Best Album of 2012

For me it were (in no particular order so far)

Gaslight - Handwritten
The Heartbreaks - Funtimes
Cory Branan - Mutt
Glen Hansard - Rhythm and Repose
John K. Samson - Provincial
The Menzingers - On the Impossible Past
Tim Barry - 40 Miler
HWM - Exister
Mumford & Sons - Babel
Get Well Soon - The Scarlet Beast O'Seven Heads

1st. Apologies, i have none - London (if you haven't heard this band you should definitely check them out)

2nd. The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten

3rd. The Menzingers - On the impossible past

4th. Bouncing Souls - Comet

The Gaslight Anthem- Handwritten
Mumford and Sons- Babel
The Menzingers- On the Impossible Past
Bruce Springsteen- Wrecking Ball
Cory Branan- MUTT
Frank Ocean- Channel Orange
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis- The Heist

1- Handwritten
2- Exister- HWM
3- On the Impossible Past- The Menzingers
4- Infinity Overhead- Minus the Bear
5- Born to Die- Lana Del Rey

I'm sure there are more album that I would like, but honestly, I've been listening to Handwritten so much that I have pushed others aside.
2012 has been the year that I discovered Dave Hause by way of this forum and TGA. I'm embarrassed that it took so long. It has been years since I've found a musician that I like so much. I'm getting to see him in March here in Atlanta and I'm counting down the days. HWM, The Menzingers, and Dave Hause are all coming in a 3 month span. Yay!

I can't decide which order they are in other than my number one

1. Apologies, I have None - London

The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past
Title Fight - Floral Green
The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
Sam Russo - Storm
Cory Branan - MUTT
Sharks - No Gods
Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Joyce Manor - Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired
Hot Water Music - Exister

There is probably more which I have forgotten about as these are the ones off the top of my head

HOW DID I FORGET REMEMBER WHEN BY THE ORWELLS

White kids talking about not liking hip-hop but liking other white kids making hip-hop is always great.

As far as hip-hop, Chiddy Bang put out a good record, as did Busdriver, J Dilla's posthumous Dillatroit, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien (of Deltron 3030, Heiroglyphics, worked with Gorillaz way back), Snowgoons, Nas, La Coka Nostra, Blu & Exile, Lupe Fiasco, and Murs I believe.

Some of which, def better than Macklemore, though I dig his Ryan Lewis stuff. The Unplanned Mixtape was decent, Language back in '05 was meh.


The only things I can think that easily topped my year that weren't listed, were;

Om's Advaitic Songs. Fucking beautiful record. Amazing use of some Hindi mantra chants, and another use of a Muslim prayer chant that just made for a surreal listening experience at moments. As with "God Is Good", it was missing some of it's grittiness, but I think that even helps moreso to just suck you into a trance.

Ancestors' In Dreams and Time was also PHENOMENAL. I haven't dug something by them this much since Neptune With Fire. It's softer, wayyyy more progressive sounding than fuzzed out doom metal, but the layers of synthesizers and pianos is just amazing. Definitely something to check out if you're a fan of King Crimson or 71-77 era Pink Floyd, and Black Sabbath at a stretch.

so who do you guys think should win album of the year grammy
Jack White Blunderbuss
Frank Ocean Channel Orange
Mumford and Sons Babel
Fun. Some Nights
Black Keys El Camino

I vote for old jackie white

Blunderbuss is easily my favorite out of that. I probably enjoy Babel more, but it's nothing OMG, same with El Camino. I just don't enjoy Fun., and Frank Ocean, I haven't listened to much of that album. The tracks I've heard are good though.

as nate is an old friend of mine, i have to hope he wins the grammy! but babel is incredible.

On another forum was asked top 10 albums of the year and here was mine, in no particular order though...

The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
Kid Rock - Rebel Soul
Jake Bugg - Jake Bugg
Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
Nas - Life Is Good
Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.D City
Apologies, I Have None - London
The Milk - Tales From The Thames Delta
Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
The Killers - Battle Born

Grant Michael wrote:

In addition to Handwritten:

9. Tempest - Bob Dylan
27. The Lumineers - The Lumineers

I gave up on getting them in the right order halfway through.

Lumineers and Tempest are def in my top 10. I wish they could have squeezed Tempest onto 1 LP though (same with Wrecking Ball for that matter).

Completely forgot about The White Buffalo - Once Upon A Time in the West. Its not a top five, but listening to it again now and its certainly top 20, maybe even top 10.

In no particular order:

The Menzingers- On the Impossible Past
Japandroids- Celebration Rock
Ben Gibbard- Former Lives
Frightened Rabbit- State Hosppital EP
Metric- Synthetica
The Raveonettes- Observator
The Tallest Man On Earth- There's No Leaving Now
Gaslight- Handwritten

Handwritten, Wrecking Ball, Babel. Best album of the year is somewhere in there.

Babel is the exact same as the other Mumford & Sons album. They barely switched anything up. Super dull record all around. Probably great for previous fans of the band though. Just my 2 cents.

colmillionaire wrote:

Babel is the exact same as the other Mumford & Sons album. They barely switched anything up. Super dull record all around. Probably great for previous fans of the band though. Just my 2 cents.

As someone who enjoys the album I wholeheartedly agree. While these guys are good, the fact that they're overshadowing bands like Old Crow Medicine Show or Avett Brothers is crazy.

I agree entirely about Babel - and I like it. They didn't break any ground which I think holds it back from greatness.

I think the same about Handwritten and Wrecking Ball to be honest.

markbarlow wrote:

I agree entirely about Babel - and I like it. They didn't break any ground which I think holds it back from greatness.

I think the same about Handwritten and Wrecking Ball to be honest.

Haha thank you. Even when Handwritten grew on me, it was no '59 Sound or Sink Or Swim.

As for Bruce, I dug the Rocky Ground single, but nothing else from the album grabs my ear. I don't know, I was raised on early E Street stuff though, and pretty much taught that anything else was meh, and I kind of agree.

Paddy wrote:

markbarlow wrote:

I agree entirely about Babel - and I like it. They didn't break any ground which I think holds it back from greatness.

I think the same about Handwritten and Wrecking Ball to be honest.

Haha thank you. Even when Handwritten grew on me, it was no '59 Sound or Sink Or Swim.

As for Bruce, I dug the Rocky Ground single, but nothing else from the album grabs my ear. I don't know, I was raised on early E Street stuff though, and pretty much taught that anything else was meh, and I kind of agree.

The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle is my favourite album of all time so I'm with you on early E Street stuff.

I hate Rocky Ground though!

1 - Celebration Rock - Japandroids
2 - Simple Machines - Arliss Nancy
3 - Kind Cannon's - Brightest Light
4 - Diamond Rugs - Diamond Rugs
5 - Women & Work - Lucero
6 - Hope And The Heart It Breaks - Truckstop Darlin'
7 - There Is A Bomb In Gilead - Lee Bains & The Glory Fires
8 - Until We Know Better - Fistful of Beard
9 - How The West Was Won - The White Buffalo
10 - Zak Smith - Zak Smith

Other good shit:
No Gods - Sharks, Baby - Tribes, Temple Beautiful - Chuck Prophet, and Allah-Las - Allah Las.

No Gaslight, shocker!

markbarlow wrote:

I agree entirely about Babel - and I like it. They didn't break any ground which I think holds it back from greatness.

I think the same about Handwritten and Wrecking Ball to be honest.

In Bruce's defense, I don't know what ground he's left unbroken at this point.

wrecking ball was kinda groundbreaking

sandyangryjohnnyormary? wrote:

markbarlow wrote:

I agree entirely about Babel - and I like it. They didn't break any ground which I think holds it back from greatness.

I think the same about Handwritten and Wrecking Ball to be honest.

In Bruce's defense, I don't know what ground he's left unbroken at this point.

Oh you're right - and its still a very, very good album.

DeathoftheCool wrote:

wrecking ball was kinda groundbreaking

In what way did it break ground? I think the better songs on the album sound a lot like his Seeger Sessions stuff, or were songs he'd already released (Land of Hope and Dreams, Wrecking Ball, American Land). Not that there's anything wrong with that - I love it! I just don't think its as good as some of his fans have said it is.

Either way, album of the year can't go to one which contains the lyric: "you put on your coat, I'll put on my hat, you put out the dog, I'll put out the cat"!!!

markbarlow wrote:

sandyangryjohnnyormary? wrote:

markbarlow wrote:

I agree entirely about Babel - and I like it. They didn't break any ground which I think holds it back from greatness.

I think the same about Handwritten and Wrecking Ball to be honest.

In Bruce's defense, I don't know what ground he's left unbroken at this point.

Oh you're right - and its still a very, very good album.

DeathoftheCool wrote:

wrecking ball was kinda groundbreaking

In what way did it break ground? I think the better songs on the album sound a lot like his Seeger Sessions stuff, or were songs he'd already released (Land of Hope and Dreams, Wrecking Ball, American Land). Not that there's anything wrong with that - I love it! I just don't think its as good as some of his fans have said it is.

Either way, album of the year can't go to one which contains the lyric: "you put on your coat, I'll put on my hat, you put out the dog, I'll put out the cat"!!!

i think it's groundbreaking in the sense that it mixes folk type music with some electronic drum loops and sampling, that's way different for springsteen at least, and i'm not sure of anyone else doing a combo of instrumentation like that