Preamble: I’m going to start rolling out this list over the next couple of days whenever I get a chance to post. Apologies, first, for the weird number…
It’d be disingenuous to pretend that there was anything scientific about these placings and, in truth, a lot of the ordering is pretty arbitrary. I did, though, make a list of 2012 records I liked which came out at 112, and it seemed churlish to hack it down to 100 just for the sake of neatness.
Second, I’m very conscious as I go along that one or two selections will look like token nods to otherwise neglected genres etc. These, I’d say, aren’t a sign of tokenism, more evidence of slackness on my part: I’m acutely aware, for example, reading other end-of-year lists, that there were quite clearly other R&B records beyond Frank Ocean that I’d probably enjoy. Maybe a good new year’s resolution for 2013 would be to get back to the levels of engagement I had with rap/R&B in the early 2000s. Or at least hear a bunch of things like Kendrick Lamar and Miguel that I’ve missed.
Truth is, of course, that most of us have our special interests, and I guess this list reflects how mine manifested themselves over the last 12 months. Thanks, as ever, for all your attention and support this year; your comments, speculations and personal 2012 charts are welcome in the Facebook comments box at the bottom. Oh, and please follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey
112 Alexander Turnquist – Like Sunburned Snowflakes (VHF)
111 The Pre-New – Music For People Who Hate Themselves (Pre-War Black Ghetto)
110 Dinosaur Jr – I Bet On Sky (PIAS)
109 Lumerians – Transmissions From The Telos Vol IV (Permanent)
108 Stephanie Hladowski & C Joynes – The Wild Wild Berry (Bo’Weavil)
107 Red River Dialect – Awellupontheway (Lono)
106 Corin Tucker Band – Kill My Blues (Kill Rock Stars)
105 The White Meadows – A Time For Drunken Horses (Tor)
104 Zombie Zombie – Rituels D’Un Nouveau Monde (Versatile)
103 Ombre – Believe You Me (Asthmatic Kitty)
102 Tindersticks – The Something Rain (Lucky Dog)
101 Graham Coxon – A+E (Parlophone)
100 Spain – The Soul Of Spain (Glitterhouse)
99 Lee Ranaldo – Between The Times And The Tides (Matador)
98 James Blackshaw – Love Is The Plan, The Plan Is Death (Important)
97 Animal Collective – Centipede Hz (Domino)
96 White Fence – Family Perfume Vol 1 (Woodsist)
95 Cornershop – Urban Turban: The Singhles Club (Ample Play)
94 Sun Araw – The Inner Treaty (Drag City)
93 MV/EE – Space Homestead (Woodsist)
92 The Men – Open Your Heart (Sacred Bones)
91 Oren Ambarchi/Robin Fox – Connected (Kranky)
90 Daniel Bachman – Seven Pines (Tompkins Square)
89 Mark Lanegan Band – Blues Funeral (4AD)
88 Loscil – Sketches From New Brighton (Kranky)
87 Terry Riley – Aleph (Tzadik)
86 Lubomyr Melnyk – The Voice Of Trees (Hinterzimmer)
85 Ryan Francesconi & Mirabai Peart – Road To Palios (Bella Union)
84 The Entrance Band – The Entrance Band (Latitudes)
83 Koen Holtkamp – Liquid Light Forms (Barge)
82 Mmoss – Only Children (Trouble In Mind)
81 Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos (Warner Bros)
80 Eyvind Kang – The Narrow Garden (Kranky)
79 Lindstrøm – Smalhans (Smalltown Supersound)
78 Holly Herndon – Movement (RVNG Intl)
77 Chris Forsyth – Kenzo Deluxe (Northern Spy)
76 Hallock Hill – The Union/A Hem Of Evening (MIE Music)
Click here to see Numbers 75 to 51…
and here to see Numbers 50 to 26