so... we are half way through 2012...

[cutterbutter]

Albums I have enjoyed enjoyed more than a good amount this year:

Heaven by The Walkmen
Reissues by My Blood Valentine
Valtari by Sigur Ros
Break It Yourself by Andrew Bird
Attack on Memory by Cloud Nothings
Bloom By Beach
Blunderbuss by Jack White
Celebration by Japandroids
Russian Blood EP by Ribs
There's No Leave Now by The Tallest Man On Earth
Synthetica By Metric
Spooky Action at a Distance by Lotus Plaza

[lt.roast.a.botch]

Yikes I have 22 albums already flagged as albums I have thoroughly enjoyed. I dont think I'm ready to cut it down right now. In chronological order [my OCD is more extreme then yours]

Porcelain Raft - Strange Weekend
John Talabot - ƒin
Errors - Have Some Faith In Magic
Dropxlife - FURTHUR
Grimes - Visions
Alanis Mitchell - Young Man in America
Scuba - Personality
Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action at a Distance
Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
Petar Dundov - Ideas From the Pond [thanks guedita]
Jack White - Blunderbuss
School of Seven Bells - Ghostory
Chromatics - Kill For Love
Julia Holter - Ekstasis
Orbital - Wonky
Blondes - Blondes
Here We Go Magic - A Different Ship
SCSI-9 - Metamorphosis [thanks ods...]
Simian Mobile Disco - Unpatterns
Beach House - Bloom
Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
Japandroids - Celebration Rock

[roberto73]

I'm finding too much to like and not enough time so far to really digest. So, some albums that stand out, in no particular order (except #1 is likely #1 because I can't stop listening to it):

Clock Opera – Ways to Forget
Paul Buchanan – Mid Air
iLiKETRAiNS – The Shallows
Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory
The Maccabees – Given to the Wild
Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light
Mark Lanegan Band – Blues Funeral
The Men – Open Your Heart
Lotus Plaza – Spooky Action at a Distance
Screaming Females – Ugly
The Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know
Yellow Ostrich – Strange Land

This is without having given a proper listen to things I know have a good shot of being on the final list at the end of the year: Japandroids, dEUS, Paul Weller, Liars, and on and on and on.

[LooseAtTheZoo]

dunno... but the first 15 I thought of were:

Aaron Dilloway - Modern Jester
Ben Vida - Esstends
Joe Colley - Lonely Microphone
NHK'Koyxeи - Dance Classics Vol.I
Dolphins Into The Future - Canto Arquipélago
Billy Gomberg - Waiting In Poor Lighting
Sewer Election - Vittra Sonder
Sean McCann & Matthew Sullivan - Vanity Fair
Nathan McLaughlin - The Refrigerator Is Emotional
Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
Mark Leckey - Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore
Eric Lanham - Sincere Interruption
Julia Holter - Ekstasis
Ákos Rózmann - 12 Stationer VI
Liars - WIXIW

That Ben Vida album is killer. "Pins Ans Sweeps" wrecks me

[TomServo]

What... two mentions of Jack White's "Blunderbuss"?

I guess this is an indie electropop board.

[bmack86]

I like it, not top 10 so far for me.

[Gribbz]

So far (no particular order):

The Tallest Man on Earth - There's No Leaving Now
Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light
Death Grips - The Money Store
Liars - WIXIW
Lotus Plaza – Spooky Action at a Distance
Japandroids - Celebration Rock
El-P - Cancer 4 Cure
Yellow Ostrich – Strange Land
Sigur Ros – Valtari
John Talabot - Fin
Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music

Still a ton of stuff I need to listen to. Hard for music to fall through the cracks with threads like these.

[TomAz]

Your claim in the thread title is really fucking with my OCD. Couldn't wait until July 1st?

Kreutz is not very good with math or precision or science or anything like that. You have to forgive him.

But yeah this thread is very useful. Tell me how people pronounce WIXIW. is it "double yew why eks eye double yew" or is it "wicksoo" or is something else? BBC.com says it is "Wish you" but I don't trust brits when it comes to pronunciation.

[wmgaretjax]

wish - ewe

edit: i guess technically it's "wish you" given the lyrics in the song... but when he says it he kind of runs the words together really softly.

[TallGuyCM]

It's "wish you", yeah.

[kreutz2112]

I pronounce it "wixiwoo". I know it's wrong, but I don't care. Imprecision is kinda my thang. Dick.

[Drinkey McDrinkerstein]

This is not in any order whatsoever. Just going through my 2012 playlist and picking out the albums i've been enjoying the most.

Alcest - Les Voyages De L'Âme
Bréag Naofa - Untitled
The Maccabees - Given To The Wild
Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory
A Place To Bury Strangers - Onwards To The Wall
Orange Goblin - A Eulogy For The Damned
Errors - Have Some Faith In Magic
Young Magic - Melt
School Of Seven bells - Ghostory
Dustin Wong - Dreams Say, View, Create, Shadow Leads
Alex Winston - King Con
Drowner - Drowner
Lucero - Women & Work
Bear In Heaven - I Love You, it's Cool
Little Chords - Afterlife
If These Trees Could Talk - Red Forest
Yellow Ostrich - Strange Land
Inner Tube - Inner Tube
Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action At A Distance
Brothertiger - Golden Years
Sleepy Sun - Spine Hits
The Men - Open Your Heart
Death Grips - The Money Store
Niki & The Dove - Instinct
Dweller On The Threshold - Dweller On The Threshold
El-P - Cancer 4 Cure
Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
Violens - True

[rag and bone]

What I've listened to most...

Beach House- Bloom
Burial- Kindred EP
Chromatics- Kill for Love
Death Grips- The Money Store
Gentleman Jesse- Leaving Atlanta
Guided By Voices- Let's Go Eat the Factoy
Jack White- Blunderbuss
John Talabot- Fin
Julia Holter- Ekstasis
Lotus Plaza- Spooky Action at a Distance
Lower Dens- Nootropics
The Mallard- Yes On Blood
Mean Jeans- On Mars
Schoolboy Q- Habits & Contradictions
Screaming Females- Ugly
Slices- Still Cruising
Toys That Kill- Fambly Rights
Ty Segall & White Fence- Hair
The Walkmen- Heaven
White Fence- Family Perfume Vol. 1 & 2

[nicholasyames]

okay i've read this whole thread and i can't possibly attribute my favorites to everyone who mentioned them but good choices by all.

so here we go anyways...

in no particular order (although the favorites come off the top of the head)

cloud nothings - attack on memory
spiritualized - sweet heart sweet light
jack white - blunderbuss
the walkmen - heaven
here we go magic - a different ship
plants and animals - the end of that
toro y moi - june 2009
sigur ros - valtari
school of seven bells - ghostory
beach house - bloom
dr dog - be the void
porcelain raft - strange weekend
lotus plaza - spooky action at a distance
japandroids - celebration rock
dustin wong - dreams say, view create, shadow leads (really really good guitar)
band of skulls - sweet sour
yellow ostrich - strange land
alabama shakes - boys & girls
grimes - visions
tanlines - mixed emotions
craft spells - gallery (EP)

i'm really digging this liars album I'm listening to right now as well

okay of montreal's album was just okay i guess, but the last part of the final song "authentic pyrrhic remission" when it goes from that psychedelic haze to him alone on the piano is simply beautiful. especially the lyrics.


oh and i dig st. vincent's single "krokodil"
also robin pecknold's "olivia, on a separate bed"
"simple song" from port of morrow is adequate but the rest somewhat lacks in places

i love "two feet standup" from brendan canning's (broken social scene) reformed cookie duster outfit... excited for the album
also love lemonade - neptune
shit i've played "how long have you know?" a lot this past month from DIIV's upcoming debut


that's a quick recap of what i like in music so far this year. thanks for listening.

[Down Rodeo]

In no particular order...

Julia Holter - Ekstasis
Liars - WIXIW
Death Grips - The Money Store
Dean Blunt & Inga Copeland - Black is Beautiful
Akos Rozmann - 12 Stationer VI
NHK'Koyxen - Dance Classics Vol. I
Perispirit - Spiritual Church Movement
Aaron Dilloway - Modern Jester
Pop.1280 - The Horror
Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II
Evan Caminiti - Night Dust
Torche - Harmonicraft
Beach House - Bloom

[wmgaretjax]

That Earth album is really good... As is the Perispirit. I need to give the Blunt/Copeland another chance... I'm a big Hype Williams fan but the new one didn't click for me.

[Miroir Noir]

A few publication "best of 2012 so far" lists:

Stereogum:

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

Gorilla v. Bear:

01 Grimes – Visions [tie]
01 Chromatics – Kill For Love [tie]
03 Schoolboy Q – Habits & Contradictions
04 Burial – Kindred
05 Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music
06 Laurel Halo – Quarantine
07 Clams Casino – Instrumental Mixtape II
08 Beach House – Bloom
09 Dean Blunt & Inga Copeland – Black is Beautiful
10 SYMMETRY – Themes for an Imaginary Film
11 Nicolas Jaar / Clown & Sunset – The Prism
12 Death Grips – The Money Store
13 Chairlift – Something
14 Peaking Lights – Lucifer
15 Frankie Rose – Interstellar
16 Shackleton – Music for the Quiet Hour
17 THEESatisfaction – awE naturalE
18 Phédre – Phédre
19 Mirrorring – Foreign Body
20 Ab-Soul – Control System

[IceyHotshot]

NPR is holding their usual "best of the year so far" vote: http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/20...t-music-so-far

[nosurprises12]

A few publication "best of 2012 so far" lists:

Gorilla v. Bear:

16 Shackleton – Music for the Quiet Hour

This one has been criminally over-looked in this thread.

[bmack86]

Probably criminally underheard as well. I'll check it out soon.

[nosurprises12]

What's a little odd about that GvB listing is that the release actually contains two EPs (they left out The Drawbar Organ EP), unless of course they wanted to only highlight Music for the Quiet Hour as they are two very different kinds of releases.

Also, isn't a stellar RA review (which it received back in April) the EDM equivalent of a stellar P4K review, or am I just pulling that out of my ass?

[SoulDischarge]

A lot of people consider RA to be the electronic music equivalent to Pitchfork. Usually in a pejorative sense.

[Ross1492]

So true. Though I often prefer RA's reviewing to P4K's when it comes to dance music.

[zircona1]

I don't understand the praise for the Cloud Nothings album, it doesn't excite me lyrically or musically.

[trendski]

Ab-Soul - Control System
Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
Amadou & Mariam - Folla
Beach House - Bloom
Blood Orange - Coastal Grooves
Curren$y - The Stoned Immaculate
Death Grips - The Money Store
El-P - Cancer 4 Cure
First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
Frankie Rose - Interstellar
Grimes - Visions
Hot Chip - In Our Heads
The Internet - Purple Naked Ladies
Jack White - Blunderbuss
Julia Holter - Ekstasis
Lee Fields & The Expressions - Faithful Man
Liars - WIXIW
Lotus Plaza - Spooky Action at a Distance
Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
The Maccabees - Given To The Wild
Michael Kiwanuka - Home Again
Norah Jones - Little Broken Hearts
Oh No - Ohnomite
Quakers - Quakers
Rusko - Songs
Santigold - Master Of My Make-Believe
Schoolboy Q - Habits & Contradictions
Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light
The Walkmen - Heaven

[nosurprises12]

A lot of people consider RA to be the electronic music equivalent to Pitchfork. Usually as a pejorative.

That's a bit surprising to hear - why is that the case? (serious question, by the way)

[SoulDischarge]

They're elitist snobs, etc.

[Gribbz]

So far (no particular order):

The Tallest Man on Earth - There's No Leaving Now
Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light
Death Grips - The Money Store
Liars - WIXIW
Lotus Plaza – Spooky Action at a Distance
Japandroids - Celebration Rock
El-P - Cancer 4 Cure
Yellow Ostrich – Strange Land
Sigur Ros – Valtari
John Talabot - Fin
Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music

Carolina Chocolate Drops - Leaving Eden

[Albiedamned]

beach house - bloom
the shins - port of morrow
grimes - visions
tanlines - mixed emotions
hot chip - in our heads
japandroids - celebration rock
santigold - master of my make-believe
jack white - blunderbuss
lotus plaza - spooky action at a distance
hospitality - hospitality

[loomer]

Mirrorring - Foreign Body
Julia Holter - Ekstasis
Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music

That's about it so far. The Summer and Fall releases look very promising though