Album Of The Year (1 Viewer)

[Cryptid]

Lets do this thing.

Also, other other good-to-great albums from 2011. And albums from people who should know better which you were disappointed with. And the best discoveries you made this year from years past. Or none of the above and add your own categories - however the light shines through your prism, maaan.

 

[Cryptid]

AOTY:

Atlas Sound - Parralax. I'm not actually a huge fan of Brandon Cox or Deerhunter, but there's a lot of really top notch tunes on this, Te Amo, Terra Incognita, Mona Lisa, Angel Is Broken and so on. There's a couple of bonus tracks tacked on to the end of the version I have and if you get rid of those (which I have done), it's a borderline classic.

Good albums from 2011:

The Radio Dept. - Passive Aggressive Singles 2002-2010. A seriously impressive retrospective, disk 1 containing the lead singles and disk 2 containing the hidden gems (I think). Despite the change in pace, or possibly because of it, it works really well as a double album. In fact, it's a pity real double abums aren't actually like this rather than often being filler heavy (see "Disappointments").

Cass McCombs - Wit's End. Considerably better than the recenlty released Humour Risk and contains the corker 'County Line', probably the song of the year for me.

Regina - Soita Mulle. Very variable album quality wise - some beautiful indie pop, some indie poop.

Dom - Family Of Love. Good EP, kinda wearing after a while.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra (S/T). Again, like the Regina album, some great stuff, some stuff that should have stayed on the studio floor.

Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo. Great tunes, guitar playing and lyrics.

WU LYF - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain. They have that Africian guitar thing down, coupled with neanderthal sounding vocals. Quite anthemic. Kinda forgettable after you listen to it though.

Grails - Deep Politics. Very good album, probably best to give it one's full attention rather than leave it in the background. Very ambitious, cinematic arrangements.

Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact. Possessed of some excellent tunes and a heathy two fingers to convention.

Wild Beasts - Smother. Like a pale version of Two Dancers, the overall effect is positive, but it's hard to pick out any highlights.

Tape - Revelationes. Very good post-rock/electronic album, more chillax than axe. Sorry.

Washed Out - Within And Without. A very good album with some slightly daft moments - Caroline Polachek rapping or whatever it is she's doing on You And I being one of them.

Sin Fang - Summer Echoes. Kinda Animal Collective-esque, but a lot easier on the ear than them I think.

John Maus - We Must Become Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves. Great tunes, quite funny in places. Probably lacking a bit in consistency.


Disappointing albums from 2011:

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues. This is crap. The 2008 album and EP were inspired.

Bon Iver (S/T). See Fleet Foxes.

M83 - Whatever it's called. Overblown, bombastic, retreading, filler filled, Arcade Fire wannabe crap.


Three classics have been added to my 'classics' folder this year:

Björk - Homogenic (1997). To think I scorned people who said they liked this back in the day. The shame.

Ellen Allien - Berlinette (2003). Techno pop par excellence.

Jim O'Rourke - Eureka (1999). It does what it says on the tin.


Enduring classics from 2010

Beach House - Teen Dream
Radio Dept. - Clinging To A Scheme

Enduring classics from 2009

Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
Tiny Vipers - Life On Earth
Wild Beasts - Two Dancers

 

[pete]

hmm

can't pick one, but getting lots of play this year were:

 

[rettucs]

that Fucked Up album.

there was other really good stuff but thats the outstanding one for me. Oh and the Washed Out album.

And the Retarded Cop and Land Lovers albums.

 

[Anthony]

Upon consultation with my iTunes, I added 78 albums in 2011, 28 of them were from 2011.

 

[mark]

Albums I really liked this year are:

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Mirror Traffic. It really got under my skin.
Bon Iver - Bon Iver. Brave, huge sounding record.
Land lover - Confidants. Schmoovee.
Yeh Deadlies album (that was this year, right?)

I was disappointed by the Battles album, and though I've only had the St. Vincent album a few days, it aint doing it for me so far.

Shit, there must be more! my brain is gone.

 

[parx]

My album of the year vote goes to Patrick Kelleher with Golden Syrup. Absolutely brilliant stuff

 

[dudley]

king creosote & jon hopkins - diamond tingy
metronomy - the english riviera
low - c'mon


was disappointed by
radiohead - king of limbs
bjork - biophilia

i have no memory of what else i listened to

 

[Jasper]

Loads of brilliant stuff released this year but the best five for me:

Coin Coin Chapter One - Matana Roberts
Bermuda Drain - Prurient
Doubles - Cian Nugent
Tryptych - Demdike Stare
Man With Potential - Pete Swanson

 

[Unicron]

AOTY:

Atlas Sound - Parralax. I'm not actually a huge fan of Brandon Cox or Deerhunter, but there's a lot of really top notch tunes on this, Te Amo, Terra Incognita, Mona Lisa, Angel Is Broken and so on. There's a couple of bonus tracks tacked on to the end of the version I have and if you get rid of those (which I have done), it's a borderline classic.

I really like that but as time goes on I'm finding that Deerhunter and Atlas ound records are beginning to sound a like.

I think I was into the Josh T. Pearson record more than anything this year, heart wrenching stuff.

 

[Moods For Mallards]

Glad to have pleased yr ears, Mark and Scuhher.

I didn't listen to many new albums in 2011 other than Irish ones, of which I listened to plenty. Derived great enjoyment from several of them.

 

[CinnamonBoy]

M83 with Destroyer a close second.

 

[Scientician 0.8]

Dunno if it's album of the year but I really really liked REM's last record. I think if they'd released it a decade or more ago it would have found a bigger audience. Some great tracks, although the album is stymied a bit by unimaginative production. Too many textures you've heard before on an REM album but a great collection of songs.

 

[Mormon Nailer]

I never know what year stuff was released in but at the moment I'm enjoying

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and

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and probably terribly uncool and derivative...and definitely they owe Felt (and McCarthy) some money.. but good listening at work

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[Mormon Nailer]

also:

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[Thayl]

That Drexciya re-release compilation thing.

 

[nlgbbbblth]

My top 10 LPs of 2011

01 Sandra Cross - The MMs Bar Recordings
02 The Advisory Circle - As The Crow Flies
03 Half Man Half Biscuit - 90 Bisodol (Crimond)
04 Moon Wiring Club - Somewhere A Fox Is Getting Married
05 PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
06 Citizen Fish - Goods
07 Robert Pollard - Space City Kicks
08 Rustie - Glass Swords
09 The Fall - Ersatz G.B.
10 Jean-Claude Vannier - Roses Red Rouge

 

[CinnamonBoy]

It's Real by Real Estate was a great song. Jesus Fever by Kurt Vile too.

 

[mark]

M83 with Destroyer a close second.

I'm going to start buying Destroyer in 2012. Don't know Bejar beyond the new pornos.

 

[Goodbye]

I'll wait till the end of the year if you don't mind