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FILTER Magazine Announces Top Albums of 2012

The Good Music Publication Shares its Top 10 Albums as Chosen by the FILTER Staff along with FILTER Magazine’s Top 25 Reviewed Albums of the Year

December is upon us, which can only mean one thing here at FILTER magazine: it’s time again for good music fans to reflect upon their favorite albums of the year. FILTER magazine has taken on the challenge of sifting through the massive amount of quality tunes from the years’ new releases to find the good, the better and the best, to proudly announce the Top 10 Albums of 2012,, as determined by its staff. To give readers an even more in-depth look at the “good music” of 2012, FILTER is also sharing the magazine’s list of the Top Reviewed Albums of the Year.

Tame Impala’s vibrant sophomore release, Lonerism, claims the top spot for FILTER’s staff picks, followed closely by Frank Ocean’s stunning Channel Orange, and the curious and distorted-pop tracks of Grimes’ Visions.  With a 95% review rating, Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange takes first place honors on FILTER’s 25 Top Reviewed Albums of the Year list.  Also making the top reviewed 25 cut are Air’s Le voyage dans la lune, Andrew Bird’s Break It Yourself, Jack White’s Blunderbuss and many more

“As much music comes across our desks in a whole year, it’s remarkable (and exhausting!) to stand back and look at it all at the end of it. In both the magazine’s top reviewed list and our office’s staff picks, it’s refreshing to see English alt-folk and Canadian art-rock stand next to Swedish synth-pop and American hip-hop—good music is certainly prevailing and it comes to us in all shapes and sounds.” —FILTER magazine

At years’ end, FILTER announces not just one, but two best of ‘good music’ lists: FILTER magazine’s top reviewed records of the year, and a second top 10 list composed of the FILTER staff’s favorites. To create FILTER’s top 10 list, each individual staff member whittles down their favorite releases over the calendar year, and those picks are tallied up to form the consolidated final list.

The complete set of FILTER magazine’s top music selections for 2012 can be viewed below. Visit FILTERmagazine.com for even more good music from the past year, including FILTER staff’s individual top album picks.

FILTER ’s Top 10 Albums of 2012: Staff Picks

2. Frank Ocean, Channel Orange
3. Grimes, Visions
4. Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d. city
5. Diamond Rugs, Diamond Rugs
6. Cat Power, Sun
7. Mumford & Sons, Babel
8. Godspeed You! Black Emperor, ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
9. Niki and the Dove, Instinct
10. Beach House, Bloom

Honorable Mentions

11. Miike Snow, Happy To You
12. Liars, WIXIW
13. Sigur Ros, Valtari
14. DIIV, Oshin
15. Father John Misty, Fear Fun
16. Chromatics, Kill For Love
17. Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel…
18. Flying Lotus, Until The Quiet Comes
19. Jack White, Blunderbuss
20. The xx, Coexist

FILTER Magazine’s 25 Top Reviewed Records of 2012 Include:

Frank Ocean, Channel Orange (95%)
Air, Le voyage dans la lune (91%)
Andrew Bird, Break It Yourself (90%)
Flying Lotus, Until the Quiet Comes (90%)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor, ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend! (90%)
Jack White, Blunderbuss (90%)
Diamond Rugs, Diamond Rugs (89%)
Dirty Three, Toward the Low Sun (89%)
El-P, Cancer for Cure (89%)
Tame Impala, Lonerism (89%)
Beach House, Bloom (88%)
Bear In Heaven, I Love You, It’s Cool (88%)
Dead Can Dance, Anastasis (88%)
Grizzly Bear, Shields (88%)
Patti Smith, Banga (88%)
Antony and the Johnsons, Cut the World [live] (87%)
Band of Horses, Mirage Rock (87%)
Chairlift, Something (87%)
Dirty Projectors, Swing Lo Magellan (87%)
A Place to Bury Strangers, Worship (87%)
P.O.S., We Don’t Even Live Here (87%)
Sleigh Bells, Reign of Terror (87%)
Sun Kil Moon, Among the Leaves (87%)
The Walkmen, Heaven (87%)
Wild Nothing, Nocturne (87%)

About FILTER Magazine

Good music will prevail. These are the words that we here at FILTER live by. In an ever-evolving musical landscape, we’re here to help. Through FILTER’s various outlets – our informative website, our irreverent blog, the FILTER Good Music Guide, our local listening parties and the jewel in our music-loving crown, FILTER magazine – we want to help you discover your new favorite band. www.FILTERMagazine.com.

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