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Celeb News: Slant Magazine's 25 Best Albums of 2012
Member Since: 8/20/2011
Posts: 1,843
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Slant Magazine's 25 Best Albums of 2012
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A Nielsen survey conducted earlier this year revealed that 64% of American teenagers listen to music primarily through YouTube, a shift that highlights the distressing state of the album as a viable art form. Combined with the usual series of big-selling albums mostly comprised of singles and fluff, the further rise of the iTunes store as the modern-day equivalent to the record shop, and the biggest salvo yet from figures-obsessed, singles-oriented hit machines lurking beyond our borders with "Gangnam Style," signs indicate that the format might be in dire straits. And yet, even in these apparent latter days, the album still had a banner year, with a host of efforts that reinterpreted or reimagined the outlines of the form, from expanded mixtape digressions to gonzo outliers to diamond-hard works of composed throwback nostalgia, resulting in such a crowded field of great albums that it was difficult to just choose 25. The diversity and range was broad and stunning, from bedroom R&B to small-batch hip-hop to electronics-enhanced rock, establishing technology as a savior, putting the means of production more firmly in the hands of artists than ever before, with a wide range of them still interested in making ambitious, cohesive works, even if the payout is lower and the fame is more tempered. Whatever the future holds, 2012 showed that the album remains a viable method of expression at a micro level, whatever the larger economic situation.
- Jesse Cataldo
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25. Thee Oh Sees, Putrifiers II.
24. Shearwater, Animal Joy.
23. Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Psychedelic Pill.
22. Flying Lotus, Until the Quiet Comes.
21. Action Bronson, Blue Chips.
20. Kelly Hogan, I Like to Keep Myself in Pain.
19. Poliça, Give You the Ghost.
18. Maps & Atlases, Beware and Be Grateful .
17. Iris DeMent, Sing the Delta.
16. Alabama Shakes, Boys & Girls.
15. Ben Sollee, Half Made Man.
14. Carina Round, Tigermending.
13. Dr. John, Locked Down.
12. Swans, The Seer.
11. Niki and the Dove, Instinct.
10. Jack White, Blunderbuss.
9. Lana Del Rey, Born to Die.
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However much hate she may have accrued for her sleepy, sarcastic take on pop stardom, Lana Del Rey emerged as one of the year's true success stories, pushing past her dreadful SNL performance, past the flash-in-the-pan accusations into a uniquely absorbing post-modern figure, succeeding not in spite of the remarkably exposed, freely exploitative bent of her music, but because of it. Born to Die stands out as a startlingly composed premiere effort, a daring, dead-eyed statement from a chanteuse who wears her character on her sleeve, making herself immune to the flung arrows of detractors by exaggerating the sexuality, vapidity, and artificial gangsterism to cartoonish levels, an album of lush orchestral pop capped by Del Rey's inimitably somnolent delivery. Cataldo
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8. Father John Misty, Fear Fun.
7. Japandroids, Celebration Rock.
6. Chromatics, Kill for Love.
5. Dirty Projectors, Swing Lo Magellan.
4. Bat for Lashes, The Haunted Man.
3. Santigold, Master of My Make-Believe.
2. Jessie Ware, Devotion.
1. Frank Ocean, Channel Orange.
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In a year where plenty of artists simply toyed with the seductive power of '90s-style R&B, Frank Ocean full-on pursued, captured, and tamed it to produce the saga that is Channel Orange. But the album's smooth confidence, evident in everything from the jazzy bounce of "Super Rich Kids" to the juiced-up funk of "Crack Rock" and "Pyramids," is only part of the draw. The remainder is Ocean's storytelling, where he breathes life into dozens of imperfect, alluring characters that are just as desperate, confused, and beautiful as their narrator. Channel Orange did more than just prove that Ocean is far and away the most talented of the Odd Future crew; it established him as a songwriter whose lyrical and musical craft borders on the literary. Liedel
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Thoughts? 
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Member Since: 11/4/2010
Posts: 34,287
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obvious winner is obvious 
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Member Since: 6/12/2012
Posts: 3,733
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Only heard of Born to Die and Channel Orange on this list. 
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Member Since: 12/16/2008
Posts: 59,380
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Overrated #1 and he and Lana are the only ones I know out of the list.
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Member Since: 1/19/2012
Posts: 13,768
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I always start looking for Born To Die on these end of year lists 
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Member Since: 12/12/2008
Posts: 12,791
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they made up for the horrible single list
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Member Since: 7/1/2009
Posts: 2,852
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Jessie being #2, YAAAAAAAAS.
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Quietly, almost sneakily, a modern wave of British-born soul has slinked its way back into musical vogue. Adele's success has certainly helped, but the tracks currently being laid down by the xx, Burial, SBTRKT, Roses Gabor, and Jessie Ware seem to be a better—and more diverse—indication of the coming soul-pop renaissance: simple, chilled, house-infused concoctions that borrow liberally from both indie electronica and Sade-style R&B. With the dusky, siren-like Devotion, Ware switches easily from darkly romantic electro-ballads ("Running") to breezy late-night jams ("110%") to trickling dream-pop ("Something Inside") without ever seeming forced or contrived, quickly establishing herself as the most promising and versatile of the young vanguard.
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Member Since: 3/16/2012
Posts: 13,657
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It ain't as weak as their songs list.
for Putrifiers II, Until the Quiet Comes, Give You the Ghost, Japandroids, Celebration Rock, Kill for Love, The Haunted Man and Devotion.
Tame Impala missing, though. 
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Member Since: 6/8/2008
Posts: 24,791
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Let me update my list with Frank's acclaim from the critics.
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Member Since: 4/23/2011
Posts: 3,826
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22. Flying Lotus, Until the Quiet Comes.
i see you Lotus.. 
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Member Since: 9/7/2010
Posts: 28,471
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9. Lana Del Rey, Born to Die 
10. Jack White, Blunderbuss
2. Jessie Ware, Devotion
1. Frank Ocean, Channel Orange 
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Member Since: 11/2/2010
Posts: 20,295
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4. Bat for Lashes, The Haunted Man.
3. Santigold, Master of My Make-Believe.
2. Jessie Ware, Devotion.
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