Best Albums of 2012

Best Albums of 2012

SHARON VAN ETTEN.  Source: Stereogum


Here are my picks for Best Albums of 2012:


15. The Magnetic Fields – Love at the Bottom of the Sea
Best Track: "Andrew in Drag"

14. Grizzly Bear – Shields
Best Track: "Gun-Shy"

13. Beach House – Bloom
Best Track: "Myth"

12. Great Lake Swimmers – New Wild Everywhere
Best Track: "Think That You Might Be Wrong"

11. Cat Power – Sun
Best Track: "Ruin"

10. Divine Fits – A Thing Called Divine Fits
Best Track: "My Love is Real"

9. Chairlift – Something
Best Track: "I Belong In Your Arms"

8. Metric – Synthetica
Best Track: "Clone"


7. The Lumineers – The Lumineers
Best Track: "Ho Hey"


6. Passion Pit - Gossamer
Best Track: "Constant Conversations"

5. Sun Kil Moon – Among the Leaves
Best Tracks: "Sunshine in Chicago," "Elaine," "Young Love"

4. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
Best Tracks: "Thinkin' Bout You," "Pyramids," "Lost"

 

3. Hospitality - Hospitality

Best Tracks: "Eighth Avenue," "Friends of Friends," "Argonauts,"

2. Of Monsters and Men – My Head Is An Animal
Best Tracks: "Dirty Paws," "King and Lionheart," "Little Talks"

















1. Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
It wasn't until after I'd become enamoured with this album that I found out it was produced by Aaron Dessner of The National (my favourite band and pick for Best Album of 2010) and features Zach Condon of Beirut (my pick for Best Album of 2011).
Best Tracks: "Give Out," "Leonard," "We Are Fine (feat. Zach Condon of Beirut)," "I'm Wrong"

Best Songs of 2012

Best Songs of 2012

 
CHVRCHES. Source: ThePhoenix.com

My picks for the best songs of 2012:


25. Kanye West, 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Pusha T – Mercy

24. Sharon Van Etten – I’m Wrong

23. Grimes - Genesis

22. Sharon Van Etten - Leonard

21. Beach House – Myth

20. Divine Fits – My Love Is Real

19. Nas – Daughters

18. Sharon Van Etten – Give Out

17. Great Lake Swimmers – Think That You Might Be Wrong

16. The Magnetic Fields – Andrew in Drag

15. Sun Kil Moon – Young Love

14. Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe

13. Fiona Apple – Hot Knife

12. Mumford and Sons – I Will Wait

11. Usher – Climax

10. Frank Ocean - Pyramids

9. Cat Power - Ruin

8. Of Monsters and Men – King and Lionheart

7. Alabama Shakes – Hold On

6. Azealia Banks – 212

5. Hospitality – Friends of Friends

4. The Lumineers – Ho Hey

3. Frank Ocean – Thinkin’ Bout You

2. Chairlift – I Belong In Your Arms

Japanese Version:

1. CHVRCHES – The Mother We Share

Books I Read in 2012

I only read 26 books in 2012, down from 36 in 2011 and 40 in 2010 but I still managed to find a new addition to my Top 10 All-Time Favourites List in Room by Emma Donaghue. The rest, in order read.

1. A Feast for Crows - George R.R. Martin
2. Bossypants - Tina Fey
3. Room - Emma Donaghue
4. Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger
5. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
6. Heavy Weather - P.G. Wodehouse
7. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
8. Then We Came To The End - Joshua Ferris
9. Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
10. At Swim-Two-Birds - Flann O'Brien
11. Little Princes - Conor Grennan
12. Dogs in Books - Catherine Britton
13. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
14. The Farthest Shore - Ursula K. Le Guin
15. Boy Meets Boy - David Levithan
16. The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett
17. Saturday - Ian McEwan
18. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
19. The Wise Man's Fear - Patrick Rothfuss
20. Behind the Scenes at the Museum - Kate Atkinson
21. The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein
22. Eating the Dinosaur - Chuck Klosterman
23. A Dance with Dragons - George R.R. Martin
24. Come, Thou Tortoise - Jessica Grant
25. Of Bees and Mist - Erick Setiwian
26. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole (re-read)

COMICS/GRAPHIC NOVELS
1-5. Sandman Vol. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 - Neil Gaiman
6. Bone: One Volume Edition - Jeff Smith

Aside from Room, my other favourites were Then We Came To The End (a workplace satire told in first-person-plural), Little Princes (not usually much for non-fiction but this was really great), Saturday and Behind the Scenes at the Museum.

After a re-read, A Confederacy of Dunces still holds up as my second favourite novel of all-time.