Top Albums of 2012

It's that time again - when I compile and publish my list of album rankings from the year just completed.  It seems to me that 2012 has made a good musical recovery from the down year that was 2011.  Or perhaps I have finally perfected my method of music discovery.

As you may notice this time around, I have developed an affinity for indie/alternative music with significant electronic instrumentation (but for the most part not EDM) - this description probably applies to at least 7 of my top 10.  I also seem to like the boy-girl duos where the guy makes the music and the girl sings - see numbers 3-5 below.

But enough with the analysis.  Here's my top 10 albums of 2012:

1. Bear in Heaven - I Love You, It’s Cool
2. Crystal Castles - (III)
3. Purity Ring - Shrines
4. Beach House - Bloom
5. School of Seven Bells - Ghostory
6. Young Magic - Melt
7. Miike Snow - Happy To You
8. White Rabbits - Milk Famous
9. Yeasayer - Fragant World
10. Alt-J - An Awesome Wave

And here are some more (in order) that I considered noteworthy:

Sharon Van Etten - Tramp
Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror
Apparatjik - Square Peg in a Round Hole
Ultraista - Ultraista
Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1
Metric - Synthetica
John Talabot - Fin
Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Cat Power - Sun
The Life And Times - No One Loves You Like I Do
Thenewno2 - Thefearofmissingout
Theesatisfaction - Awe Naturale
The Temper Trap - The Temper Trap
Elbow - Dead in the Boot
Frankie Rose - Interstellar
Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city
MewithoutYou - Ten Stories
Animal Collective - Centipede Hz

If you have your own list of top albums of the year that you would like to share, or any thoughts regarding my list, feel free to leave a comment below.