NPR Music's 50 Favorite Albums of 2012

The albums that sum up our year span genres and borders. From Astro to Wadada Leo Smith, Fiona Apple to Frank Ocean, here are 50 albums that made 2012 great.

Published: December 22, 2012 18:00 Source

# 1

Control System by Ab-Soul

Album • May 11 / 2012 Conscious Hip Hop West Coast Hip Hop

# 2

Boys & Girls by Alabama Shakes

Album • Apr 10 / 2012 Blues Rock Southern Rock

# 3

Elgar & Carter: Cello Concertos by Alisa Weilerstein + Staatskapelle Berlin + Daniel Barenboim

Album • Jan 01 / 2012

# 4

An Awesome Wave by alt-J

Album • Sep 18 / 2012 Art Pop Indie Pop

# 5

Luxury Problems by Andy Stott

Album • Oct 29 / 2012 Dub Techno Ambient Dub

# 6

Astro by Astro

Album • Aug 28 / 2012 Neo-Psychedelia Indietronica

# 7

The Bravest Man in the Universe by Bobby Womack

Album • Jun 01 / 2012 Deep Soul Electronic

# 8

Elegancia Tropical by Bomba Estéreo

Album • Nov 05 / 2012 Digital Cumbia Latin Alternative

# 9

Seven Steps by Brooklyn Rider

Album • Jan 01 / 2012

# 10

El Objeto Antes Llamado Disco by Café Tacvba

Album • Jan 01 / 2012 Neo-Psychedelia Psychedelic Pop Alternative Rock

# 11

Déjenme Llorar by Carla Morrison

Album • Mar 27 / 2012 Singer-Songwriter Folk Pop

# 12

Sun by Cat Power

Album • Sep 03 / 2012 Singer-Songwriter Art Pop

# 13

Landing On a Hundred by Cody ChesnuTT

Album • Oct 30 / 2012 Contemporary R&B Neo-Soul

# 14

America by Dan Deacon

Album • Aug 28 / 2012 Indietronica Neo-Psychedelia Art Pop

# 15

No Love Deep Web by Death Grips

Album • Oct 01 / 2012 Hardcore Hip Hop Experimental Hip Hop Abstract Hip Hop Industrial Hip Hop

# 16

Debo Band by Debo Band

Album • Jul 10 / 2012 Ethio-Jazz

# 17

Swing Lo Magellan by Dirty Projectors

Album • Jul 10 / 2012 Art Pop Indie Pop Progressive Pop

# 18

3 Pears by Dwight Yoakam

Album • Sep 18 / 2012 Neo-Traditionalist Country

# 19

Passage by Exitmusic

Album • May 22 / 2012 Dream Pop

# 20

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

# 21

Until The Quiet Comes by Flying Lotus

Album • Oct 01 / 2012 IDM

# 22

channel ORANGE by Frank Ocean

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

# 23

Some Nights by Fun.

Album • Feb 21 / 2012 Pop Rock Alt-Pop

# 24

First of a Living Breed by Homeboy Sandman

Album • Sep 18 / 2012 East Coast Hip Hop Abstract Hip Hop

# 25

Sing the Delta by Iris DeMent

Album • Oct 02 / 2012 Country Americana

# 26

En Yay Sah by Janka Nabay & the Bubu Gang

Album • Aug 07 / 2012 Highlife West African Music

# 27

Celebration Rock by Japandroids

Album • Jun 05 / 2012 Indie Rock

# 28

Alone Together by Karriem Riggins

Album • Oct 23 / 2012 Instrumental Hip Hop

# 29

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

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

# 30

R.A.P. Music by Killer Mike

Album • May 15 / 2012 Southern Hip Hop Hardcore Hip Hop Political Hip Hop

# 31

Salonen: Violin Concerto, Nyx by Leila Josefowicz + Esa-Pekka Salonen + The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Album • Sep 21 / 2012

# 32

Old Ideas by Leonard Cohen

Album • Jan 31 / 2012 Singer-Songwriter

# 34

Dreamchasers 2 by Meek Mill

Album • May 07 / 2012 Gangsta Rap East Coast Hip Hop

# 35

Adams: Harmonielehre - Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams + San Francisco Symphony + Michael Tilson Thomas

Album • Mar 13 / 2012

# 36

Kaleidoscope Dream by Miguel

Album • Sep 25 / 2012 Alternative R&B

# 37

The Cherry Thing by Neneh Cherry + The Thing

Album • Jun 18 / 2012 Vocal Jazz Avant-Garde Jazz

# 38

Threads by Now, Now

Album • Mar 06 / 2012 Indie Rock Indie Pop

# 39

The Truth About Love by P!nk

Album • Sep 18 / 2012 Pop Pop Rock

# 40

Sorrow and Extinction by Pallbearer

Album • Feb 21 / 2012 Traditional Doom Metal

# 41

Adventures In Your Own Backyard by Patrick Watson

Album • May 01 / 2012 Chamber Pop Singer-Songwriter Art Pop

# 42

What We Saw from the Cheap Seats by Regina Spektor

Album • May 25 / 2012 Singer-Songwriter Chamber Pop

# 43

Tramp (Deluxe Edition) by Sharon Van Etten

Album • Nov 13 / 2012 Singer-Songwriter Indie Folk

# 45

The Seer by Swans

Album • Aug 28 / 2012 Experimental Rock Post-Rock

# 46

Be Strong by The 2 Bears

Album • Jan 29 / 2012 House Electropop

# 47

MTMTMK by The Very Best

Album • Jul 17 / 2012 Electronic East African Music

# 48

Twins by Ty Segall

Album • Oct 09 / 2012 Garage Rock

# 49

Accelerando by Vijay Iyer

Album • Feb 24 / 2012 Avant-Garde Jazz

# 50

Ten Freedom Summers by Wadada Leo Smith

Album • Jan 01 / 2012 Avant-Garde Jazz Third Stream Modern Creative Chamber Jazz