The year isn't half over yet. We know that. But since everyone starts unveiling their year-end lists in November, we figured we wouldn't be too far out of pocket if we unveiled our favorites of the 2012 calendar year the week before Memorial Day.
Our favorite album of the year (so far) is the one on which a talented young band teamed up with a production hero of the '90s and immersed themselves in the decade's hard, chunky, scraping, anthemic rock music. There's no drift at all in Cloud Nothings' Attack On Memory -- just forward drive, rendered with style and conviction. That same Clinton-era ferocity is on display in a bunch of the other albums that appear on this list. Japandroids, Screaming Females both ran with it, and so, in their own ways, did Torche and Ceremony. Other albums don't necessarily draw on that decade's style, but they do sprint into chaotic combat in refreshingly concrete ways: El-P, Sleigh Bells, Killer Mike, Death Grips.
But it doesn't make too much sense to impose a narrative on this list. There's plenty of druggy float in the albums from Beach House and Future and the Chromatics, and plenty of glamorous sheen in the records from Chairlift and Rick Ross and Kindness. The albums that appear on our list don't really share too much in common, except this: They're all deeply personal, idiosyncratic visions. That, and we like all of them. Check out our list below.
STEREOGUM'S TOP 25 ALBUMS OF 2012 SO FAR
25 Heems - Nehru Jackets (Greedhead)
24 Ceremony - Zoo (Matador)
23 Willis Earl Beal - Acousmatic Sorcery (Hot Charity/XL)
22 Grimes - Visions (4AD/Arbutus)
21 Kindness - World You Need A Change Of Mind (Polydor/Female Energy)
20 Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light (Fat Possum)
19 Chromatics - Kill For Love (Italians Do It Better)
18 Death Grips - The Money Store (Epic)
17 Frankie Rose - Interstellar (Slumberland)
16 Tanlines - Mixed Emotions (True Panther)
15 Torche - Harmonicraft (Volcom)
14 Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action At A Distance (Kranky)
13 Julia Holter - Ekstasis (Rvng Intl.)
12 Action Bronson & Party Supplies - Blue Chips (self-released)
11 Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music (Williams Street)
10 Future - Pluto (Epic/A1/Free Bandz)
09 Sleigh Bells - Reign Of Terror (Mom + Pop)
08 Rick Ross - Rich Forever (Maybach Music)
07 Screaming Females - Ugly (Don Giovanni)
06 El-P - Cancer For Cure (Fat Possum)
05 Beach House - Bloom (Sub Pop)
04 Japandroids - Celebration Rock (Polyvinyl)
03 Chairlift - Something (Columbia)
02 The Walkmen - Heaven (Fat Possum)
01 Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory (Carpark)
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Here’s that list in a more scannable format:
25 Heems - Nehru Jackets
24 Ceremony - Zoo
23 Willis Earl Beal - Acousmatic Sorcery
22 Grimes - Visions
21 Kindness - World You Need A Change Of Mind
20 Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light
19 Chromatics - Kill For Love
18 Death Grips - The Money Store
17 Frankie Rose - Interstellar
16 Tanlines - Mixed Emotions
15 Torche - Harmonicraft
14 Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action At A Distance
13 Julia Holter - Ekstasis
12 Action Bronson & Party Supplies - Blue Chips
11 Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
10 Future - Pluto
09 Sleigh Bells - Reign Of Terror
08 Rick Ross - Rich Forever
07 Screaming Females - Ugly
06 El-P - Cancer For Cure
05 Beach House - Bloom
04 Japandroids - Celebration Rock
03 Chairlift - Something
02 The Walkmen - Heaven
01 Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory
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As always, coming up with the master countdown meant leaving out some personal favorites of our four staff members. Here are those...
HONORABLE MENTIONS
SCOTT
01 Sun Kil Moon - Among The Leaves
02 Wymond Miles - Under The Pale Moon
03 Field Music - Plumb
04 Moonface With Sinai - Bravery
05 Sharon Van Etten - Tramp
AMRIT
01 Mount Eerie - Clear Moon
02 Vijay Iyer - Accelerando
03 PO PO - Dope Boy Magick
04 John Talabot - ƒIN
05 The Men - Open Your Heart
TOM
01 Jack White - Blunderbuss
02 Schoolboy Q - Habits & Consequences
03 Tragedy - Darker Days Ahead
04 Killa Kyleon & Mouse - Welcome To The Fish Fry
05 Split Cranium - Split Cranium
CORBAN
01 Lil B - God's Father
02 THEESatisfaction - awE naturalE
03 Chief Keef - Back From The Dead
04 Best Coast - The Only Place
05 Rye Rye - Go! Pop! Bang!
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That's a solid chunk of the year's most notable releases to date, though obviously not all of them. Feel free to nominate those that we missed.
