At the same time, hearing loads of music became easily doable and affordable. Services like Spotify and Rhapsody are ridiculous. While everyone is listening to one track or less of an artist, I’m still a big fan of the long player format, finding that deep cuts can be so much more defining than hits, an artist’s full effort so much more revealingly true or contrived. And for the first time ever, I was able to test out new artists not from 30 second clips of a single, but by giving them the courtesy of a full album listen before judging them to be cretinous fakes.
So, overwhelmed with music, it became quickly apparent that a mere top ten list would not suffice to properly take stock of all the listening I’d done. Instead, I compiled a list of superlatives like an awards ceremony, hoping this more thorough format would help folks sort through the goods and the awfuls without having to spend precious single-listening time on such a large number of projects. I published corresponding Spotify playlists you can check out, too. There’s one for the 2012 Songs of the Year, one for 2012 Best Vocal Performances, and one called WRKR 2012 Sampler you can shuffle through to hear what the Rickr liked this year.
On to the lists! In the awards list, the winner if each category is shown in bold. At the bottom, you’ll find a genre-organized list of all the records I listened to this year that I'd recommend, with a suggested song off of each album to get a quick sense of what it sounds like. If an album from 2012 is not on this list, I probably listened to it. Even if I enjoyed it, I had to eliminate everything but the cream, so tread lightly. That is, of course, unless you consider me a cretinous fake.
rickr
ALBUM CATEGORIES
Best Artistic Achievement
AU – Both Lights
Dan Deacon – America
Matthew Dear - Beams
Here We Go Magic – A Different Ship
Mike Wexler - Dispossession
Beck/Phillip Glass - Rework
Grimes - Visions
THEEsatisfaction – awE naturalE
Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man
Pollens – Brighten & Break
Most Insatiable Listening
Hot Chip – In Our Heads
Norah Jones – Little Broken Hearts
Lana Del Ray - Born to Die
Grizzly Bear - Shields
Woods – Bend Beyond
Beach House - Bloom
Matthew Dear - Beams
The Luyas – Animator
Alt-J – An Awesome Wave
Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city
Best Album Production
Chris Braide and Emile Haynie - Lana del Ray’s Born to Die
Best Production Despite Irritating Vocals
Mike Elizondo - Regina Spektor's What We Saw From the Cheap Seats
Kendrick Lamar and crew – Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city
Album of the Year
Alt-J – An Awesome Wave
Matthew Dear - Beams
AU – Both Lights
Beach House - Bloom
Hot Chip – In Our Heads
Goat - World Music
Norah Jones – Little Broken Hearts
Tame Impala - Lonerism
Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man
Lana Del Ray - Born to Die
EP of the Year
Radiation City – Cool Nightmare EP
Matthew Dear – Headcage
Daniel Rossen – Silent Hour
Black Mountain – Year Zero
Guards – Guards
Superhumannoids – Too Young For Love
Other Lives – Mind the Gap
White Denim – Takes Place in Your Work Space
Most Overrated Albums
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals – The Lion The Beast The Beat
Lemonade - Diver
Lee Fields and the Expressions – Faithful Man
The Coup – Sorry to Bother You
Band of Horses – Mirage Rock
Album That Goes So Far into the Awful Side of the Spectrum That it Starts to Sound Great
Wild Ones – Writing on the Wall
Most Surprisingly Enjoyable Contribution from a Long-fading Artist You Don’t Expect Much From Anymore
Smashing Pumpkins – Oceana (no joke)
Dr. John – Locked Down
Bob Dylan - Tempest
Animal Collective – Centipede Hz
Bob Mould – Silver Age
Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill
Best Artwork for a Very Bad Album
Savoir Adore – Our Nature
Best 2011 Album We All Missed That Demands Acknowledgment
Luke Temple – Don’t Act Like You Don’t Care
SONG CATEGORIES
Song of the Year
AU – “Get Alive”
Hot Chip – “These Chains”
Here We Go Magic – “Alone But Moving”
Lost Lander – “Afraid of Summer”
First Aid Kit – “Lion's Roar”
Beach House – “Lazuli”
Tame Impala – “Apocalypse Dreams”
Diamond Rugs – “Big God”
Guards – “Do It Again”
Yeasayer – “Henrietta”
Grizzly Bear – “Yet Again”
Yeti Lane – “Warning Sensations”
Cat Power – “Ruin”
Michael Kiwanuka – “Always Waiting”
Oberhofer – “Heart”
Lord Huron – “Time to Run”
Mina Tindle – “Bells”
Matthew Dear – “Her Fantasy”
Father John Misty – “This is Sally Hatchet”
Alt-J – “Taro”
NZCA/LINES – “Okinawa Channels”
Foxygen – “Make It Known”
Com Truise – “Open”
Sinkane – “Jeeper Creeper”
Dusted – “Property Lines”
Woods – “Bend Beyond”
Pollens – “Helping Hand”
White Denim – “Company”
Night Moves – “Headlights”
Pond – “Elegant Design”
Best Male Vocal Performance
Britt Daniel - Divine Fits' "Shivers"
Adam Stephens – Two Gallants’ “Ride Away”
Frank Ocean – “Thinkin About You”
Kristian Matsson - The Tallest Man On Earth’s “There’s No Leaving Now”
Michael Kiwanuka – “Worry Walks Beside Me”
Best Female Vocal Performance
Natasha Kahn - Bat For Lashes' "Laura"
Lizzy Grant - Lana Del Ray’s “Video Games”
Regina Spektor – “Firewood”
Norah Jones – “Miriam”
Lianne La Havas – “Gone”
Best Cover Song That Does the Impossible by Improving a Classic Band's Original Song
Lykke Li - Fleetwood Mac's "Silver Springs"
Best Old Song That Never Saw The Light Of Day Until This Year
Elbow – “Lucky With Disease”
Most Heavenly Payoff in a Song
Hot Chip – “Let Me Be Him”
Best 2011 Song That Received More Play Than Any 2012 Song
Washed Out – “Soft”
ARTIST CATEGORIES
Artist of the Year
Matthew Dear
New Artist With Most Exciting Potential
Young Magic
First Aid Kit
Diamond Rugs
Lord Huron
Bear in Heaven
Breton
Night Moves
Alt-J
Django Django
Michael Kiwanuka
Best Achievement of Previously Uncertain Potential
Beach House
Biggest Improvement in General Sense of Rhythm
Cat Power
Most Frustrating Failure at a Great Idea
David Byrne and St. Vincent collaborating
Best Artist With a Larger Catalog I Didn’t Even Know About Until 2012
Here We Go Magic
RECOMMENDATIONS
Modern Rock
Grizzly Bear – Shields – “Sun In Your Eyes”
Divine Fits – A Thing Called Divine Fits – “Flaggin’ a Ride”
Young Man – Vol. 1 – “21”
Elbow – Dead in the Boot – “The Long War Shuffle”
Radiation City – Cool Nightmare EP – “Find It of Use”
The Sun Parade – Yossis – “Run People Run”
Revivalist Rock
Dr. John – Locked Down – “Getaway”
Corporate Rock
Geographer – Myth – “The Myth of Youth”
Garage Rock
Diamond Rugs – Diamond Rugs – “Blue Mountains”
The Rolling Stones – Doom and Gloom Single – “Doom and Gloom”
Loud Rock
Japandroids – Celebration Rock – “The Night of Wine and Roses”
Pontiak - Echo Ono – “Lions of Least”
Scriptures – Scriptures – “Your Town Is On Fire”
Two Gallants – The Bloom and the Blight – “My Love Won’t Wait”
Avant Rock
Diiv – Oshin – “Doused”
Yeti Lane – The Echo Show – “Analog Wheel”
Tame Impala – Lonerism – “Why Won’t They Talk to Me?”
Black Mountain – Year Zero Soundtrack – “Mary Lou”
Pinback – Information Retrieved – “A Request”
Oberhofer – Time Capsules II – “I Could Go”
Beak> - >> - “Spinning Top”
Helvetia - Nothing In Rambling - "RyBro"
Helvetia - Camp Century Sessions - "Into the Waters"
Chamber Pop / Troupe Folk
Father John Misty – Fear Fun – “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings”
Lost Lander – DRRT – “Wonderful World”
Lord Huron – Lonesome Dreams – “Ends of the Earth”
First Aid Kit - Lion's Roar – “Emmylou”
The Magnetic North – Orkney: Symphony of the Magnetic North – “Betty Corrigall”
Singer/Songwriter
Mina Tindle – Taranta – “Sister”
Daniel Rossen – Silent Hour – “Golden Mile”
Norah Jones – Little Broken Hearts – “After the Fall”
Sam Lee – Ground of its Own – “Wild Wood Amber”
The Tallest Man On Earth – There’s No Leaving Now – “Revelation Blues”
Experimental Pop
Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man – “The Haunted Man”
White Rabbits - Milk Famous – “I’m Not Me”Breton – Other People’s Problems – “Governing Correctly”
Diagrams – Black Light – “Tall Buildings”
Young Magic – Melt – “You With Air”
Radiohead – Austin City Limits – “Identikit”
Cat Power – Sun – “3,6,9”
Matthew Dear – Beams – “Earthforms”
Matthew Dear – Headcage - “Headcage”
AU - Both Lights – “OJ”
Here We Go Magic – A Different Ship – “A Different Ship”
Dan Deacon – America – “True Thrush”
Atoms for Peace – Default single – “Default”
Ultraista – UltraIsta – “You’re Out”
Yeasayer – Fragrant World – “Henrietta”
Alt-J – An Awesome Wave – “Dissolve Me”
Django Django – Django Django – “Hail Bop”
Mobley – Young Adult Fiction – “The New Black”
Hundred Waters – Hundred Waters – “Me & Anodyne”
Indie Dance Pop
Hot Chip – In Our Heads - “How Do You Do?”
Corporate Pop
Santigold – Master of My Make-Believe – “The Keepers”
Lana Del Ray – Born to Die: The Paradise Edition – “Blue Jeans”
Electro / Chillwave
Beach House – Bloom – “Wild”
Superhumanoids – Too Young For Love / Geri Single – “Too Young For Love”
Chromatics - Kill for Love – “Lady”
Bear in Heaven – I Love You, Its Cool – “Sinful Nature”
Grimes – Visions – “Genesis”
Crystal Castles – (III) – “Kerosene”
El Perro Del Mar – Pale Fire – “Hold Off the Dawn”
Summer Heart – About a Feeling – “I Wanna Go”
Blackbird Blackbird – Boracay Planet – “It’s a War”
Dance / Electronic (Instrumental)
Daphni – Jiaolong – “Ye Ye”
Four Tet – Pink – “Peace For Earth”
Simian Mobile Disco – Unpatterns – “A Species Out of Control”
Com Truise – In Decay – “Open”
Lilacs and champagne – Lilacs & Champagne – “Sensations”
Philip Glass – Rework – “NYC 73-78”
CFCF – Exercises – “Entry”
Hip Hop / R&B
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis – The Heist – “Same Love”
THEESatisfaction - awE naturalE – “Deeper”
Robert Glasper - Black Radio – “Black Radio”
Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE – “Pyramids”
Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city – “Swimming Pools (Drank)”
Soul / Funk / Gospel
Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again - "Tell me a Tale"
Lianne La Havas - Is Your Love Big Enough? - "Don't Wake Me Up"
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