My Year in Music: 2012
Now that 2011 is actually ending you know, today, it would be the appropriate time to reflect on the past 12 months, and if you feel so inclined, post a list that’s actually relevant. (I’m looking at you, Paste, when I say this, because Nov. 29 is no time to post a year-end list, and I’m not going to post to give them traffic because that’s why they did it in the first place.) Anyway. This year I voted in the Village Voice’s Pazz N’ Jop poll of music critics, and I actually kind of struggled with it. It was easy for me to pinpoint my three favorites in 2010, partially because they were albums that soundtracked life events: Beach House’s “Teen Dream” (a relationship), Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs” (getting my job at Billboard/moving to NYC), The National’s “High Violet” (graduating from college/freaking the fuck out).
It’s difficult for me to separate my life from the music that soundtracks it; because I lived my life this year without distinctive phases or measurements times, pinpointing those defining albums is not coming easily to me. I did not move once this year. My life became more established in every area - career, friends, relationships, New York. It was my first full year of true adulthood, of knowing what I was doing instead of just pretending that I do. And it’s bumming me out that I did not really find an album that captured all that for me. (Also, I know this is not what I am *supposed to do as a critic* but I’m human, my emotional connections to music still hold merit for me.) Perhaps my expectations are too high, or perhaps that album, for me, is still “The Suburbs” (I gotta say, a 2011 highlight in my job was seeing it win the Grammy). Whatever. I ranked some albums anyway, and they are pretty good, despite this petulant preface. We are given 100 points to divide amongst the albums. This is what I did with it.
- Bass Drum of Death, “GB City” - 17 points
- Jay-Z & Kanye West, “Watch the Throne” - 13 points
- Bon Iver, “Bon Iver” - 12 points
- Adele, “21” - 10 points
- The Joy Formidable, “The Big Roar” - 10 points
- Telekinesis, “12 Desperate Straight Lines” - 9 points
- St. Vincent, “Strange Mercy” - 9 points
- Feist, “Metals” - 8 points
- Florence + the Machine, “Ceremonials” - 6 points
- Southeast Engine, “Canary” - 6 points
I also ranked songs, but fuck it, I’m just offering up a mix of my favorite tracks of 2011.
In summation, I have very few complaints about 2011… besides the music. 2012 is already looking extremely promising. Let’s hope Ke$ha doesn’t return and ruin it.
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