Not Unloved's favourite LPs and 7"s of 2012

Each December I plan to use the Arthur Russell 'first thought, best thought' approach to compiling my 'best' of year record lists.  Invariably, however, I don't and end up deliberating over it for longer than is decent or even necessary.  This is in part due to trying to balance artistic significance (yeah, I know, what lofty ambitions!) with pure enjoyment.  This year I've jettisoned the artistic significance criterion - I haven't really had much space in my brain for this level of critical thought of late - so the lists below are comprised of the records I enjoyed the most and the most often in 2012.  One thing's for sure and that is that I'll hear something that should've made one of the lists before the year's out - most likely the debut Garlands lp or the Rachel Zeffira album, both of which I've shamefully not picked up yet.

lps

1. Lightships "Electric Cables" (Geographic)
2. Tender Trap "Ten Songs About Girls" (Fortuna Pop/Slumberland)
3. Shonen Knife "Pop Tune" (Damnably)
4. Terry Malts "Killing Time" (Slumberland)
5. Evans The Death "s/t" (Fortuna Pop/Slumberland)
6. Chain and The Gang "In Cool Blood" (K)
7. Tenniscoats "All Aboard" (Chapter Music)
8. Sea Pinks "Freak Waves" (CF/Recs)
9. The Wake "A Light Far Out" (LTM)
10. Scott and Charlene's Wedding "Para Vista Social Club" (Bedroom Suck)
11. Echo Lake "Wild Peace" (No Pain In Pop/Slumberland)
12. Death and Vanilla "s/t" (Hands In The Dark)
13. Sweater Girls "Sweater Girls Were Here" (Happy Happy Birthday To Me)
14. Woollen Kits "s/t" (R.I.P. Society)
15. Roy Montgomery "Music From The Film Hey Badfinger" (Yellow Electric)

7"s

1. September Girls "Green Eyed" (Soft Power)
2. Violet Woods "Raw Love" (Great Pop Supplement)
3. King Tuff "Wild Desire" (Suicide Squeeze)
4. Allo Darlin' "Capricornia" (Fortuna Pop/Slumberland)
5. English Singles "Backstreet Pages" (Slumberland)
6. Ringo Deathstarr "Rip" (Club AC30)
7. Aggi Doom "Bring Me The Head" (Soft Power)
8. Picnic "We've Only Just Begun" (Shelflife)
9. Meat Thump "Box of Wine" (Negative Guest List)
10. The Twerps "Work It Out" (The Passport Label)
11. Black Tambourine "OneTwoThreeFour" (Slumberland)
12. The See See "Gold and Honey" (Great Pop Supplement)
13. The Resonars "Long, Long Thoughts" (Trouble In Mind)
14. Roommates "Winnifred" (Slumberland)
15. Southern Comfort "Silver and Gold" (Black Petal)

^ click the title to hear the song!

By and large, the records on both lists are maybe a little more direct (as typified by, say, the King Tuff single) than those on 2011's which were themselves pretty direct and pretty pop.  It's increasingly about the instant rushes, I guess.