My Favorite Albums of 2011
These may not be the “best” albums, but they are the ones I have listened to more than anything else this year. I’m sure I will discover a bunch of stuff I hadn’t heard prior to this, or other stuff I forgot about, but here we go with this list:
1. Los Campesinos! – Hello, Sadness
This record might not be the Campesinos’ best, or even the best album of the year, but although it has only been out for less than two months, I feel like I have listened to it more than anything else this year, and don’t see it’s appeal wearing out any time soon.
2. Geotic – Mend
When he is not making music as Baths, Will Wissenfeld creates inviting, intricate soft ambient pop, and then gives it all away for free. Nothing has lulled me to sleep as frequently this year as Geotic, and that is a actually a compliment.
3. Coma Cinema – Blue Suicide
I only started listening to Coma Cinema a few weeks ago, but they have already become one of my favorite groups, and since they sound sort of like The Kinks, they pretty much fulfilling everything I would ever want from a band.
4. Starfucker – Reptillians
Well crafted dance pop will always be awesome, and Starfucker send the genre into the stratosphere.
5. Laura Stevenson – Sit Resist
‘Master of Art’ puts this album on the list, the fact that all the other songs are amazing as well put it at #5.
6. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
The first M83 albums I have really really liked. It’s strange how short such a long album seems.
7. Cloud Nothings – Cloud Nothings
This album may be brief, but it packs so much energy within it’s duration that the results are pure greatness.
8. Future Islands – On The Water
Bubbling beneath it’s calm surface is an ocean of emotion and depth. Not only are their albums stunning, live they become astounding.
9. Toro Y Moi – Underneath The Pine
An album so funky and cool, it’s creator, Chazwick Bundick even picked it as his favorite album from this year.
10. Baths – Pop Music/False B-Sides
More tunes from Will Wissenfeld, a nice middle ground between Mend and Cerulean, as a collection of unreleased tracks, the only fault I can give it is that it didn’t include ‘The Nothing.’
and more:
11. Rustie – Glass Swords
12. Chad VanGaalen – Diaper Island
13. Clams Casino – Instrumentals
14. Shabazz Palaces – Black Up
15. Wugazi – 13 Chambers
16. The War On Drugs – Slave Ambient
17. Wu Lyf – Go Tell Fire To The Mountain
18. FTHRSN – Hysteria
19. James Blake – James Blake
20. Born Gold – Bodysongs
21. Chrome Sparks – My < 3
22. Cymbals Eat Guitars – Lenses Alien
23. Yuck – Yuck
24. The Donkeys – Born With Stripes
25. About Group – Start And Complete
26. Arms – Summer Skills
27. Bassnectar – Divergent Spectrum
28. Radiohead – The King Of Limbs
29. Sad Souls – Apherion
30. Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Belong
