Finally had a chance to finish this up. Have to say 2012 was a challenge to commit to a solid list. I especially found it difficult to exclude all Shelflife releases. Albums by Burning Hearts, Dylan Mondegreen and The Garlands would surely be in the mix for my top 5. The pains of being unbiased …

But top honors this year is still no real surprise. Violens “True” was an easy love affair. A sound that just defines “wheelhouse” for me. The first three tracks on the record are my most played songs of the year and fittingly so. “Der Microarc” is perhaps one of the best songs written in the past twenty years!

To keep up the podcast tradition, you’ll find my top 20 tracks below. Enjoy and happy holidays!

Top 10 releases of 2012

1. Violens “True” (Slumberland)
2. Ice Choir “Afar” (Underwater Peoples)
3. Frankie Rose “Intersteller” (Slumberland)
4. By The Sea “By The Sea” (The Great Pop Supplement)
5. Toy “Toy” (Heavenly)
6. Wild Nothing “Nocturne” (Captured Tracks)
7. Pop Singles “All Gone” (Vacant Valley)
8. Jim Ruiz Set “Mount Curve Avenue” (Korda / Mystery Lawn)
9. Man Without Country “Foe” (Lost Balloon)
10. Motorama “Calendar” (Talitres)

Top 5 EPs of 2012

1. RxGibbs “Futures” (Cascine)
2. Epic 45 “Fragment #3” (Monopsone)
3. Violens – Fragment #1 (Monopsone)
4. Bart and Friends “There May Come A Time” (Matineé)
5. Cocoanut Groove – Colours (Fraction)

Podcast #6 – Top 20 songs of 2012
(in no particular order)
1. Pop Singles – All Gone
2. Violens – Der Microarc
3. Toy – Left Myself Behind
4. Wild Nothing – Shadow
5. The Fresh & Onlys – Presence of Mind
6. Young Prisms – Runner
7. Letting Up Despite Great Faults – Postcard
8. Lightships – Sweetness In Her Spark
9. Man Without Country – Puppets
10. Epic45 – Defeat
11. By The Sea – Waltz Away
12. Motorama – Image
13. Pale Lights – Boy of Your Dreams
14. Jim Ruiz Set – Young Mr. Ruiz
15. Bart and Friends – There May Come A Time
16. Liechtenstein – Strange Ideas
17. Beach House – Wild
18. Ice Choir – A Vision Of Hell, 1996
19. RxGibbs – Futures
20. Frankie Rose – Pair Of Wings

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