A.V. Club's Best Music of 2012

Every year, The A.V. Club invites its music writers to pick their favorite albums of the past 12 months, dispersing 100 points over a maximum of 20 albums, awarding no more than 15 points to a single album. We then tally up those points and arrive at our annual best-of list. (In the event two albums tie for points,…

Published: December 11, 2012 06:00 Source

# 1

channel ORANGE by Frank Ocean

Album • Jul 10 / 2012 Alternative R&B Contemporary R&B

# 2

Celebration Rock by Japandroids

Album • Jun 05 / 2012 Indie Rock

# 3

Attack On Memory by Cloud Nothings

Album • Jan 24 / 2012 Post-Hardcore Indie Rock Emo

# 4

Tramp (Deluxe Edition) by Sharon Van Etten

Album • Nov 13 / 2012 Singer-Songwriter Indie Folk

# 5

The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do by Fiona Apple

Album • Jun 18 / 2012 Singer-Songwriter Art Pop

# 6

Blunderbuss by Jack White

Album • Apr 20 / 2012 Blues Rock Garage Rock Revival

# 7

The Seer by Swans

Album • Aug 28 / 2012 Experimental Rock Post-Rock

# 8

Local Business by Titus Andronicus

Album • Oct 22 / 2012 Indie Rock Punk Rock

# 9

Silver Age by Bob Mould

Album • Sep 04 / 2012 Alternative Rock Power Pop

# 10

We Don't Even Live Here by P.O.S

Album • Oct 22 / 2012 Conscious Hip Hop

# 11

good kid, m.A.A.d city by Kendrick Lamar

Album • Jan 01 / 2012 West Coast Hip Hop Conscious Hip Hop

# 12

A Thing Called Divine Fits by Divine Fits

Album • Aug 23 / 2012 Indie Rock

# 13

Kaleidoscope Dream by Miguel

Album • Sep 25 / 2012 Alternative R&B

# 14

Shields by Grizzly Bear

Album • Sep 17 / 2012 Indie Folk Indie Rock

# 15

Clockwork Angels by Rush

Album • Jun 08 / 2012 Progressive Rock Hard Rock

# 16

Old Ideas by Leonard Cohen

Album • Jan 31 / 2012 Singer-Songwriter

# 17

Open Your Heart by The Men

Album • Mar 06 / 2012 Noise Rock Indie Rock

# 18

The Plot Against Common Sense by Future of the Left

Album • Jun 11 / 2012 Post-Hardcore

# 19

Heaven by The Walkmen

Album • May 29 / 2012 Indie Rock Indie Pop

# 20

Plumb by Field Music

Album • Apr 02 / 2013 Progressive Pop Art Pop

# 21

Among the Leaves by Sun Kil Moon

Album • May 29 / 2012 Contemporary Folk Singer-Songwriter

# 22

Sun by Cat Power

Album • Sep 03 / 2012 Singer-Songwriter Art Pop

# 23

Tempest by Bob Dylan

Album • Sep 10 / 2012 Singer-Songwriter

# 24

Guilty Guilty by Pilot to Gunner

Album • Sep 28 / 2012 Indie Rock

# 25

Tank Full of Blues by Dion

Album • Jan 01 / 2012 Blues Rock Electric Blues