I collected over 35 ‘best music of the year’ lists for 2012 and combined them into one list. Here are the results. The number in bold and underlined is the number of ‘best of the year’ lists that contained the album. I’ve included every album on four or more of the 35+ lists. For those who care, I’ve put an asterisk next to albums I currently own.
On 35 Lists
Frank Ocean – Channel Orange*
On 23 Lists
Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d. city*
On 17 Lists
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*
On 14 Lists
Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan*
On 13 Lists
Cat Power – Sun*
Japandroids – Celebration Rock*
On 12 Lists
Grizzly Bear – Shields*
Grimes – Visions*
Jack White – Blunderbuss
Jessie Ware – Devotion
Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music
On 11 Lists
Sharon Van Etten – Tramp*
On 10 Lists
Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls*
Tame Impala – Lonerism*
Swans – The Seer
On 9 Lists
Alt-J – An Awesome Wave
On 8 Lists
Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream
Beach House – Bloom*
Bob Dylan – Tempest
Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory
David Byrne & St. Vincent – Love This Giant*
Dr. John – Locked Down*
Death Grips – The Money Store
Vijay Iyer Trio – Accelerando*
On 7 Lists
Father John Misty – Fear Fun
Flying Lotus – Until The Quiet Comes
Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas
Metz – Metz
Chromatics – Kill For Love
Bat For Lashes – The Haunted Man*
Django Django – Django Django
Ty Segall – Twins
Nas – Life is Good
Taylor Swift – Red
On 6 Lists
Julia Holter – Ekstasis
Bobby Womack – The Bravest Man in the Universe
Andy Stott – Luxury Problems
Neneh Cherry and The Thing – The Cherry Thing*
On 5 Lists
Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill
Paul Weller – Sonik Kicks
Hot Chip – In Our Heads
The xx – Coexist
Allo Darlin’ – Europe
El-P – Cancer 4 Cure
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
Best Coast – The Only Place
Purity Ring – Shrines
fun. – Some Nights*
Spiritualized – Sweet Heart, Sweet Light
Wadada Leo Smith – Ten Freedom Summers
Ravi Coltrane – Spirit Fiction
On 4 Lists
Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball
Baroness – Yellow & Green
The Mountain Goats – Transcendental Youth
The Walkmen – Heaven
The 2 Bears – Be Strong
Lana Del Rey – Born To Die
The Avett Brothers – The Carpenter
First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar
Future – Pluto
Scott Walker – Bish Bosch
Liars – WIXIW
Passion Pit – Gossamer
Iris DeMent – Sing the Delta*
DIIV – Oshin
John Talabot – ƒIN
The Ty Segall Band – Slaughterhouse
Billy Hart – All Our Reasons
Robert Glasper Experiment – Black Radio*
Gregory Porter – Be Good*
Tim Berne – Snakeoil
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