Five albums make WPTS top list, wrapping up 2012 music

Whether or not you have heard of all of these albums — or any — we feel that they are the best and most important of 2012, making waves in the music community and becoming acclaimed by critics and WPTS alike.

Lonerism by Tame Impala

Tame Impala’s music is rich with resonance and reverberation, idiosyncratic of psychedelic music. The band does psych rock so well that it could be mistaken for one of the late 1960s groups from which it draws inspiration.

Lonerism does not reinvent the sound from its first album but redrafts it into a massive and sprawling experience. The centerpiece of the music alternates between the lyrics and the guitars, which speak just as well for themselves. The drums flow within the music and also set the groove of the songs. Although the instruments serve specific purposes, they are free to explore their own dynamics.

This album’s brilliance stems from its striking sense of dichotomy. There is a combination of huge rock orchestrations and minute details. Its retro aesthetics of psychedelic rock don’t prevent a sense of modern songwriting. The lyrics look inward, but the music has an outward momentum with the ability to fill any environment.

Lonerism is sure to please everyone from the harshest critics to those with only a passing interest in rock ‘n’ roll.

Until the Quiet Comes by Flying Lotus

In the past few years, Los Angeles-based producer Flying Lotus has grown from the cult champion behind the famous title screens of “Adult Swim” to a beat-making wunderkind who collaborates with everyone from soul legend Erykah Badu to Radiohead mastermind Thom Yorke.

Until the Quiet Comes is a personal trip through the astral planes of the LA nightlife, incorporating ambient qualities into richly textured and infinitely engaging sonic landscapes. Flying Lotus has once again struck gold by injecting jazz influences into the heart of his hip-hop beats.

good kid, m.A.A.d. city by Kendrick Lamar

WPTS ranked good kid, m.A.A.d city as the top hip-hop album of the year. It is one of those rare albums that effortlessly mixes poetic lyricism with mainstream appeal in a way that is sure to please hip-hop experts and dance floor frequenters. Lamar, who is new to the scene, employs a style that ranges from thoughtful storytelling to a more radio-friendly raw energy that could easily be played at the most basic party scene.

His style and prose has quickly developed a dedicated fan base that is sure to expand further after Lamar’s future collaborations with the likes of Kid Cudi and Lady Gaga. This album can seamlessly transition from carefully constructed stories about the young star’s upbringing to more visceral tracks that play off mainstream, hip-hop bravado, such as women, cars, narcotics and money.

With good kid, m.A.A.d. city seeing over 200,000 record sales in its first week, Lamar is steadily making his way up the ladder through talent, quality releases and a strong following.

Nootropics by Lower Dens

Nootropics is a concept album that explores how technology interacts with our daily lives without a decisive message that reflects the band’s collective thoughts. Lower Dens is not pragmatic enough to completely denounce technology. Instead, the band offers an honest reflection as to how it can help us but also, as to how it can dilute pure human experiences by altering day-to-day interactions and the ways we live and work.

The album’s result is equally as complex as the issue itself, juxtaposing the precision of layered synthesizers and effect pedals with the organic beauty of the human voice. The album is likened to krautrock — a genre that makes use of consistent tight-knit grooves.

Although the songs revolve around some central tenets, they are all very different. Ultimately, the music on the album is just as breathtaking as the issues behind it, making Nootropics increasingly rewarding with each listen.

Shields by Grizzly Bear

Over the years, Grizzly Bear’s albums have become less stylistic and more accessible. But this trade-off has never meant a decline in quality. Coming off the breakthrough success of Veckatimest, the band’s 2009 album, Shields finds Grizzly Bear moving into more rock-driven territory while retaining most of the band’s psych-folk elements in the underlying ambience.

Grizzly Bear has always been celebrated for the graceful power emanating from the atmospheric qualities of its music. While not entirely a blues album, Shields plays off the type of isolation and despair that is typified by the genre. Underneath the aesthetic beauty of the music, these feelings resonate in a demandingly prominent way.

This list was compiled by our Music Director, John Teoli IV, based on the submissions of WPTS staff and DJs. To hear the complete list of WPTS’ top albums of the year, tune in to the 2012 Countdown Show on Wednesday, Dece. 12 at 5:30 p.m.