Best Albums of 2011

2011 was a medium strength year for music in my opinion.  Below are some of my favorites throughout the year.  Note that I tried to include mostly mainstream stuff, which was convenient since that's what I mostly listen to these days.

1. Hurry Up, We're Dreaming - M83 (Rating: 9.1)

The dude that is M83 (a French guy named Anthony Gonzalez) really hit it out of the park on this one.  Apparently this is M83's sixth album and it seems to me a culmination of talents picked up along the way.  He blends the creepy vocal overdubs with 'Bladerunner' atmospherics and a poppiness that was only found on his 5th album, 'Saturdays = Youth', and then out of nowhere throws out these amazing, passionate vocals to create the album of the year.



2. C'mon - Low (Rating: 8.9)

Not their absolute best album ever but a very refreshing take on their minimalist style.  I enjoy the inclusion of some xylophone and some acoustic guitar.








3. The King Of Limbs - Radiohead (Rating: 8.6)

Short but sweet.  I really love the percussion used in this album.  I heard a rock critic (a former drummer, no less) complain that there was too much digital drumming and looping, but when I watch their live performances I can see that they're actually just using 2 drummers and they're both doing extremely technical stuff.  Radiohead has a rule that their drummers need to be bald white guys.


4. El Camino - The Black Keys (Rating: 7.9)

Not quite as strong as their previous record but a rocking good time nonetheless.  Props on their album art as that Plymouth Voyager has a special place in Barker family history.







5. Angles - The Strokes (Rating: 6.5)

The Strokes are just consistently good.  I've liked all of their albums about the same.  This one has the added bonus of having some songs that sound like The Cars reincarnate.







6. In The Grace Of Your Love - The Rapture (Rating: 6.3)

I need to listen to this album a few more times to see how much depth it has to it but at least the title track as well as 'How Deep Is Your Love?'  are some of my favorite tracks of the year.







6. Nine Types Of Light - TV On The Radio (Rating: 4.5)

It's pretty good but I hate to say that their work has been declining since the excellent 'Return To Cookie Mountain'








7. Bon Iver - Bon Iver (Rating: 3.0)

I try to find that inner being in my soul that craves the peace and tranquility that only Bon Iver can afford, but the impatient and irritable side of me usually comes out first.  There are only 2 or 3 songs that I find myself going back to.

Last Possible Place Somewhere Towards the Bottom: Mylo Xyloto - Coldplay (Rating: -3.0 2.0)

This album sucks.  Supposedly it's a concept album where two people meet each other through a gang in a dystopian, urban environment and somehow fall in love.  The only concept I got out of it was suckiness.

It's got a song or two that are enjoyable but the overall feel of the album is a big step backward for Coldplay.  They've been guilty in the past of cheesy lyrics but I thought they were past that when they scored on 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends'.  Not only did they fall back to some lame lyrics (see: 'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall') but they overdid it on the whole anthemic thing and they suddenly seem to be appealing to teenagers.  

It mostly just makes me appreciate 'Viva La Vida...' more.

2/21/12 UPDATE: [...OK, I gave the album a fair listen over the weekend.  I guess only a few of the songs suck--particularly towards the beginning which is why I kept turning it off before I got to the end.  Track 10 ('Princess Of China') is actually a great song.  And there are a few other songs that are OK.  It's still their worst album but it's not as terrible as originally believed.]