The New York Times posts Top 10 Albums and Songs of 2012

Kendrick Lamar at Terminal 5, Sept 2012 (more by Julie Schnabel)

Venerable newspaper The New York Times have published their Top 10 songs and albums of the year, broken out by specific writers. (If they had published a collective list, Frank Ocean would be up there.) What say the Grey Lady? Check out the lists below, and follow the links for detail on why writers Jon Caramanica, Ben Ratliff, Jon Pareles and Nate Chinen chose each.

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JON CARAMANICA’s (NY TIMES) TOP 10 ALBUMS of 2012 (via)
1. EMELI SANDÉ “Our Version of Events” (Capitol)
2. TAYLOR SWIFT “Red” (Big Machine)
3. WAXAHATCHEE “American Weekend” (Don Giovanni)
4. FRANK OCEAN “Channel Orange” (Def Jam)
5. KESHA “Warrior” (Kemosabe/RCA)
6. KENDRICK LAMAR “good kid, m.A.A.d. city”
7. NAS “Life Is Good” (Def Jam)
8. TNGHT
9. FUTURE “Pluto” (A-1/Freebandz/Epic)
10. LEE BRICE “Hard 2 Love” (Curb)

JON CARAMANICA’s (NY TIMES) TOP SONGS of 2012 (via)
KANYE WEST featuring Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz “Mercy” (G.O.O.D./Def Jam)
RICK ROSS featuring Drake and French Montana “Stay Schemin” (Maybach Music Group/Slip-N-Slide/Def Jam)
CARLY RAE JEPSEN “Call Me Maybe” (604/Schoolboy/Interscope)
G-DRAGON “Crayon” (YG)
TYGA featuring Wale, Fabolous, Young Jeezy, Meek Mill and T. I. “Rack City (remix)” (Young Money/Cash Money/Universal Republic)
ALLO DARLIN’ “Tallulah” (Slumberland)
RIFF RAFF AND CHIEF KEEF “Cuz My Gear” (youtube.com/JodyHighRoller)
JESSIE WARE “Wildest Moments” (PMR/Island)
ZEBRA KATZ featuring Njena Reddd Foxxx “Ima Read” (Jeffree’s/Mad Decent)
KITTY PRYDE “Okay Cupid” (jokersintrousers.bandcamp.com)

BEN RATLIFF’s (NY TIMES) TOP 10 ALBUMS of 2012 (via)
1. DAVID VIRELLES “Continuum” (Pi Recordings)
2. NAZORANAI Nazoranai (Ideologic Organ/Mego)
3. RAVI COLTRANE “Spirit Fiction” (Blue Note)
4. MASABUMI KIKUCHI “Sunrise” (ECM)
5. FRANK OCEAN “Channel Orange” (Def Jam)
6. OFF! “Off!” (Vice)
7. VIJAY IYER TRIO “Accelerando” (Act)
8. MILES OKAZAKI “Figurations” (Sunnyside)
9. JEREMY PELT “Soul” (HighNote)
10. ANITA WILSON “Worship Soul” (EMI Gospel)

BEN RATLIFF’s (NY TIMES) TOP SONGS of 2012 (via)
RIHANNA “Numb” (Def Jam)
ANDY STOTT “Numb” (Modern Love)
GAL COSTA “O Menino” (Universal Music)
JEREMIH “Late Nights” (jeremih.com)
ZZ TOP ” I Gotsta Get Paid” (Universal Republic)
SWANS “The Seer” (Young God)
REIVERS “Circling” (oaklandreivers.bandcamp.com)
NITE JEWEL “She’s Always Watching You” (Secretly Canadian)
TAYLOR SWIFT “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (Big Machine)
MARY STALLINGS “The Way You Love Me” (HighNote)

JON PARELES’s (NY TIMES) TOP 10 ALBUMS of 2012 (via)
1. FRANK OCEAN “Channel Orange” (Def Jam)
2. FIONA APPLE “The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do” (Epic)
3. BOB DYLAN “Tempest” (Columbia)
4. KENDRICK LAMAR “good kid, m.A.A.d. city” (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope)
5. GRIZZLY BEAR “Shields” (Warp)
6. ALABAMA SHAKES “Boys & Girls” (ATO)
7. NORAH JONES “Little Broken Hearts” (Blue Note)
8. METZ “Metz” (Sub Pop)
9. BETTYE LAVETTE “Thankful N’ Thoughtful” (Anti-)
10. DJ RASHAD “Teklife Vol. 1: Welcome to the Chi” (Lit City Trax

JON PARELES’s (NY TIMES) TOP SONGS of 2012 (via)
BONNIE RAITT “Not Cause I Wanted To” (Redwing)
TAYLOR SWIFT “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (Big Machine)
PURITY RING “Fineshrine” (4AD)
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN “Rocky Ground” (Columbia)
BEACH HOUSE “Myth” (Sub Pop)
USHER “Climax” (RCA)
KELLIE PICKLER “Stop Cheatin’ on Me” (BNA)
ANGEL HAZE “Cleaning Out My Closet” (Noizy Cricket/Universal Republic)
SPOEK MATHAMBO “Put Some Red on It” (Sub Pop)
ICONA POP FEATURING CHARLI XCX “I Love It” (Ten))

NATE CHINEN’s (NY TIMES) TOP 10 ALBUMS of 2012 (via)
1. TIM BERNE “Snakeoil” (ECM)
2. VIJAY IYER TRIO “Accelerando” (ACT)
3. KURT ROSENWINKEL “Star of Jupiter” (Wommusic)
4. FRANK OCEAN “Channel Orange” (Def Jam)
5. KENDRICK LAMAR “good kid, m.A.A.d. city” (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope)
6. DAVID VIRELLES “Continuum” (Pi Recordings)
7. YOSVANY TERRY “Today’s Opinion” (Criss Cross)
8. RAVI COLTRANE “Spirit Fiction” (Blue Note)
9. FIONA APPLE “The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw, and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do” (Epic)
10. RYAN TRUESDELL “Centennial: Newly Discovered Works of Gil Evans” (ArtistShare)

NATE CHINEN’s (NY TIMES) TOP SONGS of 2012 (via)
MIGUEL “Adorn” (ByStorm/RCA)
ALAN JACKSON “So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore” (ACR/EMI Nashville)
FRANK OCEAN “Bad Religion” (Def Jam)
NEIL YOUNG “Ramada Inn” (Reprise)
KENDRICK LAMAR “The Art of Peer Pressure” (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope)
USHER “Climax” (RCA)
DAVID BYRNE & ST. VINCENT “The Forest Awakes” (4AD/Todo Mundo)
ALICIA KEYS “Fire We Make” (RCA)
DIRTY PROJECTORS “Impregnable Question” (Domino)
BONNIE RAITT “Not Cause I Wanted To” (Redwing)