Year-End Critics' Polls 2012

Still need to hear Voices From The Lake, that record has been on my list for months and months.

It's okay, I didn't really understand the rapturous reception it got, but I'm not very good with non-melodic techno that isn't danceable. The textures were fantastic but it didn't really engage beyond that.

i'll give it another go Nick

I mean, Heart of the Congos is one of my alltime favourite records in any genre, so I should really.

Matt DC - have you heard Ital yet? I'm curious to know whether you like that one or not.

I listened to it once and wasn't really feeling it.

mmm... i'm having trouble with it. i figured it's better if i pretend it's not supposed to be dance music at all.

Pye Corner Audio have been doing some good stuff this year. The Beak> album is absolutely great (though I still haven't managed to track down a vinyl copy yet). I love the Julia Holter (though not as much as Tragedy, which I couldn't get hold of but thought was sublime). Sun Araw & the Congos I agree with Nick on, though it didn't take me too long to warm to - "float around in it" is spot on.

Need to listen to more: Carter Tutti Void (but what I've heard is great), Scott (will be getting this ASAP, 'Epizootics!' is awesome), only heard the one Goat track so far but it rules, new Mouse on Mars I have yet to hear.

I seem to recall the bit of the Umberto record I heard was disappointing, but I liked their one before so much that I should probably give it another go.

I'm gonna have to wait till Xmas till I hear Bish Bosch, but yeah Epizootics! is crazy good - "My neighbour was frightened by Hawaiians"

Cranky ol me likes the Congos without guests much better, and I find Holter too ethereal.

That Holly Herndon album is pretty interesting. Need to listen to it more, it was only up on spotify for two days before it got taken down again, but iirc it was an unusual mix of slightly industrial-sounding techno and more academic-leaning art experiments, lots of processed voice and mouth sounds and stuff. Getting lots of comparisons to Laurel Halo which I can sort of see as she seems to have a foot in both those worlds too.

A fair few things on the Elastic Witch list are also likely to make my EOY ballot: Julia Holter, Sun Araw et al., Grimes, Chromatics, Talabot. On the other hand I thought the Daphni and Umberto albums were let-downs relative to expectations and my love affair with Peaking Lights, uh, peaked some time ago. Pye Corner Audio/Holly Herndon/Goat/Diiv/Beak> are solid but others do similar better imo. Still want to hear Flying Lotus, Voices From The Lake and obviously Scott.

Norman Records top 50: http://www.normanrecords.com/top-fifty.php

Oh, that Norman list reminds me I need to listen to the Andy Stott more. And good to see Divorce in there, even if they are in the latter reaches.

Ah, finally someone rates Motorpsycho's The Death Defying Unicorn (#36)! Cool list! Only complaint is listing the not-amazing Om album at #3 while overlooking the likes of Ufomammut.

The Om album is the best thing they have done in a long long time.

NME top 50

Tame Impala - Lonerism
Grimes - Visions
Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
Crystal Castles - III
Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
The Maccabees - Given To The Wild
Pond - Beard Wives Denim
The Cribs -In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull
Jake Bugg - Jake Bugg
Jack White - Blunderbuss
Django Django - Django Django
David Byrne & St Vincent - Love This Giant
DIIV - Oshin
The XX - Coexist
Sharon Van Etten - Tramp
Melody's Echo Chamber - Melody's Echo Chamber
Grizzly Bear - Shields
Tribes - Baby
Toy - Toy
Howler - America Give Up
Cat Power - Sun
Beach House - Bloom
Richard Hawley - Standing At The Sky's Edge
Merchandise - Children Of Desire
Ariel Pink - Mature Themes
Spector - Enjoy It While It Lasts
Jessie Ware - Devotion
Spiritualized - Sweet Heart, Sweet Light
Mac DeMarco - 2
Breton - Other People's Problems
Kanye West - Cruel Summer
Graham Coxon - A+E
Hot Chip - In Our Heads
Bat For Lashes - The Haunted Man
Metz - Metz
The Vaccines - Come Of Age
Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood Of Colour
TEED - Trouble
Liars - WIXIW
Polica - Give You The Ghost
Ty Segall - Twins
Paul Weller - Sonik Kicks
Ratking - Wiki93
Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, MAAd City
Lana Del Rey - Born To Die
Bobby Womack - The Bravest Man In The Universe
John Talabot - Fin The
2 Bears - Be Strong
Flying Lotus - Until The Quiet Comes
Purity Ring - Shrines

NME best tracks of 2012 Spotify playlist

http://open.spotify.com/user/nme.com/playlist/0E9FpJ4eISNe2HtMo5WBgO

lol Cruel Summer over Kendrick, even in a year when it's not hard to get token rap picks right they find a way to fuck up

lol i was just gonna say

really do not get tame impala at all

you do not need to put flange on everything

is this the first year in the last decade that there hasn't been a big crossover indie/alt album in the NME top 20 albums of the year? your man in the street/non NME reader hasn't heard of any of that stuff i'm saying.

but...but...Jake Bugg!

Who gave Nottingham its first ever #1!

That NME tracks list doesn't exactly resemble my favourites of 2012 but isn't terrible - Palma Violets at #1 smacks of desperation though. There's something actually a bit sad about the albums list though, like it shows how meagre the pickings are in their natural stamping ground these days.

Q magazine:

http://gallery.qthemusic.com/gallery/qs50bestalbumsof2012/Default.aspx

Was wondering if Cruel Summer would even show up on end of year polls. Maybe Complex might list it as well?

Surprised by Daphni and Peaking Lights on that Q list.

This Alt-J record keeps getting props by such mags, never heard of it before. What is this?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20176215

I feel like I've listened to music nonstop this year, but it still never ceases to amaze what the celebrated records are...

That Bobby Womack album with the Alborn and Richard Russell production tries to duplicate the production approach Russell used on last year's Gil Scott-Heron album, but it's it's a bit bland this time around imho(and I like Womack's voice). They even include a Gil Scott-Heron sample. That may be good enough to get the token old-school soul slot on some lists, but eh, I will stick with Jeff Floyd and/or other obscure Southern soul singers who appear on the
http://www.soulbluesmusic.com/southernsoulbluescharts.htm list. Alas, artists on that chart are not marketed it to the crossover print or online media (which does not seek it out on its own); and their synth backing sounds annoy the few fans of old-school soul and most contemporary r'n'b who might hear it. I still like it though (as I've made tediously clear on here on other threads!).

I've got a soft spot for some Brit guitar pop, but the latest Maccabees kind of sucks. I don't get why NME and Q rate that but skipped Maximo Park's The National Health, which is pretty great. Not sure what to think of Alt-J after first time through. I see that they're trying to be 'different', but only about three cuts work as far as I can tell.

took me until now to realize Alt-J wasn't k-pop

really do not get tame impala at all

― congratulations (n/a), Tuesday, November 27, 2012 1:38 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

you do not need to put flange on everything

― congratulations (n/a), Tuesday, November 27, 2012 1:39 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

everyone just mentally made a Garu G's gran joke here and moved on, right

I'm not exactly sure what flange is, but I love their sound.

never thought i'd see the day when jaymc acted a tuomas

Was wondering if Cruel Summer would even show up on end of year polls. Maybe Complex might list it as well?

― MikoMcha, Tuesday, November 27, 2012 12:09 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

it shouldn't, it's a fucking mess

Well, obviously. But ya know, Kanye.

and ya know, Complex

yeah there's no doubt it will be on complex list... i mean they ran a piece after it dropped explaining why it was the latest example of kanye's greatness EVEN IF NO ONE WANTED TO ADMIT IT YET

their 1200 word manifesto about how "No Worries" is Lil Wayne's amazing undeniable comeback song was funnier though

shit that's a deep cut, i'm gonna have to look that up

never thought i'd see the day when jaymc acted a tuomas

I think I know what it is -- I mean, I know that it's a guitar effect -- but YouTube loads pretty fucking slowly on my work computer.

classic shit: http://www.complex.com/music/2012/09/lil-wayne-is-back-and-its-because-of-no-worries

i actually think wayne's rapping quite well on dedication 4 but i know i'm in the minority on that one

smfh

glad to see you agree j0rdan

classic shit: http://www.complex.com/music/2012/09/lil-wayne-is-back-and-its-because-of-no-worries

― some dude, Tuesday, November 27, 2012 4:58 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark

sssssmmmmhhhhhhh

Did Palma Violets actually get NME's Single of the Year?