Best Albums Of 2012: #20 - 11

The Soundtrack Of My Life's "Best Of 2012" list is finally here!  2012 was full of so many amazing albums, so this list was a challenging task.  I know I say that every year, but I really mean it this time.  I've decided to cut the list to twenty albums instead of my usual overflow.  Due to that limiting factor, quite a few albums that I adored will not be featured here.  Survival of the fittest!  Another new element is that instead of a top five, I've actually ranked each individual album on the list.  With all of this said, let's get started!  Here's the first part of the "Best Albums Of 2012" list...

20. Marina And The Diamonds - Electra Heart

Marina And The Diamonds suffers from the same symptoms as Robyn in the United States.  They're both amazing pop artists, (Let's be honest, though. Robyn is to Beyoncé as Marina is to Kelly Rowland.)  but they can't seem to achieve a superstar level of success in the mainstream market.  As far as alter egos and musical characters go, Marina is dedicated to Electra Heart.  With tracks such as "Teen Idle", "Radioactive", and "The State Of Dreaming", Electra Heart is solid pop polished to its finest form.

19. Paloma Faith - Fall To Grace

Paloma Faith could and should be the next Adele sensation of America.  She has the voice and the style, and as an added bonus, "Picking Up The Pieces" is a "Rolling In The Deep" sized anthem.  Fall To Grace is powered by Paloma's powerhouse vocals and some wise production choices.  "Let Me Down Easy" might be under three minutes, but with its thundering bass and smokey vocals, it stands out as a shining highlight.

18. Trust - TRST

Right around the mark of 1:07 during "Shoom", the first track on TRST, there's a moment that hits me so hard every single time I hear it.  It's ridiculously haunting, and at that very instant Robert Alfons, the man behind Trust, has claimed you to himself for the entirety of the record.  TRST is a dark electro album that sounds like something from the more mysterious side of 80's new wave music.  Just look at that album cover and tell me you're not already hooked.  This album is such a magnificent debut for Trust.

17. Scissor Sisters - Magic Hour

Let's have a kiki!  Scissor Sisters fourth album, Magic Hour, is the follow up to 2010's Night Work, aka "that album with the guy's butt on the cover".  Honestly, I wore out Magic Hour towards the first half of 2012.  It was on repeat so often that I had to take a break from it.  It was just recently while creating this list that I started playing it again.  From the classic Scissor Sisters vibes of "Baby Come Home" to the electro-rap sounds of "Fuck Yeah", I really do love Magic Hour.  But the real star of the show is "Let's Have A Kiki".  I can't even begin to tell you how many people in my Twitter stream were ranting about having a kiki.  It was the summer hit that never managed to break into the US charts, aside from the Hot Dance Club chart where it went number one.

16. Crystal Castles - (III)

(III) is actually the first Crystal Castles album that I've listened to.  I know, call me a bad blogger/hipster/listener of music.  I've traveled back since then and listened to their previous releases, so you can't say I don't try.  With that said, I absolutely fell in love with this album.  I so desperately want to experience this album in a live setting.  Everything is chaos and I never want it to stop.

15. The xx - Coexist

This album received some mixed feedback and critics claimed that it was too similar to their debut album, but I feel like Coexist is an ideal sophomore record for The xx.  The xx manage to execute minimalism brilliantly.  It's more of an atmospheric record rather than one you may pop on as a crowd pleaser.  Be advised that I don't know what kind of crowds you hang out with.  With some of the year's most sensual vocal work, Coexist is beautiful.

14. Zedd - Clarity

I'm calling it now, Zedd is the electronic producer to watch out for in 2013.  He's already worked on a song with Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj, which may not be such a great thing, and he's currently producing Lady Gaga's upcoming ARTPOP album.  His debut solo record may feature standout vocalists such as Ellie Goulding and Matthew Koma, but it's Zedd's solo tracks that glue the record together.  Clarity adds more to the genre than the other players in Zedd's realm of electronic production.  SHAVE IT UP!

13. fun. - Some Nights

The radio can really kill a song.  "We Are Young" and "Some Nights" have to be two of the most overplayed singles in every media format that existed during 2012.  With that unfortunate fact, fun.'s second album was a monumental step for the band.  They went from a group that found their home in the Fueled By Ramen crowd to one of the biggest pop acts in the country.  The album shows it, too.  Every track could be a hit and they made a few risky moves with songs like "One Foot" and "Stars".  Lucky for them, it paid off.

12. Bat For Lashes - The Haunted Man

While I'm not making a "best singles" list, "Laura" was definitely one of my favorite songs from 2012.  Natasha Khan's piano ballad is so beautiful that is almost overshadows the rest of the album, which is perfectly outstanding as well.  I could easily write paragraphs about that one song, but this is about The Haunted Man, an album that even further solidifies Bat For Lashes' discography.

11. The Killers - Battle Born

Ever since the release of Hot Fuss, The Killers have earned a spot as of one of my all time favorite bands.  That's not to say that they haven't had their ups and downs through the years.  I had a slip in faith when Day & Age came out.  But if it's one thing that I've learned, it's that every Killers album is a grower.  At the beginning of the year, I had projected that Battle Born would top this list.  While it instead sits at number eleven, Battle Born contains some soon to be Killers classics.  Just as I now love Day & Age, I'll probably love Battle Born even more a few years down the road.

Buy A Shirt, Make A Difference

An overwhelming percentage of my wardrobe consists of band t-shirts.  I'm addicted to wearing my favorite group's logo.  It's even better when the design include some sarcastic or witty lyrics.  My most recent haul included a Jessie J shirt.  I don't even own her album.  It's just that her grinning face and Cleopatra hair looks amazing on the front of a shirt.  Anyways, the only thing better than a band shirt is when all of your hard earned money goes to a good cause.  Not only does a shirt for charity help make the world a better place, it also makes you feel good about yourself.

fun. recently unveiled a new shirt in their merch store.  Their LGBTQ design features the bold line, "It’s all fun. and gay ’til someone loses their rights.".  All, not just thirty or fifty percent, but all proceeds made from purchases of this shirt are donated to Revel And Riot.  Revel And Riot is an organization that works towards LGBTQ equality.  So you get to help a cause and you get an awesome band tee from fun..  Just in time for the holidays.  So don we now our gay apparel, stocking stuffers for everyone!

You can grab one for yourself over at fun.'s online store for $15.00.  While you're there, you may want to add "We Are Young", the band's new single, to your cart.  It features Janelle Monáe and just might get stuck in your head all day.

For some more musical t-shirts that benefit a variety of charity organizations, including the Little Boots pattern pictured above, head over to the Yellow Bird Project.  They have shirts from Beach House, Metric, and tons more.  Each artist chooses their favorite charity and all profits go straight to the group. They have a shirt for just about anyone, and plenty of the styles will fit right in with your hipster ensemble.

If you know of any cool band tees that you think the world should see, let me know!  The comment section is your friend.  What's your favorite musical merchandise that goes towards the bigger picture?

fun. - All The Pretty Girls

Their band name is so fitting that it's humorous.  fun. (Yes, that's really how it's written), the pop band from New York, released their debut album, Aim And Ignite, in August of 2009.  There aren't many bands that create fun, no pun intended, pop music.  Most of this genre's music comes from solo artists.  The song, All The Pretty Girls, is theatrical and memorable.  From the start of the song, I heard Queen influences.  Once you hear the chorus, you'll really know what I'm talking about.  The music is also similar to the British pop singer, Mika.  The main difference is that fun.'s vocalist, Nate Ruess, is much more interesting.  His falsetto is enjoyable and not as overwhelming as Mika's.  The song is over-the-top and melodramatic, but in a good way, very peppy.  I would listen to this song or check out the album if you like carefree pop music.  All The Pretty Girls is the perfect choice if you need a bright song to sing along to.