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Colleen Devine ’13
2012 was a fantastic year for the music world. In honor of this, The Panther put together a list of the best albums of 2012, along with some honorable mentions. First and foremost, the best album of 2012 is Shield by Grizzly Bear. The album is notably more cohesive than previous albums, but that is to be expected considering the band went on many “writing retreats” in order to make this perfect album. Rolling Stone magazine, much like The Seattle Prep Panther, realized the album’s quality and named it their 35th favorite album of 2012. Favorite songs on Shield include “Gun-Shy” and “Speak in Rounds.”
The next best album of 2012 is, no surprise here, Coexist by The XX. The band’s second album lived up to the expectations set up by their first album, which debuted in 2009. The XX takes a minimalistic approach to music that is welcomed with open arms. The New York Times called the album “as insular and micro as ambitious pop music can be … a wonderful experiment in the power of absence”. Favorite songs on the album are “Reunion” and “Swept Away”.
The next notable album is Battle Born by the Killers. The Killers came out with their first album, Hot Fuss, in 2003 and quickly rose to fame. Their 2012 album Battle Born may not be the Killers’ best album due to its lack of cohesiveness and attempts to stray away from their signature sound, but the hype for the album did not completely disappoint fans. “Runaways”, the album’s first released single, set the tone for the sophistication of this album compared to the naiveté of other albums. The standout songs include “Heart of a Girl” and “Runaways”.
The Shins also released another album in 2012, Port of Morrow, which caused much debate within the newspaper community. Mr. Richardson and Parker Sommervile ‘13 thought that the album “tried too hard” to bring something new to the table when The Shins should have embraced their natural sound. However, this album was not a swing and a miss. The lyrics do not lack complexity and this album, unlike many others, is not repetitive. Every song nowadays seems to repeat the same set of words for the entirety of the song, so their approach is refreshing. The favorite songs on the album are “Port of Morrow” and “40 Mark Strasse”.
Other notable albums of 2012 are Born to Die by Lana Del Rey, Channel Orange by Frank Ocean, The Lumineers by The Lumineers, Electra Heart by Marina and the Diamonds, good kid, m.A.A.d. city by Kendrick Lamar, and Gossamer by Passion Pit.