eMusic Members’ Top 25 of 2012
Beach House
We asked, you answered. And the results were as varied and eclectic as we’ve come to expect from eMusic members. Here are the results of our Member Poll for the Best Albums of 2012, along with some of your comments.
25. Gotye, Making Mirrors
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The best tunes haven't made it to commercial radio, but this is a fun, retro album from a very talented musician. — frod2004
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I know "Somebody that I Used to Know" became the overplayed hit of the year, but it really is a good track, but more importantly, the entire album of Making Mirrors is great. Radio stations should be playing more songs from it! Eclectic, experimental – pushing limits and expectations on... many tracks and keeping them together in one concise album. And Gotye is fascinating in concert blending sounds and visuals for a truly unique experience. It's the most interesting and fun album I've purchased this year. I tell all my friends they should listen to it — few will like all of it, but everyone will find something they like. Glad that Gotye pushed the norm of rock/pop music." – jmlyn23
The whole album is musically ingenious and lyrically substantive. — mtemccrary
24. Alt-J, An Awesome Wave
23. Django Django, Django Django
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They got compared to the Beta Band so I couldn't resist. Love 'em. "Waveforms" is one of the tunes that got me through my first half-marathon (and I am quite possibly old enough to be your mother if you are under the age of 31). – Lucyland Solid album all around. Beach Boy harmonies over indie/alt music with great hooks. Perfect summer album. – musarter
22. Andrew Bird, Break It Yourself
21. Bob Dylan, Tempest
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Varied styles throughout. Hard to believe he can still pull it off at such high quality. – markthompson123
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50 years on, Bob Dylan releases an unexpected masterpiece, fiercely declaring his continued relevance at age 72. – zeppyfish
Dylan, like Van, has become a great producer (as Jack Frost) of his single artist roster: himself. Yes, the voice is rough on this one. But such lyrical and musical talent shines through it hardly matters. Another... triumph. — wallbanger7
20. The Shins, Port of Morrow
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What's not to love? Unique melodies, thought provoking lyrics, beautiful instrumentation and heartfelt vocals. Every track here is a winner and it's great to hear new material by a most talented artist. Standout tracks "The Rifle's Spiral," "Simple Song," "It's Only Life," "No Way Down," "For A Fool" and "Fall of '82." Thanks Mr. Mercer for reviving and reinventing The Shins. In doing so, you have created another classic disc. – Acardo
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When... I saw The Shins on TV without the original band members I really wanted to hate this album. Unfortunately, love him or loathe him, Mercer is a talented songsmith and despite all my personal hangups about this not being the band I used to love I can't deny the fact that this is a great album — I just wish he could of come up with a new name." — FREECARVEJUNKIE
19. Passion Pit, Gossamer
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Michael Angelakos does what all the best pop artists do, he makes you want to dance with the devils that haunt him. — davissonma Well-written songs gussied up with pop sensibilities anchored by bleak lyrics. — nbtshirts After a long delay, Passion Pit returns with another brilliant album. Perhaps less immediately catchy than Manners, Gossamer has the depth to make it a classic. — londoncrockett
18. The Avett Brothers, The Carpenter
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Their best overall LP yet. — markthompson123 ...and the talent and creativity continue to come from the brothers Avett...long time favorites...just making room on my list this year from some new mentions. However, I can't just leave them off... — h2gerberich Growing up never sounded better. — Cguido
17. First Aid Kit, The Lion’s Roar
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Beautiful harmonies in an alt-country mix. Heavy lyric themes and beautiful music. — musarter
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Just the right amount of everything – vocals, harmonies, country twang, lyrics, production — all just right. "Not a bad song in the bunch, but the tracks that really stand out for me are "In The Hearts of Men" (track 3) and "I Found A Way" (track 7)." — emusicminer
If you like alt-country like Neko Case or Kathleen Edwards,... this is for you. Great harmonies. Young as the girls are, they can only get that much better. — madformusic
"The stylistic range is mind-boggling." — riccco
16. The Lumineers, The Lumineers
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Music to make you grin, whether you want to admit it or not. Such a totally lovable band. — zeppyfish
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Well they ain't from around here, folks, but boy what a sound. I was looking for something "different," "Ho Hey" is about as different as it gets. That was my introduction to the album and then I had heard that some guy had put out an album by these guys. The search was... on and it was worth it, "Stubborn Love" is my favorite song, but there isn't a bad track on the album. — mkedor
My favorite stomp-a-long, clap-a-long, sing-a-long album of the year! — sbusby21
15. The Walkmen, Heaven
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Amazing. After all these years they are still able to make some awesome albums. – jsf1190
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Phil Ek polishes their familiar reverb, and their songs are as tight and direct as ever. – scatterbeard
I sure like what musical maturity is doing to this band. I just told somebody, "It's hard not having any new Harry Nilsson music being sent into the world; The Walkmen at least make this sadness a little easier." –... Jdarling
14. Gary Clark, Jr., Blak and Blu
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"I think we've witnessed the beginning of an amazing career. There was so much hype for this release, I couldn't imagine it could live up to it. But it did. And then some. His talent is simply off the charts." – randall.depew "An amazing guitar player, Gary shows he can construct a funky set of tunes as well." – ctgguy35
13. Fun., Some Nights
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"I'm an old fart, now. But when I heard "We Are Young", it was the closest I've felt to what it was like being 20 in years." – randall.depew
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"The most fun guilty pleasure ever." - michael.bryan
"Been following fun.'s songwriter/vocalist Nate Reuss since Dog Problems by the Format and I think he's one of the most undervalued talents in music right now. His gifts are showcased again here. Lyrically he opens a vein... and lets it spill out. Musically he's drawing inspiration from unexpected places. You'll hear things that sound like Queen, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, operetta, a children's choir and who knows what else. Experimental, touching and surprising. Just heard of these guys due to "We Are Young"? Get this and if you like it get all of Aim and Ignite and then Dog Problems by the Format, forthwith." – Happenstance
12. Dirty Projectors, Swing Lo Magellen
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Dirty Projectors' music has always been easier to admire than to enjoy. With this collection, however, they have made their intellectually brilliant music more accessible by infusing it with heart. – tlmucla33
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Not fully accessible, but great if you are willing to challenge yourself a little. – TianShan
It's not Bitte Orca, but it doesn't have to be. A crazy quilt of melodic and lyrical vibrations. "Render Unto Caesar" is the most fun you'll... have with headphones on this year. – zeppyfish
11. Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel…
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Fiona's voice adds an emotionally engaging facet to her insightful and deceptively simple lyrics. The arrangements always feel like we're one beat away from the whole thing imploding on itself, and that insecurity fuels the energy behind this magnificent album. Best argument for pop music as art since The Beatles. – unplugged68
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Fiona's finest album. It's a fun ride inside her unique mind. A great modern recording that captures all the wonderful dysfunction... of young, modern existence with incredible insight and honesty. And don't overlook the very last track, "Hot Knife." A gem. – wallbanger7
Fiona Apple returns with a sparely-produced set of songs that is as good as anything she's ever written. Her voice practically glows. A very fine artist that appears to only improve with age. – jakebridget
10. Japandroids, Celebration Rock
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These boys have captured the essence of being 20-something in the early 21st century. Excellent melodic rock music influenced by equal parts Springsteen and Gainsville Post-hardcore. This was in constant rotation on my summer playlist. – unplugged68 "Oh, oh, oh, oh-oh-oh, oh OH." Enough said. – cesikkenga Turn it up! – jamestomko
9. Tame Impala, Lonerism
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With Tame Impala, Kevin Parker manages to combine many of my favorite ingredients into one potent potion. Electronic deception, vintage rock landscapes, and catchy-ass melodies unite to form the strongest album I've heard in a while. What does it all mean? Parker tells us not to worry about that, just sit back and enjoy the tunes. And man, there's a lot to enjoy. – unplugged68
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I can't get enough of Tame Impala. Lonerism... was well worth the wait after my beloved InnerSpeaker, and "Keep On Lying" is the best earworm one can possibly have while roaming around Sydney on vacay. – Lucyland
Like "Strawberry Fields"-era John Lennon, with soaring synthesizers and a hard-rock foundation. These songs are amazingly fierce when played live compared with the recordings, but the album is still completely delicious. – alt-gramma
8. Sharon Van Etten, Tramp
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"Give Out" is the best song of the year. – palmerjl Brilliant songwriting and heart-wrenching music. – hwillensky Completely surprised I like this record so much. It holds together just enough. Rough and tumble music, with vulnerable lyrics. Love it. – rossd
7. Mumford & Sons, Babel
6. Jack White, Blunderbuss
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Maybe the most interesting musician in America right now. – jeff Jack White is awesomely strange and awesomely talented. This is the kind of music I would make if I could. So layered, so loud and so sexy. – randall.d I would buy anything with his name on it – davido
5. Alabama Shakes, Boys & Girls
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My biggest musical regret of 2012 is not seeing Alabama Shakes live. – sbusby21 Classic old-school R&B made new with edgy rock elements. The best new band to come along in many years. – jakebridget Boys & Girls is one of the most exciting releases in recent history. Combining the soulful vocals of Brittany Howard with a raw blues sound, it's at the top of its class. – frankf
4. Frank Ocean, channel ORANGE
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Part of the reason the retro R&B artists like Raphael Saadiq, Sharon Jones, Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the like are so popular, in my opinion, is because new R&B has been stale. Ocean deserves all the hype and is the best new artist of the year. A sorely needed shot in the arm, Ocean uses hip-hop as inspiration, but channel ORANGE is R&B in spirit. – wallbanger7
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Frank Ocean combines influences from across... R&B's storied history to create a convincing concept album. – unplugged68
It exists in that magic shared spot where my son and I agree on great music. – davido
3. Of Monsters & Men, My Head is an Animal
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You can try not to like them, but it won't work. – rossd Absolute worst record cover, but a great band that came to the world's attention after winning Iceland's national Battle of the Bands with folk-pop. – sandyandbrian This is one of those albums and bands that actually deserve the hype. – wm-jones
2. Grizzly Bear, Shields
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This is a band at their pinnacle of writing and production. A modern rock album with some classic rock sensibilities. – musarter Beautiful orchestration and pure-as-gold harmonies abound on Grizzly Bear's latest. I dare you to find music as compelling and beautiful as you'll find here. – unplugged68 A huge sound. No one else sounds like them. – paulg
#1 Beach House, Bloom
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This band has been building up to the greatness of this album for the past few years. Probably the indie rock album of the year. – mpg26 I don't want to be a trendy hipster, but this band is amazing. – rgiuff1 Exquisite, beautiful, classic. – sukanku
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Rokkoon December 17, 2012 at 7:13 pm said: GOTYE, MAKING MIRRORS, ALT-J, AN AWESOME WAVE, DJANGO DJANGO are all more interesting that anything in the Billboard lists. thank god for alt music -
smw380on December 20, 2012 at 8:29 am said: where's the rest of the list???????
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JEANNE.Bon December 21, 2012 at 2:39 pm said: Boy, I missed the mark this year. None of my choices made it onto this poll or any Emusic poll...though I picked one in the editor's "almost picked" list....
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bubalatoron December 21, 2012 at 3:17 pm said: Dream pop and folk? Youch. Where the rock? Where's the roll? Ariel Pink? Where's Kendrick? At least my 11 year old daughter will be happy you put Fun. is on the list. Try Bobby Womack's latest.
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EMUSIC-02BAAA99on December 24, 2012 at 2:11 am said: I seldom buy entire albums these days, but both Bloom and Shields (the first and second choices) were exceptions. Both are strong throughout, which is rather impressive in the era of MP3s. I have a difficult time trying to pick out a favorite track from Bloom in particular.
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LostBoyon January 1, 2013 at 4:57 pm said: only 2 out of 25 available in my country!
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suomynonaon January 15, 2013 at 12:34 am said: WTF? Only two of 25 albums are available in Germany? I downloaded some of this albumbs before, so what is wrong here? You have a problem.
