#12: Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires Of The City.Released on May 13th, this unlikely album really reinvented one of our favorite bands. They managed to kick it all off with their single, Diane Young and, in all, we thought this album was an absolute masterpiece. Therefore, it's definitely worthy of a place in our top 12 ... even if, after the many months, it has become a little forgotten.
#11: Foals - Holy Fire.After the success of their single,. Inhaler, in 2012, this beautiful new album from Foals, which was released in February, managed to take the world by storm. Unfortunately, its placing does correlate to its early release in the year, and therefore its fading from our mind, though, we know that we can turn to it for a listen to some genius, anytime we like.
#10: Lorde - Pure Heroine.The pop success act of the year came in the form of Lorde when her Lana Del Rey influences, infused with that of a young heart, managed to turn on the industry. Though a later release (27th September), this little stunner managed to take hold of the UK and US and, this little New Zealander will surely be in the limelight for some time to come.
#9: The 1975 - The 1975.Though massively disappointed with their previous EPs, The 1975 really pulled the cat out of the bag with their debut album which was a stunning fusion of funk, rock, indie and pop. Songs like Chocolate, The City, and Menswear, really managed to get people going. Whilst this one really did heat up the rock world, they'll need to keep it up, or change in the correct way in order to keep their highly coveted status.
#8: Arcade Fire - Reflektor.The very alternative way of making music came in the form of the return of Arcade Fire this year, in October. Their latest effort, Reflektor, definitely caused a bit of a buzz in the music world, and with tracks like We Exist, and Supersymmetry, really epitomise why these guys are such a huge name, and why this album really should be in the list.
#7: James Blake - Overgrown.The Mercury Prize winning album from James Blake is a worthy winner. The reason, we believe, it made it so highly was the way in which it manages to grab you, and hold you, despite not quite being fast enough to keep you going. We've listened to this one plenty of times over, with songs like Life Round Here, and of course, Retrograde, really getting this act together, and this man on the map.
#6: Bastille - Bad Blood.Our big band of 2012 did not disappoint with the debut album, Bad Blood, which made the cut on March 4th. With every song being somewhat of a single, their criticisms are completely unjust. We've seen them now, time and time again, and whilst it seems that their latest work will be somewhat different, we couldn't have picked something better to pick up on, and latch on to. Dan Smith can be incredibly proud, and the only way is up for this lot and this album.
#5: Disclosure - Settle.The electronic debut from Disclosure, released in late May, managed to bring this sort of sound right back into the industry. Though not every single track was up to our standards, this album, in full, was an absolutely astonishing feat and something we're going to treasure for quite some time to come. We're very much looking forward to whatever they have on the cards next and hope that, with some incredible new names emerging, their next few collaborations, will be as interesting and mesmerising as this album.
#4: HAIM - Days Are Gone.The trio of lovely American girls managed to shake up the rock scene with their incredibly catchy singles, and truly brilliant album, Days Are Gone. They've really gone from strength to strength this year and this album manages to define that year in a nutshell. With their single, alongside the likes of Let Me Go, Days Are Gone, and Running If You Call My Name, there's absolutely no way that you won't fall in love with this trio of awesome Americana chicks.
#3: Arctic Monkeys - AM.The definitive album from the Rock legends, Arctic Monkeys, didn't quite make it to first place with us, but by God, we had to have them up high. Their latest effort, AM, really did put them right back up at the top of their game. We'll admit, we didn't think this would be nearly as good as it was, and this was based on their previous two or three tries .. but they've gotten right back up on the horse and are, therefore, well worthy of their bronze trophy, an third place placing.
#2: London Grammar - If You Wait.If we're honest, and this really isn't take anything away from the other two, but Hannah Reid really does make London Grammar incredible. Nonetheless, their album as a whole really did get us listening over and over and over again and, whilst it's only been on the shelves for 3 months, we haven't stopped listening and it's still one of our current favourites to have a listen in to.
#1: VV Brown - Samson & Delilah.Our lady of the year, and subsequently, our album of the year, is dedicated to the wonderful VV Brown. We've not stopped raving about her, and about this album, and we still think it's a piece of absolute history. The way in which she has managed to completely recreate herself, and her sound has mesmerised for the past few months and, the thing that really topped it all off, was to see her in the flesh performing with such grace and wonder, that we just knew that this had to be it. Every single track, even those that don't seem to take off, are evidently pieces of her heart, made into music. Whilst we know that she's not the biggest name in the industry, we believe she deserves it, and hope that, in the coming months or years, this catches on and VV has her well deserved moments in the limelight. What a woman!
TLB.
