A list of 2012 albums I found good, interesting or just worth checking out - and some I reviewed that turned out to be crap.

The albums are in order of preference down to and not including those ranked 3/5. Those and below are grouped by style, so that you can easily find similar recommendations.

You can find several full reviews on my RYM list. Check it out.

1. Susanne Sundfør - The Silicone Veil

2. Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do

3. Mount Eerie - Clear Moon

4. A Forest of Stars - A Shadowplay for Yesterdays

5. Aluk Todolo - Occult Rock

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This year, I will try to listen to less music more. That is, I won't go out of my way to hear and list every possible album I sort of dig on the first spin, and the ones I do include I aim to know thoroughly. A lot of the albums I include tentatively will probably get deleted, too. Without further preamble, interesting albums in no particular order:

1. Owen Pallett - In Conflict

2. Menace Ruine - Venus Armata

3. Pallbearer - Foundations Of Burden

4. Jenny Hval & Susanna - Meshes of Voice

5. Tuomas Henrikin Jeesuksen Kristuksen Bändi - Käkkyrällään

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What follows is an introductory list to some of post-rock's essential classics, contemporary landmarks as well as a few recent personal favorites - especially the kind I think can show the genre's potential for diversity. If you don't know what post-rock is about, listening to these albums should give you the cultural competence to evaluate new albums and avoid embarassing yourself in dinner party conversations. Post-rock is a controversial and vague term that even some of the genre's central figures refuse to identify with. I've used it in a fairly loose sense, including a wide spectrum of bands that all forgo rock convention.

1. Talk Talk - Spirit Of Eden

2. Slint - Spiderland

3. Stereolab - Switched On

4. Bark Psychosis - Hex

5. Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die

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As usual, interesting albums of the year to be ranked and reviewed.

This time I'll make it easier for myself, and group weaker releases by genre as soon as I rate them. Expect only 5-3,5/5 to be ranked in order of preference, and possibly a 3,25 category if it's needed.

1. Torres - Torres

2. Subrosa - More Constant Than The Gods

3. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away

4. Procession - To Reap Heavens Apart

5. Obscure Sphinx - Void Mother

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This is a list of my favorite releases of 2011. The top 50 is in order of preference, the rest are in random order. I have ranked 150 albums in order of preference on RateYourMusic, but I cannot be bothered to do twice the work. Check my profile there for more rankings and reviews.

My reviews
Top 150 and more.

1. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

2. Subrosa - No Help For The Mighty Ones

3. Einar Stray - Chiaroscuro

4. Eleanoora Rosenholm - Hyväile minua pimeä tähti

5. Giles Corey - Giles Corey

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Yep, one of those lists. Everyone has one, so I thought I'd make a list of metal albums I really recommend.

This is not an absolute "best-of" list, for a few reasons:
1) I stick to one album per band, unless there's been a drastic style shift (like Katatonia's).
2) I try to cover all major subgenres fairly, so I have something for everyone. It counterbalances the tendency to list all the cool bands in a style I'm into right now (like drone or epic doom).

1. Warning - Watching From a Distance

2. Candlemass - Nightfall

3. Reverend Bizarre - In The Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend

4. Pagan Altar - The Lords Of Hypocrisy

5. Katatonia - Dance of December Souls

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