The Best Albums of 2012 (1-11)

It's the end of the year.  2012...and we survived.  Unless some mad Mayan rises from the grave in the next three days and turns us all into zombies and the inevitable Irwin Allen disaster picture.  Anything's possible.

So here are my top pics for favorite albums of 2012.  It's really a toss-up between Jack and Corin.  I went with Corin in the final coin flip because I find myself going back to the record more than JW.  It's honestly the strongest thing she's put out since the heart of the Sleater-Kinney years...if not better in some ways.

Now it's your turn.  Send in your top album pics for 2012 and I'll compile them in my super 111 best album list that I'll post about a week from now.

Remember it doesn't have to be twenty.  It can be any number of albums you liked.  Just post them in the comment section or email me.

Have a great new year!

Here are the Best Albums of 2012 (1-11):

1.  The Corin Tucker Band - Kill My Blues
2.  Jack White - Blunderbuss
3.  The Big Pink - Future This
4.  Lana Del Rey - Born To Die/Paradise
5.  Passion Pit - Gossamer
6.  Shins - Port of Morrow
7.  The xx - Coexist
8.  Delta Spirit - Delta Spirit
9.  The Divine Fits - A Thing Called Divine Fits (Bonus Track)
10.  Niki & Dove - Instinct
11.  Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods

Buy these albums and more...now!!!

The 11 Best Albums of 2012...so far

As you probably know from my rantings this year, finding great music has been in short supply.  I feel like I want to like more music than I actually do.  I follow the new releases pretty religiously...to the point that Tuesday is as sacred in my house as Sunday is in most of middle America.  I'm always looking for the next Bon Iver, the XX, or Arcade Fire.  But with the mediocre batch of releases this year...I'll settle for the next Motion City Soundtrack at this point.  (Okay, maybe not that)

This batch of releases is actually fairly solid...just nothing mind blowing...not yet.  Great music does have to grow on you.  And maybe some of the highly-touted releases (The Men, Torche, Kelly Hogan, Sharon Van Eten, Liars, Father John Misty, Ceremony, Daughn Gibson, Pallbearer, Dexys, Screaming Females, or The Walkmen) will grow on me.  Until then...this is what we have to work with.

Here are the 11 Best Albums of 2012...so far:

1. The Big Pink - Future This
2. Jack White - Blunderbuss
3. Schoolboy Q - Habits & Contradictions
4. Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods
5. Lana Del Rey - Born To Die
6. The Cribs - In The Belly of the Brazen Bull
7. The Shins - Port of Morrow
8. Japandroids - Celebration Rock (only $2.99...limited time!!)
9. Joey Bada$$ - 1999  (this one is free!!)
10. Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls
11. Jay Farrar - New Multitudes

What are your favorites this year?  

The 11 Best Songs By The Shins

Record Store Day is upon...just 30 days away until the greatest music day of the year.  For some reason, they're dicking around with the U.S. release list.  They've already announced all the releases for the U.K., which you can check out here.  I'm not sure what the delay is...basically the releases for the U.K. and the U.S. are practically identical.  And they add new titles every couple days leading up to the date.  Not sure what they're waiting on.  Part of the excitement of Record Store Day is the anticipation. Getting to pick through the list and check out every new available title is almost as exciting as getting home and listening to the music.  The longer they wait to announce the releases...the less time we have to do our research.  And every one knows, audiophiles having nothing else to do with our lives except sit around and do useless research.  The U.K. list is interesting.  Not as exciting as last years...but still a few nuggets in there.  Maybe the big hitters are yet to come.  April 21, 2012...here we come!!!

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Shins:

1. New Slang (Oh, Inverted World)
2. Spilt Needles (Wincing The Night Way) 
3. So Says I (Chutes Too Narrow)
4. Phantom Limb (Wincing The Night Way)
5. Turns A Square (Chutes Too Narrow) 
6. Nothing At All (Wincing The Night Way)
7. Caring Is Creepy (Oh, Inverted World)
8. Plenty Is Never Enough (SCORE! Merge Records)
9. Turn On Me (Wincing The Night Way)
10. Fighting In A Sack (Chutes Too Narrow)
11. The Celibate Life (Oh, Inverted World)

Buy The Shins new album, Port of Morrow...today!!

The 11 Most Anticipate Albums of Winter 2012

The final year of existence is upon us...and here's what we have to look forward to.

They always did say Van Halen would reunite when hell froze over.  I guess they were right.

Here are the 11 Most Anticipate Albums of Winter 2012:

1. Van Halen - Secret Title (2/7)
2. The Shins - Port of Morrow (March)
3. Craig Finn - Clear Eyes, Full Hearts (1/24)
4. Paul McCartney - Kisses on the Bottom (1/31)
5. Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror (2/14)
6. The Big Pink - Future This (1/17)
7. Of Montreal - Paralytic Stalks (1/31)
8. Heartless Bastards - Arrow (2/14)
9. Esperanza Spalding - Radio Music Society (2/28)
10. Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory (1/24)
11. Miike Snow - Happy To You (March)

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (23-33)

The 111 Best Albums of the 00s (23-33):

23. The Shins - Oh, Inverted World (2001)
- Did you see Garden State? Enough said.

24. Outkast - Stankonia (2000)
- The only bad thing about this album is that it wasn't a double album.

25. The Killers - Hot Fuss (2004)
- Hands down the hardest rocking Mormons to ever come out of Las Vegas.

26. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (2007)
- Album number 2 is louder, faster, stronger, bigger, braver, and better.
(New York I Love You)

27. The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)
- A concept album that isn't a concept album. Would expect something from the Flaming Lips to make sense?
(Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots)

28. The Postal Service - Give Up (2003)
- Don't side projects usually suck?
(This Place Is a Prison)

29. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III (2008)
- Just because you're short and ugly doesn't mean you can't make good music.

30. Kanye West - Late Registration (2005)
- Just because you're loud and obnoxious doesn't mean you can't make good music.

31. Spoon - Gimme Fiction (2005)
- Do these guy know how to make bad music? (Sister Jack)

32. Johnny Cash - American IV: Man Comes Around (2002)
- F.U. Trent Reznor.

33. Norah Jones - Come Away With Me (2002)
- Who ever thought sappy piano ballads could be so good?

Buy these albums now.