Your Top 5 Albums of 2012...So Far

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USAtoffee12

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I remember a thread of this sort bumping around last year and I love the music discussion on this forum so I thought I'd give it a go this year. I think 2012 has been a darn good year musically, and without further ado, here are my top 5 (in no specific order).

Passion Pit: Gossamer

Definitely a more mature record than the Boston band's debut record Manners. Some really intricate and beautiful pop melodies masking very dark and at times schizophrenic lyrics. My favorite tracks are Love is Greed, Carried Away and Take a Walk.

Japandroids: Celebration Rock

Discovered this group on this forum, couldn't be happier that I did. Great garage/punk rock record with balls to the wall guitar and drumming. Explores some interesting stuff lyrically as well, dealing with issues of growing older and making meaning out of life. Great stuff all in all.

The Tallest Man on Earth: There's No Leaving Now

Probably not quite as good as his last two records, this album is still a great listen with excellent guitar work and very lucid lyrics.

Best Coast: The Only Place

Really only one word can aptly describe this band's sound: California. Very breezy indie-pop and it's just one of those albums that fits summer perfectly.

Jack White: Blunderbuss

While I was trying to avoid "blockbuster" records, Jack White's solo debut warrants being on this list. This record takes the sound of the White Stripes and puts a new twist on it, with White seemingly liberated from the bread and butter guitar and drums approach. The album has a great range of tunes on it and will only get better with time.

So, there you have it folks, feel free to share your own top 5 for 2012 so far.
 

Yeah I did this last year. Got a good reception, hopefully this will too. Nice list mate.

I'd go:

1.) Grimes: Visions

grimes-2.27.2012.jpg



2.) The Twilight Sad: No One Can Ever Know

the-twilight-sad-no-one-can-ever-know-300x300.jpg



3.) 2:54: 2:54

254album1.jpg



4.) Beach House: Bloom

beach-house-bloom_jpg_300x300_crop-smart_q85.jpg



5.) Breton: Other People's Problems

BRETON-other-peoples-problems.jpg




Honourable mentions: Chairlift: Something, Alt-J: An Awesome Wave, DIIV: Oshin, Django Django: Django Django, Frank Ocean: channel ORANGE, Liars: WIXIW, Japandroids: Celebration Rock, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs: Trouble, The Mars Volta: Noctourniquet, The Menzingers: On the Impossible Past, Miike Snow: Happy to You, Torche: Harmonicraft, Twin Shadow: Confess.

Biggest disappointment: The Temper Trap: The Temper Trap



There's a few albums I'm listening to at the moment which could break my top 5 but it's a bit too soon to judge. Chiefly Purity Ring's debut, which I'm loving.
 
This is a great thread, actually. I just need time to sit down and think as I usually don't start putting together my annual top 10 until late October.
 

I'll probably look back at this tomorrow and disagree with it completely, but here goes.

In no order:

1) John Talabot - Fin.

One of my favourite electronic albums ever and I don't listen to much House music at all.

john-talabot-fin.jpg


2) Burial - Kindred.

Technically not an album as it's an EP, but at over half an hour long it's much longer than your average Extended Play. This is Dubstep at it's darkest and very, very best. He sh*ts, vomits and pisses all over Skrillex, Nero and F*CKS Pavillion.

burial-kindred-ep.jpg


3) Grimes - Visions.

HI FIVE RFUS!!!!

A super poppy electronic offering that really puts a smile on your face.

61XQyvG84%2BL._SL500_AA300_.jpg


4) The Cribs - The Belly of the Brazen Bull.

A return to form from my favourite band from Wakefield, and at 18 tracks long it's a generous listen.

The-Cribs-In-The-Belly-Of-The-Brazen-Bull.jpg


5) Django Django - Django Django.

A very good debut album that sets itself apart from almost anything out there. Unique with lovely vocals.

2012DjangoDjangoAlbum260112.jpg


Honourable mentions: Zulu Winter - Language, Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory, Japandroids - Celebration Rock, Commix - Dusted, Synkro - Broken Promise EP.
 
Might have to get that John Talabot album. Django Django was very, very close to my top 5 too.

Grimes is ace. Sickly sweet electropop with a gothic aesthetic, I just love it.
 
Might have to get that John Talabot album. Django Django was very, very close to my top 5 too.

Grimes is ace. Sickly sweet electropop with a gothic aesthetic, I just love it.

Do it mate. Alio and Oxon are fans of it now as well. It's so much more than your average House/Dance album. It's deep and captivating with the unique ability to chill you out but also make you want to tap your feet at the same time. I can't rate it highly enough.

Hopefully these will persuade you:

http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/4136/John-Talabot-fIN.aspx

http://www.metacritic.com/music/fin/john-talabot

This track is superb:

[video=youtube;JuJg4WcIO7Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuJg4WcIO7Q[/video]

I think out of that top 5 Django Django would be the 5th choice. I loved it but I haven't found myself going back to it too many times. Albums that make you go back for more over and over are special.
 
I agree but that said albums that are particularly unusual aren't usually ones that you go back to regularly. Django Django is bloody weird, and so I find I can't listen to it at any time, but when I do listen to it I love it.

And I'll defo check that out.
 
Liked Django Djangos debut and Japandroids' effort, but struggling to think of anything else that pops up.
 

I need to sit down and think about this properly. First stab:

1) Jonquil - Point of Go. Just consistently ace. "Run" will probably top my best song of the year, but there's still a ways to go.
2) Nada Surf - The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy. Best album yet, and they've had some good ones.
3) Django Django - just sublimely weird like RFUS said, but it's groovy.
4) The Tallest Man In the World - There's No Leaving Now. It's a easy cliche, but Dylanesque in the good sense of the term. Just beautiful.
5) Purity Ring - Best electronic album of the year this far. Sweetness and light dripping out of every song.

This is gonna change as Jdawg favorites Bloc Party, Two Door Cinema Club, and Band Of Horses are all dropping new stuff in the next couple months. If they deliver as expected, they're going to be in there.
 
I agree but that said albums that are particularly unusual aren't usually ones that you go back to regularly. Django Django is bloody weird, and so I find I can't listen to it at any time, but when I do listen to it I love it.

And I'll defo check that out.

Good point actually, and come to think of it I haven't listened to Grimes' album in a little while either. It's one of those that I have to be in the right mood for. And as you pointed out the other day, I can't see myself listening to Japandroids' album too frequently as it's just soooo loud!

I need to sit down and think about this properly. First stab:

1) Jonquil - Point of Go. Just consistently ace. "Run" will probably top my best song of the year, but there's still a ways to go.
2) Nada Surf - The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy. Best album yet, and they've had some good ones.
3) Django Django - just sublimely weird like RFUS said, but it's groovy.
4) The Tallest Man In the World - There's No Leaving Now. It's a easy cliche, but Dylanesque in the good sense of the term. Just beautiful.
5) Purity Ring - Best electronic album of the year this far. Sweetness and light dripping out of every song.

This is gonna change as Jdawg favorites Bloc Party, Two Door Cinema Club, and Band Of Horses are all dropping new stuff in the next couple months. If they deliver as expected, they're going to be in there.


I've just realised I've got Purity Ring's album but I'm yet to listen to it, I'll get on that tonight as it sounds exactly like my sort of thing.

I expect Bloc Party's new album to waltz straight in to that top 5 of mine if it's even half as good as Kele is making it out to be.
 
Purity Ring's debut could be my album of the year but like I said I need to listen to it a bit more first. I picked a five I've listened to inside and out.
 

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