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The Guardian's Best Albums of 2012
Here's 40-21:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2012/nov/26/guardian-best-albums-2012-40-21
Really disappointed to see Polica so low down. It's the one I've enjoyed the most this year, without a doubt.
meh
Pretty tokenistic bunch that. Not convinced any list that sits Jack White, Dexy's, Marina and the Diamonds and Orbital next to eachother is anything other than a tokenistic attempt at covering all bases.
I can't see much knocking Frank Ocean off the number 1 spot here tbh
I think the fact that Farrah Abraham has beaten Godspeed, Killer Mike and Fiona Apple pretty much nullifies this list tbf.
I hope that the First Aid Kit album makes the top 10 of a major album
of the year write up. Either that or Beach House has been my favourite.
They've both made the top ten in the Paste list
http://stereogum.com/1207412/pastes-50-best-albums-of-2012/list/
I hadn't heard of Farrah Abraham until reading this
Just checked her out on Youtube. Jesus tittyfucking Christ, are people actually listening to this shit?
it'll be an in-joke amongst Tim Jonze and Alex Macpherson
I've read up on it since reading this thread
Seems quite a few hipster music journos are hailing it as a "genuine piece of outsider art" & all that kind of guff, rather than the quick fame cash-in piece of shit that it actually is.
Confused her with Holly Herndon?
I can listen to Holly Herndon
without feeling that my entire existence has been somehow cheapened by doing so.
can't it be both?
I think it has merit
Like most 'outsider art' it is divisive, but there is something so genuinely cathartic about that album.
it could have so easily been a bit of cheap, cheesy cash-in bollocks, but it isn't. It is somebody honestly and openly expressing themselves in what happens to be an avant garde way. The Wire review sums this up better than I can, but I think it's too easy to dismiss something like this out of hand, and it's worth anybody's time giving the album a play through.
But it is neither avant garde
nor outsider art. It's just another cheaply-made reality show tie-in, & a novelty record to be filed alongside Rebecca Black.
I disagree entirely
I think the album as a whole has a mood, feel and, most importantly, narrative that sets it far apart from those comparisons.
Maybe it was originally intended that way, maybe it was the engineers trying to salvage a terrible recording session, I don't know. But the record has far more in common with the experimental avant garde than it does with commercial teen pop. I mean, it has no commercial appeal at all! It's far, far too weird.
If you haven't heard the album in full, I recommend it (it's on spotify), because even if you hate it, I think you may change your mind on the intentions behind it.
I'm listening to it right now
Regardless of what merits the music may (or may not) have, I'm struggling with that much autotune. Not sure I'll be able to make it to the end.
This is an excellent article about it too
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/09/the-scary-misunderstood-power-of-a-teen-mom-stars-album/262237/
I've never read the atlantic before and I have just whiled away several a few work hours clicking sidebar links into several pretty good articles.
god i can't stand
Alex Macpherson.
true story:
he'd be one of the best tennis journalists going if that were his main focus. never stood eye-to-eye with him musically but at least he makes himself plain and operates interestingly within his ambit
i love alex macpherson
we don't agree on anything but i don't care, i love reading his stuff.
I wrote for my student rag the same time as Alex Macpherson
I didn't realise he still wrote. Great writer, and proof if needed the most interesting writers rarely write about music I'm actually interested in.
It certainly puts a lie to the idea that Auto Tune can make anyone's vocals sound I tune
I have to say that whilst I started out hating it I actually found the one track I listened to quite compelling. Can't imagine making it through a whole album though.
It's like this year's Loutallica
Utterly compelling, but impossible to consider actually *good*. But anyone doubting - especially on the basis of the write-up that makes it sound like identikit pop - should have a listen. It is unbelievable that anything sounding like it ever got made.
I've heard a couple of those
Glad to see Jam City getting some recognition there
The Polica album was a bit patchy if you ask me.
I enjoyed it but it wasn't in my top albums of the year.
it's one of my favourites of the year i guess, but only cos i haven't heard many good albums this year
not sure i'd describe it as patchy, cos it's all kind of...on a level. Everything sounds pretty similar, it's only the last two tracks that really leap out.
In as much as I care about these lists
the Orbital album absolutely deserves to be in there.
My albums of the year
Unlikely to be mentioned anywhere except by Me. (excepy Mabe APTBS)
T93millionmilesfromthesun - Towards The Light
he Lost Rivers - Sins And Lostness
A Place To Bury Strangers - Worship
The Blood Choir - No Windows To The Old World
Guile - Alone On The West
Mugstar - Axis
Dark Horses - Black Music
She Makes War - Little Battles
Carina Round - Tigermending
Daniel Land & The Modern Painters - The Space Between Us
decent placing for Dawn Richard, props
really I couldn't care less about this list, though.
Killer Mike is Top Five for me.
Here's 20-11
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2012/nov/28/guardian-best-albums-2012-20-11
Nice to see Cooly G up there.
laughable
oh we didn't review chromatics, but basically we heard it was good
Nice to see Saint Etienne
but the lists this year have to be the most predictable and dreary in recent memory. At least the NME wasn't predictable albeit most of it was wrong and the inclusion of some of the most forgettable indie guitar bands in recent memory is regrettable.
Can't wait to reveal the BBC Music list...
...can safely say that I did not see some of the albums present making the (top 25) cut. All based on votes though, so fair is fair. But when you've got votes from Tim Westwood and Bob Harris in the same list... it's always gonna be a bit... odd.
Taylor Swift and Django Django rank higher than Flylo?
Bellends.
It's panic attack inducing trying to keep up
with all the new music acclaimed every year. I spend hours weekly on music sites and I buy a ton music and these lists come out and I haven't heard of half of it. Why does it seem Twin Shadow album has been forgotten?
I dunno
I much preferred the first Twin Shadow album. The second one is too much of an 80's pastiche
Any end of year list that has room for Dawn Richard is good enough for me.
Such a great EP. Might push for a top 10 spot this year.