I often think about life-changing experience of seeing Portugal. The Man live, in a small venue, stood on the front row. That feeling isn't quite captured in this studio recording, but it’s still second only to the Satanic Satanist in my affections. It's the pick of the year because it's given such joy, and never fails to sweep me along in a wave of musical love every time I listen.
This has the potential to become a classic album: meticulously crafted in a studio, it yields more on each listen, and was very nearly my favourite. It's dominated by the timbre of Justin Vernon's gentle multi-tracked falsetto voice, but the backing instrumentation of strings, synths and percussion is also gorgeous.It's beautifully recorded and produced, and above all, it moves me deeply, leaving me with a serene sense of satisfaction at the end. It's given particular pleasure this year listened to amidst nature on my iPod.
Adele's popularity doesn't stop me rating 21 so highly, as her voice is rich, powerful and astonishing. It looks likely that we'll have to wait some time for her next album, but in the mean time, her recently released Albert Hall live album is essential listening for a flavour of the amazing experience of her gigs.
The most energising album of the year. I find 'People' and 'Sail' two songs with the most direct emotional impact, and as the title promises, it feels as if it has been conceived as a coherent whole, culminating in Knights of Shame, with its journey through music styles. Above all it rocks.
This album could easily had taken the top position: perhaps it appeals to me so much because of its classical influences. It's subtle and has masterly control of structure across the album, using melody to create tension. There's an almost orchestral sound at times, with a panoramic quality. Above all, it's beautiful, and eventually weaves its way into your soul.
Joy Williams and John Paul White have the most astounding chemistry on stage and on record. This gentle music is also passionate, and feels timeless and natural. There's obviously a country and folk influence; the instrumentation is sparse; but the singing is exquisite, and it's mournful beauty is so refreshing.
El Camino is a late entry to my 2011 top 50, but I simply cannot resist turning up the volume and rocking out. It's a romp through rock history, direct, and incredibly tightly played. Yes, it's a departure from Brothers, but it's invigorating.
The Rip Tide is one of those rare albums which I was convinced was masterly on the first listen, and from about the third track I already knew it would be in my end of year top ten. Zach Condon’s simplified his music language, and it has direct, melodic appeal. There isn’t the rich intricacy of the recent Bon Iver, but there is a spontaneity and joy, together with rich instrumentation and memorable melodies. For me, the standout track is Santa Fe, and any concerns about the album's short length are irrelevant, because you will want to just play it straight through again.
Like the glorious Other Lives, Tidelands make a dreamy, incredibly beautiful sound, with a tinge of melancholy; I absolutely adore this album. The sound is almost orchestral, with flugel horn, guitar, drums, keyboard, violin and cello. Mie Araki is a classically trained percussionist, whilst Gabriel Montana Leis, also from San Francisco, is an accomplished instrumentalist. The compositions have a symphonic quality, and the array of musicians usually produce a gentle sound, but with occasional climaxes of startling discord. Leis' voice is distinctive, the harmonies gorgeous, and it's uplifting and inspiring. This début album deserves to be more widely recognised; if you haven't already heard it you should.
This an intelligent music, as much about the lyrics as the song writing and has been universally acclaimed by British critics, winning the Mercury Prize and appearing on many end of year lists. I didn't fully appreciate its artistry until I saw it live; now I feel it's strikingly original, even daring, and definitely PJ Harvey's greatest work to date.
A moody, dreamy album with some of the melancholy of recent Radiohead, although The Antler's harmony and instrumentation is quite different. There's no doubt this is highly sophisticated, intelligent music, which requires time to absorb and understand its subtlety. I've now come not just to admire its creativity, but to love it.
I was initially unconvinced by The Weeknd, but it's become an essential soundtrack to late night drives home from gigs. It's amazing well produced (you can truly feel the bass), and appeals even to non-R&B specialists. The stand out feature for me is Abel Tesfaye's vocals; an astonishing début, and I'm impatient for the delayed third mixtape.
Anthony Gonzalez takes us on a journey through this expansive double album (each track on first half has a counterpart on the second). It's euphoric, hazy, sometimes 80's tinged electronica, with a yearning, nostalgic quality. The stand-out track is the delightful, hippyish Raconte-Moi Une Histoire, where a cute little girl talks of a frog and 'the biggest group of friends the world has ever seen'. This album absolutely sparkles, and it really is a dream like experience.
Wounded Rhymes is dark, reflecting a relationship break up. The Scandinavian singer's powerful voice conveys vulnerability and longing, with a theme of love and loss. This album's at times ritualistic in feel, with drums and chanting. If you enjoy this, you must make the effort to see Lykke Li live.
Like Lauryn Hill's classic Miseducation, this is a concept album. Its subject is the downfall of a young man and as inthe film Memento, the story's told backwards from the point of his death. Remarkably, it ends with a pastiche of a classical suite, which has deep meaning in relation to my own musical journey. It's a thought provoking narrative, harrowing but with great beauty, reaching its emotional peak in I Remember. Like El Camino, a late but strong contender for album of the year.
I was initially undecided where to place Ceremonials; but I've judged it on its own merits, not in comparison to Lungs. It's more mainstream, less dark and original than Florence Welch's first album, yet I love its uplifting, anthemic qualities. The production is elaborate, some might say overblown or bombastic, but is lifted by Welch's powerful vocals. At times dangerously lacking in variety of mood, but I can't resist listening to it.
Laura Marling has moved away from a pure folk style on her third album. Her voice has become darker, and there's a jazz vibe on tracks such as the opener The Muse. The lyrics are astonishingly mature for a 21 year old, often introspective, particularly evident on The Beast, the six minute long dark, emotional centre of the album. I was convinced of the genius of this album on my very first listen, and is depths continue to be revealed after multiple listens.
This is The Rosebud's first album since their divorce, but isn't as full of angst as you'd expect: in fact it can feel laid back. The harmonies and keyboards are beautiful, and Ivan Howard's voice is hypnotic. It's perhaps a late night album, exploring shadows and regrets, cathartic in its gloom. It's also subtle: the emotions lie just below the surface.
Metals has received a mixed reaction, being compared unfavourably to Let it Die, perhaps because it isn't uniformly upbeat, but I rate it highly. It is powerfully direct, emotionally devastating, and that smoky voice is seductive. The opening The Bad in Each Other, about a dysfunctional relationship, immediately seizes your attention, and then the less assertive ballad Graveyard has a more bluesy build up to its climax. The instrumentation is imaginative, with strings, and even though it's meticulously produced it doesn't seem contrived.
This stands out for its sheer beauty of sound, with utterly gorgeous instrumentation including harp. Synths and soaring vocals have a dream like effect, and the album has coherence, as one track flows into another with masterly pacing. Deep, contemplative music and my pick of Chillwave this year.
This melodic rock album deserves more attention. It's singer Brian McCarthy's response to the loss of his brother to drug addiction, and there's certainly an emotional intensity. The production is subtle and intelligent, and I love its sometimes melancholy spirit.
The bleakness about Nika Roza Danilova's singing can be disarming. She was operatically trained, and an admirer of industrial music. She combines electronics with strong beats and ethereal singing in a bold, masterly manner; experimental yet focused. It's icy, and dark, but found it mesmerising, even if it's no match for the intensity of her live shows.
Civilian is subtle and understated with similarities to Beach House in its dreaminess. I love the use of electronics, and the beauty of the sound. Its moody, reminiscent of a deserted moonlit drive, with thoughts entering and leaving your consciousness. Holy Holy is an extrovert track, but on the whole it is introspective. I really started to appreciate it after seeing them live.
This is a beautiful, joyful creation. The album flows gently and coherently, with Battle Hymn of the Fox Father at its heart. The lyrics are surprisingly hard hitting, and whilst it's easy on the ear initially, when you start to listen more intently you'll discover the layers of instrumentation.
This male duo from San Francisco has quite a back story: Christopher Owens was brought up as a member of a religious cult. At its heart is the 8 minute Forgiveness, which culminates in a guitar solo, and betrays much pain. Some might find it backward looking, Owens attempting to absorb all at once the musical eras he missed as a child, but for me, it coheres. It's a lengthy album, sometimes self-indulgent, but I can appreciate the reflective, sensitive feel.
Solar is this Finnish synth pop outfit’s third album. There’s a hint of TV on the Radio and Phoenix, but they create a distinctive sound which stands out from the crowd. It starts with what sounds like a brass band number, and then launches into a melody which makes you want to turn up the volume and dance. Immense fun.
The first half stands out, and Royal Blue never fails to put a smile on my face. Some might found it too commercial compared to their earlier work, but it's a solid album. Nathan Willet's vocals are distinctive, there's some great lyrics, and it's catchy and uplifting.
Moonfire will appeal to Mumford's fans, but there is more subtlety and less outright indie rocking. You have to love their melodies and sunny disposition, and you'll have a lot of fun with this music, especially in the more poppy tracks like Milk and Sticks. Boy and Bear deserves wider recognition outside their native Australia.
This female supergroup has produced an album with joyful rock energy. The stand out for me is the guitar playing and the four part vocal harmonising. In addition, the drumming's vigorous, Cole's keyboard playing is solid and the ensemble tight. There's sufficient variety across its 40 minutes to allow the more intelligent, quirky moments to balance the harder almost punk like rock.
This rocks: Vanaprasta's front man Steve Wilkins creates walls of sound, and is a great vocal lead in this auspicious début. They've been compared to Kings of Leon, but I find Vanaprasta far more intelligent and nuanced. The mood is upbeat, and grabs your attention.
This pop album is the fruit of a Pledge Music Project and is testimony to Terra's ability to reach out to her fans via social media. The first six tracks show the magic of the producer John Alagia to bring these songs to a new dimension. The latter part of the album is more acoustically focussed, and here we can revel in her amazingly pure soprano voice, which the real appeal of Terra for me.
This German electronic album from Sascha Ring has a majestic spaciousness. If you like Sigur Ros or M83 you should listen to Apparat. It's moving, beautiful and cinematic, electronic music with a sad, human heart. There are some similarities with Shoegaze, but tracks like Ash Black Veil have a strong rhythmic quality, and the surprisingly prominent vocals give an intensity to the experience.
I wasn't surprised to hear that this five piece from New York has opened for Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros: a 1960's hippy haze pervades this project.Their sound has some similarities to Other Lives, and the instrumentation can be epic sounding. As befits the title, there's tribal drumming, and it has an elemental feeling. The music itself is relatively simple, with repetitive choruses, and has a chilled out vibe as the group jam together.
This album, along with Active Child's, has helped to convert me to Chilwave, which I'd previously dismissed as background music. Ernest Greene's skill is in embodying a sensual, blissful mood and this is highly atmospheric.
This album was a slight disappointment at first, but it's grown on me as I've delved deeper into it. It's daringly experimental, for example in Northern Lights, which starts off conventionally but becomes a crazy sonic cacophony. Great guitar playing and vocals.
Dreamy music, all about lush harmonies and atmosphere. Acres of reverb on the vocals make it feel like you are wallowing in a strange world. It becomes hypnotic, and really does feel original, stretching the possibilities of electronic music making. I miss the light and smoke of the live experience though.
Here, Jeff Tweedy is in a gentle, lyrical mood, with beautiful melody and harmony in tracks such as Sunloathe. The core of the album is the 12 minute One Sunday Morning: Tweedy's voice is incredibly expressive, and it's touching. If you're a Radiohead fan, the closing Art of Almost is a must listen: it sounds as if Tweedy is an admirer of King of Limbs, but this has an American roots foundation.
I'm a Radiohead fan, but many were expecting something more extrovert and longer in duration. I think time will judge it more generously than current critics: Codex is one of the most beautiful Radiohead tracks yet. It would be ludicrous to rate this album is highly as Kid A, but it shows Radiohead are still creative. It demands concentration, lacks hooks, and needs many listens to fully appreciate, but is beautifully constructed.
This Toronto trio are masterly in their chilly intensity with dark, mysterious, hypnotic music. The vocalist Katie Stelmanis is a former opera student, joined by bass player and drummer. I can identify a Philip Glass-style minimalism in the use of repetition, and the singing reminds me more of the church than opera house.
Australian musician Walter De Backer's creation manages to combine pop music accessibility with artistic creativity. I found it haunting: its unexpected, imaginative electronic effects and rhythms get under your skin. Somebody That I Used to Know has become a hit single; yet this album works as a whole, and I prefer State of the Art.
This album isn't a radical departure from their first one, but its beautiful vocal harmonies are just as seductive, and the instrumentation just as gorgeous. I initially wondered if it was fake or contrived, but seeing them live has convinced me of their merit.
This Australian band have a rhythmically powerful, ambitiously large sound dominated by Hayley Mary's rich voice with an astonishing range of pitch. They create a distinctive, rich harmonies from drums, intricate piano playing and synth, giving an epic quality. They use reverb liberally, creating atmosphere, and if sometimes I'd wish they'd relax a little and breathe, this is a memorable sound and uplifting.
Middle Easts album is gentle, subtle and daring, making the Australians' recent break up most sad. The opening is dark, even bleak, and it's not afraid to tackle religious topics or be introspective. Much of it is acoustic, and there are striking resemblances to contemporary classic composition. It sometimes sounds like American folk music, but there are also similarities to Other Lives in its subtlety, intelligence and imaginative instrumentation.
This is a guilty pleasure: it's insubstantial, catchy music which I found a lot of fun. There are plenty of singalong choruses, hand claps, and California sunshine. It doesn't show any real development from their 2010 EP, and I don't detect the depth of Modest Mouse (whom some say has influenced Grouplove's vocals). Yet Never Trust a Happy Song has made this list because it's joyful, collaborative music making.
Puscifer is the side project of Maynard James Keenan of Tool, who like Trent Reznor is a true composer. It may surprise Tool fans in being softer, less challenging and less alienating than they expected, but it's still the product of a fertile imagination. The change in mood after the gentle opening of Telling Ghosts is so satisfying. Many tracks lack heavy guitar riffs, and display a more human, tender ambient mood. Keenan shows here that he's can be a master of melody and song writing. Don't be put off by the cover: this has depth.
Another album which I appreciate infinitely more following a great live experience. It has a simple, direct appeal based on catchy tunes and driving rhythms centred on guitars, bass and drums. The overall effect is of uplifting Swedish pop, not amazingly original, but joyful.
The opening sounds a little like a more avant garde version of King of Limbs; yet this is the product of an anonymous London producer. He's joined by an array of guest vocalists, and the mood's tribal and eclectic; the result difficult to categorise. It's often downbeat, but takes unexpected turns, and the beats and electronic sounds got under my skin. Daring, sometimes uncomfortable, but always arresting.
This album was released to mixed reviews; there's no doubt it's not as strong as In Ghost Colours, but for me it's inextricably linked to amazing live experiences this year. The dance music influence is strong, and songs like Take Me over are undeniably catchy. Strong 1980's influence with plenty of synth.
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. Sam Beam has a real lyrical talent, and this feels timeless. It's closer to jazz than his earlier work, but still tender.
On first listen, I wondered if this was too eclectic to make sense as a cohesive album, but I've become really fond of it. The two brothers from Brooklyn make a gloriously rich sound, and even if it's not perfectly structured, it makes me want to dance. I love the rhythms, the floor shaking bass, and their willingness to experiment and take risks.
Jeremy,
ReplyDeleteThere are some awesome albums in this list. It is very comprehensive. 2011 was a great year for music, if I do say so myself. Some of my favorites include Adele, Bon Iver, The Civil Wars, Terra Naomi and Fleet Foxes. The amount of independent artists in your list is a testament to the state of the music industry and a shift away from the big music corporations.
Anthony, many thanks for your comments. I found it so difficult to narrow my list down to 50, and keep thinking of albums I didn't recognise. It is indeed very heartening that independents are so strong, and despite the gloom about the music industry, I can't believe the riches out there. Stay posted for my 2012 list!
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