Now that my “Top 40 Albums of 2012” two-part countdown shows have aired on Breakthruradio.com, and my Top 10 has been officially posted on the Pazz and Jop Poll web site, it’s finally time to share with you all my Top Picks of 2012 List in full.
Here is is, my top 80 albums of 2012 (plus honorable mentions) that were newly made, another 25 that were reissues and archival/historic grist, 10 singles (plus honorable mentions) and a handful of DVDs that truly all captivated me this past year. Hope you enjoy!
1 Bob Mould, Silver Age (Merge)
2 Nada Surf, The Stars are Indifferent to Astronomy (Barsuk)
3 Maximo Park, The National Health (Straight to the Sun)
4 exlovers, Moth (Young and Lost Club U.K.)
5 Honeychurch, Will You be There With Me (Siren Electric)
6 DIIV, Oshin (Captured Tracks)
7 Violens, True (Slumberland)
8 Jigsaw Seen, Gifted (Vibro-phonic)
9 Shoes, Ignition (Countdown)
10 Royal Headache, Royal Headache (What’s Your Rupture?)
11 Deep Cut, Disorientation (Club AC30 UK)
12 John Doe, Keeper (Yep Roc)
13 Real Estate, Days (Domino)
14 Guided By Voices, Class Clown Spots a UFO (GBV) (also Let’s Go Eat the Factory as well as The Bears For Lunch)
15 Jet Black, Escape Measures (Jet Black)
16 Allo, Darlin’ Europe (Slumberland)
17 Cardinal, Hymns (Fire)
18 Ken Stringfellow, Danzig in the Moonlight (Spark and Shine)
19 Martin Rossiter, The Defenestration of St. Martin (Martin Rossiter)
20 The Decemberists, We All Raise Our Voices to the Air (Capitol)
21 Spotlight Kid, Disaster Tourist (Saint Marie)
22 The Frank & Walters, Greenwich Mean Time (Fifa U.K.)
23 Lightships, Electric Cables (Domino)
24 Neil Halstead, Palindrome Hunches (Brushfire)
25 Off!, Off! (Vice)
26 Killing Joke, MMXII (Spinefarm)
27 Ruts DC, Rhythm Collision Volume 2 (Sosumi U.K.)
28 Standard Fare Out of Sight, Out of Town (Melodic)
29 Desario, Mixer (Test Pattern)
30 Woods, Bend Beyond (Woodist)
31 The Successful Failures, here I am (FDR)
32 The Wedding Present, Valentina (Scopitones)
33 A.C. Newman, Shut Down the Streets (Matador)
34 Astrid Williamson, Pulse (One Little Indian U.K.)
35 Various, Please, Please, Please: A Tribute to The Smiths (American Laundromat)
36 Mission of Burma, Unsound (Fire)
37 Toy, Toy (Heavenly/Cooperative)
38 The Bats, Free All the Monsters (Flying Nun)
39 Mark Eitzel, Don’t be a Stranger (Merge)
40 Strawberry Whiplash, Hits in the Car (Matinée)
41 Baby Grand, Test Pattern (Arts & Leisure)
42 The dBs, Falling Off the Sky (Bar None)
43 Breathless, Green to Blue (Tenor Vossa U.K.)
44 Christopher Paul Stelling, Songs of Praise & Scorn (Mecca Lecca)
45 French, Politics and Girls (French)
46 Dot Dash, Winter Garden Light (The Beautiful Music CANADA)
47 Beach House, Bloom (Sub Pop)
48 Big Dipper, Crashes on the Platinum Planet (Almost Ready)
49 Moonbell, Moonbell (Deep Space [CD] / Loglady [12”])
50 The Shins, Point of Morrow (Aural Apothecary/Columbia/Sony)
51 Stevie Jackson, (I Can’t Get No) Stevie Jackson (Banchory)
52 D.O.A., We Come In Peace (Sudden Death CANADA)
53 The Manic Low, Songs For An Up Day (Moonlight Graham)
54 The Stars Explode, Between the Lines (Sarah Said So Music)
55 C. Bailey and H. Burns, Stranger (Vicious Circle)
56 Midway Still, Always Ends (Bitter And Twisted)
57 The Fresh And Onlys, Long Slow Dance (Mexican Summer)
58 The Zambonis, Five Minute Major (In D Minor) (Blue Line)
59 The Distractions, The End of the Pier (Occultation UK)
60 The Puddle Secret, Holiday/Victory Blues (Fishrider NEW ZEALAND)
61 Cold Heart Re-Press, Escaping The Doldrums (Cold Heart Re-Press)
62 The Furious Seasons, My Analog Face (Stonegarden)
63 Blag’ard, Fresh Candy (Pig Zen Space)
64 Glowfriends, All Things Made New (Jam)
65 Jon Derosa, A Wolf in Preacher’s Clothes (Mother West)
66 John Doe & Exene Cervenka, Singing and Playing (Moonlight Graham)
67 The Scenics, Dead Man Walks Down Bayview (Dream Tower CANADA)
68 Silo Halo, Night and The City (Etxe)
69 Nervous Curtains, Fake Infinity (Latest Flame)
70 Jeff Hart, Ghosts of the Old North State (Bombay)
71 Kongefamilien, Whippin’ the Stiff (Ørevaerk NORWAY)
72 The Valery Trails, Ghosts and Gravity (The Valery Trails)
73 Peter Baldrachi, Back to the Start (Prodigal Son)
74 Penelope Houston, On Market Street (Devoted Ruins)
75 Various, Rave On: A Tribute to the Reducers Vol. 1 (Good Sponge)
76 Cats On Fire, All Blackshirts to Me (Matinée)
77 Tindersticks, The Something Rain (Constellation CANADA)
78 Suit Of Lights, Shine On Forever (Visiting Lights)
79 BNLX, BNLX (Susstones)
80 C.P. Carrington, The Loving Kind (CP Carrington)
81 Paws, Cokefloat! (Fatcat)
82 Hospitality, Hospitality (Merge)
83 The Vinyl Skyway, Return of The Dead Surfer (Vinyl Skyway)
84 Various, A Tribute to Repo Man (American Laundromat)
85 The Jennifers, Well Intentioned World (Beechfields)
86 The Doughboys, Shakin’ Our Souls (Ram)
87 The Campbell Apartment, In (Light Rail)
88 Ray Davies, See My Friends (Decca)
1 Beach Boys, Smile (Capitol)
2 The Avengers, The Avengers (Water)
3 The Small Faces, Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake (Immediate/Charly)
4 The Lucy Show, Rememberances (Words On Music)
5 Sugar, Copper Blue / File Under: Easy Listening (Merge)
6 The Sound, From the Lion’s Mouth (1972 U.K.)
7 Sloan, Twice Removed Box Set Reissue (Murderrecords CANADA)
8 Half String, Maps For Sleep (1991-1994) (Captured Tracks’ Shoegaze Archives)
9 Various, Tally Ho! Flying Nun’s Greatest Bits (Flying Nun NEW ZEALAND)
10 Jeffrey Lewis, The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane & Other Favorites (Don Giovanni)
11 C.I.A. God, Guts, Guns, And More 12” (More Than A Witness)
12 The Deadbeats, Complete Dangerhouse Recordings 10” (Artifix)
13 R.E.M., Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage, 1982-2011 (Warner Bros.)
14 The Diodes, Action/Reaction (Bongo Beat CANADA)
15 The Mau Maus. Scorched Earth Policies: Then & Now (Ratchet Blade)
16 Various, Time To Go: The Southern Psychedelic Moment 1981-1986 (Flying Nun NEW ZEALAND)
17 Empire, Expansive Sound Vol. II (Poorly Packaged Products)
18 Various, Aches And Shakes: 2002-2012 Popboomerang (Popboomerang)
19 Art Garfunkel, The Singer (Columbia/Legacy/Sony)
20 Arthur Lee (Love), Black Beauty (High Moon)
21 Cargo Cult And Texas Biscuit Bombs, The Two-Headed Cobra Split Double LP 12” (Modern City France)
22 Alice Bag, Violence Girl 7” EP (Artifix)
23 The Sugargliders, A Nest With a View, 1990-1994 (Matinée)
24 Ups & Downs, Out of the Darkness: Sleepless, Singles, & Other Stories (Feel Presents AUS)
25 The Lucid Dream, Object of Reality (Elephant Stone)
1 Veronica Falls, “My Heart Beats” 7” (Slumberland)
2 Whipping Boy, “No One Takes Prisoners Anymore” (Rocket Girl U.K.)
3 Maxïmo Park , “The National Health” (2/Coop U.K.)
4 The Chambermaids,“Whirlpool” digital single (Guilt Ridden Pop)
5 Haroula Rose, So Easy EP (Haroula Rose)
6 Lightships, Fear And Doubt 10” (Domino)
7 Dum Dum Girls, End of Daze EP (Sub Pop!)
8 Indoor Voices So Smart 12” EP (Bleeding Gold)
9 Nushu Joystick EP (Nushu)
10 The Ultra Violet, Wednesday EP (Eskimo)
11 Adam Franklin & Bolts Of Melody / Heaven Split 7” (Goodnight)
12 The Walkabouts “My Diviner” 7” (Fin)
13 The Good Graces, Wildcat Creek EP (Pretty New Songs)
1 Various, Bloodied But Unbowed (MVD)
2 Various, Color Me Obsessed; A Film About The Replacements ( MVD)
3 X, The Unheard Music (MVD)
4 Talking Heads, Chronology (Eagle Rock)
