Reaper's Favorite Albums of 2012

[Reaper16]

As always, this is a list of my personal favorite albums of the year. It's not meant to be an objective "best-of" list, because while I listen to hundreds of new albums each year I still fall far short of listening to enough to feel comfortable making an objective claim. My usual genre tendencies towards metal and hip-hop are as present as ever. Hopefully you'll find some albums you will come to dig through this list.

I'll be posting it out over the next day or so. I'm doing 30 albums this year.

30.) Miguel - Kaleidoscope Dream
29.) Kamelot - Silverthorn
28.) Monolithe - III
27.) Arjen Anthony Lucassen - Lost in the New Real
26.) Tame Impala - Lonerism
25.) Heems - Nehru Jackets
24.) Panopticon - Kentucky
23.) Anathema - Weather Systems
22.) Brother Ali - Mourning in America, Dreaming in Color
21.) Dan Deacon - America
20.) Sigh - In Somnophobia
19.) El-P - Cancer 4 Cure
18.) Devin Townsend Project - Epicloud
17.) Ondatropica - Ondatropica
16.) Death Grips - No Love Deep Web
15.) First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
14.) Pharaoh - Bury the Light
13.) Krallice - Years Past Matter
12.) Enslaved - RIITIIR
11.) Godspeed You! Black Emperor - 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!
10.) P.O.S. - We Don't Even Live Here
9.) Royal Thunder - CVI
8.) Lazerbeak - Lava Bangers
7.) Swans - The Seer
6.) Mgla - With Hearts Towards None
5.) Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do
4.) Alcest - Les Voyages De L'Âme
3.) Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
2.) Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d. city
1.) Death Grips - The Money Store

[Chiefspants]

Any chance that the new albums from Katatonia, BTBAM, and The Contortionist are all in your top ten?

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

Any chance that the new albums from Katatonia, BTBAM, and The Contortionist are all in your top ten?

I really love one of those bands.

[Bo's Pelini]

LOL that guy calls your list wack then says Vado is good

[Rugby Thompson]

Originally Posted by Reaper16

I love Pusha T as much as the next guy, but he didn't come out with anything in 2012. Vado didn't drop anything this year either (though I had to double-check that). I respect Curren$y, but his albums tend to have too much filler in my opinion to land amongst my very favorite albums of a year. I dug Smoke DZA's album with that Harry Fraud production all over it, but it didn't crack my top 30.

With rap these days, it's more about mixtapes then albums. Pretty sure he dropped one and Vado did too. My bad, I respect indie, it's just an acquired taste and has to grow on me. I find that Curren$y's stoned immaculate had a lot of filter however he dropped Cigarette Boats which was a classic. Curren$y has stepped it up since Fraud started producing for him just like DZA. I Highly Recommend you listen to Smoke DZA - K.O.N.Y - came out like a month or 2 ago, a lot of nice production on there from Ski Beatz, 183rd and Harry, dunno if you heard it, been out for a month or 2 now...what was you're thoughts on the new Kendrick and the new Game, Jesus Piece?

[Rugby Thompson]

Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini

LOL that guy calls your list wack then says Vado is good

You seriously don't think Vado is good?

[Bo's Pelini]

Originally Posted by Rugby Thompson

You seriously don't think Vado is good?

Not really and i'm part of the Dipset cult.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by Reaper16

I really love one of those bands.

Considering your love for Opeth (with Heritage being an exception), I'm going to wager that Katatonia will be making the appearance. With that said, however, have you heard the latest work from The Contortionist? Intrinsic is heavily influenced by cynic/other progressive metal artists and offers a major contrast from TC's previous offerings. It's definitely worthy of a listen, as it may be the album of the year for me thus far. (Though I'd still hold your opinion in high regard if the work was not to your liking.)

[Rugby Thompson]

Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini

Not really and i'm part of the Dipset cult.

You haven't taken in Slime Flu ?
Who you thinks the best in the Dipset cult?

[Bo's Pelini]

Originally Posted by Rugby Thompson

You haven't taken in Slime Flu ?
Who you thinks the best in the Dipset cult?

Slime Flu was ok. I think Cam'ron is by the best in Dipset.

[Rugby Thompson]

take in Smoke DZA - K.O.N.Y

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by Rugby Thompson

With rap these days, it's more about mixtapes then albums. Pretty sure he dropped one and Vado did too. My bad, I respect indie, it's just an acquired taste and has to grow on me. I find that Curren$y's stoned immaculate had a lot of filter however he dropped Cigarette Boats which was a classic. Curren$y has stepped it up since Fraud started producing for him just like DZA. I Highly Recommend you listen to Smoke DZA - K.O.N.Y - came out like a month or 2 ago, a lot of nice production on there from Ski Beatz, 183rd and Harry, dunno if you heard it, been out for a month or 2 now...what was you're thoughts on the new Kendrick and the new Game, Jesus Piece?

He already said Kendrick's album is ranked high on his list. I'm guessing it may be his album of the year.

[Red Brooklyn]

First Aid Kit is the only band I've heard on your list. Actually, I think they are the only band I've even HEARD OF on your list. I'm lame.

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by Red Brooklyn

First Aid Kit is the only band I've heard on your list. Actually, I think they are the only band I've even HEARD OF on your list. I'm lame.

Really? El-P is out repping Brooklyn his whole career and you don't know the man?

Well, that's what I'm here for I suppose.

[Reaper16]

10. P.O.S. – We Don’t Even Live Here

Lyrically, this is an album about little revolutions. The idea is that if you can’t abide living in a ****ed-up America, that you make scheme and plot and make your own rules. Make your own place to live. Kick down doors, reject notions of private property, lie. It’s a surprisingly upbeat album, given its fairly revolutionary politics. P.O.S.’ stellar solo albums have typically been full of punk rock drums and raw production. On this, his 4th album, things change a bit. There’s more of an electronic, European influence. It feels like a natural extension in some ways from 2011’s Doomtree crew album, No Kings. “**** Your Stuff,” the lead single, is as commercial a track as P.O.S. is likely to ever produce (so of course it’s very lyrically subversive). Stef raps his ass off on fast-paced songs like “Weird Friends” or “All of It” or “Bumper.” The track “How We Land” is my favorite; a beautiful number about overmedication, featuring guest vocals (and a guest rap verse!) from Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame. Yes, Bon Iver rap exists. There aren’t a lot of highlights on this album, honestly. Stef’s last album, Never Better, was full of great song after great song. We Don’t Even Live Here is a more cohesive ALBUM, however. It’s an engaging album-length listen. It’s catchy, energetic, and doesn’t get old.

[Reaper16]

9. Royal Thunder – CVI

Hard rock album of the year, right here. Hell, it’s the Southern Rock album of the year, too (apologies to Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires, who are awesome but whose album missed mu top 30 because of production). Royal Thunder is a Sabbath-inspired rock quartet from Georgia and they are goddamned heavy. They’re fronted by Mini Parsons (she also plays bass), whose mid-range voice works so beautifully with the sludgy guitar riffs. She’s like a banshee drunk off of bourbon. These songs are timeless in a way; these vocal lines and riffs would play just as well in the ‘70s as they do today. You could call them revivalist, but I just call them good. The soaring vocals, the bar-smell atmosphere. The first half of this album is seriously as good as anything released in 2012. Anything. The back half falls off a bit for various reasons – redundancy, lack of catchiness, etc. – but that first half got wore the hell out on my iTunes. They can do short and sweet (“Whispering World,” “No Good”), or they can masterfully use atmosphere and repetition to craft a killer 10 minute long song (“Shake and Shift”). Opening track “Parsonz Curse” is a top 3 song of 2012 for me. The slow build, the driving vocals, the beautiful crescendo of syrup-thick guitars and layered chorus vocals; this song is so ****ing good. This is a band to watch out for in the future, for sure.