Bravo! I’m a Lodger man myself and would have loved to see it in the top ten, but beyond that, no quibbles. This was quite a task and you really rose to the occasion. Excellent piece.

It’s true, though. Even among the diehards commenting here, you don’t hear a lot of people repping for “The Cold Part,” “Long Distance Drunk,” or “Exit Does Not Exist,” for instance.

And besides, the paragraph that contains that sentence is supposed to imply that, in spite of these things, MM is a great band. Most ‘classic’ albums have filler – when was the last time you skipped ahead to listen to “The Murder Mystery” or “Vicar In A Tutu?” One of my favorite bands of all time is the Replacements, and almost everything I said about MM in that paragraph could apply to that band as well. You don’t think Isaac himself would acknowledge that they’ve played some pretty shitty (read: sloppy drunk) gigs?

Oops, I meant ‘the best parts of’ Interstate 8, btw, not ‘most of’ – sorry, fact-checkers!

Not sure how you could read this and think it was written by someone who dislikes the band. What snark?

Bold move not putting The Woods at #1, and while Call the Doctor will always be my sentimental fave (“Good Things!!”), it’s difficult to argue with the justifications for numerical placement here. Great piece.

I guess we should then ask a bigger question – is it necessary that the USPS even MAKES a profit? Isn’t it a public service, guaranteed by the Constitution? There are plenty of things funded by tax dollars (which, by the way, the USPS is not) that don’t turn any profit at all. Maybe we need to examine the profit = worth model, since we’re on a forum that deals with a lot of music that 99% of the western world doesn’t know or care exists.

If the fact that I’ve written no fewer than three separate pieces on the man for this very publication doesn’t qualify me as a fan, well, I’m not sure what does. Maybe it’s just, like, my opinion, man.

See above. That album severely bummed me out at the time. Nowadays it’s merely my least favorite Beck album.

I have just never connected with that album in any meaningful way. I gave it another listen before writing this article, and it still leaves me really cold (and frequently annoyed).

“greatest singles band since the Beatles” – a hefty claim, but I think I agree.

Your list is my list, however if we were being REAL nerds, we’d have to squeeze in the Sweet and Tender Hooligan EP someplace, which is very dear to my heart.

Placing a pair of compilations in the No. 1 slot took balls, but true Smiths fans know there’s really no other way this could have gone down. Both Hatful and Louder are absolutely perfect – none of the proper full lengths are (“Suffer Little Children,” anyone?).

Seems strange to me that a hc/punk fan would be so short-sighted as to advocate what is more or less cultural surface mining. You realize that the convenience you so cherish and the resulting glut will soon make it almost impossible for underground bands to exist at all, right?

“Thousands of great album discoveries?” I spend every spare dollar I have on music, work (for now) in the music business, and, like many Stereogum readers, generally obsess over music to an unhealthy degree, and even I probably haven’t heard ‘thousands’ of albums since Spotify was invented. Maybe you’re listening wrong?

Good points, Robert, and I’m glad you mention the cultural divide. Similarly, country music fans will be buying Brad Paisley and Miranda Lambert CDs until the day labels stop manufacturing them. Metal dudes are likewise inclined to pay for ‘diehard’ editions and colored vinyl. Not sure why this is, but I find your classification of indie musicians lacking what you call ‘clear objectives’ and ‘identifying principles’ provocative and insightful. May this be indicative of a 2013 comment section trend!

For what it’s worth, I purchased 90% of the releases on my best of 2012 list, and the other 10% were given to me as gifts. But then, I am a hopeless relic who still relishes breaking up weed on my gatefold sleeves. :)