15. Tamaryn – Tender New Signs
Tamaryn’s sophomore work is an exercise in those types of shoegazed, dreamy landscapes that uplift with half hidden melodies; the mood set by Rex John Silverton’s eddying guitar and Tamaryn’s seraphim vocals is exquisitely languid and gracefully feline. Tender New Signs feels like a peak of the unhurried, blurry nu-gaze trend of recent years. BH
14. Crystal Castles – III
Certainly not their most brutal record in terms of sonic barrage, but still pretty full-on, Alice and Ethan’s third LP is one of relative maturity. Their first album to be produced solely by Ethan (who has most certainly found his footing) III is a perfect template for modern IDM. More composed than previous releases, and trancier too, tracks like ‘Plague’ and ‘Wrath of God’ are Crystal Castles at their peak. The final piece in a consummate trio of records. AT
13. Grimes – Visions
With her electro-pop-dance amalgam finally synthesised into the polished form it always threatened to be, if Claire Boucher aka Grimes is the future, then I don’t think anybody will be complaining. Saccharine, seductive and melodic, but also metallic, edgy, and en vogue; Visions is the record that could finally end Bjork. AT
12. Bill Fay – Life is People
Without coming over all hipster and what not, this is one record you almost definitely didn’t hear this year. Following the release of the mindblowingly-good Time of the Last Persecution way back in 1971, Fay was dropped by his label and disappeared almost entirely until 2005. With organs, gospel and a wealth of world-wise lyrics, this record confirms Fay’s talent as a singer-songwriter of almost incomparable class. The definitive Sunday record, you can only think it’d be absolutely fitting for Bill Fay to sign off with Life is People. BDSM
11. Echo Lake – Wild Peace
10. Richard Hawley – Standing at the Sky’s Edge
“Somebody dial 999, Richard Hawley’s been robbed”. And so it was again in 2012 as it was in 2006, with Hawley narrowly missing out on something he probably doesn’t care much for but deserves all the same. Its an understatement to say that his 7th solo record is something of a stylistic departure, and with it we get an even clearer picture of the sheer musicianship at hand. Like an antidote to modern life it longs for the pastoral, while the snarling and distorted offerings of Standing at the Sky’s Edge bring you crashing into a very personal take on psychedelia. Refreshing to say the least. S&M
9. Lucy Rose – Like I Used To
8. Bat for Lashes – The Haunted Man
7. The Maccabees – Given to the Wild
An enchanting and mesmerizing take on bildungsroman. The coming-of-age nature was not just with Orlando Weeks’ voice, but also the White brothers’ guitar skill and overall production. It was a lo-fi record which the band’s label Fiction thought would be too edgy to succeed. The band, to all their credit, confounded these expectations and remain some of the nicest people in the industry. A truly remarkable leap of faith by a band who mightily deserved their Mercury Prize nomination. JDR
