Preamble: I’m going to start rolling out this list over the next couple of days whenever I get a chance to post. Apologies, first, for the weird number… It’d be disingenuous to pretend that there was anything scientific about these placings and, in truth, a lot of the ordering is pretty arbitrary. I did, though, make a list of 2012 records I liked which came out at 112, and it seemed churlish to hack it down to 100 just for the sake of neatness. Second, I’m very conscious as I go along that one or two selections will look like token nods to otherwise neglected genres etc. These, I’d say, aren’t a sign of tokenism, more evidence of slackness on my part: I’m acutely aware, for example, reading other end-of-year lists, that there were quite clearly other R&B records beyond Frank Ocean that I’d probably enjoy. Maybe a good new year’s resolution for 2013 would be to get back to the levels of engagement I had with rap/R&B in the early 2000s. Or at least hear a bunch of things like Kendrick Lamar and Miguel that I’ve missed. Truth is, of course, that most of us have our special interests, and I guess this list reflects how mine manifested themselves over the last 12 months. Thanks, as ever, for all your attention and support this year; your comments, speculations and personal 2012 charts are welcome in the Facebook comments box at the bottom. Oh, and please follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey 112 Alexander Turnquist – Like Sunburned Snowflakes (VHF) 111 The Pre-New – Music For People Who Hate Themselves (Pre-War Black Ghetto) 110 Dinosaur Jr – I Bet On Sky (PIAS) 109 Lumerians - Transmissions From The Telos Vol IV (Permanent) 108 Stephanie Hladowski & C Joynes – The Wild Wild Berry (Bo’Weavil) 107 Red River Dialect – Awellupontheway (Lono) 106 Corin Tucker Band – Kill My Blues (Kill Rock Stars) 105 The White Meadows - A Time For Drunken Horses (Tor) 104 Zombie Zombie – Rituels D’Un Nouveau Monde (Versatile) 103 Ombre – Believe You Me (Asthmatic Kitty) 102 Tindersticks – The Something Rain (Lucky Dog) 101 Graham Coxon - A+E (Parlophone) 100 Spain – The Soul Of Spain (Glitterhouse) 99 Lee Ranaldo - Between The Times And The Tides (Matador) 98 James Blackshaw - Love Is The Plan, The Plan Is Death (Important) 97 Animal Collective – Centipede Hz (Domino) 96 White Fence – Family Perfume Vol 1 (Woodsist) 95 Cornershop – Urban Turban: The Singhles Club (Ample Play) 94 Sun Araw – The Inner Treaty (Drag City) 93 MV/EE – Space Homestead (Woodsist) 92 The Men – Open Your Heart (Sacred Bones) 91 Oren Ambarchi/Robin Fox – Connected (Kranky) 90 Daniel Bachman – Seven Pines (Tompkins Square) 89 Mark Lanegan Band – Blues Funeral (4AD) 88 Loscil - Sketches From New Brighton (Kranky) 87 Terry Riley – Aleph (Tzadik) 86 Lubomyr Melnyk – The Voice Of Trees (Hinterzimmer) 85 Ryan Francesconi & Mirabai Peart – Road To Palios (Bella Union) 84 The Entrance Band – The Entrance Band (Latitudes) 83 Koen Holtkamp – Liquid Light Forms (Barge) 82 Mmoss – Only Children (Trouble In Mind) 81 Donald Fagen – Sunken Condos (Warner Bros) 80 Eyvind Kang – The Narrow Garden (Kranky) 79 Lindstrøm – Smalhans (Smalltown Supersound) 78 Holly Herndon – Movement (RVNG Intl) 77 Chris Forsyth – Kenzo Deluxe (Northern Spy) 76 Hallock Hill - The Union/A Hem Of Evening (MIE Music) Click here to see Numbers 75 to 51... and here to see Numbers 50 to 26