For the first time in a long time, new classic rock albums made a big impact on me. It was a good year for some of the heavy hitters.

Heres my list:

1. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Psychedlic Pill

His best album since Prairie Wind. At first i thought some of the songs might be too long, but it turns out the long players are my favorites on the album. Crazy Horse can bring out the best in Neil and they do it here. Plus the live show kicked ass.



2. Mark Lanegan Band - Blues Funeral

What an album and im surprised not to see it on more of your lists. Melodic and soulful and featuring a real range of styles from blues to rock to disco. I like my weathered grizzled rockers with something to say.



3. Bob Dylan - Tempest

Great late career album, so great in fact that it belongs in his canon of greatest Dylan albums. Too bad his live show was a mess and a bore, slips a couple spots because of that.



4. Van Morrison - No Plan B: Born to Sing

Hes really aged well, as ive said before, his late career albums are just as good as his early stuff IMO. A jazzy effort with soulful singing and good lyrics - what you want and, here, receive.



5. Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania

Billy Corgan is still as arrogant as always in recent interviews, but at least he can back it up this time. Great psych rock reminiscent of Siamese Dream.



6. Metric - Synthetic

One of the years most underrated album, a superb follow up to Fantasies. Anthemic and hooky, and Emily Haines is as sexy as ever.



7. PS I Love You - Death Dreams

Most of you guys probably havent heard them and probably should. A two man punk band that knows how to get a song stuck into your head.



8. AIR - Le Voyage Dans La Lune

A little more upbeat and intense then their usual moody efforts and it works. Released early in the year, but deserves to be remembered late in the year.



9. Ian Anderson - Thick as a Brick 2

Pretty much seen no mention of this anywhere and its left me scratching my head. Its a great sequel to the 1972 classic following the life of the childhood poet as he has aged. Moving and well written.



10. Grimes - Visions

Maybe a tad overrated, but on the strength of Oblivion and Genesis, i think its clear we have a real new up and coming talent with a real range in sound and talent.




Other albums i really enjoyed:

Hot Chip - In Our Heads
Plaster - Let it all out
Public Enemy - Most of my heroes dont appear on no stamp
Royal Thunder - CVI
Shovels & Rope - O Be Joyful
Grant Lee Phillips - Walking in the Green Corn
Tragically Hip - Now for Plan A
Headwater - Push
Mystery Machine - Western Magnetics


Major Let Downs (and these are some of my favorite artists)

John Frusciante - a dance album, but really just a mess of noises
Beach House - nowhere near as good as their last one
Brandi Carlile - yawn, needs more of an edge to it
Crystal Castles - wheres the schreeching wail, the atari noises, the hooks?
Silversun Pickups - none of these songs are good enough to have made their previous albums
Soulsavers - needs better songs
Spiritualized - dont get it
Swans - ambitious, but too creepy for me
Tame Impala - way overrated, there a couple shining moments, but i just dont feel like going back to the rest of it
Bob Mould - this is not a return to the form of Copper Blues irressistable melodies

Man, couldn't disagree more. Loved this. Reminded me of why I liked him in the first place and had me pulling out old Husker albums. On par with his best work with Sugar IMO.


Still trying with that Neil album. The opening track is so long as to be tedious and tries my patience but I keep on because the chorus is so sweet.

Tempest has been making a late year charge for me. That and Leonard Cohen's album are faves from the AARP set.

Weird, the Royal Thunder is the darling record of the metal world in 2012....If you liked it, seek out IDES OF GEMINI, who put out, in what I thought, a better female fronted 'doom-esque' release in 'Constsantinople'.

And, I missed that Grant Lee Phillips release....I have been a fan of everything he has ever done for the last 15-20 years....Gotta seek that out....

yes - thanks for the tip on the Grant Lee Phillips

should give you guys a heads up that its a very very mellow album. I usually like it when he throws in an edgier tune now and then, but regardless its a pleasant album with good songwriting as usual, and some wonderful imagery.

Yeah, this is pretty cool, but I only really listened to it as the soundtrack to the film.

I have to agree with Derris. I don't really love it but I would have ten years ago. I frankly think its considerably better than any of the Sugar albums.