Sean Ezekiel Smith’s Top 50 Albums of 2012

In the final days of 2011 I realized that I hardly ever make New Years resolutions, and any that I had made in past years rarely stuck, if at all. My interest in music had narrowed dramatically within the past few years, so I decided that, in 2012, I would attempt to buy as much new music as possible – and try to include as many chick albums as possible (I’ve long had little-to-no interest in female-fronted bands). So 365 days and 120 albums later, I’ve come to realize that maybe I’m not content listening to the same 10 albums day in and day out and, maybe, just maybe, the ladies aren’t as lame as I had them pegged.

When it came time to choose my favorite album it was a no-brainer. Daughn Gibson, aka Josh Martin, released what is one of the best albums I’ve heard in years. As entertaining as it is interesting, the record, titled All Hell, sounds like a mix between Scott Walker, Bauhaus and Waylon Jennings. The album deserves a huge audience, yet it probably won’t get one until Martin’s next release on Sub Pop. One can only hope. It’s hard to discern which is more alarming, the voice or the juxtaposition of sounds present in each and every song. After hundreds of listens I’m still loving both and finding new things to enjoy. All Hell, an album that has held my attention all year.

50. The Walkmen’s Heaven
49. Screaming Females’ Ugly
48. Young Moon’s Navigated Like the Swan
47. The Hundred in the Hands’ Red Night
46. Mirroring’s Foreign Body
45. The Freelance Whales’ Diluvia
44. Micachu + The Shapes’ Never
43. TS + The Past Haunts’ Gone & Goner
42. Diiv’s Oshin
41. Dirty Projectors’ Swing Lo Magellan

40. Lambchop’s Mr. M
39. Haim’s Forever EP
38. Diamond Rugs’ Diamond Rugs
37. The Purity Ring’s Shrines
36. Jozef Van Wissem & Jim Jarmusch’s Concerning the Entrance Into Eternity
35. mewithoutYou’s Ten Stories
34. Ceremony’s Zoo
33. Guided by Voices’ Class Clown Spots a UFO
32. Kishi Bashi’s 151a
31. John K. Samson’s Provincial

30. Oberhofer’s Time Capsules II
29. Spiritualized’s Sweet Heart Sweet Light
28. Bad Books’ II
27. The Illegitimate Sons’ American Music
26. Horse Feathers’ Cynics New Year
25. First Aid Kit’s Lions Roar
24. Mark Lanegan Band’s Blues Funeral
23. Hospitality’s Hospitality
22. Torche’s Harmonicraft
21. The Jealous Sound’s A Gentle Reminder

20. Cat Power’s Sun
19. NOMADS’ NOMADS
18. Lotus Plaza’s Spooky Action at a Distance
17. The Young’s Dub Egg
16. Chairlift’s Something
15. Herzog’s Cartoon Violence
14. Baroness’ Yellow & Green
13. Water Liars’ Phantom Limb
12. Nada Surf’s The Stars are Indifferent to Astronomy
11. Sharon Van Etten’s Tramp

10. Death Grips’ The Money Store
09. The Men’s Open Yer Heart
08. Bob Mould’s Silver Age
07. Bears’ Greater Lakes
06. Willis Earl Beal’s Acousmatic Sorcery
05. Mark Eitzel’s Don’t Be a Stranger
04. Cloud Nothings’ Attack On Memory
03. Grimes’ Visions
02. Father John Misty’s Fear Fun
01. Daughn Gibson’s All Hell

Sean Ezekiel Smith is a longtime record store employee turned former podcast host, former television host and sometime music journalist. He is also the former roommate and longtime friend of Greg W. Locke. He has introduced a lot of people to a lot of music and appeared as the lead actor in two music videos directed by Greg. Sean has a large beard, knows a whole lot about film and is one of the great laugh-makers of his time. He currently lives in Cleveland, OH. 

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