The ongoing proliferation and fragmentation of music production, especially nonlabel productions, makes choosing the top 12 albums of 2012 an impossible and foolish task — but here at EW, we’re OK with attempting the impossible and playing the fool sometimes. And as far as last-minute gifting goes, there aren’t many things as easy to give as music — it’s affordable and ubiquitous, whether it’s a download, CD or vinyl.
