Despite the fact that we are living in the age of the single and EP, we were overjoyed when we looked back on the year and found so many album release we had been rocking too in 2012. Which just proves to us that the album isn’t dead and true creative still want to present a body of their work as a piece of art. Some musicians still have a story to tell.

The winner is one of the most highly-rated, but under-fanfared albums of the year. The return of Australian ElectroPop heroes The Presets with their first album since 2008’s Apocalypso, Pacifica. We can’t help but feel that Modular Recordings and their PR really dropped the ball with this one. Confusing release scheduling, minimal use of social media and nonexistent use of popular music services meant that the album slipped by largely unnoticed. I have friends who love The Presets but didn’t even know they had a new album out. Which is a pity, as Pacifica is a truly stunning piece of work. An intelligent, funny in places, masterclass in ElectroPop and Dance music. Floating effortlessly from genre to genre, mood to mood, Pacifica has something for everybody as The Presets casually wander into the room and show the Indie-Electro crowd that’s cropped up in the last few years how it’s done.

01: The Presets – Pacifica (Modular Recordings)

♫ The Presets – Promises

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…and the rest of the list:

02: Jupiter – Juicy Lucy (Grand Blanc)

♫ Jupiter – One O Six

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03: MNDR – Feed Me Diamonds (Ultra Records)

♫ MNDR – U.B.C.L.

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04: Parallels – XII (Marigold Productions)

♫ Parallels – Time Will Crawl

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05: Pilotpriest – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Self Released)

♫ Pilotpriest – Thief

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06: Mitch Murder – Selection One (Self Released)

♫ Mitch Murder – Metro City Breakers

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07: Chad Valley – Young Hunger (Cascine)

♫  Chad Valley – Tell All Your Friends

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08: Lovelock – Burning Feeling (Interasjonal)

♫ Lovelock – Love Reaction

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09: Cinnamon Chasers – Dreams & Machines (Modus Records)

♫ Cinnamon Chasers – Dreams & Machines

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10: Lindstrøm – Smalhans (Smalltown Supersound)

♫ Lindstrøm – Rà-Àkõ-St

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11: Miami Nights 1984 – Turbulence (Rosso Corsa Records)

♫ Miami Nights 1984 – The Getaway

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12: Karin Park – Highwire Poetry (State Of The Eye Recordings)

♫ Karin Park – Restless

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13: Kid Kasio – Kasiotone (Self Released)

♫ Kid Kasio – Over And Over

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14: Com Truise – In Decay (Ghostly International)

♫ Com Truise – Dreambender

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15: Sébastien Tellier – My God Is Blue (Record Makers)

♫ Sébastien Tellier – Cochon Ville

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16: TEEEL – University Heights (Synthemesc Recordings)

♫ TEEEL – 88MPH

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17: The Penelopes – Never Live Another Yesterday (Pour Le Monde)

♫ The Penelopes – Summer Life

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18: Tommy – Outer Space Adventurer (Self Released)

♫ Tommy – Blast Off Into Space

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19: Baron Von Luxxury – The Last Seduction (Self Released)

♫ Baron Von Luxxury (Feat. Little Boots) – That Disco Beat

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20: Bright Light Bright Light – Make Me Believe In Hope (The Blue Team/Aztec Records)

♫ Bright Light Bright Light – Love Part II

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As always, you should definitely pick up some of this music, it all comes highly recommended and most can be purchased here:

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