7. Owen Pallett - In Conflict
Key Track: Riverhead
8. Ought - More Than Any Other Day
Key Track: Habit
9. Silver Mt Zion - Fuck Off, Get Free We Pour Light On Everything
Key Track: What We Loved Was Not Enough
10. Caribou - Our Love
Key Track: Silver
11. Spoon - They Want My Soul 12. Slow Club - Complete Surrender 13. Thom Yorke - Tomorrows Modern Boxes 14. St Vincent - St Vincent 15. The War on Drugs - Lost In The Dream
Honorable Mentions: Liars, Patten, Syro, Grouper, The Bug, Ekoplexz, Loops Haunt, M. Geddes Gengras, Damon Albarn, Ben Frost, Angel Olsen, Mica Levi, Eno & Hyde, Luke Abbott, The Acid, Actress, Swans, Goat.
Perhaps a little early but I've compiled a list of my favourite albums of 2012. I'm not usually so organized but this year these albums stood out and didn't seem to be getting enough attention.
#1. Sun Araw & M. Geddes Gengras Meet the Congos - Icon give thank
As a big fan of Sun Araw's work (and to a lesser extent LA Vampires) and the Congo's classic "Heart of the Congos" I nearly dropped my bong when I saw this collaboration had happened and it was out already. Then I heard it. And now it's my #1. Jah love/ #2. Alex Under - La Maquina De Bolas
Came to this with no knowledge of Alex Under and no expectations and just love this record. Stunning minimal techno dub or something.
#3. Julia Holter - Ekstatis
Heard about her before I heard her so had some expectations for this one but on a couple of listens this album really got to me. There are 2 versions of this track on the album, it was hard to pick which to include.
#4. Animal Collective - Centipede Hz
Initial I found this record hard to like but I slowly came to love it. This track was the first I heard and is still my favourite. This record has a great energy to it and flows beautiful track to track.
#5. Portico Quartet - Portico Quartet
Some dark english jazz. Not much to say about it except it's brilliant, just listen.
Honourable mentions for: Lukid - Lonely at the top Grimes - Vision Why? - Mumps, etc Bat For Lashes - Haunted Man Moon Duo - Circles Nathan Fake - Steam Days
It's that time of year again folks. 2013 has been an incredible year for new music, the best in recent memory. Last year this was only a Top 5 but this year it was hard to cut it down to only 10.
#1 Kurt Vile - Wakin On A Pretty Daze
Have been obsessed with this record all year. Pure pop. Key Tracks: Girl Called Alex, Too Hard, Air Bud
#2 Blondes - Swisher
I first heard this on youtube straight through, infact I only recently bought this, I've been listening to the youtube all year, and as that is how I first experienced it, I sort of prefer it that way and the visuals are great too. Key Tracks: Elsie, Andrew, Poland
Full Album Stream:
#3 Machinedrum - Vapor City
I have to thank Chris Beak for helping me realize how great this album is. I liked two tracks on room(s) so wasn't expecting to like this, but it's an absolute corker. Key Tracks: Eyesdontlie, Rise n Fall, Baby It's U
#4 Jon Hopkins - Immunity
Reminds me of Luke Abbott who is a favourite of mine. This is another album that demands to be listened to straight through. Key Tracks: Open Eye Signal, Sun Harmonics, Collider
#5 Baths - Obsidian
I'm a sucker for electronics with vocals, what can I say. Key Tracks: No Past Lives, Miasma Sky, No Eyes, Earth Death
#6 David Bowie - The Next Day
This album by all rights, should not have been this good. Key Tracks: The Stars, Heat
#7 Tim Hecker - Virgins
This was a very late entry. Some of this list is music I like to listen to but this one is music I want to make (and listen to I guess). I found this record very inspiring. If it had come out earlier in the year (than October) and I had more time to digest it may have placed higher. Key Tracks: Stigmata I, Virginal II, Live Room
#8 Holden - The Inheritors
This album and the Jon Hopkins album are connected for me somehow. A Circle Inside A Circle Inside is one of my favorite tracks of the year. Key Tracks: ||: A Circle Inside A Circle Inside :||, Gone Feral, Blackpool Late Eighties
#9 Boards of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest
Dark in places and has tracks that sound like they could have been made any time in the last 20 years, Telepath for example sounds straight off of Geogaddi, Cold Earth sounds like it's from the Beautiful Place EP. But when those old records are such classics this is a good thing rather than a dig. Key Tracks: Jacquard Causeway, Reach for the Dead, New Seeds
#10 Forest Swords - Engravings
Another late entry into the top 10, there is something very unique about this guys sound. I could do without the sufi vocals though. Key Tracks: Thors Stone, The Plumes, An Hour
Honorable Mentions: Mum, John Wizards, Haxan Cloak, Huerco S., Kibble, The Field, Egyptrixx, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Fuck Buttons, King Krule, Bibio
