View Full Version : Album of 2012
As we're into December I thought I'd throw in my nominations and ask others to do the same, together with their reasons. So here are my three:
Richard Hawley: Standing at the Sky's Edge
Fantastically strong song set with superb guitar work and occasional wall-of-sound mix but also some excellent low key moments. Good sounding voice in great form. A real treat from start to end.
Lana del Rey: Born to Die
Highly unusual sound world and unique songs with street patois and vignettes. Her vocal delivery in the studio (as opposed to live) is compelling and makes this a satisfying album capable of repeated plays. Probably my most played album this year. Blue Jeans and Summertime Sadness are highlights.
Alt J: An Awesome Wave
Again, something different and equally compelling. I'm not even sure how to categorise it as there are elements of so many styles. Unusual voice which could be love-or-hate for listeners. A good sounding recording, too. Matilda is the highlight in a uniformly good album.
hmmmm..
Marillion - Sounds that can't be made..
I'll need a think cause there were some really good albums out this past year..
I was thinking about this in the car today. I know what my discovery of 2012 was (i.e. new to me in 2012) but as for an actual 2012 album - that will be a bit more tricky... :)
Three albums only is a tough call, it's been a good year IMO.....Martin, I agree with Richard Hawley pick but don't "get" Lana Del Ray at all......
my choices are:
http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag89/Jrb1961/image-19.jpg
Dexys (Midnight Runners) - One Day I'm Going To Soar........their first album for best part of 30 years. Real instruments beautifully recorded, soul and passion....unlike anything else. The live shows were phenomenal.
http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag89/Jrb1961/image-18.jpg
Jack White - Blunderbuss........his debut solo album, and apparently his "divorce album" a great unique guitarist, these songs are hook-laden ...... Again his live shows were fantastic.
http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag89/Jrb1961/image-17.jpg
Alejandro Escovedo - Big Station.....why is this man not a superstar? All songs co-written by Chuck Prophet and the album is produced by Tony Visconti.....a musicians' musician.......again great live performances this year.
http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag89/Jrb1961/image-19.jpg
Thanks, guys. I hadn't come across the Dexys album, will investigate.
Sonority
06-12-2012, 11:02
New music in 2012 was slow to start with then became akin to a tap on 'full' later in the year.
Bit tough for three, but here's mine :-
The stunning album from Steve Wilson & Mikael Akerfeldt
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61OcHZll2mL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
ARCHIVE :-
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51r4Fbd9zlL._SL500_.jpg
& Steve Hackett for me, purely because it brings back so many fantastic memories, as well as being a great piece of work :-
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fHwLAji%2BL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
I was thinking about this in the car today. I know what my discovery of 2012 was (i.e. new to me in 2012)and that is?
It appears that I've only bought one album released this year, and it's a good one.
Zulu Winter - Language
Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
and that is?
Hi Lee - I'll start a new thread - rather than pollute this one which should be kept for 2012 albums. :)
Thanks, Alex. Let's keep this thread for albums released in 2012.
Only 3 Martin, Alex let us have 10 last year ;)
Go for it, Tim. I didn't state any restrictions ;)
daytona600
11-12-2012, 11:35
tried to narrow it down to three , but 2012 was a good year , roll on 2013
Alt-j - an awesome wave
Goyte - making mirrors
Richard Hawley - standing at the skys edge
Melody gardot - the absence
Tension - die antwood
Orkney - symphony of the magnetic north
Flying lotus - until the quiet comes
Ondatropica - ondatropica
Grizzly bear - shields
Dr john - kocked down
King creosote - i learned from the gaels
Scroobius pip - distraction pieces
Tortoise - millions now listening will never die
Dan le sac - space between the words
The mars volta - noctourniquet
Jessie ware - devotion
Four tet - pink
XX - coexist
Bjork - bastards
Kindness - world you need a change of mind
Jack white - blunderbuss
Paul buchanan - mid air
Portico quartet - portico quartet
Thomas koner - novaya zemlya
chemical brothers - don,t think
Hildur gudnadottir - leyfdu ljosinu
Tord gustavsen quartet - the well
Silfra - hahn hauschka
IOTDXI - various artists
Orbital - wonky
Mala - mala in cuba
Scott walker - bisch bosch
Grimes - visions
Carter tutti void - transverse
Mark lanegan band - blues funeral
Hot chip - in our heads
Actress rip
Tame impala - lonerism
django django - django django
The black keys - el camino
Leonard cohen - old ideas
Looks to me like you just named all the 2012 albums you bought, Scott :)
Tortoise Millions Now Living... was a 1996 release :scratch:
daytona600
11-12-2012, 16:51
Looks to me like you just named all the 2012 albums you bought, Scott :)
most of them martin , these days you do not have a buy blind
a lot are artists i like , so buy them anyway
forgot your choice - dana del ray as well
youtube , spotify etc listen before you buy , stops you buying the lemons
chris moyles , susan boyle , peter andre not on the list
last month picked up 10 boxes of vinyl , above 1,500 from a house clearance for £100 result
Audioman
11-12-2012, 17:33
Paul Weller - Sonic Tricks.
Elbow - Dead In The Boot.
Norah Jones - Little Broken Hearts.
Runners up: Donald Fagen - Sunken Condos, Lindsey Buckingham - Seeds We Sow, Llana Del Ray - Born to Die/Paradise
I think most of my other purchases were from 2011 or before and audiophile reissues.
Norah Jones - Little Broken Hearts.
Damn, I forgot that one. Count that in my list, especially as she was superb in concert this year.
Not a new album in 2012 but one I hadn't heard until this year...
Toto - Falling in Between.
From Steve Lukather's guitar work, to the overall sophistication (in terms of melody, modulation, chord structure etc) of the music it's pure dynamite. Fabulous recording/production too, as one would expect from Toto.
Reid Malenfant
11-12-2012, 21:26
I can think of a couple, the big problem for me is I have gotten into streaming & have downloaded probably a few thousand albums this year & I have no idea when they were released really :eyebrows:
So it has to be these two, which are available on CD & were indeed released in 2012 :)
Autumn Of Communion - Autumn Of Communion (http://www.discogs.com/Autumn-Of-Communion-Autumn-Of-Communion/release/3996637)
Imho, that is one of the best albums I have had the pleasure of listening to, but you know I like odd music :eyebrows:
Pete Namlook & Lorenzo Montana - Labyrinth 5 (http://www.discogs.com/Namlook-Montan%C3%A0-Labyrinth-5/release/3884987)
Out of the five Labyrinth series releases this one is pretty much up there with the best of them.
RIP Peter Kuhlmann (aka Pete Namlook).
I'm going to need to give this some thought as a quick total up shows I have bought 78 albums that were released this year, might be more?
I was compiling a top 10, but have exceeded that already :scratch:
I'll get back to you nearer the end of the year Martin, as I have more to arrive and some I have yet to play.
I'm going to need to give this some thought as a quick total up shows I have bought 78 albums that were released this year, might be more?
I did very well - less than 60 this year - which for a recovering musicholic is pretty good! :lol:
(Love the Christmas Avatar, BTW!)
I'll get back to you nearer the end of the year Martin, as I have more to arrive and some I have yet to play.
Look forward to it, Tim. Remember to give us your reasons why, not just a list ;)
Reid Malenfant
12-12-2012, 20:51
I did very well - less than 60 this year - which for a recovering musicholic is pretty good! :lol:
Very good Alex :D
I'm sure you stream music :scratch:
If I'm right just look for your kind of music on netlabels, take it from me, a friend said that he bet I'd find no psychobilly music for free, yet I found a netlabel with free music straight away.
You have a very good chance of finding a heck of a lot of female vocal music out there, I'd be stunned if you didn't! A lot of people are unknown, or non mainstream, to get known they can put music on netlables ;)
You have nothing to lose & everything to gain Alex :)
Cheers Mark - I'll do some digging - though I don't believe in "free" - "A fair day's pay for a fair day's work" - I will always pay for something if I find I like it. :)
Reid Malenfant
12-12-2012, 21:25
Cheers Mark - I'll do some digging - though I don't believe in "free" - "A fair day's pay for a fair day's work" - I will always pay for something if I find I like it. :)
There is nothing stopping you donating to either the artist or the netlabel ;)
Have a look round Bandcamp (http://bandcamp.com/) to, you should find a good bit of stuff there :cool:
Look forward to it, Tim. Remember to give us your reasons why, not just a list ;)
Well I'm at over eighty 2012 released albums purchased, forgot a few. Not sure I'll be able to tell you reasons why, other than I like them :scratch: Still have a pile of unplayed discs, so I will post a top ten in January Martin.
What I can tell you now though is my album of the year;
Bill Fay - Life is People
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2B3Afrn2%2BL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
Life is People is a beautiful, melancholic, superbly crafted album with some very compelling and moving melodies that just strike a chord with me and from an artist who has been out of the game for 41 years, I think its quite an achievement, so it gets my album of the year award.
This is an album you have to sit and listen to without distraction, late evening with a glass of wine and subdued lighting and just let it wash over you. Its often very Nick Drake ish in style, the lyrics are powerful and sad at times, but they have grace too - there are lighter more uplifting moments as well and taken as a whole it really is a masterpiece IMO.
3xa7EhiCTyA
I thought this album review on Amazon was rather apt;
Thank you Bill Fay for giving such a fantastic album, people who hear music probably won't enjoy it, but those of us who really listen to music will enjoy this album for years to come.
A breath of fresh air in this X-Factor world, an album of the year.
daytona600
05-01-2013, 08:39
top 100 from amazon
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=pe_296040_27640100_pe_r1_row2ptr/?docId=1000863271
DanJennings
05-01-2013, 08:56
top 100 from amazon
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=pe_296040_27640100_pe_r1_row2ptr/?docId=1000863271
ha! I have the grand total of 3 of them:
Led Zeppelin
Regina Spektor
Garbage....
And thank god! Most on the list I'm sure are terrible!
I count 9 of them in my collection, including the awful Fiona Apple which I could gladly lose down the back of the sofa. I can't believe it's the same girl who made the brilliant Tidal.
I've got one of them. The Donald Fagen album. Not surprising as it is the only new release I bought in 2012. Dylan and Springsteen are still going strong, I see.
Muse - 2nd.Law..is me top LP of 2012..
isuckedmandelsonslemons
05-01-2013, 17:24
Muse - 2nd.Law..is me top LP of 2012..
Is it recorded as badly as their other albums?
Is it recorded as badly as their other albums?
It is very loud on CD but I wouldn't say its recorded badly..on vinyl it has a lovely clear rich sound and the pressing I have is perfect. There is no distortion on the CD..My speakers don't like compressed masters much and 2nd Law passes my Missions test.
isuckedmandelsonslemons
05-01-2013, 20:05
Mmmmmm ''Loud on CD'. And for that reason . . . I'm out.
It is very loud on CD but I wouldn't say its recorded badly..
Isn't that somewhat a contradiction in terms, dude? I'd say that if a recording on CD is "very loud", then it's been recorded badly....
Lack of dynamic range, with digital recordings, is my personal bête noire!
Marco.
Pete The Cat
05-01-2013, 20:39
Thankfully just 4 here :)
Pete
Rare Bird
05-01-2013, 20:41
No headroom left how can it not give yee un headache!
I count 9 of them in my collection, including the awful Fiona Apple which I could gladly lose down the back of the sofa. I can't believe it's the same girl who made the brilliant Tidal.
I've got 22 out of the top 100, also including that shite from Fiona Apple and Miss LDR :hmm:
Got the top 3 too and really good to see Slipstream at #1, that's a superb album and looking forward to seeing her at the Albert Hall in June :)
Did you ever buy Slipstream Martin?
Don't remember discussing it, Tim. I'll look it up...
EDIT: duh, I actually bought it. Forgot you were talking about BR, though you were quoting a band :doh:
Is it recorded as badly as their other albums?
2nd Law sounds pretty reasonable on vinyl. Not hugely dynamic, but that's the nature of their music.
isuckedmandelsonslemons
06-01-2013, 05:56
Lack of dynamic range, with digital recordings, is my personal bête noire!
Marco.
I think I agree. I'll just look up that Betty Noire thing.
Spot on Marco. That's why I've spent months listening to CDs and throwing away dozens and dozens.
Bad CD recordings really boil my piss. Spend a fortune on a system and have to listen to cack recordings is just not on.
And I'm still banned from the Cyrus Unofficial Forum.
Lol@Betty Noire! Aye, she does a wee 'trick for the boys', I'm sure you'd like, involving a Shetland pony and some Vaseline... :eyebrows:
But, yes, the more revealing the system, the less tolerant it is of poor recordings, i.e, the more you will hear imperfections. Sometimes I can 'listen through' certain recording deficiencies, if the music is *really* good, but not when they have become a victim of the loudness wars! :nono:
Marco.
Audioman
06-01-2013, 10:31
Mmmmmm ''Loud on CD'. And for that reason . . . I'm out.
Precisely why many have a vinyl rig and may account partly for the formats resurgance. Unfortunately having shown early promise I find Muse rather repetitive boring Queen imitators.
This has been extremely tough to finish as I have bought around 300+ albums this year, 80+ of which are 2012 releases, so choosing a few from those has been difficult :scratch:
Anyhow, I have already put forward my album of the year from Bill Fay, so here goes with my top ten..... mind you, I'm quite partial to a phrase Bob Harris once coined, when he was asked what's your favourite album? "My favourite album is the last one to arrive on the mat!" (or words to that effect). I can really relate to that, as it changes constantly and I don't think I have a favourite album anymore. I still have a few albums released in 2012 I have yet to play as well, so this list could be different next week :eyebrows:
So as promised and in no particular order, here are ten albums from 2012 which I have really enjoyed;
Gretchen Peters - Hello Cruel World
Simone Felice - S/T
Phantom Limb - The Pines
Bonnie Raitt - Slipstream
Chris Robinson Brotherhood - Big Moon Ritual
Bill Fay - Life is People
Jimmy LaFave - Depending on the Distance
The Staves - Dead & Born & Grown
Rose Cousins - We Have Made a Spark
Marillion - Sounds That Can't Be Made
A lot of these were picked as I saw the artists live and many of the songs were performed by them, which always has an impact on me. The ones in bold relate to those artists I saw last year and in most cases I have a signed copy of their album, which also makes them memorable for me, the Rose Cousins album in particular strikes a chord as I had a great exchange of banter with her, during her set at Maverick festival - she's a very funny lady and its a fantastic album (you should check this one out Martin/Alex/Dan?).
Here's to 2013 and more music (John Grant has a new one in March and a new Midlake is on the way too).
:cool:
Got to be the following for me :)
fun. - Some Nights
Gotye - Making Mirrors
Linkin Park - Living Things
Maroon 5 - Overexposed
The Kilkers - Battle Born
Mark Knopfler - Privateering
Best album of last year:
Keaton Henson 'Dare'
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