- Art Elliot – Earth Abides
- Father You See Queen – 47 (Flingco Sound Systems)
- Foxygen – Take the Kids Off Broadway (Jagjaguar)
- Keith Jarrett & Charlie Haden – Jasmine (ECM)
- Neil Jendon – Corporate Laughter (Crippled Intellect)
- Amanda Palmer & Grand Theft Orchestra – Theatre is Evil (8 Ft.)
- Steely Dan – Gaucho (MCA)
- Sult – Bark (Conrad Sound)
- Swans – The Seer (Young God)
- Taming Power – Selected Works (Early Morning)
- U.S. Girls – GEM (FatCat)
- Yek Koo – Love Song for the Dead C
2012
Favorite Albums of 2012
- Nick Waterhouse – Time’s All Gone (Innovative Leisure)
- Bahamas – Barchords (Brushfire)
- Jessica Pratt – S/T (Birth)
- Terry Malts – Killing Time (Slumberland Records)
- Standard Fare – Out of Sight, Out of Town (Melodic)
- Allah-Las – S/T (Innovative Leisure)
- Allo Darlin’ – Europe (Slumberland)
- Gentleman Jesse – Leaving Atlanta (Douchemaster)
- Lee Fields & the Expressions – Faithful Man (Truth & Soul)
- The Babies – Our House on the Hill (Woodsist)
- Parquet Courts – Light Up Gold (What’s Your Rupture?)
Best New Releases of 2012
- Listen Whitey! Sounds of Black Power 1967-74 –V/A (Light in the Attic)
- The Coup – Sorry to Bother You (Anti-)
- Krzysztof Penderecki/Jonny Greenwood – Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, etc. (Nonesuch)
- Swans – Seer (Young Gods)
- Sleepy Sun – Spine Hits (The End)
- Father John Misty – Fear Fun (Sub Pop)
- Ty Segall – Twins (Drag City)
- Ty Segall & White Fence /Hair (Drag City)
- Thee Oh Sees – Putrifiers II EP (In The Red)
- Coal Porters – Find the One (Prima)
- Los Straitjackets – Jet Set (Yep Roc)
- Mark Lanegan Band – Blues Funeral (4AD)
- Amadou & Mariam – Folila (Nonesuch)
- Dr. John – Locked Down (Nonesuch)
- Menahan Street Band – Crossing (Daptone)
- On With the Show – The Johnny Otis Story Volume 2: 1957-1974 (Ace)
- Magnetic Fields – Love at the Bottom of the Sea (Merge)
- Lee Fields & the Expressions – Faithful Man (Truth & Soul)
- Jim White – Where It Hits You (Yep Roc)
- Dan Melchior – Backward Path (Northern-Spy Records)
- Howlin’ Rain – The Russian Wilds (Columbia/ DMZ)
- Todd Snider – Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables (Aimless)
- Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas (Columbia)
- The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Meat and Bone (Mom and Pop)
- Chuck Prophet – Temple Beautiful (Yep Roc)
Best Shows of 2012
- Dick Dale at the Uptown, Oakland
- Tenacious D at the Fox, Oakland
- Willie Nelson at the Fox, Oakland
- George Clinton at the Regency Ballroom, SF
- The Magnetic Fields at the Fox, Oakland
- Dan Hicks at Davies Symphony Hall, SF
- Sleep/Oxbow at the Fox, Oakland
- Quintron and Miss Pussycat at New Parish, Oakland
- Dumpstafunk at New Parish, Oakland
- Mount Carmel at One Eyed Jacks, New Orleans
- Treme Brass Band at Louis Armstrong Park, New Orleans
- Washboard Chaz at the Spotted Cat, New Orleans
- Bonerama at the Blue Nile, New Orleans
- Foreverland at New Parish, Oakland
- Jason Brock at Martuni’s, SF
2012’s Raddest of Rad
- The Thing That Ate Larry Livermore (Adeline)
- Toys That Kill – Fambly 42 (Recess)
- Classics of Love – S/T (Asian Man)
- Bob Mould – Silver Age (Merge)
- Neon Piss – S/T (Deranged)
- Infinite Void – S/T (Posion City)
- Terry Malts – Killing Time (Slumberland)
- Born Petrified – Townes Said (PB&J)
- Guantanamo Baywatch – Chest Crawl (Burger)
- Coup – Sorry To Bother You (Anti-)
- Typical Cats – 3 (Galapagos4)
- Jimmy Cliff – Rebirth (Universal)
- JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound – Want More (Bloodshot)
Shows That Knocked My Socks Off
- 1-2-3-4 Go!’s Go! Go! showcase – New Parish
- Bouncing Souls – Slims
- Aquabats – Slims
- Phenomenauts and Pansy Divison – 924 Gilman
- La Plebe – Bottom of the Hill
- Tornado Rider – Rickshaw Stop
20 Silky Tracks of 2012
- Jimmy Cliff – “Guns of Brixton” – Rebirth (Universal)
- Menahan Street Band – “Lights Out” – The Crossing (Daptone)
- Lupe Fiasco – “B*tch Bad” – Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 (Atlantic)
- Dark Time Sunshine – “Never Cry Wolf ft Reva Devito” – ANX (Fake Four, inc)
- Frank Ocean – “Bad Religion” – Channel Orange (Def Jam)
- Mexican Institute of Sound – “Tipo Raro” – Politico (Nacional)
- Kanwar – “Son of a Sardar” – Mystics Martyrs & Maharajas (Nachural Music)
- The Bombay Royale – “Monkey Fight Snake” – You Me Bullets Love (HopeStreet Recordings)
- Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars – “Kali” – Radio Salone (Cumbancha)
- The Coup – “The Guillotine” – Sorry to Bother You (Anti-)
- Poolside – “Harvest Moon” – Pacific Standard Time (s/r)
- JD McPherson – “North Side Gal” – Signs & Signifiers (HiStyle Enterprises)
- Tame Impala – “Mind Mischief” – Lonerism (Modular)
- Souljazz Orchestra – “Conquering Lion” – Solidarity (Strut)
- Ebo Taylor – “Kruman Dey” – Appia Kwa Bridge (Strut)
- Brother Ali – “Letter To My Countrymen feat. Dr. Cornel West” – Mourning in America And Dreaming In Color (Rhymesayers)
- Ondatropica – “Punkero Sonidero” – Ondatropica (Soundway)
- Mokoomba – “Njoka” – Rising Tide (Zig Zag World)
- TigerStyle, Ms Rajni – “Ik Banere” – Ik Banere (AK Music Publishing)
- Shawn Lee – “Tiger Style” – Synthesizers in Space (ESL Music)
Top 5 Albums
- Howler – America Give Up (Rough Trade)
- Hospitality – S/T (Merge)
- King Tuff – S/T (Sub Pop)
- Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan (Domino)
- Guantanamo Baywatch – Chest Crawl (Dirtnap)
Top 15 Songs
- King Tuff – “Bad Thing” – S/T (Sub Pop)
- Howler – “This One’s Different” – America Give Up (Rough Trade)
- Hospitality – “All Day Today” – S/T (Merge)
- Twin Steps – “Junkie Song” – Serial Parade (Cola Bruin)
- Dirty Projectors – “About To Die” – Swing Lo Magellan (Domino)
- Ariel Pink – “Only In My Dreams” – Mature Themes (4AD)
- The Babies – “Mess Me Around” – Our House On The Hill (Woodsist)
- Jaill – “Waste A Lot Of Things” – Traps (Sub Pop)
- Seapony – “Tell Me So” – Falling (Hardly Art)
- Soft Pack – “Tallboy” – Strapped (Mexican Summer)
- Gap Dream – “58th St. Fingers” – S/T (Burger)
- Tiger High – “Hot Black Honda” – Myth Is This (Trashy Creatures)
- Tropical Punk – “Dream Darlin” – Ends of The World (Denim)
- Nick Waterhouse – “Raina” – Time’s All Gone (Innovative Leisure)
- Guantanamo Baywatch – “We Came With Dottie” – Chest Crawl (Dirtnap)