I’ll keep this short. My notable albums of the year (in alphabetical order) were:
- `Alleluia! Don’t Bend! Ascend! by Godspeed You! Black Emperor
- Bloom by Beach House
- Channel Orange by Frank Ocean
- The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do by Fiona Apple
- Lonerism by Tame Impala
- Old Ideas by Leonard Cohen
- Shields by Grizzly Bear
- Swing Lo Magellan by Dirty Projectors
It was a bit of a strange year in that no album felt earth-shakingly landmark, though who can really say how these albums will fare over time. If I had to pick a favourite one, it would probably be Swing Lo Magellan, because I can envision listening to that one for a long, long time, though most of these albums have been really quite fantastic.
Also don’t miss:
- Attack on Memory by Cloud Nothings
- Bish Bosch by Scott Walker
- Clear Moon by Mount Eerie
- Confess by Twin Shadow
- Ekstasis by Julia Holter
- Gossamer by Passion Pit
- The Haunted Man by Bat For Lashes
- Mature Themes by Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
- Shrines by Purity Ring
- Until the Quiet Comes by Flying Lotus
And a special imaginary award goes to Atoms For Peace’s “Default”, which probably got the most playtime on my computer this year despite its relatively young age.
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