While preparing my own list of favorite music released in 2012, I’ve been taking a look at other publications’ year end lists.  I don’t do this seeking vindication of my choices; rather I’m looking for stuff I missed during the year.  Here’s the top ten from some of the lists I’m looking at.

Q

Q lists the 50 best albums of the year in alphabetical order and I’m not going to type those all in!

Mojo

1. Jack White – Blunderbuss
2. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
3. Bill Fay – Life is People
4. Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas
5. Dexys – One Day I’m Going to Soar
6. Black Keys – El Camino
7. Django Django – Django Django
8. Dr. John – Locked Down
9. Julia Holter – Ekstasis
10. Bob Dylan – Tempest

NME

1. Tame Impala – Lonerism
2. Grimes – Visions
3. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
4. Crystal Castles – III
5. Alt-J – An Awesome Wave
6. The Maccabees – Given to the Wild
7. Pond – Beard, Wives, Denim
8. The Cribs – In the Belly of the Brazen Bull
9. Jake Bugg – Jake Bugg
10. Django Django – Django Django

Amazon

1. Of Monsters and Men – My Head is an Animal
2. The Lumineers – The Lumineers
3. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist
4. Mumford & Sons – Babel
5. Fun – Some Nights
6. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
7. Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again
8. Imagine Dragons – Night Vision
9. Alabama Shakes – Boys and Girls
10. JD McPherson – Signs & Signifiers

BBC

1. Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid, m.a.A.d. City
2. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
3. Dexys – One Day I’m Going to Soar
4. Jessie Ware – Devotion
5. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Trouble
6. Death Grips – The Money Store
7. Busy Signal – Reggae Music Again
8. David Byrne & St Vincent – Love This Giant
9. Alt-J – An Awesome Wave
10. Alabama Shakes – Boys and Girls

New York Magazine

1. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, m.a.A.d. City
2. Chairlift – Something
3. Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream
4. Death Grips – The Money Store
5. Jessie Ware – Devotion
6. Mount Eerie – Clear Moon and Ocean Roar
7. Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music
8. Evans the Death – Evans the Death
9. Elle Varner – Perfectly Imperfect
10. Cloud Nothings – Attack on Memory

Rolling Stone

1. Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball
2. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
3. Jack White – Blunderbuss
4. Bob Dylan – Tempest
5. Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel
6. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, m.a.A.d. City
7. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros – Here
8. Green Day – Uno
9. Japandroids – Celebration Rock
10. Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill

Rough Trade Music Shops

1. Grimes – Visions
2. John Talabot – Fin
3. Toy – Toy
4. Allo Darlin’ – Europe
5. Goat – World Music
6. Damien Jurado – Maraqopa
7. Alt-J – An Awesome Wave
8. Django Django – Django Django
9. Alabama Shakes – Boys and Girls
10. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange

Time Magazine 

1. Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel
2. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, m.a.A.d. City
3. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
4. Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan
5. Getatchew Mekuria & the Ex & Friends – Y’Anbessaw Tezeta
6. Swans – The Seer
7. Various Artists – Listen Whitey! The Sounds of Black Power 1967-74
8. The Mountain Goats – Transcendental Youth
9. Azealia Banks – 1991 EP
10. Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music

Uncut

1. Leonard Cohen  - Old Ideas
2. Bob Dylan – Tempest
3. Jack White – Blunderbuss
4. Dr. John – Locked Down
5. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
6. Bill Fay – Life is People
7. Ty Segall & White Fence – Hair
8. Grizzly Bear – Shields
9. Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill
10. Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball

Idolator

1. Miguel – Kaleidoscope Dream
2. Taylor Swift – Red
3. Jessie Ware – Devotion
4. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
5. Loreen – Heal
6. Bright Light Bright Light – Make Me Believe in Love
7. Beach House – Bloom
8. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, m.a.A.d. City
9. Carly Rae Jepsen – Kiss
10. Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel

Perhaps I’ll update this list later on.  My own list of notable albums might come later this week.