Top 50 Albums of the Year Part 5 of 5: The Top 15 Albums of All Year

Welcome to the final installment and last post of the year. This year has been a treat, there has been so many great albums, it was hard to choose what was the best of the best. Even though I have listened to a lot of albums this year, I know I have missed out on some good stuff. So if you think that there should be a record on any of these lists then please leave a courteous comment on my posts. In the end it's really not the number that counts, it's how the music makes you feel, and that's how I base this list off of. So as I sign off for the rest of the year I would like thank everyone who reads this and I hope that you are sharing all this great music that I am sharing with you. Happy Holidays to you all and I hope to see you all next year.

15. Cults - Cults

Cults - You Know What I Mean by cultscultscults

14. Sleep ∞ Over - Forever

Casual Diamond by Sleep ∞ Over

13. Neon Indian - Era Extrana

Hex Girlfriend by MGMTNeonIndian

12. Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

Trembling Hands by Explosions in the Sky

11. Gauntlet Hair - Gauntlet Hair

Gauntlet Hair "Keep Time" by DOJAGSC

10. White Denim - D

White Denim - Bess St by ProspectPark

9. Panda Bear - Tomboy

Panda Bear: Slow Motion by -gaga

8. Starfawn - Starfawn EP

12,000 B.C. by Starfawn

7. Real Estate - Days

Real Estate - Municipality by DominoRecordCo

6. Delicate Steve - Wondervisions

Delicate Steve- Don't Get Stuck (Proud Elephants) by The FADER

5. Starfucker - Reptilians

Starfucker - "Millions" by terrorbird

4. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Shabazz Palaces - An Echo From The Hosts That Profess Infinitum by subpop

3. Pure X - Pleasure

Dry Ice by PURE X

2. Peaking Lights - 936

Hey Sparrow by Peaking Lights

1. Washed Out - Within and Without

Washed out - You and I by iroel

So there you have it. It is ok if you disagree, let me know what your favorites are in the comments box.
Honorable mention to the incredibly talented Purity Ring for their 7" release this year.
Killing Sasquatch will be back next year to bring you even more music so stay tuned. Thanks again.

Top 50 Albums of the Year Part 3 of 5: Misc. Category

This miscellaneous category contains everything from hip-hop to instrument and contains all the year's best EPs. Once again this list is alphabetical according to artist.

Das Racist - Relax

Das Racist - Girl by flyergoodness

Delicate Steve - Wondervisions

Delicate Steve - Sugar Splash by MOORWORKS

Exitmusic - From Silence

Exitmusic — The Hours by DOJAGSC

Peaking Lights - 936

Amazing and Wonderful by Peaking Lights

People Get Ready - People Get Ready

People Get Ready: "Uncanny" by Brassland

Phantogram - Nightlife

Phantogram - Don't Move by vibetothis

Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Shabazz Palaces - Swerve... by subpop

Starfawn - Starfawn

Dark Touch by Starfawn

Nothing Dead by Starfawn

Surfer Blood - Tarot Classics

Surfer Blood - I'm Not Ready by Chris Topher Dawe

Toro Y Moi - Freaking Out

Toro Y Moi - Saturday Love by Carpark Records

Typhoon - A New Kind Of House

Typhoon - The Honest Truth by tender-loving-empire

The Half Year Review

So it's July now, which means half of this year is over already. So here is the best of all the new releases this year, in no particular order.
Definitely one of the best hip-hop albums I have heard this year is Shabazz Palaces' Black Up. It's some of the most creative music I've heard. These guys challenge modern day hip-hop. Though not everyone will enjoy it, you must acknowledge the fact that it's something that you don't hear very often.

Starfucker's album, Reptilians, is another great album that was released in March. It is one of my favorite electro-pop albums of all time. They do a great job of mixing synth keyboards and acoustic guitar with the vocals. It's just a really good dance party all on one disc.

The best instrumental album is by far the new Explosions In The Sky. The whole album is a soundscape of guitars and more guitars and some keys too. This is a must own album, especially if you like intricate guitar work. Check out the first track, "Last Known Surroundings" from their sixth album Take Care, Take Care, Take Care.
And of course May saw the release of Fleet Foxes' second album, Helplessness Blues. This is a great vocal album, I would like to hear more drum influence, but I feel like they focused on harmonization and acoustic guitars, which sounds amazing!

Another great release this year was The Antlers'  Burst Apart. There's something about Peter Silberman's vocals that makes me want to love everything. Plus the music is really good too, there's more electric guitar than their last album, Hospice. 

My favorite album this year is a tie between Jeff The Brotherhood's We Are The Champions, and Starfucker's Reptilians. I haven't been able to not listen to either of them, and every time I hear a song from them I want to listen to the rest of the album.
All of these albums are must buy! They are so good. Check my other posts for more great albums from the first half of the year.
The second half of the year has some great stuff in store. Washed Out is coming out with his debut full length, new Neon Indian, The Shins, Modest Mouse(?), Blink-182, No Doubt, Muse, and so much more.

Woods, Tomorrow's Tulips, Miracle Parade, and New Releases

So I know I have been slacking a little bit so here is a bunch of great bands and music. Yesterday's notable new releases were Thievery Corporation, Handsome Furs, and Shabazz Palaces.
So Woods is a really cool band from Brooklyn. Their newest album, Sun and Shade came out last month and it sounds great. It has a lot classic indie acoustic-rock to it. Coupled with Jeremy Earl's folk-y high vocals, it's a sound best described as lo-fi folk rock.
Miracle Parade just came out with their first full length, Hark and Other Lost Translations last week. They are another kind of indie folk rock, I really enjoy the single, "The Dying Physicist."
The last band I'll share for today is Tomorrow's Tulips, who I just learned of today. Another cool lo-fi band emerging out of Costa Mesa, CA. I love their crunchy guitars and the use of the reverb on the vocals. Their first full length is due to come out on July 19th on Galaxia Records.