Anyway, thanks to Last.fm, I know what I listened to this year, and my top 15 this year was:
I realize that not all of these artists released albums this year, so I won't include those, but it's still interesting to have a record of my listening habits. I'll start at the top of the list, but I'm not trying to rank any of these albums, just record some thoughts.
Panda Bear "Tomboy"
This is definitely one of my favorites of the year, even if a bunch of critics thought his last album was better. They should have been there when he played this album in its entirety at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Sonically it was one of the best experiences of my life, it just sounded so perfect in that room, and the spectrum was so lush that I understand now how to appreciate electronic music.
John Maus "We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves"
I just thought this album sounded cool until I read this article, and then I appreciated it even more. This album has so many cool sounds, but the songs are great. People tell me that he's hard to get into, which is understandable after seeing him perform, but I thought it was great, just him onstage with a microphone freaking the fuck out.
Real Estate "Days"
This album is so chill that it gets you going, or whatever. I love simple songwriting and these guys have the riffs to back them up. And they killed it live, so good.
Toro y Moi "Underneath the Pine"
This guy is a great songwriter, and these songs are so creative that it makes for a really well rounded album. They weren't as good as I wanted them to be live, but maybe they were just having an off night, or I was, or both.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra "Unknown Mortal Orchestra"
This album kills it, so creative, and I love they way they recorded it. Low-fi, but still huge. More great simple songwriting, and these dudes can play, one of the best performances I've seen all year.
Fleet Foxes "Helplessness Blues"
This album came out during an interesting time for me this year, so I feel like I'll always associate it with that, but this is an incredible album. I hope they win a Grammy because they deserve it. Didn't get to see them this year, but mainly because I couldn't afford it. Whatev.
Cass McCombs "WIT'S END" + "Humor Risk"
I'll say first that this was probably the quietest rock show I've ever been to, I mean the drummer played the first song with his fucking fingers. Anyway, the two albums he released this year are both very good. One of the great songwriters of our generation.
Gauntlet Hair "Gauntlet Hair"
This album is so cool. The incorporation of electric and acoustic drums works really well, and this album just sounds nice and good and loud, and it's the same live.
Girls "Father, Son, Holy Ghost"
This is a great fucking rock album, and I haven't heard a great rock album in a long time. The songs on this album are so good, I just want more. I'm really looking forward to seeing them next week.
Kurt Vile "Smoke Ring For My Halo"
Another great songwriter, and I kept coming back to this album all year. Still haven't seen him live, but I can image that it would be great.
TV on the Radio "Nine Types of Light"
This is a really cool album, by a really cool band. I can only hope that I will eventually make music this cool.
A few more great listens:
Twin Sister "In Heaven" - This is such a creative album with some great songs.
Widowspeak "Widowspeak" - Another great female fronted band.
The Weeknd/Frank Ocean - A couple great albums to set the mood, if you know what I mean. But seriously, these guys can sing.
Purity Ring - They didn't release an album, or even very many songs, but this is what bass should sound like.
Dodos "No Color" - These guys are consistently good, and all the songs on here are great with some very creative drumming.
Gardens & Villa "Gardens & Villa" - When I saw the lead singer carry a satchel of wooden flutes on stage, I was intrigued.
St. Vincent "Strange Mercy" - She is such a good singer, and the songs on here are just killer.
The Stepkids "The Stepkids" - Psychedelic.
Atlas Sound "Parallax" - I still like Deerhunter a little bit more, but this is a solid album.
Battles "Gloss Drop" - Not as dynamic without the lead singer, but these guys are so tight that it almost doesn't matter.
Bon Iver "Bon Iver" - Another emotional album, but for the good reasons.
Here's to 2012.
