Another year, another batch of albums and singles, another 5 pounds on the old waistline. As we do every year around this time, writers like myself like to put an exclamation point on the last 365 days with painstakingly authored documents that seek to validate our roles as impartial curators of music…when in actuality we’re just amassing a list of songs that resonated with our own self-interests. (Hooray for music we like!) That being said, I’ll put the 11 selections below—and the 12 singles at the end—up against anyone else’s material. These are strong bodies of work, and even though the album as we know it is turning into a bit of a lost art form, you won’t need to cherry-pick through iTunes to get the good bits.
WARNING: There is no mention of M83, Odd Future or “Pumped Up Kicks” anywhere on this list, and there is only one item remotely resembling dubstep. If you’re not put off by this, please read on.
MY TOP 11 ALBUMS FOR 2011…
1. Stateless - Matilda (Ninja Tune)
Beautiful, aggressive, textured, flawless. I’ve listened to this album dozens of times, front to back, and can’t find any fault with it. A rare breed, Chris James is an amazing producer and a talented vocalist, and if you couldn’t tell by the video for “I’m On Fire” below, he’s a massive Jeff Buckley fan. Check out an interview we did with him here and read up a little more on how Matilda‘s amazing collaborations came about.
2. Fink - Perfect Darkness (Ninja Tune)
With every album, Fin Greenall steps even closer to greatness, and hopefully closer to gaining the mass appeal his work deserves. Perfect Darkness is, as the title suggests, a bit darker than his previous albums, but it’s rammed with soul. “Yesterday Was Hard On All Of Us” might be the best song of the year for me, even though I had its meaning completely wrong. A spot on the Coachella 2012 lineup would be quite the gift.
3. The Submarines – Love Notes/Letter Bombs (Nettwerk)
John Dragonetti and Blake Hazard prove once again that you can’t separate art and life, and that the sweetest poetry always springs from the hardest times. You won’t find an album better at hiding the gift of heartbreak in a big, shiny box of happy than Love Notes/Letter Bombs. Standouts tracks include “Ivaloo” and “Anymore,” but every tune is good. Just ask everyone who saw them at SXSW this year.
4. Lamb – 5 (Strata Music)
After an 8-year hiatus, during which Andy Barlow and Lou Rhodes released a handful of quality solo albums, the duo returned for another go-around in the studio as Lamb. Lou’s voice is even more dynamic on this new set of songs, and Andy’s production compliments every nuance. Growing up sounds good on these two. ChinaShop was the first to get the definitive story on 5 back in February.
5. Uh Huh Her - Nocturnes (Nettwerk)
A near-perfect record with lots of bite, Nocturnes set me off on a ’90s alternative rock scavenger hunt on YouTube shortly after I heard it; not because it has a throwback sound, but because the songs hit me in the same way. They’ve got attitude and depth, but they’re not too overdressed. At SXSW this year, ChinaShop photographer extraordinaire Dustin Downing convinced the girls to commandeer someone else’s motorbike. We have proof.
6. Apparat – The Devil’s Walk (Mute)
Last year, Sascha Ring had the #4 spot on my Best Of list with his DJ Kicks mix, but now he’s got an album’s worth of material for me to fawn over. Like Stateless’ Chris James, Ring has that gifted one/two punch as a producer and vocalist, but Apparat songs will appeal more to the tech-house crowd. If you aren’t hip to his catalog, you should give it serious consideration. Plus he’s a great interview.
7. Theophilus London - Timez Are Weird These Days (Reprise)
Watch The Throne may have gotten all the buzz, but Timez Are Weird had the substance. While Tyler The Creator and the rest of OFWGKTA were busy playing with Super Soakers and trashing sound equipment, Theophilus was flossing in Cannes with Kanye and doing fashion spreads in Vogue. This album is the musical accompaniment to that journey. His bananas video for “Girls Girls $” is below. Watch…then read.
8. Tycho – Dive (Ghostly International)
Words cannot express how much I love Scott Hansen’s work, both the visual and the musical kind. If you don’t count the EPs and reissues, Dive is his second proper full-length, and he’s batting 1.000. You won’t find any vocals, but like Terminator X, Hansen speaks with his hands, and they say more than most lyricists. Scott gave us a great interview this fall that you can read here.
9. Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials (Island)
When your first album is a masterpiece, your second album has an almost impossible bar to clear. Justice failed miserably this year with Audio Video Disco. Florence knocks it out of the park with Ceremonials. Easily my most mainstream pick, but fully worth the praise. Back in 2008, I said to “expect great things” from this band after catching them at Iceland Airwaves. Great things have been delivered.
10. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo OST (Null)
I’ll admit I haven’t gotten through all three discs yet, but I’m completely rapt by what I’ve heard so far. Their soundtrack to The Social Network was #9 on my list last year, and while those tracks were more “song-oriented” than this soundtrack’s mass of vignettes and movements, the composition quality is just as solid. Reznor’s rebirth as a composer has been one of the best stories in music.
11. William Fitzsimmons - Gold In The Shadow (Nettwerk)
Go to iTunes—or your preferred MP3 purveyor—and buy “Fade And Then Return.” Then try not to listen to it over and over for days on end. Then buy the rest of the album. You won’t regret it. He’s also got the most epic beard in the business. Samuel Beam from Iron & Wine wishes his beard looked this good.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Emika - Emika (Ninja Tune) … “Sexy beats for technocrats and herbologists.”
The Black Keys - El Camino (Nonesuch) … “Unfiltered rock ‘n’ roll with attitude.”
Tim Love Lee - Fully Bearded (Tummy Touch) … “Car-tested for maximum bump.”
…AND A PRETTY DAMN GOOD PLAYLIST
They might not have been off my favorite albums, but these tunes got serious repeat listens throughout the year. Where applicable, I’ve listed SoundCloud links so you can listen to (and in some cases download) each tune. Where no SoundCloud was available, I’ve inserted YouTube links so you can get your view on.
1. Lykki Li – “I Follow Rivers” [LISTEN]
2. Dead Sara – “Weatherman” [WATCH]
3. Modeselektor feat. Busdriver – “Pretentious Friends” [LISTEN]
4. Dan Sena feat. Kylee Swenson-Gordon & Del Tha Funky Homosapien – “Song Of Siren” [LISTEN]
5. Young Galaxy – “Blown Minded” [LISTEN]
6. Jay-Z & Kanye West – “Otis” [WATCH]
7. Cloud Control – “Meditation Song #2” [LISTEN]
8. Raphael Saadiq – “Movin’ Down The Line” [WATCH]
9. Radiohead – “Separator” [WATCH]
10. Hooray For Earth – “True Loves” [LISTEN]
11. Coldplay – “Charlie Brown” [WATCH...kinda]
12. Kraddy – “The Holy Avenger” [LISTEN]
Words by Rich Thomas (@TheLandfill). Lead photo by Dustin Downing (@MeTakeAPhoto).
