The NY Times posts its critics’ choices for best albums of the year.

Jon Pareles:

  1. Maxwell – BLACKsummers’night
  2. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
  3. Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown
  4. U2 – No Line on the Horizon
  5. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
  6. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
  7. Rokia Traoré – Tchamantché
  8. Imogen Heap – Ellipse
  9. Florence & the Machine – Lungs
  10. Major Lazer – Guns Don’t Kill People … Lazers Do!

Yesterday I went back to the Neko Case album and decided I liked it more this time.  Guess I need to revisit Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective yet again.

Ben Ratliff:

  1. Vijay Iyer Trio – Historicity
  2. Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
  3. Marcus Strickland Trio – Idiosyncracies
  4. Willem Maker – New Moon Hand
  5. Steve Lehman Octet – Travail, Transformation and Flow
  6. John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble – Eternal Interlude
  7. Nelly McKay – Normal as Blueberry Pie
  8. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
  9. Kurt Rosenwinkel Standards Trio – Reflections
  10. Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx … Pt. II

I like the Callahan a lot and hear possibilities in the Dirty Projectors – the others are all unknown to me, so far.

Nate Chinen:

  1. Steve Lehman Octet – Travail, Transformation and Flow
  2. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
  3. Henry Threadgill’s Zooid – This Brings Us To, Vol. 1
  4. Vijay Iyer Trio – Historicity
  5. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
  6. Fly – Sky & Country
  7. Brad Paisley – American Saturday Night
  8. Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society – Infernal Machines
  9. Rihanna – Rated R
  10. Oumou Sangaré – Seya

Jon Caramanica:

  1. Drake – So Far Gone
  2. Girls – Album
  3. Rick Ross – Deeper Than Rap
  4. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
  5. Trey Songz – Ready
  6. New Boyz – Skinny Jeans and a Mic
  7. Emmy the Great – First Love
  8. Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx … Pt. II
  9. Justin Moore – Justin Moore
  10. Paramore – Brand New Eyes
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