This past year (well past by this point might I add) provided us with a slew of good to great music. There were new albums from Ben Gibbard, Muse, The Killers, and B.o.B. to name a few. They all made solid efforts in 2012, but they didn’t quite crack the top ten albums. Below is my list, long overdue.
01: Of Monsters and Men – My Head is an Animal
From the opening of the first track you can almost sense that this is a special effort. There is a quiet intensity, a captivating beauty, that threads through every melody and harmony on this wonderful debut album from Iceland. By the time you get to the final track you’re only thought will be to press play again.
mp3 : Of Monsters and Men – Yellow Light
02: The Lumineers – The Lumineers
Another brilliant debut album on the list. Bursting with raw emotion and well written lyrical vignettes this album is filled with driving drumbeats and folk fueled romance. Although a few of their tracks are more aligned with radio friendly airtime it’s when they slow down that their true talent shines through.
mp3 : The Lumineers – Submarines
03: John Samson – Provincial
Many of the songs that appear on his debut solo effort closely mirror his top shelf work with The Weakerthans. While some reviewers this past year found this off-putting I find John Samson’s lyrical storytelling to be just as captivating with or without his regular band.
mp3 : John Samson – Heart of the Continent
04: Mumford and Sons – Babel
Not much needs to be written about this band or this album. They’ve grown up from an indie darling quartet to a full on success recognized the world over. This album is a worthy continuation of their career.
mp3 : Mumford and Sons – Where are You Now
05: Sufjan Stevens – Silver and Gold
I know; this is a Christmas album that’s actually a collection of five separate EP’s that were written over half a decade and they just happened to be released as a box set in 2012. I know all the reasons that this technically shouldn’t be on a list, but the entire collection is simply so good that it can’t be relegated to one month of listening every year. On top of that you can listen to each EP in chronological order and follow along with the evolution of his musical style.
mp3 : Sufjan Stevens – Christmas in the Room
06: The Walkmen – Heaven
On this album The Walkmen continue their waffling between being effortlessly cool and trying really hard to channel Bob Dylan. The magic is when both of those efforts combine into a single glorious song. This is their best album since Bows + Arrows.
mp3 : The Walkmen – Line by Line
07: Beach House – Bloom
Although not quite as captivating as their previous effort (Teen Dream) their latest effort provides the same breathy vocals and building crescendos that have become their trademark. This music would fit in almost any scenario.
mp3 : Beach House – Myth
08: Matt & Kim – Lightning
If you didn’t feel like dancing you will after a single listen to this album. Or you might have a seizure. It’s honestly a tossup. Matt & Kim put out a solid album this time around and their one weakness (vocals on slower tracks) is kept to a minimum this time around.
mp3 : Matt & Kim – Now
09: fun. – Some Nights
It began for most people when their song We Are Young was featured prominently in a primetime commercial (possibly debuted during the Big Game?) If you were daring enough to jump into the full album from that snippet you would find yourself treated to a modern day pop musical; complete with letters to moms, hanging out with friends, and pleas to find true love.
mp3 : fun. – All Alright
10: Jack White – Blunderbuss
I feel like I’m breaking an unwritten rule putting Jack’s first solo album this far down my list. The problem is that for every brilliant track on the album, there is another track that reminds you how great Jack White is when he’s surrounded by other creative people. This is a solid album, but it’s not his best effort. I’ll go ahead and label it the Josh Ritter effect whereby an album starts off brilliantly and then veers into head scratching territory.
mp3 : Jack White – Freedom at 21
The World Forgot 