Oh, hello. We're happy to bring you the next batch of guest Best of 2012 lists. Today Mike Campbell (Laura Stevenson and the Cans, Latterman, Kudrow), Joseph Marro (The Early November, Paperback Management), and Brian Przybylski (Shores) share their top picks for the year.
Mike Campbell (Laura Stevenson / Latterman / Kudrow)
Albums
- Regina Spektor - What We Saw From The Cheap Seats
- The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past
- The Magnetic Fields - Love At The Bottom Of The Sea
- Metz - Metz
- Sun Kil Moon - Among The Leaves
- Cheap Girls - Giant Orange
- Titus Andronicus - Local Business
- Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel…
- Swans - The Seer
- Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas
Joseph Marro (The Early November / Paperback Management )
Albums
- Tame Impala - Lonerism
- Frank Ocean - Channel ORANGE
- The Vaccines - Come Of Age
- Sun Airway - Soft Fall
- Heartwell - Certainty Of Change
- Jens Lekman - I Know What Love Isn't
- Wild Nothing - Nocturne
- The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past
- Vacationer - Gone
- The Shins - Port Of Morrow
- Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It
- Hot Chip - In Our Heads
- Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself
- Hospitality - Hospitality
- Father John Misty - Fear Fun
Brian Przybylski (Shores)
Best of 2012 (in no particular order)
- Ladyhawk - No Can Do: Where have they been?! Once the excitement surrounding their still existence subsided, their best record yet took over everything.
- Will Johnson - Scorpion: What do you get from the dude who gives everything and asks for nothing in return? Well, everything.
- Mrs. Magician - Strange Heaven: This record was the only good thing about last winter ending. It made sunglasses and warmth seem okay, in its own special, sarcastic way.
- Retisonic - Robots Fucking: To hell with old glory, half-hearted reunions, mediocrity, and poor songwriting. Thank you Retisonic! You have truly put some of your peers in their place with this one.
- Dikembe - Broad Shoulders: Given my bias, that my love for Kenny is like a truck shall not impede this record's much deserved spot here. But you already knew that, and if you didn't, the fact that it'll be on everyone else's list too, or should be, will leave you no choice.
- Metz - Metz: This year's noise & holler fix. Pair with coffee. Cures hangovers. Sort of.
- Godspeed You Black Emperor - Allelujah! Don't bend! Ascend! : [Just actually listen.]
- Nada surf - The Stars are Indifferent to Astronomy: My theory went as such: after the high/low introduction and romcom escapade with Elektra, they went 1-for-1. Every other album was great. The Proximity Effect and The Weight is a Gift were perfect records at perfect times. If I had a Hi-Fi didn't count, so this one had to be awesome. Right? Yes. Another perfect record at the perfect time. [I've since come around on most of Let Go, so the whole theory thing is a wash either way, but still…]
- The Raveonettes - Observator : Sometimes it is best to have zero expectations, and just let things be what they will be. Every once in awhile, They're amazing.
- The Life And Times - No One Loves You Like I Do : This was actually the first of The Life And Times material to catch for me. "Day Twelve" is the sequel to failure's "Fantastic Planet" that I never thought would exist.
Honorable Mention (in no particular order)
- Whirr - Pipe Dreams
- Good Night & Good Morning - Narrowing Type
- Deftones - Koi No Yokan
- Seapony - What You Wanted
- Grass Is Green - Ronson
- Pile - Dripping
- And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Lost Songs
- Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory