Best Albums of 2012 : 20-11

Hi folks,

As promised here are my picks for 2012 - overall I think it's safe to say that it was a pretty decent year for music though it's increasingly the case that you have to go digging if you want to find the good stuff as opposed to having to listen to Alt-J and Mumford and Sons on rotation if you rely on the mainstream media. Psychedelia came back in a big way with Tame Impala's 'Lonerism' bagging album of the year in the NME as well as a host of other accolades - it didn't make my final round-up but the triptabulous likes of Goat and Toy did with their new take on the genre, as did Baroness and Alcest with their metallic trips into transcendent territory. Shoegaze fans were also well-catered for with Wild Nothing, DIIV and the Raveonettes putting in impressive turns and the great indie songbook was further augmented with entries from newbies Tribes and perennial favourites the Cribs. However the biggest thrill of the year from my perspective was the resurgence of loud, infectious garage indie rock with raging slabs of raw energy from The Men, Metz, PAWS and Parquet Courts all providing an irresistible fix of thunderous indie scuzz, punk energy and monstrous hooks. A new crop of bands showed up armed with a stack of great tunes tailor-made for turning small, cheap venues into a barrage of noise and adrenalin and hopefully they'll all go from strength to strength as 2013 unfolds around us. 

Here's the first instalment of my list with the albums that didn't quite make the top ten - those that did will follow tomorrow. Hope you find something you like and feel free to point out any I might have missed.

20. The Cribs - In the Belly of the Brazen Bull

Back to the original trio following a slightly shaky period with Johnny Marr on board, The Cribs came back with this belter to remind us all how vital they still are to the UK indie scene. Having navigated their way through the noughties in brash defiance of the commercial leanings of their peers, the lads have come through to the other side in style and can still pen anthems to set gigs alight and send indie dancefloors into frenzies of sweaty ecstasy. There's rumours that this may in fact be their final chapter before a self-imposed hiatus - let's hope that they stick around but even if they decide to hang up their guitars for a while it's safe to say that they'll be leaving us on a real high note with this one.

19. Napalm Death - Utilitarian

With much of the world seemingly poised to riotously combust at any moment it's a wonder that there aren't more bands channelling that energy into some refreshingly vicious rock 'n' roll. Young bands seem way to career conscious to venture into politics these days so thank God for Napalm Death who dropped this molotov cocktail of a record early in 2012 to soundtrack the troubled times we live in. Ever evolving but still fundamentally the same bunch of uncouth punks that burst onto the scene some 25 years ago, the lads are still firing on all cylinders and positively boiling over with the urge to challenge and subvert. I saw them tour this when it came out and they can still blow the hair off your balls with their live show and 'Utilitarian' gave them a whole new set of weapons to assault your eardrums with.

18. The Raveonettes - Observator

I'm the first to slag bands off when they disappoint me but there's nothing nicer than being proved wrong by a group I'd dismissed as chancers when they come back and blow my mind with something great. The Raveonettes and myself got off on the wrong foot back in the mid-noughties when I saw them supporting the Cure and turned my nose up at their unimaginative garage rock but the intervening years have seen them reinvent themselves as a darkly-hued fuzz pop outfit and release several stonking albums of which 'Observator' is the latest to arrive. Drinking in a different shade of dream pop on each of its nine tracks, this record is practically flawless and it sent me on a quest to discover all of their previous records that I'd foolishly passed by. Lesson learnt, I'll be paying way more attention from now on.

17. Errors - Have Some Faith in Magic

This year's surprise electro nugget, Errors came straight outta leftfield with this one early in the year and it took me a while to warm to its charms but once I did I was totally hooked. Brewing up an intoxicating sonic stew of Boards of Canada-style electric banks of warm soundscapes and distinctly danceable nuggets of infectious techno, these guys rose above their synth fetishist peers to produce something sublime and transcendent - the sun-soaked electronics of 'Have Some Faith In Magic' should be enough to turn around those who've become sick of dance music's quick-fix gimmickry and clever bugger chin-stroking and it's a timely reminder of how heavenly electro can be when it's in the right hands. 

16. The Vaccines - Come of Age

Could they do it again? You betcha. Having been indie's sole standard bearers throughout 2011 you could have forgiven the Vaccines for simply tossing out another volume of radio-friendly punk pop in the vein of their stellar debut but the lads plumped for something slightly different yet equally as satisfying. Eschewing the smash 'n' grab thrills of their debut for a more tempered formula reminiscent of the Lemonheads at their most anthemic, the boys certainly succeeded in taking things to the next level and proved that they could still write devastatingly catchy singles when they felt like it. Another live highlight of the year, their gig in Paris showed just what an impressive arsenal they have after only two albums and left me thinking that with such indie gold in their tank, the best from these boys may be yet to come.

15. Polica - Give You The Ghost

Following on neatly from the Vaccines is Polica who happened to be playing on the same bill as them when they came through town in November. Whilst the Vaccines spent most of the evening throwing themselves around the stage, Polica remained pretty much rooted to the spot but that was because they were making enough noise to floor punters without having to move an inch. This is smoky, atmospheric indie electronica in the vein of late period Portishead but with the focus more on a souped-up live sound rather than just another derivative mess of tape loops and studio trickery - the vocals are processed without sounding fake and the rhythm section are beefy enough to spill your drink at fifty paces. Electronica can be often be a frustrating experience but this lot have enough in the tank to blow away all preconceptions and fry unsuspecting minds every time they hit the stage.

14. Janka Nabay and the Bubu Gang - En Yay Sah

Afrobeat isn't ususally my thing but I gave this album one listen after reading an interview with bandleader Nabay and was a swift convert - flanked by a backing band padded out with Brooklyn scenesters from Gang Gang Dance and Skeletons, he's got one foot in world music but another firmly in the skinny-jeaned landscape of modern indie. 'En Yay Sah' is based on the Bubu genre from Nabay's native Sierra Leone and is positively buzzing with rhythmic energy - the twin vocal attack split between himself and female Syrian vocalist Boshra AlSaadi leads the dance and his nimble band of backing musicians whip up a whirlwind of infectious rhythms and nippy guitar lines to propel the tunes into orbit and make you want to kick up some serious dust in an impromptu tribal frenzy. I'm way too much of a honky to speak in knowledgeable terms about African music but this is a frenetic rave-up that deserves widespread attention way beyond the World Music shelves at the record store.

13. Alcest - Les Voyages de l'ame

This album was one of my earliest purchases of the year and landed during the depths of winter as perfect tonic to the miserable weather and directionless boredom that were threatening to take over completely. Having evolved from the feral roots of black metal into something glorious and untouchable, Alcest's sound has more in common with Slowdive than with Darkthrone and brings to mind a warmer, more benevolent take on Justin Broadrick's post-Godflesh Jesu project, although where Broadrick is often mired in his own melancholy Alcest instead ascend into an almost trance-like state of grace. Mainman Neige based the record on his own out of body experiences which should pretty much tell you all you need to know about the vibe he's aiming for here and this is the perfect soundtrack to bring you out of that mid-winter slump with renewed hope to take on the world again.

12. Wild Nothing - Nocturne

Wild Nothing's debut 'Gemini' managed to sneak up on me back in 2010 to become one of my favourite records of the year but having played it so much since then I figured that 'Nocturne' was pretty much surplus to requirements. As per usual I was way off the mark and this new instalment of soft-focus dream pop became just as indispensable as the first, fleshing out the sound from a one-man project to a full band to craft an enchanting set of fuzz pop anthems that hark back to mid 80s dry ice merchants like Dream Academy and 'Hounds of Love'-era Kate Bush. 'Nocturne' won't rock your balls off or anything but it will most likely succeed in wooing you with its cloud-cuddling warmth and nimble songwriting chops. Another one to file in the 'Quiet Understated Genius' racks then.

11. Metz - s/t

2012 was a good year to make a whole lot of noise and these guys did it better than most, tapping into some classic Sub Pop indie sludge with truckloads of forward motion and a binder full of catchy hooks. I think bands like Metz have become more appealing of late in contrast to the legions of well-turned out young men playing inoffensive indie to major acclaim right now, making the more individually-minded amongst us long for a return to old-school indie values, cheap shows in toilet venues and lots of raw energy and robust guitar rock. Short, splunderous blasts of garage rock like 'Headache', 'Wet Blanket' and 'Get Off' are the tonic to all the boring Mercury Prize indie dweebs out there and 'Metz' racks up ten good reasons to turn your stereo up loud, get stuck into the bevvy and bang your head like a maniac.