Top Five - Albums of the Year

The New Year is in sight and that means it's time for my third annual Top 5 and Album of the Year posts. As I mentioned last year, the albums don't necessarily need to be released in 2012, but rather that I listened to them for the first time this year. And unlike a music critic who judges on many sophisticated levels, my year-end finalists are based solely on my own personal enjoyment. I picked albums I thought were well produced from start to finish (i.e. they sounded like Steely Dan had a hand in polishing the recording), as well as albums I listened to for the longest amount of time, or that had a certain significance for me.

This was the first year that I listened to everything on Spotify. Like I previously did in iTunes, I created playlists by month and dragged whatever I was listening to into the current month's list. Since the music is essentially free on Spotify, I ended up doubling the amount of albums I absorbed this year, with at least 120 getting at least one dedicated listen.

My top 5 album finalists for 2012 are below. Listen to them all on Spotify by clicking here, or on each album title.

 Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now

 

Although Duran Duran has been consistently releasing new material since their heyday in the 80's, this album definitely has a 'comeback' feel. The songs are pretty reminiscent of tracks from Rio and Seven and the Ragged Tiger.

 The Shins - Port of Morrow

With five years and a lineup change since their last album, The Shins released an album worthy of the wait. It's not unique, but the deep production makes it rise above similar sounding albums. Within the sadness of their sound is hope. And I now associate this LP with driving to the job interview for my current position.

Mackintosh Braun - Where We Are

I was drawn into this album by the lush tones, processed vocals and the perceived nod to ELO. Using keyboard and drum machine sounds of the 80's, this duo produced tracks that are part dance, part chill. I've drifted off to sleep countless times listening to this album on headphones.

Elton John vs. Pnau - Good Morning to the Night

Australian dance duo Pnau were given access to the master tapes of Elton John’s peak creative period of 1970-76 and encouraged by Elton to construct new compositions. Each track is an amazing mash-up, one incorporating 9 different Elton songs. The list for each song is here. Released to coincide with the 2012 London Olympics,  the album went to #1 in the UK.

 Maroon 5 - Overexposed

Critically panned as a generic collection of processed dance songs, I had to include this one in my list since several of these songs (like Lucky Strike) were keeping us dancing around the house for months. For me, it's just a fun album worthy of cranking up when the mood strikes.



What occurred to me about these albums is that all but the Shins hark back to earlier eras. I guess this was the year to go retro. Stay tuned for my album of the year post!