Tags: music, albums, greatest albums, 2012, best of 2012, best albums by year, Top Ten Musical Album list
The Best Albums of 2012
There were plenty of very familiar names on the 2012 list of best musical albums including a few who also were on the best albums of 2011 list. Returning with new music in 2012 included the likes of Jack White with "Blunderbuss," Mumford & Sons with "Babel," Neil Young and Crazy Horse with "Psychedelic Pill," Taylor Swift with "Red" and Bruce Springsteen with "Wrecking Ball," among many others.
On the newer side, Frank Ocean's "Channel Orange," Grizzly Bear's "Shields," Gary Clark Jr.'s "Blak and Blu," Lana Del Rey's "Born to Die" and Schoolboy Q's "Habits & Contradictions" made sure that if these artists were not household names before that they sure were now.
So whether you were a fan of the new Madonna record "MDNA" or impressed by "Reign of Terror" from Sleigh Bells, it's likely that one album or another in 2012 caught your eye (or ear). Vote for your favorite 2012 albums, re-rank this list in your own order and add any we missed, all below! For more music goodness from the year, check out the best rap and hip-hop albums of 2012 and the best country albums of 2012!
List Criteria: Albums released from January to December 2012
see all
- 1Up 49Down 26
Blunderbuss
Jack White - 2Up 44Down 23
Wrecking Ball
Bruce Springsteen - 3Up 25Down 21
The Truth About Love
P!nk - 4Up 43Down 15
The 2nd Law
Muse - 5Up 26Down 29
Red
Taylor Swift - 6Up 33Down 28
Babel
Mumford & Sons - 7Up 29Down 18
Shields
Grizzly Bear - 8Up 32Down 22
Psychedelic Pill
Neil Young, Crazy Horse - 9Up 12Down 8Gotye
- 10Up 19Down 17
The Idler Wheel...
Fiona Apple - 11Up 25Down 22
Channel Orange
Frank Ocean - 12Up 10Down 17
On This Winter's Night
Lady Antebellum - 13Up 6Down 2
The Lumineers
- 14Up 23Down 18
Tempest
Bob Dylan - 15Up 24Down 20
Celebration Rock
Japandroids - 16Up 23Down 17
Bloom
Beach House - 17Up 2Down 2
The View From The Bottom
Lit - 18Up 4Down 1
The Lion's Roar
- 19Up 6Down 9
Break it Yourself
Andrew Bird - 20Up 4Down 0
Kiss
Carly Rae Jepsen - 21Up 4Down 1
There's No Leaving Now
- 22Up 9Down 17
Hope On The Rocks
Toby Keith - 23Up 4Down 3
The Only Place
- 24Up 23Down 21
Boys & Girls
Alabama Shakes - 25Up 1Down 2
World From the Side of the Moon
Phillip Phillips - 26Up 10Down 12
Blak and Blu
Gary Clark Jr. - 27Up 1Down 2
That's Why God Made the Radio
The Beach Boys - 28Up 12Down 13
Centipede Hz
Animal Collective - 29Up 2Down 2
Generals
- 30Up 1Down 2
Take Me Home
One Direction - 31Up 1Down 1
What We Saw from the Cheap Seats
Regina Spektor - 32Up 3Down 2
Stronger
Kelly Clarkson - 33Up 3Down 3
Babel
Mumford & Sons - 34Up 13Down 16
R.A.P. Music
Killer Mike - 35Up 0Down 1One Direction
- 36Up 15Down 20
Born to Die
Lana Del Rey - 37Up 1Down 2
Through the Deep, Dark Valley
The Oh Hellos - 38Up 6Down 8
In Our Heads by Hot Chip
- 39Up 6Down 11
Afterglow
Black Country Communion - 40Up 11Down 15
Reign of Terror
Sleigh Bells - 41Up 12Down 20
Blown Away
Carrie Underwood - 42Up 18Down 28
Uno
Green Day - 43Up 4Down 7
Clockwork Angels
Rush - 44Up 3Down 6
Anastasis
Dead Can Dance - 45Up 4Down 11
Sunken Condos
Donald Fagen - 46Up 6Down 12
Habits & Contradictions
Schoolboy Q - 47Up 3Down 7
Love This Giant By David Byrne & St. Vincent
- 48Up 8Down 13
Living Things
Linkin Park - 49Up 5Down 14
Strange Clouds
B.O.B - 50Up 5Down 13
Dreamchasers 2
Meek Mill -
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