During 2012, I switched to working from home, after a spell of commuting to Leeds two or three times per week. Consequently, I listened to shedloads of new music. Hence, and no sniggering at the back please, a Top 100. (And if this seems excessive, be aware that the 100 was whittled down from a shortlist of 243.)
I’ve also compiled a Spotify playlist, featuring one track from each album, in ascending order of wondrousness.
1. Natalie Duncan – Devil In Me
2. Sam Lee – Ground Of Its Own
3. Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls
4. Actress – R.I.P.
5. Carter Tutti Void – Transverse
6. Dog Is Dead – All Our Favourite Stories
7. Loudon Wainwright III – Older Than My Old Man Now
8. Moritz Von Oswald Trio – Fetch
9. Goat – World Music
10. Laurel Halo – Quarantine
11. Bobby Womack – The Bravest Man In The Universe
12. Jessie Ware – Devotion
13. Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas
14. Sleaford Mods – Wank
15. Spiro – Kaleidophonica
16. Django Django – Django Django
17. Jake Bugg – Jake Bugg
18. Field Music – Plumb
19. Efterklang – Piramida
20. Tindersticks – The Something Rain
21. Saint Etienne – Words And Music By Saint Etienne
22. Kylie Minogue – The Abbey Road Sessions
23. We Show Up On Radar – Sadness Defeated
24. Beach House – Bloom
25. Matt Elliott – The Broken Man
26. Get The Blessing – OC DC
27. THEESatisfaction – awE naturalE
28. Rachel Newton – The Shadow Side
29. Batida – Batida
30. Tracey Thorn – Tinsel and Lights
31. Anna Cinzia Villani – Fimmana, mare e focu
32. Ragnhild Furebotten – Never On A Sunday
33. The Black Twig Pickers – Whompyjawed
34. Rumer – Boys Don’t Cry
35. alt-J – An Awesome Wave
36. Patti Smith – Banga
37. Cafe Iman Istanbul – Fasl-i Rembetiko
38. Troyka – Moxxy
39. Cornershop – Urban Turban
40. Calan – Jonah
41. Lone – Galaxy Garden
42. Roller Trio – Roller Trio
43. Bella Hardy – The Dark Peak and The White
44. Elton John vs Pnau – Good Morning To The Night
45. Neneh Cherry & The Thing – The Cherry Thing
46. Cornshed Sisters – Tell Tales
47. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city
48. Dexys – One Day I’m Going To Soar
49. Ebo Taylor – Appia Kwa Bridge
50. Brad Mehldau Trio – Ode
51. Hello Skinny – Hello Skinny
52. Bee Mask – When We Were Eating Unripe Pears
53. Beach Boys – That’s Why God Made The Radio
54. Auntie Flo – Future Rhythm Machine
55. Esperanza Spalding – Radio Music Society
56. Bob Dylan – Tempest
57. Neil Cowley Trio – The Face Of Mount Molehill
58. Lindstrom – Smalhans
59. Punch Brothers – Who’s Feeling Young Now?
60. Dirty Three – Toward The Low Sun
61. Seu Jorge – Musicas para Churrasco, Vol. 1
62. Storm Corrosion – Storm Corrosion
63. Lee Fields & The Expressions – Faithful Man
64. Lau – Race The Loser
65. Icebreaker – Apollo
66. Plankton Wat – Spirits
67. Mungolian Jetset – Mungodelics
68. Red Baraat – Chaal Baby
69. Mala – Mala In Cuba
70. Roc Marciano – Reloaded
71. The Swans – The Seer
72. Hannah James and Sam Sweeney – State and Ancientry
73. Scott Walker – Bish Bosch
74. Bright Light Bright Light – Make Me Believe In Hope
75. The Unthanks with Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band – Diversions Vol. 2
76. Land Observations – Roman Roads IV – XI
77. Cooly G – Playin’ Me
78. Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself
79. The xx – Coexist
80. Jack White – Blunderbuss
81. NZCA/LINES – NZCA/LINES
82. Staff Benda Bilili – Bouger Le Monde!
83. Jonas Munk – Pan
84. R. Kelly – Write Me Back
85. Four Tet – Pink
86. Hilary Hahn & Hauschka – Silfra
87. Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves Of Destiny – Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose
88. Chairlift – Something
89. Talabarte – Talabarte
90. School Of Seven Bells – Ghostory
91. The Touré-Raichel Collective – The Tel Aviv Session
92. Josephine – Portrait
93. Dean McPhee – Son of the Black Peace
94. Anywhere – Anywhere
95. Cody Chesnutt – Landing On A Hundred
96. Portico Quartet – Portico Quartet
97. Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream
98. Matthew E. White – Big Inner
99. The Invisible – Rispah
100. Anda Union – The Wind Horse
troubled diva 