Year-End Critics' Polls 2012

xp having listened to both in the past two days (first time in a while for cloud nothings but i've been listening to open yr heart regularly since it came out) i find that the men scratch my 90s rock itch most effectively (metz do too to a lesser extent). i like the cloud nothings record, it's good, but there is such an audible joy in the performances on open yr heart and it's really wide open and un-self conscious about making a great record of guitar rock. attack on memory seems a little sullen and studied by comparison.

saw'em both at Pitchfork but The Men won me when they turned "Candy" into a Meat Puppets cowpunk jam.

xpost i swear, i would write the exact opposite of this:

but there is such an audible joy in the performances on open yr heart and it's really wide open and un-self conscious about making a great record of guitar rock. attack on memory seems a little sullen and studied by comparison.

to me, it's Cloud Nothings that sounds joyous, or at least authentically cathartic. more feeling, whatever that means. more un-self conscious. more free. and open yr heart sounds like a very clinical, calculated "we are a good guitar band with our best (read: most accessible) batch of songs and we'd better make a great guitar record" effort, but in overthinking it, they sucked much of the life out of it.

different strokes, eh

indeed--i don't think there's anything on open your heart that's particularly accessible outside of turn it around, the title track, and candy. i do think the record is conscious in nodding at a variety of genres but nothing about the performances themselves comes off that way.

Angry Metal Guy weighs in with his Top 10(ish) of 2012.

#Ish: Vindicator // United We Fall
#10: Wildernessking // The Writing of Gods in the Sand
#9: Borknagar // Urd
#8: Be’lakor // Of Breath and Bone
#7: Ofermod // Thaumiel
#6: Dodecahedron // Dodecahedron
#5: Anathema // Weather Systems
#4: The 11th Hour // Lacrima Mortis
#3: Diablo Swing Orchestra // Pandora’s Piñata
#2: Sophicide // Perdition of the Sublime
#1: Sabaton // Carolus Rex

Honorable Mentions:

Sigh // In Somniphobia
Arjen Anthony Lucassen // Lost in the New Real
Vintersorg // Orkan
Blood Mortized // Keys to a Black Heart
King of Asgard // …To North
Hail Spirit Noir // Pneuma
Sylosis // Monolith

http://www.datpiff.com/top2012

DatPiff.com's top 50 mixtapes of the year. not ordered by popularity, although download stats are shown so it's a good indicator of what was big.

my lists: http://alexmacpherson.tumblr.com/post/38945575458/end-of-year-list-dump-2012

aw lex adopted my "bonus bile" addendum

I did like the Pinkish Black. All the enthusiasm had me revisiting it and it moved up to my top 40 and #6 in heavy rock. My copy was tagged as "grave wave," which many won't like but it's kind of a catchy tag. I could see them getting a lot more attention this year.

xp is it yours? i didn't know! that was a last-min addition thanks to alfred trolling me on twitter, "bonus bile" just popped into my head

Alright! Glad you dug the Pinkish Black. The just finished recording the next album and with Century Media on board it should get them more attention. They also plan to tour the hell out of it and have really rounded into a solid live act.

xpost to fastnbulbous

yeah it was the phrase i came up with for the "worst" lists at the bottom of my genre lists this year xp

haha i only read those y'day, after i'd put mine up, and managed not to clock the same phrase at all

i have been very hungover and vacant this week admittedly

lol well it's all good, no copyright on it or anything

2012 TOP TEN CD's
(From Latin Beat Magazine Online Contributors)
By Vicki Solá
1. Eddie Montalvo / Desde Nueva York a Puerto Rico / Marcha
2. Luis Mangual y su Conjunto Mangual / Sabor y Swing / Lujoso
3. Ray Castro's Conjunto Clasico / Este Es Mi Conjunto / RC Enter.
4. Bobby Sanabria Big Band / Multiverse / Jazzheads
5 Ralph Irizarry & Los Viejos De La Salsa / Viejos Pero Sabrosos / BKS
6. CharanSalsa / Pa' Mi Pueblo / CharanSalsa
7. Ralphy Santi / Homenaje Al Bailador / Muziq
8. Don Sonero / La Verdadera Escena / Don Sonero Music
9. Chico Álvarez & Palomonte Afro-Cuban Big Band / El Montunero / Mafimba
10. La Guatekera Orquesta / Going Back to the Old School Salsa / Old School Salsa

By Nelson Rodriguez
1. Eddie Montalvo / Desde Nueva York A Puerto Rico / Marcha
2. Dorance Lorza y Sexteto Café / Rumbero De Corazon / DLR
3. Ralph Irizarry y Los Viejos de la Salsa / Viejos Pero Sabrosos / BKS
4. Chico Alvarez & Palomonte Afro Cuban Big Band / El Montunero / Mafimba
5. La Excelencia / Ecos Del Barrio / Handle With Care
6. Pacific Mambo Orchestra / PMO / PMO
7. Tromboranga- Tromboranga Salsa Dura / Bloque 53
8. Marlow Rosado Y La Riqueña / Retro / Pink Chaos
9. Wilson 'Chembo' Corniel / Afro Blue Monk / American Showplace Music
10. Ralphy Santi / Homenaje A Los Bailadores / Muzik

By Elmer Gonzalez
1. Various Artists /La Música De Puerto Rico: Raíces Y Evolución (Box Set) - Casabe Records
2. Andy Montañez /Sueño / Morocho Records
3. Cheo Feliciano & Rubén Blades / Eba Say Ajá / Ariel Rivas Music
4. Sonora Latina / Con Clave Para Bailar / Sedajazz Records
5. Septeto Santiaguero / Vamos Pa' La Fiesta / Picap Records
6. Ralph Irizarry y Los Viejos de la Salsa / Viejos Pero Sabrosos / BKS
7. Eddie Montalvo / Desde Nueva York A Puerto Rico / Marcha
8. Tromboranga Orquesta / Tromboranga Salsa Dura / Bloque 53
9. Tito García / Pa' Gozar / T&T Productions
10. Wilson Chembo Corniel / Afro Blue Monk / American Showplace Music

By Luis Tamargo
1. Manuel Galbán / Blue Cha Cha / Concord Picante
2. Carlos Varela / No es el Fin / Graffiti
3. Various Artists / Chico y Rita Soundtrack / Calle 54
4. Ninety Miles / Live at Cubadisc / Concord Picante
5. Elio Villafranca & Arturo Stable / Dos y Mas / Montéma
6. Alfredo Rodríguez / Sounds of Space / Mack Avenue
7. Clarise Assad / Home / Adventure
8. Ricardo Alvarez & Cubanísimo / Marketing / Alvarez Music
9. Waldemar Bastos / Classics of My Soul / Enja
10. José Lugo & Guasábara Combo / Poetic Justice / GC Music

By Guido Herrera
1. Eddie Montalvo / Desde Nueva York a Puerto Rico / Marcha
2. Cheo Feliciano / Ruben Blades / Eba Say Aja / Ariel Rivas Music
3. Bobby Sanabria / Multiverse / Jazzheads
4. Septeto Santiaguero / Vamos Pa' La Fiesta / Picap
5. Jose Lugo & Guasabara Combo / Poetic Justice / En Grande Music
6. Varios Artistas / Homenaje a Tite Curet: Sono Sono / Banco Popular
7. Ralph Irizarry y Los Viejos de la Salsa / Viejos Pero Sabrosos / BKS
8. Papo Vazques & Mighty Pirates Troubadors / Oasis / Picaro Records
9. Wilson "Chembo" Corniel / Afro Blue Monk / American Showplace Music
10. Candi Sosa & Victor Cegarra / Boleros Meets Jazz / Candi Sosa Music

By Rudy Mangual
1. Eddie Montalvo / Desde Nueva York a Puerto Rico / Marcha
2. Jose Lugo & Guasabara Combo / Poetic Justice / En Grande Music
3. Septeto Santiaguero / Vamos Pa' La Fiesta / Picap Records
4. Papo Vazques & Mighty Pirates Troubadors / Oasis / Picaro Records
5. Ralph Irizarry y Los Viejos de la Salsa / Viejos Pero Sabrosos / BKS Records
6. Henry Cole & The Afrobeat Collective / Roots Before Branches / Henry Cole
7. Jaime Dubberly and Orquesta Dharma / Road Warrior / Higher Truth
8. Bloque 53 / Tumba Pachunga / Bloque 53
9. Chembo Corniel Quintet / Afro Blue Monk / American Showplace Music
10.Chico Alvarez & Palomonte Afro Cuban Big Band / El Montunero / Mafimba

Links to my lists on spotify:
Best World Music 2012
Best Metal 2012
Top 50 Albums 2012

My top 100: http://1000timesyes.tumblr.com/post/39482969118/cleaning-out-my-closet-the-top-100-records-of-2012

Mine: XHUXK'S TOP 100+ ALBUMS OF 2010!

if we've decided the dev album counts as 2012 i might have to rearrange my entire list, it'd be top 10 easy

ludicrous that "breathe" and "kiss my lips" were not ubiquitous chart-topping singles (or indeed singles at all)

well if it was only released in yugoslavia or wherever before this year then it counts

wiki lists Australia, Germany, UK, Poland and Australia as having Sep 2011 release dates (w/ a UK re-release at the time of the US release). i didn't even have any idea a year ago that the album had been released anywhere, though, so it's all new to me.

as far as i can tell the track listing to the 2012 release is completely different (and much worse, with like flo rida verses and enrique iglesias collabs and no "take her from you")

in a way that strengthens my conviction that the version i'm listening to (which has no Flo Rida on it btw) is a 2012 album

U.S. release was this year, and I didn't hear the entire album until 2012, so that's how I counted it. But right, like I say on that other thread, the import (which I've never actually seen a copy of) had a way better track listing; there's really no comparison. They even dropped "Bass Down Low" in the last week before U.S. release (I've got a CD advance of the album with it still on), which really pissed me off. I still liked, and played, the U.S. version more than any other album this year, but I would've given the non-U.S. way more P&J points, had I heard it in 2011. (Which is why I've said my two favorite albums of the year -- Dev and Taylor Swift, her worst album as far as I'm concerned -- were also the two albums that disappointed me the most. That's never happened before.)

Put "Take Her From You" (also left off the U.S. version) and "In My Trunk" on my singles ballot, too.

And I suppose partly my topping my album list with Dev is a stand-in for the better version(s); it's kind of hard to say. But I did dock it P&J points accordingly.

I downloaded the Euro version a while ago, and it really is terrific.

BTW, I'm currently listening to the Ruben Blades/Cheo Feliciano album on a bunch of those Latin lists - it's not a duets album, they cover each other's songs, and it's really good. No horns, which is kinda disappointing, but excellent vibes (and I mean that in the literal sense that there's a guy playing vibes, not in the hippie sense).

the only version in UK Spotify or iTunes is the 2012 release

Unofficial Aquarius top 10 (I aggregated the individual lists):

01. Windhand (Forcefield)
02. Thee Oh Sees - Putrifiers II EP 
03. Kandodo (Thrill Jockey)
04. Golden Void (Thrill Jockey)
05. Aluk Todolo - Occult Rock (The Ajna Offensive)
06. Beak - >> (Invada) 
07. Goat - World Music  (Rocket)
08. Grass Widow - Internal Logic (HLR)
09. Cat Power - Sun 
10. Tie: Admiral Sir Cloudsley Shovell, Actress, Frankie Rose, Mrs. Magician, Small Cuel Party, Terrence Dixon, Witchcraft

BTW, I'm currently listening to the Ruben Blades/Cheo Feliciano album on a bunch of those Latin lists - it's not a duets album, they cover each other's songs, and it's really good. No horns, which is kinda disappointing, but excellent vibes (and I mean that in the literal sense that there's a guy playing vibes, not in the hippie sense).

I've ignored this but may give it a try thanks to your comment. I don't understand their waiting until 2013 to collaborate. I love Cheo Feliciano, but he is so far past his prime that I am skeptical. The emphasis on vibes is probably a nod to Cheo in particular, since so many of his key recordings were vibes based (first with Joe Cuba and then solo, especially on Cheo).

My Top 10. I used to dig Picasso; now I like the Norwegian guy who dances funny.

http://www.offbeat.com/2013/01/01/offbeat-top-50-louisiana-albums-2012/

Dr. John, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Cory Ledet, Soul Rebels and more

ha! cool list, clemenza

http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2013/01/wfmu-staff-2012-year-end-lists-2.html

clemenza you have drawn an important link between terje & hot butter imo

lol yes

Thanks--the sore back and failing eyesight are a small price to pay for such important flashes of insight.

it's also got a similar nordic chug to tommy seebach's bubble sex

Here's mine:

http://2012yearinmusic.blogspot.com/

http://salsa.blog.lemonde.fr/2013/01/02/musique-latine-les-meilleurs-albums-de-2012/#xtor=RSS-32280322

French site lists fave Latin salsa, latin-jazz, and timba

website that sells cds and employs some critics; with their 2012 best salsa music list:

http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/best_of_2012

My favourite 100 albums of 2012.

Brainwashed.com
Top 100 albums, top singles/EPs, reissues, Lifetime achievement, Worst albums, etc.

(with comments from myself & others therein)

http://brainwashed.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9534:2012-readers-poll-the-results&catid=80:annual-readers-polls&Itemid=97

brainwashed readers have better taste than their obnoxious writers, apparently

bleep and phonica, streamable. sweet.

https://bleep.com/stream/100+tracks+2012
www.phonicarecords.com/top-records/51/all/40

edit: http://www.phonicarecords.com/top-records/51/all

The excellent Russian site Afisha has a bunch of year end polls and lists for anyone wanting to know what the fashionable kids of Moscow are listening to (it's Frank Ocean).

Channel Orange was album of the year and Ivan Dorn's Stytsamen was single of the year. Main album list is here:

http://www.afisha.ru/article/best2012_albums/

Electronic, metal, jazz, world and classical are here:

http://www.afisha.ru/article/best2012_outer_limits/

Will check! Here's my Nashville Scene ballot (posted as "Rank, Strangers! Part UN: The Reckoning, and a copious cornycopia of comments ("Pt. Dude: The Telling"), with country skewing toward indie folk-rock and "Americana" this year (some scorched earth surveys as well, like Todd Snider's Agnostic Hymns and Stoner Fables)=--all in bite-sized chunks; big bites, so eat like you mean it. http://thefreelancementalists.blogspot.com

Pazz & Jop comments, prob titled "I Only Come Here For The Music" (thanks, Don Williams) will be posted there next week.