The best albums of 2011

[Kid Charlemagne]

Trash Talk - Awake

If we're counting EP's, and I usually don't count them, this would top my list. Best 8 minutes I've heard all year.

[hologram parade]

The Horrors - Skying
Puscifer - Conditions of My Parole

[scantron]

2011 has been FANTASTIC for music! As I do every year, here is a list of the 5 nominees (in no particular order)

Hercules and Love Affair - Blue Songs
Skinny Puppy - Handover
IAMX - Volatile Times
Cut // Copy - Zonoscope
ohGr - Undeveloped

[cicada]

E-40 - Revenue Retrievin' : Graveyard Shift

Had no idea E-40 was still on the scene.

Mastodon - The Hunter
Beasties - Hot Sauce Commitee
Trem - For The Term Of His Natural Life
City and Colour - Little Hell

[Jinsai]

forgot to mention...

Amon Tobin - ISAM
Tune Yards - Whokill
13 & God - Own Your Ghost
Wire - Red Barked Tree
The Soft Moon - Tooth Decay EP
Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
The X-Ray Press - Uvb-76

[cicatriz]

James Blake - James Blake
Tyler, The Creator - GOBLIN
Watch the Throne - Watch the Throne
EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints
Panda Bear - Tomboy
Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo
Lil' B "The BasedGod" - I'm Gay (I'm Happy)
Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning
Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter IV
Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L
†††
Enough Thunder by James Blake
Life Sux by Wavves
EP by Childish Gambino
Coloring Book by Glassjaw

[Reznor2112]

Puscifer - Conditions of my Parole
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - High Flying Birds
Kasabian - Velociraptor!
Mastodon - The Hunter
Skrillex - Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites

[aggroculture]

Lulu

[Vertigo]

No love for Jane's Addiction? I haven't actually gotten round to picking up Great Escape Artist yet, but have heard good things.

[PeedroPaula]

Listening to the 6-track sampler, I'd hazard a guess that The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo score will be my number one!

[Thiah]

*shels - Plains of the Purple Buffalo

[Emil Dorbell]

Great thread, seems I've missed A LOT this year. Of what I've heard, Mastodons The Hunter stands out. A fantastic direction for that band, in my opinion.

[dzaver]

For me the top of 2011 are:

Feist - Metals
Kate Bush - 50 words for snow
M83 - Hurry up, we're dreaming
Florence + the machine - Ceremonials
Zola Jesus - Conatus
Torul - In whole
Summer Camp - Welcome to condale
Beirut - The rip tide
Golden Filter - Syndromes
Holy Other - With you
Washed out - within and without

[Reznor2112]

Additions:

Jane's Addiction - Great Escape Artist
Chevelle - Hats Off to the Bull (their best album to date)

[blackholesun]

Off the top of my head. What I really loved this year. Alphabetical order. Kinda lengthy but I'm sure there's something to be had in here for everyone.

A.A. Bondy - Believers
The Anatomy of Habit - The Anatomy of Habit
Ash Borer - Ash Borer
Barn Owl - Lost in the Glare
Bill Callahan - Apocalypse
Cave - Neverendless
Charles Bradley - No Time For Dreaming
Chelsea Wolfe - Apokalypsis
Cliff Martinez - Drive OST
Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 2 Judges
Danny Paul Grody - In Search of Light
Deafheaven - Roads to Judah
The Drift - Blue Hour
Evan Caminiti - When California Falls Into The Sea
Giant Squid - Cenotes
Grails - Deep Politics
Grouper - A I A : Dream Loss / Alien Observer
Fell Voices - Untitled (II)
Higuma - Pacific Fog Dreams
Horseback/Locrian - New Dominions
Jon Porras - Undercurrent
Junius - Reports From The Threshold of Death
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Lawrence English - The Peregrine
Locrian - The Clearing
Moholy-Nagy - Like Mirage
MV & EE - Country Stash
Pygmy Lush - Old Friends
Russian Circles - Empros
Tim Hecker - Ravedeath 1972 / Dropped Pianos
Tom Waits - Bad As Me
Touche Amore - Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me
Trap Them - Darker Handcraft
True Widow - As High As the Highest Heavens...
Tycho - Dive
Yob - Atma
Zombi - Escape Velocity

I still have a bunch more to listen to. Looks like I hip-hop didn't get any love for me this year. I haven't listened to much but will this month.

[mtc]

No love for 'Wasting Light' by the Foo Fighters huh? I'd probably put that in my top 5 along with...

Tom Waits-Bad As Me,

Neon Indian-Era Extrana,

a good chunk of the Flaming Lips 2011 releases,

and Yuck-Yuck.


oh, and first post on the new ets...nice to have it back!

[frankie teardrop]

a rough year for me, but a few notable favorites, in no particular order:

austra- feel it break
xeno & oaklander- sets and lights
esben & the witch- violet cries
kate bush- 50 words for snow
pj harvey- let england shake
kindest lines- covered in dust
contre jour- one night at the station
led er est- may (EP)
the soft moon- total decay (EP)
mueran humanos- s/t
soror dolorosa- blind scenes
wire- red barked tree
grouper- dream loss/alien observer
tropic of cancer- the sorrow of two blooms(EP)

great reissues, though:
parade ground- the golden years
chromagain- any colour we liked
smashing pumpkins- siamese dream
the vyllies- s/t EP
danse society- demos
red violet red- relaxed in upstate rain
various artists- orgelvark
opera multi steel- histoires de france
throbbing gristle- 20 jazz funk greats
intelligence dept.- sleeping city
modern art- circuit lights

[con4cyn]

I think this thread is ACHING for a Spotify playlist. Yeah?

[jrdsctt]

Off the top of my head. What I really loved this year. Alphabetical order. Kinda lengthy but I'm sure there's something to be had in here for everyone.

A.A. Bondy - Believers
The Anatomy of Habit - The Anatomy of Habit
Ash Borer - Ash Borer
Barn Owl - Lost in the Glare
Bill Callahan - Apocalypse
Cave - Neverendless
Charles Bradley - No Time For Dreaming
Chelsea Wolfe - Apokalypsis
Cliff Martinez - Drive OST
Colin Stetson - New History Warfare Vol. 2 Judges
Danny Paul Grody - In Search of Light
Deafheaven - Roads to Judah
The Drift - Blue Hour
Evan Caminiti - When California Falls Into The Sea
Giant Squid - Cenotes
Grails - Deep Politics
Grouper - A I A : Dream Loss / Alien Observer
Fell Voices - Untitled (II)
Higuma - Pacific Fog Dreams
Horseback/Locrian - New Dominions
Jon Porras - Undercurrent
Junius - Reports From The Threshold of Death
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Lawrence English - The Peregrine
Locrian - The Clearing
Moholy-Nagy - Like Mirage
MV & EE - Country Stash
Pygmy Lush - Old Friends
Russian Circles - Empros
Tim Hecker - Ravedeath 1972 / Dropped Pianos
Tom Waits - Bad As Me
Touche Amore - Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me
Trap Them - Darker Handcraft
True Widow - As High As the Highest Heavens...
Tycho - Dive
Yob - Atma
Zombi - Escape Velocity

I still have a bunch more to listen to. Looks like I hip-hop didn't get any love for me this year. I haven't listened to much but will this month.

I'm glad to see Tycho made it on someone's list.

[icklekitty]

I think this thread is ACHING for a Spotify playlist. Yeah?

ETS presents: The sound of 2011. I like that.

[blackholesun]

I'm glad to see Tycho made it on someone's list.

The Tycho album is really good. It's like bathing in the sun.

[simonn]

To add my two penny worth:-

Gary Numan - Dead Son Rising (the most NIN he's been to date in my opinion)
Anthrax - Worship Music
Kasabian - Velociraptor!
Foo Fighters - Wasting light
Janes Addiction - The Great Escape Artist
Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now
Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee
Blancmange - Blanc Burn
Paul Leonard-Morgan - Limitless OST
Elbow - Build a Rocket Boys
Megadeth - Thirteen
Kaiser Chiefs - The Future Is Medieval

Released but not heard yet:-
Noel Gallagher - High Flying Birds
Screaming Trees - Last Words

[jrdsctt]

The Tycho album is really good. It's like bathing in the sun.

It's probably gonna top my list. That or TGWTDT OST.

[Pemulis]

List updated on page four.

[smudgeon]

Zomby - Dedication
anbb - Mimikry (released 2010, but I didn't catch on until late)
Alva Noto - Univers
Deaf Center - Owl Splinters
Peaking Lights - 936
Grouper - AIA
Pye Corner Audio - Black Mill Tapes 2
The Caretaker - An empty bliss beyond this world
The Advisory Circle - As the crow flies
Noveller - Glacial Glow
Blut Aus Nord - 777 Sects
Wolves in the Throne Room - Celestial Lineage

And my favourite 2011 album that I like but it really easy to annoy people with:
Anne-James Chaton - événements 09

[KrakenWakes]

I like Awolnation's Megalithic Symphony.

[The Reason Being]

Gill Scott Heron & Jamie XX - We're New Here



Jamie XX is my favorite discovery of 2011. Looking forward to the new XX stuff too.

[Swykk]

M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Glasvegas - Euphoric Heartbreak
Childish Gambino - Camp
Zola Jesus - Conatus
Drive - OST
Skinny Puppy - Handover
ohGr - undeveloped
Puscifer - Conditions Of My Parole
+++ Crosses - EP

[Lessthanzero]

I had this premonition back in January that Trentatticus were going to release a massive sprawling instrumental opus for a big budget hollywood remake, so I started saving my allowance in anticipation that another Ghosts mega-uber-deluxe box set was on its way

I went as far as refusing to buy anything else because of this, and then the Smiths just HAD to pre-emptive strike this idea with something even more lavish, and all my money was pissed away on that monstrosity.

now old ladies are getting robbed with plastic butter knives as I slowly build up my savings for TGWTDT deluxe

THANKS A LOT JOHNNY MARR, YOU ASSHOLE

[Lessthanzero]

okay seriously tho, I'm not complaining about new Ohgr and new Skinny Puppy records in the same year