Album Releases

Frank Ocean is popping up on almost every critics’ best-of-the-year list. And now he can add another accolade to his résumé. The “Thinkin Bout You” singer tops Entertainment Weekly‘s list of best albums of 2012 with his Grammy-nominated debut channel ORANGE, while Miguel and Kendrick Lamar also make the top 10. As far as the best singles of the year, EW makes some surprising selections with Solange, Meek Mill, and ScHoolboy Q.

Plus, find out which albums didn’t live up to the hype. Mariah Carey’s Meek Mill and Rick Ross-assisted single “Triumphant (Get ‘Em)” got panned by the magazine as a “sleepy misfire,” while Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded – The Re-Up was called “souless, lazy, and totally unnecessary.” Ouch. [RapUp]

Best Singles of 2012
1. Carly Rae Jepsen, “Call Me Maybe”
2. Gotye feat. Kimbra, “Somebody That I Used to Know”
3. Japandroids, “The House That Heaven Built”
4. fun., “Some Nights”
5. Taylor Swift, 
”I Knew You Were Trouble”
6. Solange, “Losing You”
7. Meek Mill 
feat. Drake, “Amen”
8. Alex Clare, “Too Close”
9. ScHoolboy Q feat. A$AP Rocky, “Hands on the Wheel”
10. The Lumineers, “Ho Hey”
11. 
Icona Pop, “I Love It”
12. Kanye West feat. G.O.O.D. Music, “Mercy”
13. 
Cat Power, “Cherokee”
14. Usher, “Climax”
15. The Black Keys feat. RZA, “Baddest Man Alive”
16. Sky Ferreira, “Everything Is Embarrassing”
17. 
Ke$ha, “Die Young”
18. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, “Thrift Shop”
19. Chief Keef, “I Don’t Like”
20. 
Grizzly Bear, “Yet Again”

Worst Singles of 2012
1. Muse, “Survival”
2. Mariah Carey, “Triumphant 
 (Get ‘Em)”
3. Train, “Drive By”
4. Fat Joe, “Instagram
 That Hoe”
5. Chris Brown, “Don’t Judge Me”

Best Albums of 2012
1. Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE
2. Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser…
3. Japandroids, Celebration Rock
4. Miguel, Kaleidoscope Dream
5. Lord Huron, Lonesome Dreams
6. Killer Mike, R.A.P. Music
7. Django Django, Django Django
8. Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d. city
9. Chiddy Bang, Breakfast

Worst Albums of 2012
1. Christina Aguilera – Lotus
2. Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded – The Re-Up
3. Marilyn Manson – Born Villain
4. Hank Williams Jr. – Old School New Rules
5. Kreayshawn – Somethin’ Bout Kreay

On an otherwise dead week, PSY’s “Gangnam Style” finally got displaced from the top of the chart, but it took two superstars to do it. That would be will.i.am and his gal pal Britney Spears, whose “Scream & Shout” snagged #1 in just its second week. Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire” jumpedfrom #17 to #3, just a few hundred units above the debuting “My Life” from the trio of 50 Cent, Eminem and the ubiquitous Adam Levine. The Lumineers’ “Ho Hey” was the only Top 10 holdover to actually increase in sales, though only by 1%.

1. will.i.am f/Britney Spears, “Scream & Shout” – 196k
2. PSY, “Gangnam Style” – 143k
3. Alicia Keys, “Girl on Fire” – 140k
4. 50 Cent f/Eminem & Adam Levine, “My Life” – 139.7k
5. Bruno Mars, “Locked Out of Heaven” – 135k
6. The Lumineers, “Ho Hey” – 127k
7. Ke$ha, “Die Young” – 122.2k
8. Rihanna, “Diamonds” – 122.1k
9. Phillip Phillips, “Home” – 118k
8. Flo Rida, “I Cry” – 96k

Time to bid adieu to Maroon 5 (who slipped to #12), P!nk (#14) and fun.(#15), but they’ll be back in due time.[HitsDailyDouble]

Meek Mill’s Maybach Music Group/Warner Bros. albumDreams and Nightmares and PSY’s “Gangnam Style” are at #1 on iTunes list of best-selling albums and singles, respectively, this morning. The rapper is followed byTaylor Swift’s Red, Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city, Jason Aldean’s Night Train, Flyleaf’s New Horizons, the deluxe edition of Toby Keith’s Hope on the Rocks,Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s Psychedelic Pill, Mumford & Sons‘ deluxe Babel,Tech N9ne’s Boiling Point and Parkway Drive’s Atlas. PSY is followed by Ke$ha’s “Die Young,” Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven,” Maroon 5’s “One More Night,”Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble,” fun.’s “Some Nights,” Flo Rida’s “I Cry” and Swift’s “Red,” giving her three in the Top 10. [HitsDailyDouble]