I haven't been listening to as much new music this year as I'd like but I'm aiming to rectify that in the next half of the year. 2012 overall has been a bit of an underwhelming year for me so far, I've listened to quite a few underwhelming albums but despite this there has been some real highlights.
10. Nicholas Szczepanik - We Make Life Sad
A very enjoyable ambient/drone album. It keeps things short and sweet instead of overwhelming you with long, drawn-out compositions.
9. Jack White - Blunderbuss
I've been wanted him to release a solo album for a long time and it didn't disappoint. Beats the hell out of The Raconteurs.
8. School Of Seven Bells - Ghostory
A confident push towards a more streamlined electronic pop sound, and moving further away from the dream-pop of Alpinisms. Probably their most consistent album to date although still not perfect.
7. Chairlift - Something
There's nothing particularly original or ground-breaking going on here but this album is just so damn catchy and addictive. Not quite sure whether it will still be high up in my rankings come the end of the year but we'll see.
6. Mirrorring - Foreign Body
A collaboration between Liz Harris of Grouper and Jesy Fortino of Tiny Vipers. A great combination of ambient drone and acoustic-led folk.
5. Beach House - Bloom
It's not a radical departure from Teen Dream but it does capitalise on it a bit. They sound like a band on top of their game here.
4. Japandroids - Celebration Rock
A no-frills indie rock thrill. It's an album packed with unforgettable songs and an overall high-energy rush. Will definitely be high up come the end of the year.
3. Sharon Van Etten - Tramp
Sharon has a great gift for writing simple and moving songs. The album overall has a very melancholic mood and feeling of love lost and has produced one of my favourite singles of the year in 'Serpents'.
2. Allo Darlin' - Europe
On first listen this album didn't quite grab me in the same way that their self-titled debut did, but when it did eventually click it revealed itself to be a very clever and enjoyable indie pop album.
1. Sigur Rós - Valtari
This album was long-awaited and was a pleasant surprise when I first wrapped my ears around it. It's a step towards less commercial territories but this is every bit as good as Takk.., ( ) or Ágætis byrjun. A very beautiful and inspiring album.
You can see my list here, which I'm updating as I go along:
2012