Best Albums of 2012

2012 was a great year for music – so many new albums were released but here are my top 5 of the year. Trust me, it was hard to choose just a few! If you haven’t heard an album on here, I highly recommend checking them out, each artist mentioned is so incredible and deserves as much recognition as they can get!

Close the Distance – Go Radio Released September 18th 2012

 

Close the Distance is definitely a noteworthy album in the pop-rock genre. Go Radio has always been so great at writing and performing, but this album really shows that off more than I’ve seen in their previous music. Each track showcases Jason’s super unique voice and makes that manly/tough rasp and low tone quite beautiful. It’s hard to choose a favorite track on the album – they’re all so fantastic – which is a major reason it’s on my personal list of top albums of the year!

Up All Night – One Direction Released March 13th 2012

We can’t forget about the pop british boy band taking the world by storm! This album was released in the US early this past year and made quite a splash – making #1 on so many charts! Sadly, these 5 European cutie pies won’t make it on the top for my list, but they still have a special place in my fangirl heart. Their harmonies make peoples’ ears explode on a daily basis and their catchy pop sound wormed their way into everyones brain. Contrary to belief, this album is home of more than just What Makes You Beautiful and One Thing – there’s plenty of more great music – including some slower tempo songs like More Than This and Same Mistakes. The diversity of tracks on this album is the reason it’s #4 on my list.

Night Visions – Imagine Dragons Released September 4th 2012

It’s Time to Hear Me when I say that I feel On Top of the World, Every Night I listen to this album – it’s Radioactive. Ok, sorry for the bad puns, but truly this album is incredible. Every single track just catches your attention – there is not one bad song on this album. There’s diversity in the tracks (which you now know I like), the instrumentals are insane and the vocals are so good you could throw up. Imagine Dragons is just so different from everything else out there right now and they’re all so talented; it makes sense why their popularity is sky rocketing lately. If you ever have enough time, I would advise just going through and listen to the album in its entirety; and if you do, I hope you fall in love with it as much as I did.

Collide With the Sky – Pierce the Veil Released June 17th 2012

Collide With the Sky is just a beautiful, beautiful album. This is another album you just need to take time and listen to in its entirety. One reason is the perfect transition from May These Noises Startle You in Your Sleep Tonight to Hell Above – it’s truly flawless. Even if your not a fan of the more punk side of music, I bet there is at least one song on this album you would enjoy; Pierce the Veil brings so much to each and every track, making sure that it’s perfect. They also make sure to change things up like bringing their “south of the border” guitar sounds to Bulls in the Bronx or a lighter female vocal in Hold On Till May. Also don’t forget that the PTV boys brought in Kellin Quinn of Sleeping With Sirens for the smash hit King for a Day! It’s clear why Collide With the Sky is #2 on my list, so if you haven’t checked it out – go ahead, entertain your ears!

The Heist – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Released October 9th 2012

“Welcome to the Heist.”
This is probably the best album of the last couple years – not just 2012. I had the pleasure of doing an album review the night this came out, but after reading it over again, I did not give it justice. After actually having time to go through each track and listen to every lyric, I realized a review on this can’t fit in the few paragraphs that I had – anyone could rant days and days on end of how powerful and deep this album is no matter what their music preference was. Yes, there’s those silly songs like Thrift Shop, but the majority of this album is filled with real and raw and beautiful lyrics. This album is one of those legendary musical perfections that could bring a population together – it could open peoples’ eyes. That sounds so cheesy, but tracks like Same Love already have done just that. Getting past the message of the songs – musically, it’s also incredible. We had a chance to speak with Andrew Joslyn (in charge of orchestral arrangements for the Heist) and so much respect goes out to him and everyone else who put this together. They are truly so talented, everyone involved in the writing process was so creative with the sounds used throughout the whole album.
(Side note: if you have time go check out that interview – Joslyn lets us know how many instruments he plays, it’s quite remarkable actually.)
This album also features so many different artists and what’s really great about this is that they’re not the huge pop artists that everyone already knows – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are supporting the rising stars!
I’ll stop there and hope you all purchase this album and listen to it with an open mind – it is our top album for a reason, hope you enjoy!