Top 20 albums of 2011 (so far)

Top 20 albums of 2011 (so far)

Since my Christmas top 10, I’ve made some great new discoveries, so here's a quick run down here in brief with ratings out of ten. I've only included items which have made an impact upon me. They are mostly recent releases, but I have a lot of catching up to do, so there's also some older material too.

  

Adele 21: An astonishing album, which I’ve been listening to at least once a day since I discovered it. It may have popular appeal but it’s also staggeringly engaging emotionally and can move me to tears. Adele’s voice is amazing, and it’s one of my best discoveries yet in terms of its sheer emotional impact. I've already booked to see her live later this year, and her recent Brit Award performance was stunning. Almost certain to be on my end of 2011 top ten. In fact, with a few exceptions such as Radiohead's King of Limbs, almost everything other new album I've listened to since has paled into insignificance. 10/10

Aimee Mann Magnolia: exquisite, engaging, and stands up well on its own terms (but the film is masterly too). The appeal here is simply the emotional impact, and her voice has an amazing way of portraying sadness. I love the energy of Momentum, but Wise Up is just part of a series of amazing tracks. Possibly the most engaging soundtrack I've heard 9/10

Ben Harper There will be a light: A new style for me, blues inspired, sincere, authentic, relaxed feel; and I love it. I have already started to investigate more of Ben Harper's work. I was first inspired to seek this out after an amazing encounter with live gospel choir music, and this too is uplifting. 8/10

Braids Native Speaker: A daring debut album. Complex layers, but maybe a little studied and forced, or even pretentious. It's moody and clever though with amazing vocals and I love the experimental feel and subtlety. It's likely to divide opinion, as some might think it's too offbeat, but their next album may blow me away (or be a grave disappointment) 7.5/10

Brett Dennen So Much More A beautiful and sensitive singer songwriter. It's folk influenced, and wonderfully direct in style. There's a wholesomeness and positivity which means the end result is to enhance your mood. Don't listen to this though if you want convention over turned. 7/10

Bright Eyes The People’s Key: I'm an admirer of Conor Obest. Bright Eyes latest is a mixture of melodic pop, and spoken word rambling from Randy Brewer, but in the end there's wide appeal despite its ambition. It has some good tunes, and it's well executed and produced. Enjoyable, but perhaps lacks a little focus. 7/10

Cold War Kids Mine is Yours: the first half of the album stands out, but it's all satisfying, and is warm and upbeat. They used the Kings of Leon's producer, but I still rate them as more distinctive than that group, even if their sound has become more complex. It just lacks the last ounce of emotional impact for me, but this is definitely one of 2011 more notable releases so far, and I shall return to it. 7.5/10

Foo Fighters The Colour and the Space: The Foos are new to me, and they're more guitar driven and harder than most on this list, but still have room for melodies and quieter interludes. This album was released in 1997 and is considered as one of their strongest. I have lots more exploring of the Foos to do, but they are clearly a force to be reckoned with and have caught my attention. 7/10

Foxy Shazam: self titled album is over-blown and slightly ridiculous, influenced by Queen and '70s pop. It's also upbeat, inspiring and imaginative. You're unlikely to have a neutral response. I've a feeling their live set would be extremely entertaining, and if you're in a crazy mood, this will sound amazing. I would caveat that this is a very recent discovery, and it's possibly it won't wear well. 8/10

Iron and Wine Kiss Each Other Clean The standout factor here is the varied and imaginative instrumentation with layered textures. It goes beyond folk and there's a great deal of variety of style between tracks. My reservation: is it it honest, or over-produced? 7/10

Janelle Monae Archandroid: Amazingly well conceived and wide ranging journey. The classical overture at the opening certainly surprised me. It's been rightly acclaimed, and is a kaleidoscopic journey though the styles of music which have inspired her. A great achievement but for me an occasional piece, which is too sprawling. 6/10

Jonsi Go What an amazing voice, and what original music. Jonsi, in common with Thom Yorke, sings falsetto, and ploughs a distinctive furrow. I also adore Riceboy Sleeps by Jonsi and Alex, which I've remarked on Twitter is reminiscent of Arvo Part. Both albums contain amazing sounds, and somehow conjure up a sense of well being and happiness. This is music to transport you to another place, and from this list is the only thing to approach Adele in terms of impact. 9.5/10

Lissie Catching a Tiger Debut album which is quite a discovery, it grabs your attention and is upbeat and inspiring. There isn't quite the emotional depth of Adele, and this is more folk and country tinged in style, mixed alongside Californian pop, but I will be eagerly awaiting her next album. 7.5/10

Matt White It's the Good Crazy This is melodic, positive and accessible, often piano driven and on the evergreen theme of dating. Some would say that it lacks greatness and ambition, but I found it an entertaining of more upbeat and reflective songs. He's been compared to David Gray in style. 7/10 

Meiko: Talented voice and songwriter from LA, melodic, with a sweet and soulful vibe. She may not be original in the vein of Jonsi, but it's well executed voice, guitar and lyrics, and she deserves to be better known in the UK. 7/10

One EskimO All Balloons Fascinating different, this album benefits from repeat listening. It's quirky, dreamy, and could be misunderstood as mellow background music. There's actually depth under the quirky exterior. 7/10

PJ Harvey Let England Shake This an intelligent music, as much about the lyrics as the song writing. Sometimes I wonder if there's a small excess of British reserve, but this is very well executed and may even win the Mercury Prize. Due to a feeling of detachment, I admire rather than love it, but it's still quite an achievement. 7/10

Soundtrack of our lives Behind the Music Swedish rock, in some ways a tribute to the past, but pretty imaginative. More mellow interludes are interspersed with more extrovert rock in this substantial, ambitious 2 volume work. I've seen it described as bland but disagree- and I like the liberal sentiments expressed in the lyrics: 7/10

The Shutes Hits Like Mourning EP: This band hail from the Isle of Wight. I've now heard them live and they have a somewhat retro feel, but lots of energy. They claim to have been inspired by the weather, but there's a definite '60's influence. I think they'll be attracting more attention. 7/10

Tom McRae King of cards Sensitive vocal style, tuneful, McRae is relatively upbeat on this album, but maybe a little saccharine at times. There is a vulnerable quality in the singing, and the voice is haunting. The best moments are the quieter ones. 6.5/10

As I upload this, I've just discovered Massive Attack and Eels, so the discovery continues. These artists will be mentioned in a future update as both have made an impression on me.