The Records That Had Us Tuning In This Year

Vote For The Best

Pick your favorite album of the first half of 2012! Read More »

Here at Idolator, the editors have been continuously sifting through 2012′s releases and poring over tracks to suss out the best of the best. Of course, let’s face it: it was a dire year as far as consistent, solid albums are concerned. Forget the lack of a breakout smash like Adele‘s 21 (which, to be fair, is an anomaly in this day and age) — despite steady sales for Mumford & Sons‘ Babel and One Direction‘s Up All Night, there wasn’t that clear-cut collision of critical praise and commercial crossover with any album, save for maybe Taylor Swift‘s Red.

And, well, lo and behold — Red made our list. As did nine other standout LPs released over the past year that span several genres. After all, cha-ching is not what defines a good album; it’s simply a blend of both songs that impact our daily lives made by artists who tap into a collective commonality and some damn fine hooks.

Head below to see what Idolator’s resident music fanatics Robbie Daw, Carl Williott, Sam Lansky and Erika Brooks Adickman chose as their favorite albums of 2012. More »