20. "Charmer" by Aimee Mann
Go ahead, make fun of me for including the gal from the "HE SAID ... SHUT UP ... HE SAID ... SHUT UP" video from the 80's in a best of list for 2012. I've always been a fan of her voice, and being featured in a Portlandia episode HAS TO count for something.
19. "Aries" by Gary Banach
He beat me in Fantasy Bowl VIII in 2000, he sold me a few baseball jerseys this Spring, and oh, by the way, wrote and recorded a pretty entertaining record in 2012.
18. "A Wasteland Companion" by M Ward
One of my favorite musicians, there's something about a Matt Ward recording that puts me in a peaceful frame of mind.
17. "Out of the Game" by Rufus Wainwright
One of my all time favorite voices in popular music, a very slick production, would love to see him live some day.
16. "Among the Leaves" by Sun Kil Moon
It's taken me a few years to get into Mark Kozelek, but I've been patient, and that patience paid off. This is a fantastic record, been spending a lot of time with it recently.
15. "Babel" by Mumford and Sons
The only thing I worry about is artistic growth. The first two albums are really good, but they sound a lot alike, and would like to hear a slight diversion the next time around.
14. "The Sound of the Life and the Mind" by Ben Folds Five
It's just great to hear the band back together again. I was a little disappointed when the played Summerfest this year that they didn't introduce any of this material to the live audience, but I bet future shows will be awesome.
13. "Do Things" by Dent May
This is the first album I ever bought on vinyl without having heard a single track previously. Impulse buy, loved his first album. It came with a free digital download. A great record to listen to in the car during summer.
12. "Port of Morrow" by The Shins
Great voice, I love their sound. Another solid long player by James Mercer and Co.
11. "Moms" by Menomena
Another impulse buy, wasn't even aware this was out until Paste was streaming it for an entire week a while back. Listened to it about 5 times that week. Still coming back to it a ton.
10. "El Camino" by The Black Keys
Probably the record I've listened to the most over the past 12 months, and would perhaps be higher on the list had I not worn it out over a period of two months last winter.
9. "Milo Greene" by Milo Greene
This band was featured on Paste mPlayer this summer. Loved the song featured, and sampled the entire record on iTunes, loved it from the first listen. Still do.
8. "There's No Leaving Now" by The Tallest Man on Earth
A very unique sound, also came out of the Paste mPlayers this summer. In heavy rotation in my car.
7. "Wrecking Ball" by Bruce Springsteen
The thing that brought this down from a possible top 3 spot in this list was the overuse of "Land of Hopes and Dreams" by MLB. Otherwise, very solid record by the Boss.
6. "Boys & Girls" by Alabama Shakes
This was $6.99 at Best Buy, so pound for pound, this is the album of the year.
5. "Doubleheader" by Dan Bern
Shortly after my heart attack, I received a gift in the mail from a good friend, and it was this record. It's a baseball record, 18 original baseball songs from one of the best songwriters on the planet. I listen to it constantly.
4. "My Head is an Animal" by Of Monsters and Men
About 6 months ago, I told my sister that this was #1 at the time. I still think it's great, but I think I overplayed it for a while. Still very good.
3. "The Only Place" by Best Coast
I remember one day a few months back, this is all I listened to, and I didn't get sick of it. Slowly becoming one of my favorite bands.
2. "Rhythm and Repose" by Glen Hansard
My favorite album to come out of the Paste mPlayer in a few years. There has not been a week that has gone by since I first heard it that I haven't given it a spin.
and my #1 favorite album of 2012 .....
"Class Clown Spots a UFO" by Guided By Voices
Here's a little back story on this. These guys were introduced to me by Tiffany Herrera in 2001. Isolation Drills. Hated it. A few years later, another friend told me about Alien Lanes. Hated it. But six months later, came back to Alien Lanes, and fell in love with it. A few years after that happened, these guys went away for about 6 years. Fast forward to December of 2011, they release their first album in 6 years. It was ok, but nothing great. Fast forward to May of 2012. Yet another GBV record. I had a $20 burning a hole in my jean pants. Bought "Class Clown Spots a UFO", hoping that I would hate it, and I could finally stop giving Bob Pollard my money. Put it on when I got home, and loved it, probably listened to it three times that night. Bought it on vinyl two weeks later, and gave the very CD I bought in May to a good friend as a going away gift about a month ago. Pollard and the boys are back ! Their third album of the last 12 months came out on Tuesday. Liking what i hear so far. We'll see where it lands on next year's list in 12 months.
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