1 Nik Christofferson's (Good to Die Records / SRG) Top 20 Releases of 2012

For the 4th year in a row I have asked both the SRG contributors and members of the NW heavy rock community to chime in with their favorite releases and shows of the year. I dig these lists because I always find something I missed over the course of the year, and I always get a reminder of some of the more memorable shows I was fortunate enough to attend over the past 12 months. I'll get things rolling and look for many lists being posted from now until New Years. 

My List:

I'd be lying if I didn't say that my 6 favorite records of 2012 came out on my label, but for the hell of it, here are 20 other releases not on Good to Die Records that made a huge impact me this year and were solid enough to steal away listening time from: Rabbits - "Bites Rites", Gaytheist - "Stealth Beats", Deadkill - "Deadkill", Dog Shredder - "Brass Tactics", Absolute Monarchs - "1", and Brokaw - "Interiors".  

In no particular order:
 

 

Torche - "Harmonicraft" (Volcom Entertainment)

Miami, Florida 

Favorite Track: Skin Moth

Buildings - "Melt Cry Sleep" (Cash Cow Production) 
Minneapolis, Minnesota 

Favorite Track:  Born on a Bomb

Lozen - Para Vida (Silent Queef Records)
Tacoma, Washington 

Favorite Track: Kiya

Swans - "The Seer" (Young God)
New York, New York 

Favorite Track: Lunacy

Omotai - "Terrestrial Grief" (The Treaty Oak Collective)
Houston, Texas 

Favorite Track: This is for Zora

Roomrunner - "Super Vague" (Fan Death Records)
Baltimore, Maryland 

Favorite Track: Super Vague

 Cellos - "The Accident" (Ah Some Records)
Windsor, Ontario, Canada 

Favorite Track: Pilgrimage 

 Murmurs - "Fly With the Unkindness" (Ladies Choice Records)
Seattle, Washington 

Favorite Track: Snow Angels

 Kowloon Walled City - "Container Ships" (Brutal Panda Records)
San Fransisco, California 

Favorite Track: Cornerstone

 Nu Sensae - "Sun Downing" (Suicide Squeeze)
Vancouver, BC, Canada 

Favorite Track: Swim

Burning Love - "Rotten Things to Say" (Southern Lord)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Favorite Track: No Love 

Elephant Rifle - "Party Child" 
Reno, Nevada

Favorite Track: Rib-Eye for the Dead Guy 

FNU Ronnies - "Saddle Up" (Load Records)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

Favorite Track: Saddle Up

 Brain Tumors - "Fuck You Forever" (Deranged Records)
Minneapolis, Minnesota 

Favorite Track: Being Alive Sucks/I Am Weird

Serial Hawk - "Buried in the Gray" (Made in China)
Seattle, Washington

Favorite Track: Silence Means Nothing

 Kicker - "Not You" (Tankcrimes)
Oakland, California

Favorite Track: I Think You're Shit

 Tigon - "Infinite Teeth" (The Ghost is Clear)
San Francisco, California

Favorite Track: The Archivist

 Dream Decay - "Fern" (Iron Lung Records)
Olympia, Washington 

Favorite Track: II

 Hawks - "Push Over" (Learning Curve Records)
Atlanta, Georgia 

Favorite Track: White Crosses

The VSS - "Negative Circuits" (Sargent House)
Boulder, Colorado

Favorite Track: Death Scene