The Brainwashed Readers Poll aims to be set apart by other online music polls. The staff and contributors aren't here to dictate to readers what we think people should be enjoying, we welcome the community to voice their opinion, and then we add our bits and pieces after.

Thanks again to all who have taken part in this year's Readers Poll. And thanks to all for your patience as this was the first year voting began after the year ended. Lots of surprises this year but keep in mind we all have been voting on what we liked and the items that seem to overlap the most with people rise to the top. See something missing? Sorry, it's a readers poll, participate more next year!

And here they are:

Album of the Year

1. Oren Ambarchi, "Shebang" (Drag City)
   "A deserving winner! Probably my favorite album from Ambarchi's more fusion-inspired rhythm-driven era." — Anthony D'Amico
   "The breadth of Ambarchi's catalog can be quite intimidating, especially as he is historically defying genres, classifications, and expectations. His previous recordings with Johan Berthling might have been somewhat of an indication for what to expect, along with the other release on Drag City from this year, but I was completely unprepared for how amazing this album is." — Jon Whitney
   
   
2. Caterina Barbieri, "Spirit Exit" (Light-Years)
   "Her development as a composer and arranger is nothing short of spectacular. This is a magnificent album." — Jon Whitney
   "The Italian synth sorceress lets some dance and pop elements into her world of hypnotic arpeggios and spacy, neon-lit futurism. I especially loved "At Your Gamut" and its chopped-up techno deconstruction ("Terminal Clock"). — Anthony D'Amico
   
   
3. Lucrecia Dalt, "¡Ay!" (RVNG Intl.)
   "I definitely did not expect Dalt to drop a sexy sci-fi tropical album last year, nor did I expect it to feel like such an effortless and natural direction for her. Hopefully a similarly sensuous companion album from Aaron Dilloway is not far behind." — Anthony D'Amico
   
   
4. Bitchin Bajas, "Bajascillators" (Drag City)
   "Bitchin Bajas historically delve too far into the new age side of the psychedelia spectrum for my taste, but the 'tropical Steve Reich' magic of 'Amorpha' won me over on this one." — Anthony D'Amico
   
   
5. Bill Orcutt, "Music For Four Guitars" (Palilalia)
   "Four tracks means four times as much Bill Orcutt. Yet another dazzling and sometimes surprising opus from an avant-guitar visionary on one hell of a hot streak." — Anthony D'Amico
   
   
6. The Soft Pink Truth, "Is It Going To Get Any Deeper Than This?" (Thrill Jockey)
   "Drew Daniel rounds up a murderers' row of collaborators for an endearingly sincere disco homage. Gets a bit trippier and more eclectic than the EP, but its similarly great (and fun as hell)." — Anthony D'Amico
   "Drew has continued in the trajectory from the last album to construct something even more epic and mature. But even when I tried to give him this compliment in person he snickered, so I'm glad he still considers SPT his space to have fun." — Jon Whitney
   
   
7. Matmos, "Regards/Ukłony dla Bogusław Schaeffer" (Thrill Jockey)
   "An edgy yet playful elegy packed with surprises." — Duncan Edwards
   
   
8. Širom, "The Liquified Throne of Simplicity" (Glitterbeat)
   "Sounds like the lost freak-folk recordings of a krautrock commune living in a jungle. One of my favorites, unsurprisingly." — Anthony D'Amico
   
   
9. Carla dal Forno, "Come Around" (Kallista)
   "I enjoyed the eclectic new influences that crept into this album (girl groups, tropical rhythms, etc.). The somnambulant post-punk anthem 'Stay Awake' is especially wonderful." — Anthony D'Amico
   
   
10. Gnod, "Hexen Valley" (Rocket)
    "I did not personally find this to be one of Gnod's strongest releases. It's a powerful onslaught as they hammer home the sludge, but I found it to be too repetitive and lacking their typical inventiveness. That said, I'm still looking forward to their next release." — Eve McGivern
    "One of my favorite albums of 2022 to play BLISTERINGLY LOUD (along with the Veldt album which sadly didn't crack the top 100)." — Jon Whitney
    
    
11. Cosey Fanni Tutti, "Delia Derbyshire: The Myths And The Legendary Tapes" (Conspiracy International)
12. Kali Malone, "Living Torch" (Portraits GRM)
    "More slow-burning magic from the ever-fascinating Malone, but with a small ensemble this time around. I didn't definitely expect to get so absorbed In a recording of a site-specific performance." — Anthony D'Amico
    "I did not think Kali Malone could ever match The Sacrificial Code, but she has. It is utterly bemusing that this album makes the list, though, while Delphine Dora's Hymnes Apophatiques gets the complete cold shoulder." — Duncan Edwards
    
    
13. Pan•American, "The Patience Fader" (Kranky)
    "Another ethereal beauty from the great Pan•American. I'm glad to see this one in the Top 20, well deserved. This release continues to prove Pan•American timeless yet continues to flow with the times." — Eve McGivern
    "While the cover depicts a cold, overcast, grey time of year I found myself using this album as a soundtrack to warm, clear summer nights outside under the stars. This is my favorite album from Mark Nelson in the last 20 years." – Jon Whitney
    
    
14. Carmen Villain, "Only Love From Now On" (Smalltown Supersound)
    "I loved this album's Fourth World feel in general, but the haunted exotica of 'Portal' is especially brilliant." — Anthony D'Amico
    
    
15. Earthen Sea, "Ghost Poems" (Kranky)
16. Sam Prekop and John McEntire, "Sons Of" (Thrill Jockey)
17. Dry Cleaning, "Stumpwork" (4AD)
18. Oren Ambarchi / Johan Berthling / Andreas Werliin, "Ghosted" (Drag City)
    "Another stellar year for Oren Ambarchi. Ghosted is every bit as magnifcent as Shebang."- Duncan Edwards
    
    
19. Current 93, "If a City Is Set Upon a Hill" (House of Mythology)
20. Ian William Craig, "Music for Magnesium_173" (Fat Cat)
21. Alabaster DePlume, "Gold" (International Anthem)
    "I was fully prepared to dismiss this as merely The Album After To Cy & Lee but, despite some annoying vocals and hype, Gold has some gorgeous moments and a spirtual groove." - Duncan Edwards
    
    
22. Andrew Chalk, "The Circle of Days 5" (Faraway Press)
23. Diamanda Galás, "Broken Gargoyles" (Intravenal Sound Operations)
    "Even after close to four decades of listening to Diamanda's music, words escape me when trying to describe her music. She is beyond classification, genre-defiant, peerless, and her subjects take time to thoroughly comprehend. There's no room for passive listening to her. Nothing of hers doesn't command attention, and this is no exception. I know that sounds vague but the longform sound sculptures like Broken Gargoyles are so dense with meaning through multiple movements, that it's best to just stop talking and listen." — Jon Whitney
    
    
24. Andrew Chalk, "The End Times" (ICR)
25. Bill Callahan, "YTI⅃AƎЯ" (Drag City)
26. Christina Vantzou, "Nº5" (Kranky)
27. The Smile, "A Light for Attracting Attention" (XL)
    "Whoah! I can't believe this isn't much higher ranked. Is it because people are sick of Thom Yorke, or a certain other band of his? I found this to be far better than anything he (or they) have ever released, and it quickly became one of my albums of the year. I hope more people will give it a listen and then push it up in their own personal ranks." — Eve McGivern
    
    
28. Brainwaltzera, "ITSAME" (FILM)
29. Mary Lattimore & Paul Sukeena, "West Kensington" (Three Lobed)
30. Loop, "Sonancy" (Cooking Vinyl)
    "While I generally prefer Loop's lengthier songs, this more concise album is an excellent return after all these years." — Creaig Dunton
    "While this is not, say, A Gilded Eternity, it's a solid addition to their stellar catalog. This is a refreshed Loop, and easily one of the most anticipated releases of 2022." — Eve McGivern
    
    
31. Horace Andy, "Midnight Rocker" (On-U Sound)
    "Paired with its partner, Midnight Scorchers, Andy and Sherwood have packed an astounding 1-2 punch: contemporary, relevant, and powerful." — Jon Whitney
    
    
32. Ak'Chamel, "A Mournful Kingdom of Sand" (Akuphone)
    "Masked mariachi-mad psych weirdos who seem like they just materialized from a Jodorowsky-inspired nightmare. If that doesn't grab your attention, I don't know what to tell you, buddy. A worthy and inspired follow up to The Totemist." — Anthony D'Amico
    
    
33. Nonconnah, "Don't Go Down To Lonesome Holler" (Ernest Jenning)
    "A mind-melting avalanche of weird shoegaze sound collage magic. Probably my single favorite album of the year (albeit currently tied with Voice Actor)." — Anthony D'Amico
    
    
34. HTRK, "Death is a Dream" (N&J Blueberries)
35. Sam Prekop, "The Sparrow" (TALmusic)
36. Duster, "Together" (Numero Group)
37. claire rousay, "everything perfect is already here" (Shelter Press)
38. Horace Andy, "Midnight Scorchers" (On-U Sound)
39. Félicia Atkinson, "Image Langage" (Shelter Press)
    "Another year, another gorgeous, immersive, and endlessly mysterious Félicia Atkinson album with a unique theme. Feels like one of her strongest releases to date, but I suspect I've probably said the same thing about at least three other Atkinson releases in recent memory because she keeps releasing great albums." — Anthony D'Amico
    
    
40. Makaya McCraven, "In These Times" (International Anthem)
41. Daniel Avery, "Ultra Truth" (Mute)
42. Wet Leg, "Wet Leg" (Domino)
    "The world needs more upbeat, clever tunes that are undeniably infectious, especially during times which continue to make us more polarized and isolated. It often feels that the days of the rock band are long gone in a world that favors the solo performer. But then something like this thankfully somehow manages to break through the dreck and bring people back together as a community to enjoy music together again." — Jon Whitney
    
    
43. Anna von Hausswolff, "Live at Montreux Jazz Festival" (Southern Lord)
44. Dälek, "Precipice" (Ipecac)
45. Madeleine Cocolas, "Spectral" (Room40)
46. Jesu, "Pity / Piety" (Avalanche)
47. Eli Winter, "Eli Winter" (Three Lobed)
    "Broadrick slows the immense Jesu sound to a crawl to create the soundtrack for a mountaineer hanging on for dear life in the snow. — Matthew Jeanes
    
    
48. Christina Vantzou, Michael Harrison and John Also Bennett, "Christina Vantzou, Michael Harrison and John Also Bennett" (Séance Centre)
49. Nik Colk Void, "Bucked Up Space" (Editions Mego)
50. The Legendary Pink Dots, "The Museum of Human Happiness" (Metropolis)
51. William Basinski & Janek Schaefer, ". . . on reflection" (Temporary Residence)
    "This first collaboration between Jelinek, Basinski, and a gaggle of unwitting birds apparently took eight long years to come to fruition, but it definitely wound up in the right place in the end. Essentially just a single brief piano passage beautifully twisted, stretched, layered, and dissolved into a shape-shifting and poignant album-length reverie. Sublime minimalist perfection." — Anthony D'Amico 
    
    
52. Cate Le Bon, "Pompeii" (Mexican Summer)
53. KMRU, "there was nothing in between" (self-released)
54. Marisa Anderson, "Still, Here" (Thrill Jockey)
55. Andrew Chalk, "Dreams" (Faraway Press)
56. Roy Montgomery, "Camera Melancholia" (Grapefruit)
57. Edward Ka-Spel, "Conspiracy Of Pylons" (self-released)
58. This Immortal Coil, "The World Ended A Long Time Ago" (Ici d'ailleurs)
59. Sarah Davachi, "Two Sisters" (Late Music)
60. Rat Heart Ensemble, "A Blues" (Shotta Tapes)
61. Ryoji Ikeda, "Ultrasonics" (Noton)
62. The Advisory Circle, "Full Circle" (Ghost Box)
63. Billy Woods, "Aethiopes" (Backwoodz)
64. Colin Stetson, "Chim​æ​ra I" (Room40)
65. Raum, "Daughter" (Yellowelectric)
66. Lustmord, "The Others [Lustmord Deconstructed]" (Pelagic)
67. Laura Cannell, "Antiphony Of The Trees" (Brawl)
    "Cannell shows no sign of either slowing down or letting the standard of her releases dip. As here where she uses a neglected instrument - the recorder - to celebrate the sacred, otherworldly, aspect of birdsong " — Duncan Edwards
    
    
68. Mabe Fratti, "Se Ve Desde Aquí" (Unheard Of Hope)
69. Ami Dang, "The Living World's Demands" (Phantom Limb)
70. Kyle Kidd, "Soothsayer" (American Dreams)
71. Cucina Povera, "Tuhka" (Infinite Greyscale)
    "Maria Rossi's collaboration with Ben Vince seemed to get most of the attention this year, but this single-sided solo album is absolute heaven. Both pieces are mesmerizing, gently hallucinatory delights." — Anthony D'Amico
    
    
72. Erik K. Skodvin, "Schächten" (Miasmah)
73. Deathprod, "Sow Your Gold In The White Foliated Earth" (Smalltown Supersound)
74. B. Fleischmann, "Music for Shared Rooms" (Morr Music)
75. Big Thief, "Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You" (4AD)
76. Just Mustard, "Heart Under" (Partisan)
77. Rachika Nayar, "Heaven Come Crashing" (NNA Tapes)
    "I've listened to this album roughly a dozen times and still can't decide how I feel about it. On the one hand, there are plenty of swooningly lush and lovely moments. On the other, the new 'vivid, fluorescent, cinematic maximalism' almost makes it feel more like an M83 album than a Rachika Nayar album." — Anthony D'Amico.
    
    
78. Jeff Parker ETA IVtet, "Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy" (Eremite)
79. Clarice Jensen, "Esthesis" (Fatcat)
80. caroline, "caroline" (Rough Trade)
81. Scanner & Modelbau, "Loess" (Moving Furniture)
82. Saloli, "Ghosts: Music For Piano vol. 2" (self-released)
83. Kelly Lee Owens, "LP.8" (Smalltown Supersound)
84. KMRU, "Temporary Stored" (self-released)
85. Ellen Arkbro & Johan Graden, "I get along without you very well" (Thrill Jockey)
86. Rafael Anton Irisarri, "Sacred Hatred" (Black Knoll)
87. Beach House, "Once Twice Melody" (Bella Union)
88. Treasury of Puppies, "Mitt Stora Nu" (Discreet)
    "Discreet was releasing killer drone albums and weird hiss-soaked bedroom art-pop gems left and right last year. This one is a fine example of the latter, but Arv & Miljö, Gothenberg Sound Workshop, Klara Livet, Jon Collin, and Astrid Øster Mortensen brought the heat as well (and that isn't even a complete list)." — Anthony D'Amico
    
    
89. Julia Sabra and Fadi Tabbal, "Snakeskin" (Beacon Sound)
    "This album floored me. So haunting, so beautiful, and gnarled and unsettling in all the right ways. A collaboration made in heaven. The moment when the snare kicks in on 'All the Birds' delights me every single time that I hear it." — Anthony D'Amico
    
    
90. Pale Sketcher, "Golden Skin" (Give/Take)
91. Postcards, "In Parenthesis Vol. 1" (self-released)
    "The next best thing to discovering Snakeskin was learning about Julia Sabra's shoegaze/dreampop band. This particular album is not an especially representative one, as it was recorded live with borrowed gear during a brief residency in the ancient city of Jbeil, but the looseness and spontaneity of these recordings suit the band extremely well." — Anthony D'Amico
    
    
92. Raphael Loher, "Keemuun" (Three:Four)
93. ulla, "foam" (3 X L)
94. Marina Herlop, "Pripyat" (PAN)
95. Julia Reidy, "World in World" (Black Truffle)
    "Reidy has always been a reliably compelling and adventurous guitarist, but this batch of shorter, more focused pieces felt especially revelatory. I was especially impressed with how close 'Holding Onto' comes to resembling a killer indie pop single despite its haunting, broken-sounding dissonance." — Anthony D'Amico
    
    
96. Tangerine Dream, "Raum" (KScope)
97. Huerco S., "Plonk" (Incienso)
98. Anteloper, "Pink Dolphins" (International Anthem)
99. CS + Kreme, "Orange" (The Trilogy Tapes)
100. Edward Ka-Spel, "100 Seconds To Midnight" (self-released)
     "Once again a stunner of a year for Ka-Spel with four fantastic full-length solo albums, a full-length Dots LP, and various singles,... I'm still trying to familiarize myself with the nine solo albums from 2021! I'll get there." — Jon Whitney

Single of the Year

1. Mary Lattimore, "Moon Over Deetjen's" (self-released)
   "Exactly the sort of rippling, bittersweet dreaminess that I always hope for in a new Mary Lattimore single." — Anthony D'Amico
   
   
2. The Soft Pink Truth, "Was It Ever Real?" (Thrill Jockey)
   "The best moments on this EP sound like Goblin and Coil teaming up to throw a sexy, psychedelic disco party." — Anthony D'Amico
   "In 1997 I visited Chicago and Thrill Jockey's HQ, Peter Christopherson gave me a Black Light District LP to hand to them for consideration but they passed. Great to see Coil finally ending up on Thrill Jockey, if only indirectly!" — Jon Whitney
   
   
3. The Legendary Pink Dots, "The Legendary Pink Dots' Hallowe'en Special 2022" (self-released)
   " I keep expecting Edward Ka-Spel to eventually run out of great ideas for these, but he just keeps pulling more rabbits out of his hat. An exquisite annual pleasure (along with the Christmas song)." — Anthony D'Amico
   
   
4. Nailah Hunter, "Forest Dwelling" (Longform Editions)
   "Yes please, more long, beautiful pieces from Ms. Hunter." — Jon Whitney
   
   
5. Burial, "Antidawn" (Hyperdub)
6. KMRU, "Imperceptible Perceptible" (Longform Editions)
7. Midwife, "Sickworld" (Hardly Art)
   "Until we get a new album from Madeline Johnston, she has gifted us another breathtaking masterpiece, this time in the form of a nearly seven minute piece opening up her heart and sharing her feelings on a world desperately in need of healing. " — Jon Whitney
   
   
8. The Legendary Pink Dots, "The Legendary Pink Dots' Christmas Special 2022" (self-released)
9. Andrew Chalk, "Bright Rivers Run / Shimmer in the Sun" (Faraway Press)
   "Originally released back in 2015 on a 7" from the Japanese label Meditations, these two small electronic tunes are a little slice of heaven, showcasing Chalk's ability to create compact melodic pieces that are just as beautiful as the epic long, sprawling masterpieces he has become cherished for. " — Jon Whitney
   
   
10. Dean McPhee, "Cosmos/Ether" (Reverb Worship)
11. Esau, "Other Places" (self-released)
12. Karate, Guns & Tanning, "Graffiti Children" (Turntable Kitchen)
13. Pan•American, "Alpalhão" (self-released)
14. Sam Prekop, "Saturday Sunday" (Longform Editions)
15. Carmen Villain, "CV x Actress" (Smalltown Supersound)
16. Nonconnah, "At the River of Hell You're a Sparrow" (self-released)
17. Bauhaus, "Drink the New WIne" (self-released)
18. Four Tet, "Mango Feedback" (Text)
19. Dummy, "Mono Retriever" (Sub Pop)
20. Big Blood, "Weird Road" (Don't Trust the Ruin)
21. Source Direct, "Snake Style 2" (Tempo)
22. Dummy, "Hallogallo (Live)" (self-released)
    "I loved how they covered this, and lots of folks have covered it for sure. Dummy just seems effortlessly tuneful, no matter what they do." — Eve McGivern
    
    
23. Pan•American, "Both Noun and Verb" (self-released)
24. Laura Cannell, "We Long to be Haunted" (Brawl)
25. ulla strauss, "Hope Sonata" (Longform Editions)
26. [V/A], "Send the Pain Below" (The Flenser)
27. Actress, "Dummy Corporation" (Ninja Tune)
28. Fovea Hex, "All Those Signs (EarthPercent Mix)" (Janet)
    "No. There were not 27 better singles in 2022." — Duncan Edwards
    
    
29. perila, "corridor between days" (Longform Editions)
30. Burial, "Streetlands" (Hyperdub)
31. Springtime, "Night Raver EP" (Joyful Noise)
32. House of Harm, "Feel My Heart Beat / In Threes" (self-released)
33. Madeleine Cocolas, "A Memory, Blown out" (Room40)
34. Nailah Hunter, "Forest Dark" (self-released)
35. serpentwithfeet, "I'm Pressed" (Secretly Canadian)
36. The Veldt, "Check Out Your Mind EP" tied with "Electric Revolution (Rhythm and Drone) EP" (5BC)
    "They were easily in my personal top 10 with their majestic Entropy is the Mainline To God LP and these two preceding singles were only a hint at its greatness." — Jon Whitney
    
    
37. ESG, "Not My First (Rodeo)" (self-released)
    "Continue to be bringing it, although the recorded version of this doesn't capture the power of the group as a live entity. One of my favorte shows from last year." — Jon Whitney
    
    
38. Ela Minus & DJ Python, "♡ EP" (Smugglers Way)
39. Jason Molina, "The Lamb and Flag I" (Secretly Canadian)
40. FIRE! w/Stephen O´Malley & David Sandström, "Requiēs" (Rune Grammofon)
41. Lia Kohl, "Untitled Radio (futile, fertile)" (Longform Editions)
42. foodman, "Percussion Oyaji" (Longform Editions)
43. James Bangura, "Wichita" (Incienso)
44. Matt LaJoie, "Trine" (Longform Editions)
45. Munchi, "The Mambo Detanao EP" (Nyege Nyege Tapes)
46. Natalie Rose LeBrecht, "Star Water Shapeshift" (Longform Editions)
47. Solomon Fesshaye, "Star City / Save Our Place" (Ghostly)
48. TSVI & Loraine James, "53" (AD93)
49. Gavilán Rayna Russom, "Trans Feminist Symphonic Music" (Longform Editions)
50. Sun's Signature, "Sun's Signature" (Partisan)
    "Kind of surprised Liz Fraser produced by Thighpaulsandra didn't score higher with brainwashed readers." — Jon Whitney
    "I'm with Jon; this was a stellar single, and a perfect release for the Brainwashed audience." — Eve McGivern

Compilation of the Year

1. "Saturno 2000 - La Rebajada de Los Sonideros 1962 - 1983" (Analog Africa)
   "Mesmerizing collection somewhere in the region of Hany Mehanna, Joe Meek, Olga Mella, Mort Garson, and Konono #1, which is a hell of a region, yet distinct and idiosyncratic." — Duncan Edwards
   "Plenty of cratediggers find killer lost records in far-flung places, but Analog Africa unearths entire lost subcultures. This instant classic documents slowed-down cumbias popularized by Mexican sound system operators, which is definitely something I didn't realize I needed in my life until I heard the opening 'Sampuesana.'" — Anthony D'Amico 
   
   
2. "Luke Schneider Presents Imaginational Anthem vol. XI : Chrome Universal - A Survey of Modern Pedal Steel" (Tompkins Square)
   "I have historically not been a big pedal steel fan, but Chuck Johnson's recent work has recalibrated my ears enough to dig this collection. Curator/contributor Luke Schneider made quite a few inspired choices and most of the featured artists were entirely new to me. I especially enjoyed the Maggie Bjorklund piece." — Anthony D'Amico
   
   
3. "Studio One Women Vol. 2" (Soul Jazz)
   "I am a total whore for these Studio One compilations. This is one of the lighter, more pop-focused instalments, but it is characteristically strewn with gems. Nana McLean's dubbed-out girl group bliss was especially revelatory." — Anthony D'Amico
   
   
4. "Silberland - Kosmische Musik Vol 1 (1972​-​1986)" (Bureau B)
   "I'm so pleasantly surprised to find this in the Top 5 ranking of compilations this year! So many great tracks here, and some lesser known selections that deserve the spotlight" — Eve McGivern
   
   
5. "WaJazz: Japanese Jazz Spectacle Vol.I - Deep, Heavy and Beautiful Jazz from Japan 1968-1984" (180g/ WaJazz)
6. "Ghost Riders" (Efficient Space)
   "The ache and throb of teenage hopefuls. Do not miss 14 year old Dennis Harte's fantastic track "Summer's Over", a 1960's gem." — Duncan Edwards
   "Yet another singular collection ('coming of age garage soul') from the label who previously blessed us with Sky Girl. Watch your back, Numero Group!" — Anthony D'Amico
   
   
7. "Hallow Ground presents: EPIPHANIES" (Hallow Ground)
8. "Echoes Of The Quadrature - One & Two & Three & Four (tied)" (insectorama)
9. "I Had the Craziest Dream: Modern Jazz and Hard​-​Bop in Post War London, Vol. 1 & 2 & 3 (tied)" (Death Is Not The End)
10. "Begging the Moon: Phleng Thai Sakon & Luk Krung, 1945-1960" (Death Is Not The End)
    "Beguiling melodies which, as with Ferkat Al Ard's Oghneya, hooked me from the first few bars." — Duncan Edwards
    
    
11. "All Bad Boy & All Good Girl: Manchester Street Soul Soundtapes, 1988​-​1996" (Death Is Not The End)
    "Like enjoying a tour of Manchester's hipper streets circa late 1980s-mid 1990s without any of the real life irritation of suffering someone blasting their musical choices in public. Classic mixtape mythology, then." — Duncan Edwards
    
    
12. "Studio One Music Lab" (Soul Jazz)
13. "Beirut Adrift" (Norient)
14. "SESTRO" (система | system)
    "Some fantastic gems on this Ukranian release to benefit women and LGBT+ people affected by the war." — Jon Whitney
    
    
15. "Longing for the Shadow: Ry​ū​k​ō​ka Recordings, 1921​-​1939" (Death Is Not The End)
16. "A Colourful Storm USB Bomb" (A Colourful Storm)
17. "Padang Moonrise: The Birth of the Modern Indonesian Recording Industry (1955-69)" (Soundway)
    "Soundway's Miles Cleret was already responsible for at least a half-dozen compilations that remain in perpetual heavy rotation for me (The Sound of Siam, Cartagena!, etc.) and this one is yet another instant classic." — Anthony D'Amico
    
    
18. "XKatedral Anthology Series I" (XKatedral)
19. "Pefkin / Roxane Métayer split LP" (Morc)
20. "Aquapelago: an Oceans Anthology" (Discrepant)
21. "Studia Spiritual" (12th Isle)
22. "Elsewhere VXIII" (Rocket)
23. "Pure Wicked Tune: Rare Groove Blues Dances & House Parties, 1985​-​1992" (Death Is Not The End)
24. "Get This: 32 Tracks For Free - A Tribute to Peter Rehberg" ($ pwgen 20)
25. "S​í​ntomas de techno : Ondas electr​ó​nicas subterr​á​neas desde Perú (1985​-​1991)" (Buh)

Vault/Reissue of the Year

1. The Dead Texan (kranky)
   "Sounds just as great as it ever did." — Duncan Edwards
   "Christina Vantzou is only credited as contributing film and videos to this release but thankfully her music career has taken off with numerous solo releases since then and appears twice in this year's top 50 albums." — Jon Whitney
   
   
2. Stereolab, "Pulse of the Early Brain [Switched On Volume 5]" (Duophonic)
   "Hearing Simple Headphone Mind performed live was certainly not on my bingo card but there it was, and it was a magnificent experience!" — Jon Whitney
   
   
3. Gavin Bryars, "The Sinking Of The Titanic" (Superior Viaduct)
4. Sarah Davachi, "In Concert & In Residence" (Late Music)
5. Diamanda Galás, "The DIvine Punishment" (Intravenal Sound Operations)
   "Classic, and my favorite in the Red Death trilogy. Glad it is available once again." — Creaig Dunton
   
   
6. Emeralds, "Solar Bridge" (Ghostly)
7. Coil, "Selvaggina, Go Back Into The Woods" (Retractor)
8. Ekkehard Ehlers, "Ekkehard Ehlers plays" (Keplar)
   "I don't know if I should be excited about the vinyl reissue of this 20-year-old collection or not, but Plays is an absolutely canonical 'early 2000s laptop milieu' album in my book. Please play 'John Cassavetes 2' at my eventual funeral." — Anthony D'Amico 
   
   
9. Can, "Live In Cuxhaven 1976" (Mute)
10. Coil, "Persistence Is All (Live At Royal Festival Hall)" (Retractor)
11. Fennesz, "Hotel Paral.lel" (Editions Mego)
12. Codeine, "Dessau" (Numero Group)
    "I am not a passionate enough Codeine fan to have a strong opinion about how this long-lost second album stacks up against the one that was ultimately released in its place (1994's White Birch), but I am a passionate enough Codeine fan to be delighted that their tragically lean discography unexpectedly expanded last year. It is extremely rare for a formerly shelved album to be this good." — Anthony D'Amico 
    
    
13. Sonic Youth, "In/Out/In" (3 Lobed)
    "As a long-time SY devotee, I didn't think twice about pickup up this one. I'm always happy to see rarities, though I found this to be mostly for the obsessive fan." — Eve McGivern
    "As a fan of the Musical Perspectives series over their '90s major label pop albums, this was a welcome pleasure." — Jon Whitney
    
    
14. Coil, "Limoges 2002" (Retractor)
15. Nate Scheible, "Fairfax" (Warm Winters Ltd)
    "Is there anything sadder than anonymous sadness, or more hopeful than anonymous hope?" — Duncan Edwards
    "This one is an absolute all-timer for me. A once-in-a-lifetime thrift store find loving transformed into a singular emotional gutpunch of an album. Total stunner from start-to-finish." — Anthony D'Amico
    
    
16. Thomas Leer & Robert Rental, "The Bridge" (Mute)
    "One of the finest albums Industrial Records issued." — Jon Whitney
    
    
17. Lustmord, "[The Dark Places of the Earth]" (Pelagic)
18. Sun Ra and his Blue Universe Arkestra, "Universe in Blue" (Cosmic Myth)
19. The Sonora Pine, "II" (Husky Pants)
20. Photay with Carlos Niño, "An Offering" (International Anthem)
21. Galcher Lustwerk, "100% Galcher" (Ghostly International)
22. Mouse On Mars, "Radical Connector" (Thrill Jockey)
23. Wire, "Not About To Die" (Pink Flag)
    "One of the few bands (and eras) where the demos are not only drastically different, but stand brilliantly on their own." — Creaig Dunton
    "Proving that even in their rawest forms, Wire is a genius musical force." — Eve McGivern
    
    
24. Maxine Funke, "Pieces of Driftwood" (Disciples)
25. Laraaji, "Celestial Vibrations" (Numero Group)

Boxed Set of the Year

1. Coil, "Love's Secret Domain (Chaostropy Edition)" (WaxTrax!)
   "I'm glad more generations get to experience this incredible album." — Eve McGivern
   
   
2. Iannis Xenakis, "Electroacoustic Works" (Karlrecords)
   "The fact that this has been sitting unplayed on my bookshelf for months fills me with a high level of ambient shame at all times." — Anthony D'Amico
   
   
3. Jesu, "Jesu (deluxe)" (Avalanche)
4. Karate, "Time Expired" (Numero Group)
5. "Bound For Hell: On The Sunset Strip" (Numero Group)
   "I never realized how much I missed hairspray, tight pants, and guitar solos." — Jon Whitney
   
   
6. Al Cisneros, "Sinai Dub Box (2012-2022)" (Drag City)
7. Celer, "Selected Self-releases, 2006-2007" (Two Acorns)
   "Most of the strongest albums from Celer's classic duo years lovingly and stylishly compiled in one place." — Anthony D'Amico
   
   
8. Edward Ka-Spel, "The Quarantine Tapes Volume 2" (Witch Cat)
9. Neu!, "50" (Grönland)
   "One of the most highly anticipated releases of 2022, but ultimately not essential if you have all the original albums. Still, there are some goodies here that will warm a completist's soul." — Eve McGivern
   
   
10. Tindersticks, "Past Imperfect: The Best Of Tindersticks '92 - '21" (City Slang)
11. Love and Rockets, "The Albums 1985-1994" (Beggars Arkive)
    "I coveted this one pretty hard, but ultimately couldn't justify the price tag as an owner of the 180 gram reissues. Still, a worthy collection from one of my favorite bands for anyone that doesn't already have these in a non-digital format." — Eve McGivern
    
    
12. Sleep, "Dopesmoker" (Third Man)
    "How many times has this been reissued? An album of mythical proportions for sure." — Eve McGivern
    
    
13. The Heads, "Under Sided (20th Anniversary Edition)" (Rooster Rock)
    "More from the early catalog please." — Eve McGivern
    
    
14. Ákos Rózmann, "Mass/Mässa" (Ideologic Organ)
15. The Residents, "Wormwood Box" (Cherry Red)
16. Merzbow, "2017 - 2020 & 35CD Box (tied)" (スローダウン)
17. Peter Murphy, "Peter Murphy" (Beggars Arkive)
    "Beggars Arkive has been hit and miss with the re-pressings and reissues. I was certainly not impressed by the records from this set that I did hear, along with the fuzzy artwork. The Dali's Car record, however, not part of this set, I felt was fantastic." — Jon Whitney
    
    
18. Motorpsycho, "Salad Days Vol. 1 & 2 (tied)" (Rune Grammofon)
19. Sleep, "Sleep's Holy Mountain" (Earache)
    "I'll ask again, how many times has this been reissued? Still, recommended if you had neither this, nor Dopesmoker in physical format." — Eve McGivern
    
    
20. Roland Kayn, "Infra" (Reiger)
21. µ-Ziq, "Lunatic Harness (25th Anniversary Edition)" (Planet Mu)
22. Robert Fripp, "Exposures" (Discipline Global Mobile)
    "Five versions of the one album, and a metric ton of Frippertronics performances. Redundant as hell, but I still bought it." — Creaig Dunton
    "While I didn't spring for the ultra-deluxe massive version of this one, having never owned it previously on vinyl meant purchasing at least the original format." — Eve McGivern
    
    
23. Muslimgauze, "The Extreme Years" (Aquarelist)
24. Karen Dalton, "In My Own Time" (Light in the Attic)
    "After hearing tracks from this one, I ran across the deluxe set for a good price, and sprung for it. I don't regret it." — Eve McGivern
    
    
25. Pere Ubu, "Nuke The Whales 2006-2014" (Fire)

Artist of the Year

1. Andrew Chalk
   "Between solo releases and collaborations, Chalk continues to give us nothing but high quality pieces of art." — Jon Whitney
   
   
2. Oren Ambarchi
3. Sault
   "Six full-length albums and one small length album in a single year mathematically earned this mysterious collective this high a score, yet I'm disappointed none broke the top 100 from the readers, as they all command attention." — Jon Whitney
   
   
4. The Soft Pink Truth
5. Edward Ka-Spel
6. The Legendary Pink Dots
7. Pan•American
8. Lucrecia Dalt
9. KMRU
10. Diamanda Galás

Label of the Year

1. Thrill Jockey
   "I just uncoved a catalog of theirs from 25 years ago in a CD from back then and was reminded how consistent they have been over the years with issuing fantastic music. (Sadly the LP prices are now pretty much tripled for what they were in 1998.)" — Jon Whitney
   
   
2. Drag City
3. Longform Editions
   "Pretty much every new batch of Longforms Editions releases in 2022 featured at least one near-masterpiece, delightful surprise, or a beloved familiar name gamely trying their hand at something new." — Anthony D'Amico  
   
   
4. Kranky
5. Room40
6. Smalltown Supersound
7. International Anthem
   "International Anthem is a bit more jazz-centric than my usual haunts, but albums like the Alabaster DePlume one make me wonder how many other leftfield delights I may have unknowingly slept on." — Anthony D'Amico
   
   
8. Numero Group
9. Mute
10. Rocket

New Artist of the Year

Kyle Kidd

"The best moments of Kyle Kidd's solo debut sound like a '70s soul diva just awoke from a coma and developed a healthy passion for the pleasures of tape hiss, subtly hypnagogic production, and the Arthur Russell/Larry Levan side of the late '70s NYC underground." — Anthony D'Amico

"When I'm exposed to someone who grabs my attention this much, I passionately seek out more information of who they are, their history, and what got them to this point. The music of Kyle Kidd over the last few years that I was able to find is beautiful—that voice is absolutely gorgeous—but if I had heard those songs first, I would not have been prepared for the remarkable depth and finesse of Soothsayer. The haunting arragements, the compositons trigger so much emotion it feels like a warm embrace, almost as if soul was injected into Satie." — Jon Whitney

Lifetime Achievement Recognition

Adrian Sherwood

"Adrian Sherwood famously taught himself sound engineering as a reggae-obsessed teen (before the emergence of cassettes) and has been tirelessly championing cool underground music and the DIY ethos ever since. In just his '80s heyday alone, he was arguably at the cutting edge of the post-punk scene (working with Ari Up and Mark Stewart), London's reggae scene (Creation Rebel, Prince Far I, Mikey Dread), industrial music (Ministry, Skinny Puppy, NIN), and maybe even rap (Sherwood's Tackhead bandmates were the Sugar Hill house band and backed Grandmaster Flash). Along the way, he also made some significant dub innovations (playing effects backwards), established a killer house band of his own, and helped reinvigorate the careers of some of his Jamaican heroes. There have certainly been some lean years and disappointing albums along the way (as Sherwood would be the first to admit), but he just kept moving forward regardless because that is simply what he does. More than four decades after he started, Sherwood is still releasing fine albums, restlessly trying out new ideas, and hipping new generations to canonical dub/reggae sounds." — Anthony D'Amico

"My very first unwitting exposure to Adrian Sherwood was in the remix of The Beatnigs Television: The Drug of the Nation in 1988, after which I then kept seeing On-U plastered over albums by my most recent exploration, Mark Stewart. While I've been aware of Adrian Sherwood as a producer, and On-U as a label for years, I'm a latecomer to truly understanding the vast span of his career." — Eve McGivern

"I was a big Depeche Mode fan when I was 13, and words could not describe my shock hearing that Are People People? re-remix from Sherwood. I had never heard something labeled as a remix that was so far removed from the original: it was completely unrecognizable and made very little musical sense. But I had more questions. Where on earth did this inspiration come from? Who would bury something so massive so deep on limited releases? And WTF is an ON-U Sound Science Fiction?? In the next couple years Sherwood's name was appearing on albums from groups heavy on my playlists like Ministry, Cabaret Voltaire, Tackhead, KMFDM, and Skinny Puppy. Most of the music he did for the post-industrial acts I had known resembled nothing before nor after his involvement. It was still a few years before I finally gained exposure to his reggae and dub history stetching back to the late '70s, along with genre-bending releases from Annie Anxiety, Missing Brazilians, and Voice of Authority, and it is all about as flawless as it gets. Over 40 years later he's still at the controls, as relevent as ever, the two albums this year from Horace Andy and previously from Lee Perry are perfect evidence." — Jon Whitney 

Alas we are finally here to present the Annual Brainwashed Readers Poll. Once again, this is what the readers choose, as staff and contributors, we only make our comments here and there.

Sorry for the delays, these have been exceptionally stressful and demanding times for just about everybody. Production may be high, but morale remains low. This couldn't be more evident with this year's poll, which had the most entries in years, but had a remarkably low voter turnout. It is difficult to hold out until the very end of the year to be all-inclusive, where most places have made up their mind by November, and music of the year is being released constantly until the clock strikes midnight. So by the time we come around to soliciting votes, most people have checked out for the year.  We will do some re-evaluation to the process prior to future polls.

Thanks again to everybody who participated. This is your voice.

The staff nominates, the readers add to the nomination list, the readers vote, and we write some comments back. That's how it is. The Brainwashed Annual Readers Poll is a snapshot of what our readers and staff were listening to for the year. As always there are some rankings that are surprises along with others that come as no surprise.

This year we decided to get rid of the "worst album of the year" category (2020 was harsh enough). We also decided to add honorable mentions to the Lifetime Achievement Recognition category because it seems like there's so many people who we cherish that it's an injustice not to give a nod to musicians who have left a lasting impression on music as a whole.

Thanks again to all who participated and we wish you all a safe and healthy 2021.

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the nomination and voting rounds of this year's annual readers poll.

All the best wishes for 2020!

Thanks again to everyone who contributed to this year's readers poll and has over the last two decades. All the best wishes for 2019!

It's time for record store day again and I want to talk about the need for better mastering and cutting and manufacturing on the new vinyl being created today.

So many of the new records I buy, whether reissues or brand new recordings by current bands, are noisy. Surface noise. Yes, sometimes it is caused by the COLOR of the vinyl, because diff colors have diff chemical makeups and there for give differing playback ability (white is actually much closer to plastic and tends to sound the noisiest because it is really not the correct medium to be retaining sound) (and multi colored can have issues due to the diff colors not melting at the same temps and then not taking the information from the stampers as well as they should due to temp differences).

However, a lot of the issues with newly manufactured vinyl come from a lack of knowledge in the mastering and plating phases, and from how quickly records are being turned out. handling them too quickly means mistakes - scratches happening before the albums are sleeved, vinyl not cooling slowly enough and then warping but still being sleeved and sold.....

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the Recount of the 1999 Annual Brainwashed Readers Poll.

The original vote which took place at the end of 1999 was clearly less expansive and inclusive, however the new top picks aren't drastically different than the original vote for the most part. Numerous releases which have now charted weren't even on the radar of most readers at the time while other releases have noticeably dropped in popularity due to changing times and changing opinions.

No more polls until the end of 2019.

In 1997, the independent music business was thriving worldwide, musical acts were reaching new audiences via the World Wide Web, and the economy was booming. Brainwashed.com was a year old, and we had not even begun to start conduction Annual Readers Polls. However, we began expanding the domain to host sites for independent labels and distributors like Kranky, Thrill Jockey, Happy Go Lucky, RRRecords, and World Serpent Distribution along with the multitude of sites we were hosting for musical acts.

It has been a pleasure to revisit the music of 1997 and we appreciate all the time and effort put in by the readers to make your opinions known.

Two decades ago the Annual Readers Poll began. The old version of the first annual readers poll can still be viewed online here, but we wanted to re-examine 1998 in the new system and get a broader picture of the music of that year. Perhaps these are truly the releases that have withstood 20 years of listening or the readership demographics have changed in 20 years. Either way, thanks to all who participated. Look for a 1997 recount nomination round coming soon and the 2018 Annual Readers Poll to follow.

Once again it's time to thank everyone for their participation in the Brainwashed Annual Readers Poll. As always, the Readers Poll doesn't particularly represent what the staff and writers feel are the best and worst of the year, but we happily once again provide commentary. All the best for 2018!

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the Annual Brainwashed Readers Poll.

and now, the results:

Once again thanks to everybody who participated in the 18th Annual Brainwashed Readers Poll. It's an honor to be able to do this every year and we appreciate everyone who contributed to the nominations and voted.

All the best wishes for 2016.

Thanks again to everyone who contributed, nominated, and voted.

It's not easy to like weird music, so we understand that when meeting someone new, tact must be employed in order to get to the next level. Here's our list of albums that are safer to introduce once you and the new friend have gotten to know each other better.

Do you have Oscar Fever? Probably not if you're reading brainwashed.com, but once again Hollywood has managed to engage in their yearly ritual of televised autofellatio. Here we present to you our picks of soundtracks that have, as far as we know, have gone unrecognized in internationally broadcast award ceremonies.

Pretty much everybody in the northern hemisphere is sick of this winter, with all the snow, ice, rain, much, mayhem, and misery. Fortunately springtime is on its way, but until now, we present records to spend your time with, hidden away, avoiding the mess.

Nobody wants to put up with the crappy music choices that the networks shove down our throats when we watch sport competition. In order to break free from the tyranny of the rampant commercialism, Brainwashed staff have chosen the BEST recordings to soundtrack your enjoyment of cold sport watching.

Love is in the air and Brainwashed knows how important it is to set the mood for the perfect evening. This is why we are proud to present our list of recommendations that are sure to make that day extra special, with a soundtrack to provide a memorable time for you and the one dearest to your heart.

Album of the Year

1. Tim Hecker, ""Virgins"" (Kranky)
2. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, ""Push the Sky Away"" (Kobalt)
3. Boards of Canada, ""Tomorrow's Harvest"" (Warp)
4. My Bloody Valentine, ""m b v"" (self-released)
5. The Haxan Cloak, ""Excavation"" (TriAngle)
6. Autechre, ""Exai"" (Warp)
7. Grouper, ""The Man Who Died in His Boat"" (Kranky)
8. William Basinski, ""Nocturnes"" (2062)
9. The Legendary Pink Dots, ""The Gethsemane Option"" (Metropolis)
10. Wire, ""Change Becomes Us"" (Pink Flag)
11. Matmos, ""The Marriage of True Minds"" (Thrill Jockey)
12. Locrian, ""Return to Annihilation"" (Relapse)
13. Barn Owl, ""V"" (Thrill Jockey)
14. Julia Holter, ""Loud City Song"" (Domino)
15. Broadcast, ""Berberian Sound Studio"" (Warp)
16. The Legendary Pink Dots, ""Code Noir"" (Beta-Lactam Ring)
17. Oren Ambarchi, Jim O'Rourke and Keiji Haino, ""Now While It's Still Warm Let Us Pour in All the Mystery"" (Black Truffle)
18. Chelsea Wolfe, ""Pain is Beauty"" (Sargent House)
19. Bill Callahan, ""Dream River"" (Drag City)
20. Tropic of Cancer, ""Restless Idyll"" (Blackest Ever Black)
21. Carter Tutti, ""Coolicon"" (Conspiracy International)
22. Mika Vainio, ""Kilo"" (Blast First Petite)
23. Pan American, ""Cloud Room, Glass Room"" (Kranky)
24. Wolf Eyes, ""No Answer: Lower Floors"" (De Stijl)
25. Low, ""The Invisible Way"" (Sub Pop)
26. Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld, ""Still Smiling"" (Specula)
27. Colin Stetson, ""New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light"" (Constellation)
28. The Knife, ""Shaking the Habitual"" (Mute)
29. Lustmord, ""The Word As Power"" (Blackest Ever Black)
30. Mazzy Star, ""Seasons of Your Day"" (Rhymes Of An Hour)
31. The Legendary Pink Dots, ""The Curse of Marie Antoinette"" (Rustblade)
32. Forest Swords, ""Engravings"" (TriAngle)
33. Rashad Becker, ""Traditional Music of Notional Species, Vol. I"" (PAN)
34. Cindytalk, ""A Life Is Everywhere"" (Editions Mego)
35. The Necks, ""Open"" (Northern Spy)
36. Prurient, ""Through the Window"" (Blackest Ever Black)
37. Body/Head, ""Coming Apart"" (matador)
38. Julia Kent, ""Character"" (Leaf)
39. Mogwai , ""Les Revenants Soundtrack"" (Rock Action)
40. Wrekmeister Harmonies, ""You've Always Meant So Much To Me"" (Thrill Jockey)
41. Dirty Beaches, ""Drifters/Love Is the Devil"" (Zoo Music)
42. Master Musicians of Bukkake, ""Far West"" (Important)
43. Oneohtrix Point Never, ""R Plus Seven"" (Warp)
44. The Dead C, ""Armed Courage"" (Ba Da Bing!)
45. Daniel Menche, ""Marriage of Metals"" (Editions Mego)
46. Main, ""Ablation"" (Editions Mego)
47. These New Puritans, ""Field of Reeds"" (Infectious)
48. Factory Floor, ""Factory Floor"" (DFA)
49. Föllakzoid, ""II"" (Sacred Bones)
50. Laurel Halo, ""Chance of Rain"" (Hyperdub)
51. Boduf Songs, ""Burnt Up On Re-Entry"" (Southern)
52. Phill Niblock, ""Touch Five"" (Touch)
53. Implodes, ""Recurring Dream"" (Kranky)
54. Ensemble Pearl, ""Ensemble Pearl"" (Drag City)
55. Emptyset, ""Recur"" (Raster-Noton)
56. Julianna Barwick, ""Nepenthe"" (Dead Oceans)
57. Pere Ubu, ""lady From Shangai"" (Fire Records)
58. Benoit Pioulard, ""Hymnal"" (Kranky)
59. Vatican Shadow, ""Remember Your Black Day"" (Hospital)
60. Chris Watson, ""In St. Cuthbert's Time"" (Touch)
61. Mohammad, ""Son Sakrifis"" (PAN)
62. Steve Gunn, ""Time Off"" (Paradise of Bachelors)
63. Noveller, ""No Dreams"" (important)
64. CoH, ""Retro 2038"" (Editions Mego)
65. Jesu, ""Everyday I Get Closer To The Light From Which I Came"" (Avalanche)
66. Bardo Pond, ""Peace on Venus"" (Fire)
67. Jasper TX, ""An Index of Failure"" (Handmade Birds)
68. Svarte Greiner, ""Black Tie"" (Miasmah)
69. Fire! Orchestra , ""Exit!"" (Rune Grammofon)
70. *AR, ""Succession"" (Corbel Stone Press)
71. Mountains, ""Centralia"" (Thrill Jockey)
72. Roly Porter, ""Life Cycle of a Massive Star"" (Subtext)
73. Bill Orcutt, ""A History of Every One"" (Editions Mego)
74. Ryoji Ikeda, ""Supercodex"" (Raster-Noton)
75. Black Boned Angel, ""The End"" (Handmade Birds)
76. Date Palms, ""The Dusted Sessions"" (Thrill Jockey)
77. Jacob Kirkegaard, ""Conversions"" (Touch)
78. Matana Roberts, ""Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile"" (Constellation)
79. Zola Jesus and JG Thirlwell, ""Version"" (Sacred Bones)
80. Pharmakon, ""Abandon"" (Sacred Bones)
81. Pet Shop Boys, ""Electric"" (x2)
82. Aidan Baker, ""Already Drowning"" (Gizeh)
83. The Legendary Pink Dots, ""Taos Hum"" (Trademark of Quantity)
84. Demdike Stare , ""The Weight of Culture"" (No Label )
85. Hacker Farm , ""UHF"" (Exotic Pylon)
86. The Stranger, ""Watching Dead Empires In Decay"" (Modern Love)
87. William Tyler, ""Impossible Truth"" (Merge)
88. Gabriel Saloman, ""Soldier's Requiem"" (Miasmah)
89. Wooden Wand, ""Blood Oaths of the New Blues"" (Fire)
90. Paul Jebanasam, ""Rites"" (Subtext)
91. Colleen, ""The Weighing of the Heart"" (Second Language)
92. Matt Elliott, ""Only Myocardial Infarction Can Break Your Heart"" (Ici d'ailleurs)
93. Basic House, ""Oats"" (Alter)
94. Jenny Hval, ""Innocence is Kinky"" (Rune Grammofon)
95. Bruce Gilbert & BAW, ""Diluvial"" (Touch)
96. Daniel Menche, ""Vilke"" (Sige)
97. Duane Pitre, ""Bridges"" (Important)
98. Glenn Jones, ""My Garden State"" (Thrill Jockey)
99. Kaboom Karavan, ""Hokus Fokus"" (Miasmah)
100. The Silverman, ""Finisterre"" (Trademark of Quantity)

Single of the Year

1. Autechre, ""L-Event"" (Warp)
2. Burial, ""Rival Dealer"" (Hyperdub)
3. Demdike Stare, ""Testpressings 4"" (self-released)
4. ( r ), ""The House Of The Rising Sun"" (self-released)
5. Larsen, ""Uncruel Cool Mouth"" (Zos Kia Sounds Recordings)
6. Helm, ""Silencer"" (PAN/Alter)
7. Vatican Shadow, ""When You Are Crawling"" (Hospital)
8. Cut Hands, ""Damballah 58"" (Blackest Ever Black)
9. Pete Swanson, ""Punk Authority"" (Software)
10. Miles, ""Unsecured"" (Modern Love)
11. Nurse With Wound/Graham Bowers, ""Diploid"" (Red Wharf)
12. Khan Of Finland, ""Thin White Sinner"" (I'm Single)
13. Pye Corner Audio, ""Conical Space"" (Dekorder)
14. Songs:Ohia, ""Hecla & Griper"" (Secretly Canadian)
15. Lee Noble, ""Ruiner"" (Bathetic)
16. Pye Corner Audio, ""Superstitious Century"" (Boomkat)
17. The Fall, ""The Remainderer"" (Cherry Red)
18. Boduf Songs/Jessica Bailiff, ""Decapitation Blues / Lakeside Blues"" (Morc)
19. Edward Ka-Spel, ""The Patriot"" (Unlimited Drift)
20. Moin, ""EP"" (Blackest Ever Black)
21. The Bug, ""Filthy"" (Ninja Tune)
22. Al Cisneros, ""Ark Procession"" (Drag City)
23. John Foxx and the Belbury Circle, ""Empty Avenues"" (Ghost Box)
24. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, ""Needle Boy"" (Kobalt)
25. Al Cisneros, ""Teresa Of Avila"" (Sinai)

Live album/vault recording/reissue (or otherwise not really a ""new full-length album"")

1. Swans, ""Not Here/Not Now"" (Young God)
2. Grouper, ""Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill"" (Kranky)
3. Edward Artemiev, ""Solaris Original Soundtrack"" (Mirumir)
4. Natural Snow Buildings / Isengrind / Twinsistermoon, ""The Snowbringer Cult"" (Ba Da Bing!)
5. Songs:Ohia, ""The Magnolia Electric Co."" (Secretly Canadian)
6. Bernard Parmegiani, ""De Natura Sonorum"" (Recollection GRM)
7. Iannis Xenakis, ""GRM Works 1957-1962"" (Recollection GRM)
8. Edward Artemiev, ""Stalker/The Mirror - Music From Andrey Tarkovsky's Motion Pictures"" (Mirumir)
9. Four Tet, ""Rounds"" (Domino)
10. Chrome, ""Half Machine from the Sun"" (self-released)
11. Godflesh, ""Hymns"" (The End)
12. Sandwell District, ""Fabric 69"" (Fabric)
13. Edward Ka-Spel, ""A Pleasure Cruise Through 9 Dimensions"" (Trademark of Quantity)
14. The Legendary Pink Dots, ""9 Lives to Wonder redux"" (Trademark of Quantity)
15. Grails, ""Black Tar Prophecies Vol. 4, 5 & 6"" (Temporary Residence)
16. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, ""Live from KCRW"" (Bad Seed Ltd.)
17. Come, ""Eleven:Eleven"" (Matador)
18. Peter Jeffries, ""The Last Great Challenge in a Dull World"" (De Stijl)
19. The Legendary Pink Dots, ""Seconds Late for the Brighton Line redux"" (Trademark of Quantity)
20. Alastair Galbraith, ""Cry"" (MIE)
21. Roky Erickson, ""The Evil One"" (Light in the Attic)
22. The Legendary Pink Dots, ""From Here You'll Watch the World Go By redux"" (Trademark of Quantity)
23. Devo, ""Hardcore"" (Superior Viaduct)
24. Drexciya, ""Journey Of The Deep Sea Dweller IV"" (Clone Classic Cuts )
25. Horseback, ""A Plague of Knowing"" (Relapse)
26. Robert Wyatt, ""68"" (Cuneiform)
27. Dead Can Dance, ""In Concert"" (Play It Again Sam)
28. Eliane Radigue, ""Opus 17"" (Alga Marghen)
29. Ensemble Economique, ""The Vastness Is Bearable Only Through Love"" (Shelter Press)
30. M. Geddes Gengras, ""Collected Works Vol. 1: The Moog Years"" (Umor Rex)
31. Sun City Girls, ""Eye Mohini (Sun City Girls Singles Volume 3)"" (Abduction)
32. Fluxion, ""Vibrant Forms"" (Type)
33. Gnod, ""Chaudelande"" (Rocket)
34. Loren Connors, ""The Departing of a Dream"" (Family Vineyard)
35. The Legendary Pink Dots, ""Hallway of the Gods redux"" (Trademark of Quantity)
36. Alberich, ""Machine Gun Nest: Cassette Works, Vol. 0"" (Hospital)
37. Iancu Dumitrescu, ""Pierres Sacrees/Hazard and Tectonics"" (Ideologic Organ)
38. Robbie Basho, ""Visions of the Country"" (Gnome Life)
39. The Slaves, ""Ocean on Ocean"" (Helen Scarsdale)
40. Codeine, ""What About the Lonely?"" (Numero Group)
41. Robert Turman, ""Beyond Painting"" (Fabrica)
42. Steve Hauschildt, ""S/H"" (Editions Mego)
43. Craig Leon, ""Nommos"" (Superior Viaduct)
44. Francois Bayle, ""Les couleurs de la nuit"" (Sub Rosa)
45. Muslimgauze, ""Izlamic Songs"" (Staalplaat)
46. Troum, ""Syzygie"" (Cold Spring)
47. Fela Kuti, ""The Best of the Black President 2"" (Knitting Factory)
48. Felicia Atkinson, ""Visions/Voices"" (Umor Rex)
49. Loscil, ""Intervalo: Adaptations for Piano & Laptop"" (Frond)
50. Piano Magic, ""Heart Machinery"" (Second Language)

Various Artist Collection of the Year

1. ""Touch30"" (Touch)
2. ""Metal Dance 2: Industrial, New Wave, and EBM Classics & Rarities 79-88"" (Strut)
3. ""Mutazione: Italian Electronic & New Wave Underground 1980-1988"" (Strut)
4. ""Deutsche Elektronische Musik 2"" (Soul Jazz)
5. ""I Am The Center: Private Issue New Age Music in America 1950-1990"" (Light in the Attic)
6. ""An Anthology of Noise and Electronic Music Vol. 7"" (Sub Rosa)
7. ""After Dark 2"" (Italians Do It Better)
8. ""Change the Beat: The Celluloid Records Story 1979-1987"" (Strut)
9. ""L.I.E.S. Presents Music for Shut-Ins"" (L.I.E.S.)
10. ""The Crying Princess: 78RPM Records from Burma"" (Sublime Frequencies)
11. ""Afrobeat Airways 2: Return Flight to Ghana 1974-1983"" (Analog Africa)
12. ""20 Jahre Kompakt/Kollektion 1"" (Kompakt)
13. ""Choubi Choubi! Folk & Pop Songs from Iraq Vol. 2"" (Sublime Frequencies)
14. ""Ethnic Minority Music of Southern China "" (Sublime Frequencies)
15. ""Collision/Detection"" (Front & Follow)
16. ""Kenya Special: Selected East African Recordings from the 1970s and '80s"" (Soundway)
17. ""Purple Snow: Forecasting the Minneapolis Sound"" (Numero Group)
18. ""Hassaniya Music from the Western Sahara and Mauritania"" (Sublime Frequencies)
19. ""Livity Sound"" (Livity Sound)
20. ""Halh: 20 Years of Downwards"" (Downwards)
21. ""Down To The Silver Sea"" (Blank Workshop / Gecophonic Audio Systems)
22. ""Feral Grind"" (Submit)
23. ""20 Jahre Kompakt/Kollektion 2"" (Kompakt)
24. ""Studio One Ska Fever!"" (Soul Jazz)
25. ""Greek Rhapsody (Instrumental Music from Greece 1905-1956)"" (Dust-to-Digital)

 

Boxed Set

1. Eliane Radigue, ""Adnos I-III"" (Important)
2. Cabaret Voltaire, ""#8385 Collected Works (1983-1985)"" (Mute)
3. Can, ""Can"" (Spoon)
4. Natural Snow Buildings, ""Daughter of Darkness"" (Ba Da Bing!)
5. Eleh, ""Homage"" (Taiga)
6. Akos Rozmann, ""Images of the Dream and Death"" (Ideologic Organ)
7. Skullflower, ""Kino I-IV"" (Dirter)
8. The Hafler Trio, "" A Cure For Kenophobia-an Empowerment In 4 Easy Stages At Very Reasonable Rates; Recordings 87-99 "" (Vinyl On Demand)
9. My Cat is an Alien, ""Psycho-System"" (Elliptical Noise)
10. Red Temple Spirits, ""Dancing to Restore an Eclipsed Moon/If Tomorrow I Were Leaving for Lhasa, I Wouldn't Stay a Minute More... "" (Independent Project)
11. Conny Plank, ""Who's That Man: A Tribute to Conny Plank"" (Grönland)
12. Dennis Johnson, ""November"" (Penultimate Press)
13. Greg Haines, ""2006-2012"" (Denovali)
14. Half Japanese, ""1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts"" (Fire)
15. Jandek, ""The Song of Morgan"" (Corwood)

 

Act of the Year

New Artist of the Year

Overlooked Staff Picks

 

Lifetime Achievement Recognition

 

Jason Molina

 

Worst Album of the Year

1. Arcade Fire, ""Reflektor"" (Merge)
2. Vampire Weekend, ""Modern Vampires of the City"" (XL)
3. The Men, ""New Moon"" (Sacred Bones)
4. !!!, ""THR!!!ER"" (Warp)
5. Darkstar, ""News from Nowhere"" (4AD)
6. Queens of the Stone Age, ""...Like Clockwork"" (Matador)
7. Smith Westerns, ""Soft Will"" (Mom + Pop Music)
8. Chvrches, ""The Bones of What You Believe"" (Glassnote)
9. Cut Copy, ""Free Your Mind"" (Modular)
10. Majical Cloudz, ""Impersonator"" (Matador)

 

This is the 15th Annual Brainwashed Readers Poll: the longest running poll from a digital publication that allows the readers to both nominate and vote for the best and worst of the year. The writers don't all necessarily agree with the placement and rankings, but we have our last word in the comments we have provided.

Thanks to everyone who participated in both rounds and we wish you the best for 2013.