B&C's Best Albums of 2011

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Yeah LM, great reading. I'm a bit surprised not to see Wild Beasts on your list, though. I thought we would have that album in common.
 
I agree with many of you about Radiohead. While I've liked most all of the tracks they released over the last year, I don't feel like King of Limbs worked well as an album. I can listen to any of those songs individually and enjoy it (even those which many others seem to dislike), but get bored out of my mind every time I try to sit through the album. Considering I'm one of those people who tends to listen to what many others would consider "slow", "quiet", or flat out "boring" music quite often, actually losing interest in an album like this (particularly one from one of my all time favorite bands) seems extremely off putting.

I don't know what it is that doesn't work for me as an "album", but it doesn't. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with expectations, and it's an inevitable thing that a band you love releases something you don't love, but it's still strange when it happens.

LeMeL, I really like that Dodos album as well. Not sure why, but it just didn't click with me as much as the last two, despite it being solid and enjoyable.
 
have either of you listened to the David Lynch album? believe it or not, it may actually make my year end list. all it's missing is Dale Cooper and the Black Lodge.
 
cobl04 said:
Great reading LM :up: I have to say I'm surprised Bon Iver took so long to hit with you. It's not exactly an inaccessible record if I dug it pretty much straight away, though I will agree it's not until a few listens in that it really starts to reveal itself.

I was just being pissy because it hadn't even been released and it was already being proclaimed as the best Bon Iver anything yet. So, when the first listen didn't absolutely blow me away I shut the album out for a while. Thankfully, I got over it. :up:

iron yuppie said:
Yeah LM, great reading. I'm a bit surprised not to see Wild Beasts on your list, though. I thought we would have that album in common.

That is a great album, but there are plenty of great albums that didn't make my list. Really bugged me that I couldn't find a spot in the top 25 for Kate Bush and Radiohead, but there just wasn't any space. I already feel War on Drugs is too low.

BigMacPhisto said:
"Do I Love You?" = Best Song of the Sixties

The album is collectively Phil Spector's apex IMO. It sounds positively magical, and there are at least three stone-cold classics on there. I think Walking In The Rain is my favorite.

u2popmofo said:
LeMeL, I really like that Dodos album as well. Not sure why, but it just didn't click with me as much as the last two, despite it being solid and enjoyable.

Well, it's called No Color for a reason. It's not as melodic as their previous work, and some of the songs go on a little long. I just really love their music when they keep the tempo upbeat (ironically, Walking is still my favorite Dodos song, which I got to see live with Neko Case on backing vocals :D ).

mikal said:
have either of you listened to the David Lynch album? believe it or not, it may actually make my year end list. all it's missing is Dale Cooper and the Black Lodge.

Haha, yes I did. It's too long, always a bad idea for a vanity project like that, but I think he did a nice job with the production and I like the first two tracks a lot. Would rather not comment on his vocals.
 
That is a great album, but there are plenty of great albums that didn't make my list. Really bugged me that I couldn't find a spot in the top 25 for Kate Bush and Radiohead, but there just wasn't any space. I already feel War on Drugs is too low.

Yeah, that Kate Bush album is...interesting. I still can't decide whether the track Fifty Words for Snow is ingenious or one of the worst songs of the year. Or maybe both.
 
iron yuppie said:
Yeah, that Kate Bush album is...interesting. I still can't decide whether the track Fifty Words for Snow is ingenious or one of the worst songs of the year. Or maybe both.

:lol: I absolutely love it for the music, and the concept itself is gutsy enough to win me over. Stephen Fry reading Inuit? Oh fuck yeah.
 
1. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake (14)
2. Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest (12)
3. Tune-Yards - Whokill (9)
4. Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi (8)
5. Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know (8)
6. Feist - Metals (8)
7. Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow (8)
8. Cat's Eyes - Cat's Eyes (7)
9. The Unthanks - Last (6)
10. The Kills - Blood Pressures (4)
11. Iron and Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean (4)
12. Tom Waits - Bad As Me (4)
13. Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys! (3)
14. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes (3)
15. Patrick Wolf - Lupercalia (2)

Other 2011 releases I really liked:

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome
Alela Diane & Wild Divine - Alela Diane & Wild Divine
Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Gotye - Making Mirrors
The Horrors - Skying
Ladytron - Gravity the Seducer
Agnes Obel - Philharmonics
Seeker Lover Keeper - Seeker Lover Keeper
Tinariwen - Tassili
St Vincent - Strange Mercy

Favourite non-2011 album that I bought this year:
John Grant - Queen of Denmark (2010)
Midlake, heartbreak, gorgeous baritone voice and a song that namechecks Sigourney Weaver.
 
I like that we've had a good number of entries here for this. It feels like we'll actually have a legitimate tally (which isn't always easy to do on this forum), and I'm excited to see what the winners are.

The more lists the better, though, so keep 'em coming! Are there people out there who haven't submitted a ranking, but know that they eventually will?
 
GirlsAloudFan said:
Are there people out there who haven't submitted a ranking, but know that they eventually will?

Ashley, Peef and possibly Jive if he pulls his head out of his ass.
 
What's the due date? I was going to do one next week after I get back from a holiday, but if not I may have time tomorrow. Wanted to give some things a few extra spins, though.
 
Is ColdplayFan13 not doing one this year? Can't remember what he said.

He said what his favorite was, but beyond that I think he found 2011 :heart: too :heart: wonderful :heart: to rank :heart:

I wasn't going to just because I find numerically ranking music a bit arbitrary (for me, at least) these days and there were dozens of dozens of hours of fantastic music made in 2011. Plus there's nothing I can write about those albums that everyone else hasn't already put more eloquently. But I may end up doing the point system thing. Perhaps at work today since I'll undoubtedly be bored.

Cream of the crop for me without ranking was Wounded Rhymes (obvs), Strange Mercy (double obvs), Wander/Wonder, Kaputt, Last Summer, Cape Dory, and Bad as Me, among others.
 
What does Last Summer sound like? I saw the ridiculous album cover and assumed it was another indie surf rock album but I really have no idea.
 
Kind of like a Furnaces EP with more traditional instrumentation and song structure. It still bounces around pretty well stylistically. I'd highly recommend hearing "Roosevelt Island" and "Owl's Head Park." It's also about a third of the length of your garden variety Fiery Furnaces LP, which is great.
 
Oh, yeah, that's Eleanor's album. I loved that one, but now I'm scrambling to find the album I got it confused with...

EDIT: It was Summer Camp's debut. I know a few people heard it, but I never got around to hearing it for myself.
 
Crap, I forgot to list that album on my honorable mentionz. My Mistakes is easily one of my favorite songs of 2011.
 
I haven't heard anything new in like 2 months because Travis' computer broke and my list is lost until it gets fixed (tomorrow), so that just really took the wind out of my listening sails, on top of everything else that's gone wrong electronically for me this year. Still, I I will have a list prepared, hopefully tomorrow.
 
I listened to it a couple weeks ago on Spotify and forgot about it. I was / am a big fan of Wildnerness, and they sound quite a bit like them. Meant to buy a bunch of things at the end of the year and never did.
 
1. Washed Out - Within and Without - 15
2. Atlas Sound - Parallax - 15
3. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues - 13
4. Radiohead - King Of Limbs - 12
5. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost - 11
6. Destroyer - Kaputt - 10
7. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming -8
8. The Weeknd - House of Balloons - 5
9. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake - 3
10. Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact - 2
11. The War On Drugs - Slave Ambient - 2
12. Fucked Up - David Comes To Life - 1
13. Panda Bear - Tomboy - 1
14. David Lynch - Crazy Clown Time - 1
15. Balam Acab - Wander/Wonder - 1
 
If that's the first Gang Gang reference in here, your cats dropped the ball.
 
Quit delaying and make a "everything gets the same amount of points" type list like I did, Imps. It actually didn't take much time at all. I want to see your favs.
 
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