J. Robb]

Albums (alphabetically):

Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
Emeli Sandé - Our Version of Events
Frank Ocean - Channel ORANGE
Grimes - Visions
Japandroids - Celebration Rock
Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
The Lumineers - s/t
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - The Heist
Niki & The Dove - Instinct
Twin Shadow - Confess

The year's not over yet, some of this list could change.

[The Black Guardian]

Albums

1. Three Days Grace - Transit of Venus
2. Jimmy Cliff - Rebirth
3. Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
4. Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania
5. Garbage - Not Your kind of People
6. Fun. - Some Nights
7. Dr. John - Locked Down
8. Bobby Womack - The Bravest Man in the Universe
9. Esperanza Spalding - Radio Music Society
10. Muse - The 2nd Law

Singles? I couldn't tell you.

[Romero]

Japandroids- "Celebration Rock"
Alabama Shakes "Boys and Girls"
Cloud Nothings- "Attack on Memory"
Best Coast- "The Only Place"

These are the only ones I think I got this year. Still haven't had the dough to get the new Dinosaur Jr. album and my library doesn't have it yet. My favorite of what I have is probably the Cloud Nothings record.

[Melanieshaman]

I don't buy a lot of albums, so basically the best albums were;

Amaryllis-Shinedown
Blood- In This Moment

Songs-
Enemies-Shinedown
Blood-In This Moment (I wished they'd release Whore)

[Artycool8or]

With every year passing, it's getting easier and easier for me to make the list. It may be because of my higher expectations (probably) or the underachieving releases (possibly). In either way, these albums are the one's, that I thought deserve a platinum status for the year 2012. Thanks to various venues that help us hear the material before we buy them, I listened to lot more than this list compiles, but not everything, (of course) Nowadays, the album must be at very least half exceptional, with other half good, in order for me to buy the physical CD. That's all you got to know, and here is the countdown:

10. Mollo/Martin - "The Third Cage" 7/10 Not as strong as the previous effort, but heavier release from the Italian guitarist/producer and former Black Sabbath singer. Mollo's firework carries the album, while Martin tags along in a well balanced album, but I'll expect more from their next project if they want to make the list. 09. Primal Fear - "Unbreakable" 7/10 Strong release from the German Power Metal band, yet a slight disappointment for them not pushing the boundaries harder. Somewhat settled in previous glory this CD doesn't utilizes their members to the fullest. Don't get me wrong, I love the Unbreakable, and the quality in the song-writing department is still there, but the execution was on the safe side. 08. Trick Or Treat - "Rabbits' Hill, Pt. 1" 7/10 A conceptual work based on Richard Adam's book “Watership Down” Concept albums have to be analyzed as a whole projects rather than song-by-song, and it holds up well in that department. The band started out as Helloween mimics but on this CD they find their own style, which is less complex than their idols yet exciting, nonetheless. 07. ReinXeed - "Welcome To The Theater" 7/10 If you went into this CD expecting Cinematic Metal... well, you got it. (What gave it away?) Orchestration is done via keyboards, and not real orchestra, providing more of a landscape to the songs than dominating them, which is a good thing. But don't let that statement to sell it short,; it is like watching Lord Of The Rings' Epic Battle scenes one after another. The Gary Moore Cover on the Japanese CD is an absolute must, as well. 06. Sturm Und Drang - "Graduation Day" 7.5/10 There is hope for the new generation of Melodic Arena Metal bands, and it is in these guys. This album has all the great elements of the arena filling bands such as Bon Jovi and Def Leppard from their heydays. Sing along choruses with tasteful guitar solo's are fused with modern wizardry from behind the sound board. Their third CD didn't break them, so I bet we'll hear more from them. (Never heard of them? It's probably because of the Name).

05. Accept - "Stalingrad" 8/10 Accept never experimented with new trends (unlike many other Metal Bands) and that uncompromising attitude puts them above their peers from the same era of Heavy Metal. They haven't done it before, why start now? Indeed. Torillo does better impression of UDO than UDO does of himself. No wonder, after all Udo ain't THAT great of a vocalist, but Accept ain't just about the former pipes either. It's also Wolf and Herman, and they don't disappoint. Slightly more Good tracks than Great one's, stopped me from placing this album higher. 04. Obsession - "Order Of Chaos" 8/10 Mike Vescera is pretty much a household name in a Metal family. Combine his voice with 2 great guitarists who aren't afraid to trade-off solo's with ferocity, and you have a winning formula. The production is top notch all over, so do yourself a favor, buy this and you wont regret it. Seriously, I can praise it more, but I'm just wasting your time. Old School? Hell Yeah. 03. Kiko Loureiro - "Sounds of Innocence" 8/10 The other guitarist of the Brazilian Band Angra. Since this is the only Solo Guitar CD on my list, that makes Kiko's release the best in that category, and 3rd place in overall. Not too shabby. While the CD contains all instrumental songs, it is NOT a shred-fest as some may think. It's a well balanced and superbly crafted Rock album, where Kiko's technique shines through just as much as his writing skills. Very memorable melodies will please even those who don't usually go for solo projects. 02. Higuchi Project Team - "Free World 2" 8.5/10 Posthumus release from the Loudness' drummer, completed by his band mate Masayoshi Yamashita. The album is made mostly of instrumentals with only 2 vocal tracks. One of them is sung by Minoru Niihara (Loudness) The songs are a mix-bag of Metal, Progressive, Oriental and Rock influences, with a very up-tempo beat. A great way to say goodbye to Japan's greatest drummer. There is a DVD that comes with the CD with 2 music videos, and one Drum Solo from a concert dedicated to yet another early departed drummer Cozy Powell. 01. Wig Wam - "Wall Street" 8.5/10 And the Eurovision Song Contest never been the same since Wig Wam broke the mold of the sweet pop songs dominating competition. They glamorized the audience and paved the road for Lordi to conquer the contest a year later. Wall Street is better than their previous effort, that will get into your ears and won't leave you alone until you'll sing them out loud (in public) well or something like that. Personal satisfaction is gained from hearing a tasteful instrumental among the other hits this CD is choke full of. Love It.

[Deathstroke]

Interesting list Artycool. Only one album that we have in common in Accept. If I had the extra cash I'd check out Mollo/Martin and Primal Fear though.

[glue]

10. Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel
09. RiFF RAFF - The Golden Alien
08. Sean Price - Mic Tyson
07. Action Bronson & Alchemist - Rare Chandeliers
06. 100s - Ice Cold Perm
05. Upon A Burning Body - Red White Green
04. ScHoolboy Q - Habits & Contradictions
03. Yung Simmie - XXL Freshman of 1993
02. Baroness - Yellow & Green
01. Lil Ugly Mane - Mista Thug Isolation

Song of the year: "Hands on The Wheel" by ScHoolboy Q & A$AP Rocky or "Texas Blood Money" by Upon a Burning Body

[jdwrocks]

Thanx for starting this JC3. My top 5 albums are:

1) Jack White - "Blunderbuss"
2) Stars - "North"
3) Paul Banks "Banks"
4) Ryan Bingham "Tomorrowland"
5) Crystal Castles III

Honorable Mentions are Godspeed & Japandroids

OOPS! Forgot about Magnetic Fields...might need to come up with 2 more & make it an official top 10.

[J. Robb]

1. Jake Bugg - Jake Bugg

I've been listening to his album a lot lately, great stuff. I'd move it into my top ten as well.

[TheFerg714]

There's no way I can think of songs, but here's the albums I've listened to this year, that were great. In no particular order, except the first one.

1. good kid, m.A.A.d. city - Kendrick Lamar
2. O.N.I.F.C. - Wiz Khalifa
3. The Heist - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
4. Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album - Lupe Fiasco
5. Pop Culture - XV
6. Dreamchasers 2 - Meek Mill
7. Channel Orange - Frank Ocean
8. Cruel Summer - G.O.O.D. Music & Kanye West

[Chiasm]

Albums: I only bought five albums in 2012.

1. Garbage - Not Your Kind of People
2. Chiasm 11:11
3. Lana Del Ray - Born to Die
4. Linkin Park - Living Things
5. James Durbin - Memories of a Beautiful Disaster

Songs: (on doing this list off my Itunes & Spotify lists I only now realize how biased I was last year to female lead singers)

1. Somebody that I Used to Know - Within Temptation (a hard rock cover of the Gotye song)
2. Breathing Under Water - Metric
3. Breath of Life - Florence and the Machine
4. Blue Jeans - Lana Del Ray
5. Try - P!nk
6. Somebody that I Used to Know - Gotye (though I loved it more before everyone loved it)
7. Petals - Chiasm
8. Closer - Tegan and Sara
9. Synthetica - Metric
10. Control - Garbage