My favorite 2012 albums.

2012 has been an insanely busy year, and trying to wrap my head around another one of these lists was a difficult process...but I always enjoy them. It's sort of like a yearly time capsule I can return to and laugh at later. Every year I'll  end up realizing that one of my favorite things that came out that year was something I didn't even find until a year later.

So here's the rules. By no means would I ever suggest these are the ten best albums of 2012. They're just my favorite. There's really no right answers here as it's all subjective. So to disagree with each other on these matters is to sort of disagree with another person's taste...which is pretty much...tasteless.

So feel free to let me know what I missed, and add some of your own. I love checking out new stuff.

Each album will include a link to my favorite track on the album

Here goes nothing...

10. Lovedrug "Wild Blood"

I've always liked Lovedrug, but "Wild Blood was an absolute revelation. The guitar sounds on this record are absolutely fantastic, and I can't really post a review without mentioning the work Paul Moak did producing this record. This probably was my favorite sounding record this year. I can't really recommend this one enough.

Lovedrug "Wild Blood"

9. Derek Webb "CTRL"

Derek Webb has been moving in a much more synthy/electronic direction over the years, and continues that trend with CTRL, but somehow does that while making his most acoustic guitar driven album in years. The haunting sounds of the Sacred Harp style choir vocals in the background really fill out his sound a lot, and you can pretty much decide if you like it or hate it based on any one of the album's tracks, because the sound carries throughout the album and gives it a really strong sense of cohesiveness.

Here's a free Acoustic download of the album that is quite enjoyable. Anyways...here's the best of a very limited selection of videos I could find from this record.


8. (Last of the) Wildmen "Open Future"

Alright...so I'm a little biased here...but it's my list. The album is definitely on the short side (around 30 minutes), and it was recorded in a small bedroom using some rather primitive technology, but the songs are what shine on this album, as Kyle, Jimmie, Matt and the boys have yet to resist a hook on one of their songs. These guys may be defined by their folk-infused rock, but it's their pop songwriting roots that set them apart.

Mostly though, this album just makes me happy. When I think about 2012 and what it meant for my life, these songs will be the soundtrack in my mind. I can't list this any higher because I'm trying to remain objective...but this album is all about friendship and leaving all of the things that drag me down behind.

Here's the album...make sure to check out the fantastic trumpet playing on track 3. That part alone made this album better than Sigur Ros and all the other no talent hacks on this list.


7. The Milk Carton Kids "Prologue"

This was one of a few classic laid back folk albums that make road trips a little more fun. Right from the fantastic first track, "Michigan" this album is, in my mind, a perfect substitution for the (in my opinion) vastly overrated "Of Monsters and Men" album. It's also free. Seriously...go to their website (milkcartonkids.com) and download it. It'll be the best free thing you get this month. Other than friendship.

The Milk Carton Kids "Michigan" Live performance

6. The Shins "Port of Morrow"

Jim Getty showed me this record on the way to a Lovedrug show early this year,  and it hasn't been far from my ears since. It's just a cool sounding record from start to finish. If not for the strangely out of place "For a Fool," I'd probably have this album a little higher. But it's still a really great album, throw it on in your car and take a nice 45 minute trip. You'll get there happier than when you left. Also...this is without a doubt my favorite video on this list.

The Shins "Simple Song"

5. The Lumineers (Self-Titled)

The Lumineers, in my mind, were 2012's biggest break out surprise in music. Fantastic songs paired with a distinct sound that finds its way into your head and refuses to leave. Right from the opening acoustic picking of "Flowers in Your Hair", it's probably the most fun album to sing along with on this list. One listen to "Ho Hey" and you'll be singing it subconsciously all day.

The Lumineers "Ho Hey"

4. The Killers "Battle Born"

This record was not loved by critics, but I suppose I'll just have to disagree. Sure, these songs aren't exactly teenage anthems like "Somebody Told Me," but I actually enjoy their matured sound. I love the fact that they blatantly and obviously want to be a gigantic arena rock band in an era in which applications for new gigantic arena rock bands no longer being accepted. To me, The Killers are the last of a dying breed, and this album represented that well to me.

The Killers "The Way it Was"

3. Nada Surf "The Stars are Indifferent to Astronomy"

I love their sound, and I really think this is one of their strongest albums yet. It's just this perfect blend of laid back and aggressive sounds at the same time, and always with lyrics that are just deeper than you're expecting.

Nada Surf "When I was Young"

2. Mumford and Sons "Babel"

This album existed on repeat in my car for a solid month. It's surprisingly aggressive when compared to "Sigh No More," but still unmistakably Mumford. The thing that separates this album from others on this list is how quotable it is. This record is full of lyrical moments that demand your attention, which is big for me because I find the lyrics in most songs to be pretty unremarkable and predictable.

Mumford and Sons "Hopeless Wanderer"

1. The Tallest Man on Earth "There's no Leaving Now"

Kristian Matsson (who for the record is only 5'7") has slowly become one of my favorite songwriters. He has that Bob Dylan quality about him where when you first listen to him you might conclude that his voice is something like nails on a chalkboard, but then one day you realize you actually kind of love it. "There's no Leaving Now" is my favorite record this year because, ironically, it takes you to another place. I highly recommend giving him several listens. There just isn't anyone else like him.

The Tallest Man on Earth "Wind and Walls"


And here's my favorite other records this year



Grizzly Bear "Shields"

I didn't love this as much as 2009's Veckatimest, but this is a really cool sounding record that barely missed the cut for me.

Counting Crows "Underwater Sunshine"

This is a cover album full of songs you've probably have never heard, and this is the best I've heard Counting Crows sound in years. I'd recommend looking up Untitled (Love Song) on youtube as it's probably the album's strongest track.

The Wallflowers "Glad All Over"

If Jakob Dylan wasn't Bob's son, he might actually be appreciated for how good he is. Glad All Over was a nice surprise from a band I hadn't really thought about in years. If you're a Wallflowers fan, check this one out.

Deftones "Koi No Yokan"

As someone who isn't really a metal fan, I can honestly say that this was a fantastic record. I had forgotten how unmistakable their sound is, and it really holds up well. Somehow this record sounds like it could have been made in 1996, but is still completely relevant in 2012.

Alabama Shakes "Boys and Girls"

I really enjoy their sound. But to be completely honest, the best moment any Alabama Shakes fan has is that first moment when they realize that the lead singer is a girl (Brittany Howard), and then see her. "Boys and Girls" is a solid debut effort with decent songs. The main takeaway from this album is their sound which is so unique. You can sort of imagine it in a hazy (preferably non-racist) southern bar. Brittany Howard's voice and their guitar tone is their brand, and it's effective. I'd really like to see them live.

Jack White "Blunderbuss"

Jack White hasn't lost a step. The guitar work on this album is as good as any White Stripes album. If you haven't checked this one out...give it a listen. Jack White has kind of gotten lost in the shuffle over the last few years with so many other bands emulating what he did in the 2000's, but this is a really solid record.

Sixpence None the Richer "Lost in Transition"

It wouldn't be a Sixpence record without being held up by label issues for 3 or so years. I really was impressed by this album, and it's a shame they'll always be thought of as that one hit wonder band that did "Kiss Me" because they really have been a solid band for a long time. Guitarist Matt Slocumb is a great songwriter and an even better guitarist, and combined with Leigh Nash's always solid vocal work, this album is definitely worth a listen.

Paper Route "The Peace of Wild Things"

I didn't love this one as much as "Absence", but Paper Route is a pretty consistently good band. "Better Life" is a really good track I'd recommend putting on any Best of 2012 mixtapes you plan on handing out. (People still do that, right??)

Mewithoutyou "Ten Stories"

When I post my "Best Circus Train Concept Albums in History" review, this will be numbers one, two, and three on the list (which will include 3 albums) "It's all Crazy! It's all False! It's all a Dream! It's Alright" is still my favorite album that they've done, but there's a lot of solid tracks on "Ten Stories" that will be nice additions to what I hear is already a fantastic live show.

The XX "Coexist" and Sigur Ros "Valtari"

These are two records that probably belong in any top ten list if I were objectively looking at the best albums, but I couple them together because I find that I only want to listen to The XX and Sigur Ros when I'm in a very specific mood. You can really throw Bon Iver in there too. It's absolutely perfect for a rainy day on some vinyl, and just breathtaking at times. The XX's "Sunset" is easily one of my absolute favorite songs from 2012.

Tame Impala "Lonerism"

This was a really cool find for me. I would describe them as a better version of "Of Montreal". This album simultaneously sounds very old and very new.

Fun "Some Nights"

This album is legitimately very good, and I'd listen to it a lot, but the radio station that plays where I work plays two songs off of it constantly, and I cannot handle it. So here this album will stay.

Glen Hansard "Rhythm and Repose"

Kudos to my friends at the Java House in Tiffin for turning me on to Glen Hansard. "Love don't leave me waiting" is a good representation of why I love this record. It is just smooth from beginning to end, absolutely fantastically written. With an appearance on The Hunger Games' soundtrack, 2012 was a very good year for Glen Hansard.

House of Heroes "Cold Hard Want"

House of Heroes is one of my favorite bands, but this record just didn't really do it for me. There's about 5 or 6 tracks that I like, and whenever they shuffle into my life, I'm always happy to hear them, but as a whole it really leaves me wanting. It's not bad, but it's just not even close to "The End is not the End," which is in another league from "Cold Hard Want".