Pazz & Jop: Top 100 Albums of 2012 (an annual poll of critics, published by The Village Voice)
[see also 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2011]
- Frank Ocean — Channel Orange
- Kendrick Lamar — good kid, m.A.A.d city
- Fiona Apple — The Idler Wheel…
- Japandroids — Celebration Rock
- Miguel — Kaleidoscope Dream
- Tame Impala — Lonerism
- Swans — The Seer
- Killer Mike — R.A.P. Music
- Grimes — Visions
- Beach House — Bloom
- Dirty Projectors — Swing Lo Magellan
- Jack White — Blunderbuss
- Cloud Nothings — Attack on Memory
- Father John Misty — Fear Fun
- Bruce Springsteen — Wrecking Ball
- Bob Dylan — Tempest
- Taylor Swift — Red
- Future — Pluto
- Alabama Shakes — Boys & Girls
- Sharon Van Etten — Tramp
- Dr. John — Locked Down
- Leonard Cohen — Old Ideas
- Cat Power — Sun
- Baroness — Yellow & Green
- Scott Walker — Bish Bosch
- El-P — Cancer 4 Cure
- Grizzly Bear — Shields
- Chromatics — Kill for Love
- Andy Stott — Luxury Problems
- Jessie Ware — Devotion
- Neil Young & Crazy Horse — Psychedelic Pill
- Loudon Wainwright III — Older Than My Old Man Now
- The Mountain Goats — Transcendental Youth
- Spiritualized — Sweet Heart, Sweet Light
- Bat for Lashes — The Haunted Man
- Godspeed You! Black Emperor — ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
- Julia Holter — Ekstasis
- Hot Chip — In Our Heads
- Carly Rae Jepsen — Kiss
- Todd Snider — Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables
- fun. — Some Nights
- Bob Mould — Silver Age
- Converge — All We Love We Leave Behind
- Kelly Hogan — I Like to Keep Myself in Pain
- Death Grips — The Money Store
- Purity Ring — Shrines
- Nada Surf — The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy
- Iris DeMent — Sing the Delta
- The xx — Coexist
- The Men — Open Your Heart
- Jens Lekman — I Know What Love Isn’t
- Titus Andronicus — Local Business
- Goat — World Music
- Lana Del Rey — Born to Die
- Allo Darlin’ — Europe
- Metz — Metz
- Neneh Cherry & the Thing — The Cherry Thing
- Pallbearer — Sorrow and Extinction
- Burial — Kindred
- Sleigh Bells — Reign of Terror
- Ariel Pink — Mature Themes
- Nas — Life Is Good
- Robert Glasper Experiment — Black Radio
- Flying Lotus — Until the Quiet Comes
- Laurel Halo — Quarantine
- Liars — Wixiw
- Divine Fits — A Thing Called Divine Fits
- Action Bronson & Party Supplies — Blue Chips
- Redd Kross — Researching the Blues
- Actress — R.I.P.
- King Tuff — King Tuff
- Dean Blunt & Inga Copeland — Black is Beautiful
- Lambchop — Mr. M
- Walkmen — Heaven
- The Coup — Sorry to Bother You
- Neil Young & Crazy Horse — Americana
- First Aid Kit — The Lion’s Roar
- Twin Shadow — Confess
- Avett Brothers — The Carpenter
- Rush — Clockwork Angels
- Vijay Iyer — Accelerando
- Dinosaur Jr. — I Bet on Sky
- David Byrne & St. Vincent — Love this Giant
- Santigold — Master of My Make-Believe
- Le1f — Dark York
- Elle Varner — Perfectly Imperfect
- Can — The Lost Tapes
- Saint Etienne — Words and Music by Saint Etienne
- Ke$ha — Warrior
- Donald Fagen — Sunken Condos
- THEESatisfaction — Awe Naturale
- Ty Segall — Twins
- Dwight Yoakam — 3 Pears
- Patti Smith — Banga
- Matthew E. White — Big Inner
- Nicki Minaj — Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded
- Best Coast — The Only Place
- Kathleen Edwards — Voyageur
- J.D. McPherson — Signs & Signifiers
- The dB’s — Falling Off the Sky