Very Late Top 50 Of 2012
I still have a few albums left to re-listen to, so this is subject to change, but here's my top 50 of the year. |
| 50 |  | Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
The Heist
fun and diverse hip-hop album that got unexpectedly huge. Thrift Shop is one of the best songs of the year. |
| 49 |  | Cursive
I Am Gemini
Don't know why this didn't get more love. It's classic Cursive guitar play that just lacks any big standout moments. |
| 48 |  | Baroness
Yellow and Green
I definitely prefer their older sound, but this is a great album to chill out too. I just hope they don't keep getting softer. |
| 47 |  | Alabama Shakes
Boys & Girls
Solid roots rock revival. Surprised at the lack of attention it received on this site. |
| 46 |  | If These Trees Could Talk
Red Forest
An improvement from their very solid debut. |
| 45 |  | You Slut!
Medium Bastard
Always need at least one silly math rock album in the mix. |
| 44 |  | Love American
Disquiet
This grew off me, but a solid album from Adam Thomas and company. I do miss Javier's vocals though. |
| 43 |  | Death Grips
No Love Deep Web
Grew on me, but not as good as the Money Store. It will be interesting to see how they follow up on 2012. |
| 42 |  | Soundgarden
King Animal
See review. |
| 41 |  | Sigh
In Somniphobia
Honestly I was bored and disappointed the first time I listened to his. But upon further listening it's actually one of Sigh's better albums (though the worst since Gallows Gallery). Gotta love the Transfiguration Fear. |
| 40 |  | Napalm Death
Utilitarian
Surprised how much I liked this. Much better production than Time Waits For No Slave, and something about Barney Greenway's vocals really get me. |
| 39 |  | Nas
Life is Good
A solid offering from an all-time great MC who has finally found a good mix of rhymes and beats. |
| 38 |  | Asphyx
Deathhammer
So it was a little monotonous and badly produced. Who cares? This is death fucking metal, right? MVD kicks ass eternally. |
| 37 |  | Dinosaur Jr.
I Bet On Sky
A step down from Farm, but J Mascis is probably my favorite modern guitar player. His solos can improve any song tenfold. |
| 36 |  | Caspian
Waking Season
A very solid post-rock album in a year that was lacking in them. |
| 35 |  | Propagandhi
Failed States
I don't like this as much as Supporting Caste, but this record is furious. I don't know if there's as much to be pissed about in Canada as there is here, but Propagandhi can turn anything into a rallying cry for change. |
| 34 | | Gojira
L'enfant Sauvage
They finally figured out when to end songs! |
| 33 |  | Japandroids
Celebration Rock
One RYM reviewer said "where others see merriment and celebration in this record, i'm reminded of a damp, wet, overcast day in may, wearing sweatpants. you wake up and your sinuses hurt. your boyfriend is gone. and then there's celebration rock doing a keg stand across the room, and you kind of just want to watch him fall over."
That's not entirely inaccurate, but on the other hand: fuck that guy. I could jam the House That Heaven Built any day. |
| 32 |  | Suis La Lune
Riala
Very heartfelt screamo with some surprisingly great bass playing. |
| 31 |  | Departures
Teenage Haze
Just a solid 30 minutes of emotional hardcore. |
| 30 | | P.O.S.
We Don't Even Live Here
Stephan trades in guitar riffs for loud electro beats, but it's mostly good. Not as mind-blowing as Never Better or Audition, but he's still my favorite MC. |
| 29 |  | Indian Handcrafts
Civil Disobedience For Losers
Tremendously underrated stoner metal duo. Definitely have to thank this site for turning me on to them. |
| 28 |  | Deftones
Koi No Yokan
Deftones always sound the same, but something about it is always good. |
| 27 |  | Christian Mistress
Possession
Great female-fronted heavy metal revival. This band will probably be solid for a while. |
| 26 |  | Death Grips
The Money Store
I feel like I should hate everything about Death Grips. MC Ride sounds like Special Ed. Their fanbase doesn't seem to listen to other hip-hop. They try way too hard to be shocking. But something about hearing YO WE CAME TO BLOW YOUR SYSTEM followed by harsh blasts of electronic noise just works for me. |
| 25 |  | Dark Time Sunshine
ANX
A big step forward from Vessel with an array of great guest spots. Onry can hold the mic with the best of them too, and the beats are fantastic. |
| 24 |  | BATS
The Sleep of Reason
Almost makes we want to take science classes again. |
| 23 |  | Aesop Rock
Skelethon
A little overlong, but Aesop keeps your attention as he takes on everything from bathroom scrawls to vegetables. |
| 22 |  | The Saddest Landscape
After the Lights
A step up from You Will Not Survive. Solid skramz. |
| 21 |  | Code Orange Kids
Love is Love // Return to Dust
Heavy as hell, and I'm really looking forward to this band's career. |
| 20 |  | El-P
Cancer 4 Cure
Hell of a year for El Producto, huh? The beats here are insane. |
| 19 |  | mewithoutYou
Ten Stories
Weird concept executed brilliantly through Weiss' always-wonderful storytelling. |
| 18 |  | Pallbearer
Sorrow and Extinction
Seems like every website's metal album of the year, and it's a deserving candidate. Fantastic sorrowful doom. |
| 17 |  | Black Breath
Sentenced to Life
A great kick in the ass that gets a little monotonous by the end. |
| 16 |  | Witch Mountain
Cauldron of the Wild
Uta Plotkin deserves some serious attention for her vocals. WM are a solid band instrumentally, but she could push them to do great things. |
| 15 |  | Wo Fat
The Black Code
Riffs riffs riffs |
| 14 |  | JJ DOOM
Key to the Kuffs
I was over the moon the first time I heard this, but it's fallen off a bit since the summer. Still, DOOM is on top of his game and the beats are mostly strong. Love the Regular Show sampling in Guv'nor. |
| 13 |  | Killer Mike
R.A.P. Music
That stretch of songs from Reagan to Butane is the best sequence on any album this year. But it starts a bit too slowly to make it into top 10. Still, if you listen to one hip-hop album this year, make it this one. |
| 12 |  | Loma Prieta
I.V.
Suffocating and intense. |
| 11 |  | Torche
Harmonicraft
A step up from Songs For Singles, Torche have really hit their stride in the cross between doom and pop. |
| 10 |  | ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Lost Songs
Can't pinpoint what I love about this album, but it's got a great atmosphere and rolls through in its 45 minutes. |
| 9 |  | Horrendous
The Chills
Fantastic OSDM in the Swedish mold. |
| 8 |  | Gaza
No Absolutes in Human Suffering
Fuck you |
| 7 |  | Every Time I Die
Ex Lives
Was surprised at how this resonated with me. It's weird that I'm enjoying ETID more with age and not less, considering their style. |
| 6 |  | High On Fire
De Vermis Mysteriis
Their best album, but not much to describe here if you already know High on Fire. Riffs everywhere, bitchin' drums. |
| 5 |  | Converge
All We Love We Leave Behind
Dear lord this album was like being hit by a freight train. I still think Jane Doe is highly overrated (though good), but I definitely consider myself a bigger Converge fan after listening to this. |
| 4 |  | Between the Buried and Me
The Parallax II: Future Sequence
More cohesive songwriting makes it easier to get through the long, long songs here. Not as good as Alaska or Colors, but a solid album from one of my all-time favorites. |
| 3 |  | Rush
Clockwork Angels
I don't think any band can be expected to produce something this good on album number 19. This is one of their heaviest records, with a killer bass tone and meaty riffs galore. |
| 2 |  | Ne Obliviscaris
Portal of I
They threw everything at the wall and it worked. A high school musician's wet dream with songwriting to back it up. |
| 1 |  | Pig Destroyer
Book Burner
Every once in a while a metal album just totally kicks my ass while reminding me why I listen to the genre in the first place. No, it doesn't have the atmosphere of PitY or Terrifyer, but I don't care. This rules. |
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