8 Albums that Ate My Life in 2012 (In No Particular Order)

1. What We Saw From the Cheap Seats by Regina SpektorIf there's anything you can count on from Regina, it's a variety and charm that is always completely hers. I was surprised to find one song whose lyrics were relatively straightforward. "How?" is a sad little love ballad, and is well balanced with other songs happy and dark and poignant. My favorites include "Don't Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)," "The Party," and "All the Rowboats."
2. Theatre is Evil by Amanda Palmer&The Grand Theft Orchestra
   I discovered Amanda Palmer's music through her husband's twitter account. (She's married to Neil Gaiman.) This album is magical. It has a song for just about any mood. She's got this brilliant voice and range and clever lyrics. It's an album better listened to than described because it varies so much from carefree and rockin' out ("Do It With A Rockstar") to devastatingly sad ("The Bed Song") to angry ("The Killing Type"). My favorites: "The Killing Type," "Melody Dean," "The Bed Song," and "Massachusetts Avenue."
3. Nothing to Worry About by Eddplant
    Eddplant's a YouTuber. I know him best from the Trock (Time Lord Rock) band Chameleon Circuit. He's got a great voice and takes a slightly folkier approach to his personal stuff. The title track is the perfect "I'm telling you about my depression" song. Other favorites include "Early One Morning," "Netherton (Before the Machines Came)," and "Yours."
4. Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded by Nicki Minaj
   Don't you judge me, I listened to the edited version. And Nicki's cool. During the summer, this album helped pump me up enough to get through the day. (Also highly recommended for running.) Favorite tracks: "Roman Holiday," "HOV Lane," and "Pound the Alarm."
5. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West
   Again, the edited version. I more or less spent most of March with this album. Like I would again in a few months, I needed something different to shake me up and get me moving. Favorite tracks: "POWER" and "Monster"
   
6. Assassins Original Broadway Cast Recording
   Sondheim, man. I like him. This particular musical is about presidential assassins, successful and unsuccessful. This cast was fantastic and won a bunch of Tonys when it debuted in Broadway in 2004 (though it was first performed off-Broadway in 1990.) Neil Patrick Harris plays a brilliant narrator (and later, Lee Harvey Oswald). Recommended to all who are interested in good music and American history.
7. The Great Despiser by Joe Pug
   Shoutout to Bryan and Liz for  pointing me in the direction of folk singer Joe Pug.  I have this album because Pug played in LA back in May. I wasn't there because I wasn't 21 (just two months off!), but Bryan was ridiculously nice and got me a SIGNED COPY. This was my car music all summer. The lyrics make you think about life and love and faith a little more seriously, and I love them for that. Favorites include "A Gentle Few," "Neither Do I Need a Witness," and "The Great Despiser," and "Deep Dark Wells." And, while not part of this album, "Speak Plainly, Diana" and "Hymn #101" are wonderful and paradigm-changing and highly recommended. 
8. Babel by Mumford and Sons
   Oh, my boys in Mumford and Sons. How I love them. Their effect on me is similar to Joe Pug's, but more so. Their songs soar and dive and, for me, have all the bittersweet emotion and energy of being young and trying to live differently from everyone else. The album is melodies that haunt you and rage and joy and tears and worship. I may or may not be crying a little as I listen to this album as I write about it. Like last year when I wrote about Sigh No More, all the songs are my favorite.