Best of 2012: Rolling Stone, Stereogum, NPR by VVN Network

Best of 2012: Rolling Stone, Stereogum, NPR

By VVN Network, on 12 Dec 05, 2012

Three more sources chime in with their best albums list for 2012, led by that old stalwart, Rolling Stone. True to their heritage, the magazine have chosen a mix of veteran artists with the best of the new but the big surprise is their choice for the best of the year, Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball.

It's not that it is a bad album. It's actually really, really good but it hasn't even made the top 50 on a number of lists. Our guess is that the magazine, which has always been closely aligned with Springsteen's career, was influenced by the heavy social commentary.

Second and third are two albums that have gotten a lot of respect from the year end list makers, Channel Orange by Frank Ocean and Blunderbuss by Jack White. Then comes Bob Dylan's Tempest, another who can do no wrong in RS' eyes, even though the album was not quite up to the brilliance of his three previous releases.

Overall, nine veteran artists made the top 50 with two, Bonnie Raitt and Jimmy Cliff, seeing their first appearances in any year-end list.

Rolling Stone's Top 50 Albums of 2012

01. Wrecking Ball - Bruce Springsteen
02. Channel Orange - Frank Ocean
03. Blunderbuss - Jack White
04. Tempest - Bob Dylan
05. The Idler Wheel is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do - Fiona Apple
06. good kid, m.A.A.d city - Kendrick Lamar
07. Here - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes
08. Uno - Green Day
09. Celebration Rocks - Japandroids
10. Psychedelic Pill - Neil Young
12. Rebirth - Jimmy Cliff
13. Old Ideas - Leonard Cohen
15. Locked Down - Dr. John
22. Slipstream - Bonnie Raitt
25. Sunken Condos - Donald Fagan
36. The Bravest Man in the World - Bobby Womack

The site Stereogum released their list on Tuesday and it is completely devoid of any artist who was recording 25 years ago. Not a one.

They did, however, put Fiona Apple's brilliant album at the top and included three artists who are making a majority of the top tens for the year, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar and the Japandroids.

Stereogum's Top 50 Albums of 2012

01. The Idler Wheel is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do - Fiona Apple
02. Channel Orange - Frank Ocean
03. good kid, m.A.A.d city - Kendrick Lamar
04. The Seer - Swans
05. Devotion - Jessie Ware
06. Attack on Memory - Cloud Nothings
07. Celebration Rock - Japandroids
08. Heaven - Walkmen
09. Something - Chairlift
10. Swing Lo Magellan - Dirty Projectors

The full list is available at Stereogum's site.

Finally, NPR has picked their 50 favorites of the year but they don't rank their selections. Here are the albums by veteran artists to make their list, including a first mention of Dwight Yoakam.

The Bravest Man in the World - Bobby Womack
3 Pears - Dwight Yoakam
Old Ideas - Leonard Cohen
The Cherry Thing - Neneh Cherry and the Thing

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Best of 2012: Rolling Stone, Stereogum, NPR

By VVN Network, on 12 Dec 05, 2012

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