musicOMH's Top 50 Albums of 2012

musicOMH's Top 50 Albums of 2012

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50.

May 29, 2012
Critic Score
67
19 reviews

49.

October 16, 2012
Critic Score
83
33 reviews

‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! rewards immersive, though somewhat uncritical, listening: a glorious hymn to the visceral and transformative power of sound.

48.

August 28, 2012
Critic Score
81
34 reviews

USA - and by extension, Deacon - deserves plaudits for taking as many risks as it does and coming out the other side completely unscathed.

47.

May 22, 2012
Critic Score
94
6 reviews

In this globalised but fragmented world, now so obsessed with immediacy, rapidity and digestibility, Ten Freedom Summers is a visionary work of protest and power.

45.

April 24, 2012
Critic Score
81
20 reviews

R.I.P. seeks to deny electronic music many of its powerful and most recognisable conventions. 

44.

May 21, 2012
Critic Score
75
24 reviews

Words And Music isn’t just a celebration of popular music, but a hymnal ode to a loss of innocence, an end to the passions of our childhood.

43.

April 30, 2012
Critic Score
87
7 reviews

It’s a brilliant exploration of the inevitable interaction between sound, the passing of time and the active process of listening.

42.

Susanne Sundfør - The Silicone Veil
October 15, 2012
Critic Score
79
6 reviews
Sundfor’s combination of careful, detailed arrangement and unrepentant magic realism is visionary and enriching.

41.

June 25, 2012
Critic Score
86
7 reviews

This is an album that deals in both violent and emotionally painful territory, but which also comes bathed in hope and compassion.

40.

October 15, 2012
Critic Score
77
44 reviews

It’s safe to say that Natasha Khan has once again managed to craft an album that ticks all the boxes, while also showing a maturity and evolution from her Mercury nominated sophomore album.

39.

July 24, 2012
Critic Score
79
17 reviews

38.

January 24, 2012
Critic Score
75
21 reviews

Beneath the toe-tapping slices of traditional country and folk are heartbreakingly sad lyrics that defy the Soderbergs’ ages

37.

September 4, 2012
Critic Score
79
43 reviews

Sun is an album that conveys the full spectrum of emotions, but at the same time it manages to never sound convoluted or patched together. 

36.

May 15, 2012
Critic Score
77
40 reviews

Beach House are equipped to leave the nods to shoegaze behind and embrace a far more holistic aesthetic – pop music. 

35.

August 28, 2012
Critic Score
86
34 reviews
It’s a work that demands to be listened to – but it’s difficult to want, with any certainty or honesty, to listen to it again in its entirety.

34.

May 29, 2012
Critic Score
65
27 reviews

This is Public Image Ltd continuing to be what it has always been: an endless, enthralling exploration of Lydon’s ever-roiling mind. 

33.

February 21, 2012
Critic Score
80
31 reviews

With an overall feel that suggests an ever-growing sense of confidence and belief in his compositions, it presents an intriguing picture of where he may go in future.

32.

August 20, 2012
Critic Score
81
35 reviews

Any quibbles are minor here though, for Devotion is a truly impressive debut album from yet another talented British singer.

31.

February 6, 2012
Critic Score
64
17 reviews

It might not be as cultured as previous efforts, but it's hugely entertaining - even more so when played at high volume.

30.

June 12, 2012
Critic Score
75
10 reviews

29.

Sébastien Tellier - My God Is Blue
June 4, 2012
Critic Score
69
9 reviews

28.

Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Crown and Treaty
April 30, 2012
Critic Score
81
12 reviews

27.

March 8, 2012
Critic Score
81
24 reviews

Although it’s possible to find minor disappointments and flaws in Ekstasis’ skilfully woven tapestry, this should not obscure Holter’s manifest talents.

25.

February 7, 2012
Critic Score
81
34 reviews

Some moments here do veer into the more predictable end of indie-rock territory.

24.

February 21, 2012
Critic Score
80
41 reviews

It's an album to live in and love, to dance to and to wallow in.

23.

October 2, 2012
Critic Score
83
34 reviews

With this record, Flying Lotus has continued his explorations of the outer regions of sonic experience whilst simultaneously creating a playful, and thrillingly visceral, listening experience

22.

June 26, 2012
Critic Score
73
20 reviews

The Tarnished Gold sees them return sounding fresh and revitalised, delivering an album that more than matches their earlier output. 

21.

April 24, 2012
Critic Score
82
41 reviews

Lovelorn, honest, poignant and emotional in the best way imaginable.

18.

February 14, 2012
Critic Score
77
29 reviews

Despite the obvious comparisons, it's not a case of simply replicating bands or sounds; above all else Field Music are rock fans who absorb and remould the noises they love.

17.

Neil Halstead - Palindrome Hunches
September 11, 2012
Critic Score
74
12 reviews

16.

September 10, 2012
Critic Score
76
21 reviews

Toy is an epic, psychedelic, droning, wonder. Every track takes the germ of an idea and then repeats it at you with ever deepening insistence and almost imperceptibly subtle evolutions.

15.

March 5, 2012
Critic Score
78
37 reviews

It's an impressive work from a genuine legend and as a response to our current situation, leaves us with a pertinent message: in Bruce we trust.

14.

June 4, 2012
Critic Score
78
19 reviews

One Day I'm Going To Soar still feels like a triumph, in spite of its transparent flaws.

13.

September 11, 2012
Critic Score
76
39 reviews

For all of the missteps, it’s the moments of dizzying brass playing from the backing musicians, the otherworldly pomp of Byrne and the stellar chops of Clark that saves the day. 

12.

February 28, 2012
Critic Score
84
12 reviews

With every track having what sounds like an infinite level of care lavished upon it, Young Man In America is already an early contender to be one of the best albums of 2012.

11.

November 13, 2012
Critic Score
75
6 reviews

10.

March 13, 2012
Critic Score
65
20 reviews

One of the standout albums of 2012 so far.

9.

March 26, 2012
Critic Score
80
10 reviews

There's endless fun picking away at each track, and it's amazing how often you can find new strands.

8.

June 5, 2012
Critic Score
81
33 reviews

WIXIW is a wonder of an album of endless layers and contrasts to get caught up and lost in.

7.

June 26, 2012
Critic Score
77
23 reviews

There is also something extremely fresh in the way DIIV take an age old sound and turn it into something magical and at times deeply beautiful.

6.

February 14, 2012
Critic Score
82
24 reviews

A remarkably assured and instinctive piece of work, one that speaks of good times on the dancefloor while not being afraid to throw in more poignant and affecting emotions

5.

February 7, 2012
Critic Score
76
15 reviews

Blondes' debut album is great on first listen, but it takes on a whole different life when you listen more closely and let your brain follow behind.

4.

March 26, 2012
Critic Score
82
24 reviews

Kill For Love shows that synth/dream/chill/call-it-what-you will pop can be as visceral as rock; the synth as driven and nuanced as the guitar, perhaps more so. 

3.

August 28, 2012
Critic Score
79
28 reviews

This album is unapologetic in its singularity, yet listening to this record is an experience that is as rewarding as it is exhausting.

2.

October 5, 2012
Critic Score
86
35 reviews

An album that’s likely to appeal to fifty quid blokes who’ll dig the retro influences, people to whom the term ‘chillwave’ actually means something, dance fans and everyone in between.

1.

July 10, 2012
Critic Score
91
42 reviews

As Channel Ocean reaches its end, every emotion associated with it can be traced back to one: fulfilment. 

Original Source: http://www.musicomh.com/music/features/2012-top-100-albums-50-6_1212.htm
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