I hadn’t really thought this post would have multiple parts, but it seems my intentions became much more ambitious as I sat down to finally write this.  In my defense, 2012 has been another fantastic year of music.  We’ve had new releases from the likes of Sigur Rós, Beach House, Air, and Sleigh Bells, as well as some really exciting debuts, including those from Alabama Shakes, Porcelain Raft, Clock Opera, and Kishi Bashi.  On top of all that, we still have new stuff from The xx, Passion Pit, Yeasayer, and Animal Collective on the horizon.  Needless to say, I’m in love with a lot of music right now and it’s gonna be super hard for me to narrow down my favorites come December.

So as we wait for the “best of” season, I’m gonna showcase my 40 favorite albums of the year so far.  To make things a bit easier on my end, they’ll be in alphabetical order.  Like I said earlier, narrowing this list down and picking favorites among favorites will be no easy task and I only want to do it once this year.  So without further ado, I present my Favorite Albums of 2012 (so far): Part I.  Enjoy.

Air//Le voyage dans la lune

aircheology.com//facebook//twitter//iTunes

Alabama Shakes//Boys & Girls

alabamashakes.com//facebook//twitter//iTunes

Beach House//Bloom

beachhousebaltimore.com//facebook//twitter//iTunes

Bright Moments//Natives

brightmomentsmusic.com//facebook//iTunes

Chiddy Bang//Breakfast

chiddybang.net//facebook//twitter//iTunes

Clock Opera//Ways To Forget

clockopera.com//facebook//twitter//souncloud//iTunes

Cloud Nothings//Attack On Memory

cloudnothings.com//facebook//twitter//iTunes

Craft Spells//Gallery

tumblr//facebook//twitter//iTunes

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros//Here

edwardsharpeandthemagneticzeros.com//tour//facebook//twitter//tumblr//iTunes

Exitmusic//Passage

weareexitmusic.com//facebook//twitter//bandcamp//iTunes

Part 2 coming soon.  Stay tuned.