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electroheart's Best of 2012: Albums + EPs
Banned
Member Since: 4/7/2012
Posts: 14,466
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Top 10 EPs
#1. ††† (Crosses) - EP ††
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Originally posted by whatculture
The layers are lush, the melodies haunting, the atmosphere beautiful; a side project shouldn’t be this good. This is no affair of mutual vanities, this is a musical collective that will be as keenly followed as the day jobs of its most known members, and with a series of EPs planned, there’ll be plenty more to follow.
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Trinity: Fron†iers, Prurien†, †elepa†hy
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Member Since: 2/17/2012
Posts: 33,611
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I'm not too into Witch House. I should check it out though.
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Banned
Member Since: 4/7/2012
Posts: 14,466
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Quote:
Originally posted by madonnas
I'm not too into Witch House. I should check it out though.
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I didn't realize they were "witch house." Just thought of them more as alternative/experimental/industrial. I guess there's not a fine line when it comes to their style.
Regardless of their genre, I totally recommend this!
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Member Since: 4/22/2012
Posts: 33,490
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I love 1991 
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 12/7/2008
Posts: 87,284
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Witch House? Lemme check that one out and see how it sounds  your taste is so varied 
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Banned
Member Since: 4/7/2012
Posts: 14,466
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Quote:
Originally posted by berberocka
Witch House? Lemme check that one out and see how it sounds your taste is so varied |
It's on spotify!
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Albums 10-1 begin TODAY! 
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Member Since: 5/23/2007
Posts: 65,087
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I should check out that EP 
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Member Since: 2/13/2012
Posts: 62,082
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I used to be into ~*~witch house~*~ but that was before it was even called that 
I'm just so over the overused crosses replacing letters, etc. That boat sailed for me in early 2011.
It all got a little too muddled for me. Maybe it's actually decent, though  I've always liked the musical aspects.
Impressive that you use that kind of genre 
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Banned
Member Since: 4/7/2012
Posts: 14,466
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Top 25 Albums
#10. Beach House - Bloom
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Originally posted by PopMatters
This is an album that is simply, in the most awe-inspired sense of the term, absolutely golden from end to end – a real treasure and an utter delight to experience every time you play it.
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Originally posted by Expert Witness
Countering the depressive undertow, that form is both a spiritual triumph and the aural equivalent of Jesus and Mary Chain frosting a birthday cake.
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Trinity: Myth, Wild, Wishes
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#09. Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE.
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Originally posted by The Fly
In throwing his emotional locker wide open, Frank Ocean has made a tender, engrossing classic.
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Originally posted by Filter
Ignore whatever purist backlash you may encounter. In Channel Orange, we have been granted a truly classic document, perhaps the very first that feels synchronized with the present decade.
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Originally posted by Spin
Channel ORANGE feels like one long, moonlit, air-conditioned ride.
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Trinity: Super Rich Kids, Bad Religion, Forrest Gump
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#08. Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
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Originally posted by Prefix Magazine
You can see every angle and every side of the shape they've made. And the unimpeachable logic of each song, added to their odd tunefulness of the songs, makes them exciting to listen to.
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Originally posted by Clash Music
Young, yet somehow void of naivety. Vibrant, yet artistically matured.
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Originally posted by Under The Radar
It's uncommon for bands to achieve cohesiveness amidst such levels of quirk; on their debut, Alt-J have done much better than that.
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Trinity: Tessellate, Fitzpleasure, Bloodflood
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#07. Chromatics - Kill For Love
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Originally posted by Prefix Magazine
Its power and poise never ceases for 90 wonderful minutes.
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Originally posted by Consequence of Sound
With Kill For Love, it almost feels like the man's true thesis, as if he's strung together all his ideas, feelings, and sounds into one colossal being that acts less like an album and more like a highly organized archive.
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Originally posted by Drowned In Sound
This is a modern masterpiece, it's as simple as that.
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Trinity: Into the Black, Kill For Love, Back From The Grave
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#06. Miguel - Kaleidoscope Dream
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Originally posted by Spin
Miguel has impeccable songwriting chops and a deceptively supple voice, not to mention total command of both.
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Originally posted by Chicago Tribune
The singer with the feathery falsetto creates a fluid, dreamscape environment that floats across eras with a connoisseur's discerning feel for the telling detail.
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Originally posted by Pitchfork
It's respectful of tradition, quietly ambitious, and deeply personal, a wonderfully considered album from an artist who was starting to seem a lot like a forgotten gem in the wake of mishandled promotion.
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Trinity: Adorn, Kaleidoscope Dream, Candles In The Sun
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Banned
Member Since: 4/7/2012
Posts: 14,466
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I love my top 10 so much 
More to come after I shower 
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Member Since: 2/17/2012
Posts: 33,611
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I liked all of these
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Banned
Member Since: 4/7/2012
Posts: 14,466
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Top 25 Albums
#05. Django Django - Django Django
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Originally posted by The Guardian
The songwriting here is routinely top-notch, the album gaining impact as it plays and the moods shift imperceptibly.
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Originally posted by Paste Magazine
Everything combines to enrich, enliven and add texture to the band's wild aesthetic, which is unlike anything else you're going to experience this year.
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Trinity: Hail Bop, Default, WOR
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#04. TEEN - In Limbo
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Originally posted by This Is Fake DIY
There's enough variances in the sound, with the tracklisting set up in such as way that you notice the changes in style, to make sure you pay attention to every minute.
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Originally posted by Consequence of Sound
There's a little something for everyone on In Limbo, and all just a little off from what you'd expect. For a debut album, that's a massive accomplishment.
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Originally posted by Filter
Complete with gorgeous harmonies and an intricate wall of sound that is somehow both delicate and powerful...
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Originally posted by PopMatters
When TEEN hits on a groove -which happens most of the time-their music compels you right along.
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Originally posted by All Music Guide
At the very least, In Limbo shows that the band can do a lot of things well...
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Trinity: Better, Electric, Huh
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#03. Japandroids- Celebration Rock
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Originally posted by The A.V. Club
Celebration Rock starts strong and stays there over the course of its eight songs and 35 minutes.
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Originally posted by Absolute Punk
[The lyrics] carry a meaning that doesn't stop when the song does.
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Originally posted by Expert Witness
Kind of heartwarming that it's still possible for a young band to rock out with palpable joy about the pleasures, terrors, and life lessons of the road.
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Trinity: Fire's Highway, Adrenaline Nightshift, The House That Heaven Built
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#02. Niki & The Dove - Instinct
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Originally posted by BBC Music
One of the essential debuts of the year...
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Originally posted by musicOMH
In what has already proved to be a strong year for breakthrough artists the duo have gone and raised the bar once again, and in doing so, created one of the most essential albums of the year.
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Originally posted by The Fly
Overall, this is a daring, dynamic and dramatic debut.
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Originally posted by Pitchfork
There's something about the visceral, elemental nature of Niki and the Dove's production that takes you right there, shivering and pulling the collar of your coat close as wind whips under the viaduct.
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Trinity: Tomorrow, Last Night, DJ Ease My Mind
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#01. Grimes - Visions
This is so much more than an album. It's a journey Claire invented for us to explore. It's full of mystery, questions, answers, peace, doubt and reassurance. Think of it as an aimless dream land but with direction and strategy. This dream is full of glowing objects, slow blinking flashes of light and strange creatures/objects waiting for an introduction. Right from the beginning you're indulged in curiosity. "Infinite Love Without Fulfillment" makes you feel happy but it sets a mood of uncertainty as to why. By "Genesis" you've already got into the groove of how this dream is going to go and now you're eager for the rest. It's smooth sailing, infectious and compulsive from here on out. You've made it... "Know the Way" wraps things up perfectly. This bittersweet goodbye is more sweet than bitter thanks to the calming and comfort this song offers. Visions truly works best as a whole but provides separate works of genius with catchy dream pop and thought provoking production that can be listened to on a nap's worth of time.
Trinity: Genesis, Oblivion, Be a Body
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Banned
Member Since: 4/7/2012
Posts: 14,466
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sorry for the dramatic write up on Visions. I got a little carried away I think.
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Banned
Member Since: 4/7/2012
Posts: 14,466
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Honorable Mentions
Dragonette - Body Parts
Taylor Swift - Red
Erik Hassle - We Dance
The All-American Rejects - Kids In The Street
Paul Weller - Sonik Kicks
The xx - Coexist
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Member Since: 2/17/2012
Posts: 33,611
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AMAZING #1
I liked the others too. I have problems with Japandroid's vocals but I still sorta enjoyed them, Niki & The Dove had standouts, and Django Django deserves more listens for me to really enjoy it more.
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Member Since: 2/11/2008
Posts: 10,964
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Yasss, Grimes at #1. 
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Banned
Member Since: 4/7/2012
Posts: 14,466
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I'm thinking of doing a 'Best of the Decade (...So Far)' countdown in this thread. It'll probably be just a list instead of an addition of graphics/write ups/blurbs.
yay or nay?
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Member Since: 10/3/2009
Posts: 35,844
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We almost had Bloom ranked on the same place. I ranked it at 9.
I think you should wait until we reach the 4th year of the 10's decade which is next year. Then you can make a Top 200 or 100 including the same amount of songs for each year. Just a piece of advice.
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Member Since: 2/13/2012
Posts: 62,082
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I don't like Frank Ocean or Grimes... At all 
I don't really know any other ones 
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Member Since: 2/17/2012
Posts: 33,611
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And yes Praise Be a Body, the best non-single.
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