Music Blog

Jeremy Petersen

1. The Walkmen  Heaven (Fat Possum Records)
2. Grizzly Bear  Shields (Warp Records)
3. Father John Misty  Fear Fun (Sub Pop)
4. Moonface  With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery (Jagjaguwar)
5. Damien Jurado  Maraqopa (Secretly Canadian)
6. Shearwater  Animal Joy (Sub Pop)
7. Deep Sea Diver  History Speaks (self-released)
8. Y La Bamba  Court the Storm (Tender Loving Empire)
9. Opossom  Electric Hawaii (Fire Records)
10. Melody's Echo Chamber  Melody's Echo Chamber (Fat Possum)/
(Tie) The Coup  Sorry to Bother You (Anti/Epitaph Records)

 

David Christensen

1. Alabama Shakes  Boys and Girls  (Rough Trade/ATO)
2. Grizzly Bear  Shields  (Warp Records)
3. Dr. John  Locked Down  (Nonesuch Records)
4. Deep Sea Diver  History Speaks  (self-released)
5. Alt-J (∆)  An Awesome Wave  (Infectious Music)
6. Sharon Van Etten Tramp  (Jagjaguwar)
7. Andrew Bird Break It Yourself  (Bella Union/Mom+Pop)
8. The Helio Sequence Negotiations  (Sub Pop)
9. White Rabbits Milk Famous (TBD Records)
10. The Shins  Port of Morrow (Aural Apothecary/Columbia Records/James Mercer)

 

Erin Leonard

1. Alabama Shakes  Boys and Girls (Rough Trade/ATO)
2. Mount Eerie  Clear Moon (P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.)
3. Deep Sea Diver  History Speaks  (self-released)
4. Sigur Ros  Valtari (Parlophone)
5. Sharon Van Etten  Tramp (Jagjaguwar)
6. Tame Impala  Lonerism (Modular Recordings)
7. First Aid Kit  The Lion's Roar (Wichita/Redeye)
8. Cat Power  Sun (Matador)
9. The Helio Sequence  Negotiations (Sub Pop)
10. Beach House  Bloom (Sub Pop)

 

 

Francis Storr

1. Plan B  Ill Manors (Atlantic)
2. Japandroids  Celebration Rock (Polyvinyl Record Co.)
3. First Aid Kit  The Lion's Roar (Wichita/Redeye)
4. Nada Surf  The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy (Barsuk)
5. Therapy?  A Brief Crack of Light (Blast Records)
6. Of Monsters and Men  My Heart is An Animal (Universal)
7. Ben Folds Five  The Sound of The Life of The Mind (ImaVeePee Records)
8. Ginger Wildheart  555% (Round Records)
9. Diversions Vol.2 The Unthanks With Brighouse And Rastrick Brass Band (Rabble Rouser)
10. The Soundtrack Of Our Lives  Throw It To The Universe (Telegram Records)

 

Arthur C. Lee

1. Father John Misty  Fear Fun (Sub Pop)
2. Alabama Shakes  Boys and Girls (Rough Trade/ATO)
3. Grizzly Bear  Shields (Warp Records)
4. Deep Sea Diver  History Speaks (self-released)
5. Alt-J (∆)  An Awesome Wave (Infectious Music)
6. Beach House  Bloom (Sub Pop)
7. Clinic  Free Reign (Domino Records)
8. Helio Sequence  Negotiations (Sub Pop)
9. Bahamas  Barchords (Brushfire Records)
10. Lost Lander  DRRT (Burnside Distribution)

 

 

Rebecca McKillip

1. The Raveonettes  Observator  (Vice Records)
2. Frank Ocean  Channel Orange (Def Jam)
3. Wild Nothing  Nocturne (Captured Tracks)
4. First Aid Kit  The Lion's Roar (Wichita/Redeye)
5. Helio Sequence  Negotiations (Sub Pop)
6. Cat Power  Sun (Matador)
7. Django Django  S/T (Ribbon Records)
8. Grizzly Bear  Shields (Warp Records)
9. Hot Chip  In Our Heads (Domino)
10. Beach House  Bloom (Sub Pop)

 

Bryan Remley

1. Dr. John  Locked Down (Nonesuch Records)
2. Grandparents  Fumes EP (self-released)
3. First Aid Kit  The Lion's Roar (Wichita/Redeye)
4. Oninu  Mirror Gazer (Rocket Science)
5. The Fresh & Onlys  Long Slow Dance (Mexican Summer)
6. Allah-Las  Allah-Las (Innovative Leisure)
7. Bill Fay  Life is People (Dead Oceans)
8. Beach House  Bloom (Sub Pop)
9. Wild Nothing  Nocturne (Captured Tracks)
10. Sea Wolf  Old World Romance (Dangerbird Records)

 

 

Jan Epstein

1. Thee Oh Sees  Purifiers II (In The Red)
2. Dirty Projectors  Swing Lo Magellan (Domino)
3. Tame Impala  Lonerism (Modular Recordings)
4. Beth Orton  Sugaring Season (Anti)
5. First Aid Kit  The Lion's Roar (Wichita/Redeye)
6. Bill Fay  Life Is People (Dead Oceans)
7. Calexico  Algiers (City Slang)
8. Jack White  Blunderbuss (Third Man/XL Recordings/Columbia)
9. Ty Segall  Twins (Drag City)
10. Fiona Apple  The Idler Wheel is Wiser... (Clean Slate/Epic)

 

Adam Coulter

1. Alt-J (∆)  An Awesome Wave (Infectious Music)
2. Purity Ring  Shrines (4AD/Last Gang Records)
3. Emily Wells  Mama (Partisan Records)
4. The Very Best  MTMTMK (Moshi Moshi/Cooperative Music)
5. Brainstorm  Heatwaves (Tender Loving Empire)
6. Opossom  Electric Hawaii (Fire Records)
7. Tsege Mariam Gebru  Spilt Eigene Kompositionen (Mississippi Records)
8. Delicate Steve  Positive Force (Luaka Bop)
9. Sam Adams  Draw This Bitter Blood (self-released)

 

 

Arya Imig

1. Father John Misty  Fear Fun (Sub Pop)
2. Kendrick Lamar  The New West (Mixtape, Self-Release)
3. Fiona Apple  Idler Wheel (Clean Slate/Epic)
4. David Byrne & St. Vincent  Love This Giant
5. Crocodiles  Endless Flowers (Frenchkiss Records)
6. Frank Ocean  Channel Orange (Def Jam)
7. Dinosaur Jr.  I Bet on Sky (Jagjaguwar)
8. The Orwells  Remember When (Tone Records)
9. Grizzly Bear  Shields (Warp Records)
10. Bob Dylan  Tempest (Columbia)

 

Jonny Harn

1. Purity Ring  Shrines (4AD/Last Gang Records)
2. Fun. Some Nights (Fueled by Ramen)
3. AC Newman  Shut Down the Streets (Matador Records)
4. Patrick Watson  Adventures in Your Own Backyard (Street City Records/Domino Records)
5. Shearwater  Animal Joy (Sub Pop)
6. The Satin Chaps  Might I Suggest the Satin Chaps (self-released)
7. Fiona Apple  Idler Wheel (Clean Slate/Epic)
8. Lumineers  Lumineers (Dualtone Records)
9. The Helio Sequence Negotiations  (Sub Pop)
10. Alt-J (∆)  An Awesome Wave (Infectious Music)

 

 

JP (John Pomietlasz)

1. Django Django  Django Django (Ribbon Music)
2. Father John Misty  Fear Fun (Sub Pop)
3. The Walkmen  Heaven (Fat Possum Records)
4. Dirty Projectors  Swing Lo Magellan (Domino)
5. Alabama Shakes  Boys And Girls  (Rough Trade/ATO)
6. JD McPherson  Signs and SIgnifiers (Rounder Records)
7. Alt-J (∆)  An Awesome Wave  (Infectious Music)
8. Michael Kiwanuka  Home Again (Polydor Records)
9. Heartless Bastards  Arrow (Partisan Records)
10. Lower Dens  Nootropics (Ribbon Music)

 

Matt Casebeer

1. Fanfarlo Rooms Filled with Light  (Atlantic)
2. Tame Impala  Lonerism (Modular Recordings)
3. Deep Sea Arcade  Outlands (Ivy League/Microfiche)
4. Bahamas  Barchords (Brushfire Records)
5. Deep Sea Diver  History Speaks (self-released)
6. The Walkmen  Heaven (Fat Possum Records)
7. First Aid Kit  The Lion's Roar (Wichita/Redeye)
8. Patrick Watson  Adventures in Your Own Backyard (Street City Records/Domino Records)
9. Tallest Man on Earth  There's No Leaving Now (Dead Oceans/Gravitation)
10. Sharon Van Etten Tramp  (Jagjaguwar)

 

JT Griffith

1. Lumineers  Lumineers (Dualtone Records)
2. Bob Dylan  Tempest (Columbia)
3. The Shins  Port of Morrow (Aural Apothecary/Columbia Records/James Mercer)
4. Band of Horses  Mirage Rock (Columbia)
5. Black Prairie  A Tear in the Eye is a Wound in the Heart (Sugar Hill Records)
6. Dr. John  Locked Down (Nonesuch Records)
7. Sara Watkins  Sun Midnight Sun (Nonesuch Records)
8. Cloud Nothings  Attack on Memory (Carpark Records/Wichita Recordings)
9. Japandroids  Celebration Rock (Polyvinyl Record Co.)
10. Father John Misty  Fear Fun (Sub Pop)

 

Photos by Inger Klekacz

Tagged: Best of 2012