Year-End Critics' Polls 2012

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?

yahhh, I haven't seen any singles/tracks list

oh man pictures of Alt J and Django Django

Next installment of the Guardian list:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2012/nov/28/guardian-best-albums-2012-20-11

TAYLOR at 16 <3 but TOO LOW by at least 15 spots

Miguel at 11, wow, kinda didn't expect him to be that high.

Cooly G just missed out on my ballot, glad to see her place.

Cooly G at #15 !

11 is an amazing placement for Miguel given his profile is pretty much zero over here. By rights he should be placing above Frank Ocean on every list but you can't have everything I suppose.

Miguel would have been even higher if I hadn't been so tardy about getting around to listening to it. Fantastic album - straight into my top 10.

I know this probably isn't the best thread to say this in, but the inevitability of these lists each December coupled with the inevitability of certain acts getting "grandfathered" into said lists regardless of how uninteresting their material is as well as the general critical reaffirmation of conventional wisdom - the ritual nature of it all is just really difficult for me to engage with

I mean there are always nice surprises - like DL discovering one of his favourite albums at the last second but those little bottle rockets are not what these lists feel like they're about to me - they always feel more like they're about consolidating, congealing, shoring up defenses - blarg

They're about both, their very predictability means that the outliers stick out.

Nice, was wondering if Melody's Echo Chamber would place anywhere

This might seem a bit of an obvious statement to make, but the number of these lists I look down and think "But this isn't what I've been listening to this year....", and sure, I wouldn't expect them to mirror my tastes at all, but you get things that place really high that really couldn't be described as any more than just so-so. #Gentrificationabounds

Thanks you jerks, you made me listen to a fucking Lik Wayne joint in 2012

Worse, to watch the video

If 2012's zenith really did come courtesy of the likes of Alt-J, Django Django, Tame Impala and Frank Ocean, what a depressing state of affairs that would be. I'd pretty much give up listening to music. So why do these kinds of acts come up trumps each year round, even in reputable publications?

We don't really need to go into the handwringing here but maybe people like those acts? They at least seem to have some momentum about them which is more than you can say for x rock band on their fifth album that even the fans don't rate that highly.

Is that a Hot Chip diss?

I don't hate any of those acts BTW, but them appearing near the top of these lists sometimes reeks of "this is the best we can do"

That Tame Impala record is p great IMO, but then I'm a sucker for that kind of thing.

I thought Django Django was a pretty great record, actually.

yeah it's fun too. I think they might make more good records as well, they seem to have the right ideas.

Yeah I really like it as well and they're terrific live. The Tame Impala one isn't bad per se although it's derivative as hell. I didn't find the Frank Ocean album particularly engaging but the people who do like it clearly find something very strongly resonating with them. I don't think any of them represent particularly rote or uninspired choices.