It's that time of year again. It's the moment when we pick our favorite music of 2012. Don't be so cynical! It's more than just a lazy, year-end exercise to pad out a paper over the holidays! It's an opportunity to look back through our notebooks and iPods and see what grabbed us this year and wouldn't let go — and a chance to put into words our favorite tunes of a year now frozen in time. On with the top 10s!

Brett Callwood

1) Fur - Image on the Reverse

Atmospheric, charismatic gothy indie rock from a band that refuses to stand still. A career highlight that will prove tough to top.

2) Katie Grace - Best Bad Girl

She might not be an outlaw, but Grace is no altar girl either. Her tunes inspire thoughts of drinking and debauchery, though there are occasional moments of painful clarity too.

3) Julian Paaige - Dismal Ditty

Like Lou Reed meets John Cooper Clarke, Paaige stands alone at the mic and rattles off punk poetry, looking mildly awkward but always oddly cool.

4) The Ruiners - Shake, Rattle & Moan

The album that the sleaze rockers have been threatening to unleash, this one finally captures the manic live energy.

5) Johnnie Bassett - I Can Make That Happen

Sadly, Bassett's swan song. We'll miss the blues legend, and that fact that he bows out with a song like "Proud to be from Detroit" is appropriate.

6) Kickstand Band - Kitty Cat Sessions

This was a big year for these guys, who have played just about every festival and pulled in a ton of fans. Thankfully, their album didn't let them down.

7) The Blueflowers - Stealing the Moon

Maybe not quite as good as their last album, the third Blueflowers full-lengther is still beautiful, honest and kinda heart-breaking.

8) Dune Buggy Attack Battalion - Ypsidelica

Garage rock for the sake of garage rock, these guys came out with a great album title to match a great album.

9) Writhing - Indomitable

We were delighted to discover a quality death metal band in Detroit, and these guys are pure evil. The lyrics are vile, the vocals are indecipherable, and your parents will hate it.

10) Johnny Headband - Who Cooks for You

The insanity is only matched by the hooks on this album, which sees all genres collide head-on. To call it dance-punk-rock doesn't do it justice.

Tino Gross

1) Jack White - Blunderbuss

2) Rufus Wainwright - Out of the Game

3) Big Sean - Detroit

4) Bob Dylan - Tempest

5) Dr. Lonnie Smith - The Healer

6) Neneh Cherry & the Thing - The Cherry Thing

7) Dr. John - Locked Down

8) Johnnie Bassett - I Can Make That Happen

9) G) Clinton & Various Artists -
The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown — 'Vol. 1'

10) Kenny Tudrick - Kenny Tudrick

Zak Frieling (Kommie Kilpatrick, Gold Tapes)

1) Protomartyr - No Passion All Technique

2) Running - Asshole Savant 

3) Kickstand Band - Kitty Cat Sessions

4) Tyvek - On Triple Beams 

5) Wiccans - Field II 

6) Heavy Cream - Super Treatment 

7) Brian Eno - Lux 

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