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Best Music of 2011

1a) Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

1b) M83 - Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

Okay, so I cheated on number one. Sorry. They’re so different though! I think that Fleet Foxes is the most solid album and M83 is the most interesting album. I have found myself listening to these albums over and over and over and over and over without stopping for weeks at a time. They’re that good. I don’t want to pick one, and it’s my list, so deal with it.

Fleet Foxes: Okay, so maybe it’s not as folksy as the first album, but what it lacks in folksy it makes up in grandeur. There’s not a single dull moment on here. Surprisingly some of the intsrumental tracks are better than the vocal ones. These guys really know what they’re doing and they’ve cooked up yet another masterpiece for us this year. Well done, well done.

M83: First time they’ve appeared on my radar, to be honest. THANK GOD. Holy crap, this album really does it. It delivers a varied, innovative electronic sound that proves once again how great French electronica has been lately. It’s one of those rare albums that is immediately accessible but stays wonderful after multiple plays. Every track is so different that it’s probably not possible to get tired of the album. I’m still trying to get over this one, but perhaps I never will.

Notable tracks: Montezuma, The Cascades, Helplessness Blues, Sim Sala Bim (Fleet Foxes); Midnight City, Claudia Lewis, OK Pal, Racontre – Moi Une Histoire (M83)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mR8Z-gmK1g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX3k_QDnzHE

2) Oh Land – s/t

Close second. Man does this girl deliver a solid package. Great pop songs, great ballads, great harmonies. I want to dance and cry and groove and sob. Production is excellent. Thanks again for all the hours of enjoyment I’ve gotten and will continue to get, Oh Land!

Notable tracks: Wolf and I, Sun of a Gun, Perfection

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4wHMORwlHY

3) The Book of Mormon soundtrack

Oh, Book of Mormon. I was lucky enough to see this in NYC after a hefty 7 month wait and it was WORTH IT. The songs are inappropriate and ridiculous, but they’re actually GOOD too! How refreshing, considering all the filth coming out of Broadway these days. Ask Tom; if I had had the discs, they would’ve melted this past summer from continuous spinning. What a pleasure.

Notable tracks: Hasa Diga Eebowai, I Believe, Turn It Off

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IjBi1eEaAA

4) Tune-yards – Whokill

What a great way to start the year! She’s totally wacky and interesting. She’s a screaming hippie with tons of great ideas when it comes to song writing. If you can get past her abrasive vocals, these songs are gems.

Notable tracks: My Country, Gangsta, Bizness

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMkVVBx-XIA

5) Jay-Z and Kanye West - Watch the Throne

Best rapper and best hiphop producer on one album? Appearances from Frank Ocean and Beyonce? SIGN ME UP. This album has so many good hits. It’s ridiculous, frankly. They better team up again because this combination was destined to work out.

Notable tracks: Otis, No Church In The Wild, Lift Off

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoEKWtgJQAU

6) Dodos - No Color

Am I the only one that likes this one a little more than Visiter? It’s really great, and there are so many pleasant surprises throughout. I just can’t get over the ebullient drumming and vocals—they’ve got a momentum that really gets me to speed while driving. Please, please: if you’ve never heard of Dodos, do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

Notable tracks: Don’t Stop, Black Night, Good

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwn8mEe8bCI

7) St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

St. Vincent had me at Paris Is Burning so long long ago. She’s been great at crafting albums that have tons of interesting ideas, but they’ve never really come together into a complete package until now. Right off the bat, She delivers several really great songs. So many good moments, even if the imagery she evokes can be disturbing.

Notable tracks: Chloe in the Afternoon, Cruel, Cheerleader

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH0bm2eytfU

8) James Blake - s/t

I know his voice is a little unusual, but I can’t get over this guy. He literally croons over crazy, minimalist electronica. His music is definitely not for the feint of heart, so take my advice: Limit To Your Love is the best entry drug. If you can get into that, you’re on your way to loving his stuff.

Notable Tracks: Limit To Your Love, Wilhelm Scream, Lindesfarne II, To Care (Like You)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk767TcJo3k

9) Bon Iver - s/t

It took me a LONG time to get behind Bon Iver’s new album. My sister and I were the only two people in the universe that didn’t understand the hype, but I admit, after several listens I just sort of got it. Make sure you’ve had your coffee, though, because it’s very, very, very calm. The only stinker on this album is the very last track, which I avoid at all costs. (Seriously, I uploaded an incomplete album to my ipod so I didn’t have to hear it.)

Notable tracks: Holocene, Towers, Calgary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWcyIpul8OE

10) Bjork – Biophilia

Oh, Bjork. You so crazy! So many GREAT moments on this album: Crystalline, which has a badass music video and the most glorious 30 second finale; Moon, which has great harp riffs, interesting harmonies, and a calm, steady beat; Mutual Core, which again, has a great 30-second finale of dubstep-style beating and beeping, while the rest is a lullaby/dirge/something?; finally, Sacrifice has a really interesting background bellish instrument that works very well with Bjork’s vocals, then breaks down into dubstep-like beats. The theme here is periods of calm and periods of insane electronica. If the album wasn’t so formulaic, it’d have a much higher position on my list, but still, it’s Bjork. I’ve listened quite a bit to the album despite the flaws it has.

Notable tracks: Crystalline, Mutual Core, Sacrifice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvaEmPQnbWk

RUNNERS UP:

Adele – 21: Sorry girl, but there’s too much of the same.

Class Actress – Rapprocher: See above. Weekend is a great song, and the rest of the album sounds the same.

Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost: Great concept for an album, and a few great songs, but the songs out of context are a little boring.

Feist – Metals: Some say it’s her best, but I disagree. I found myself starting to listen to this but going back to Let It Die and Reminder more than a few times this year.

Drake - Take Care: Lots of great moments and a ton of great guest artists, but I still don’t find his rapping that interesting.

Beirut – The Rip Tide: SANTA FE is a GREAT track. Please make an album that goes in THAT direction. As it is, it all sounds the same as before. Evolve, would you?

Florence and the Machine – Ceremonials: Sorry to sound like a broken record, but the sameness across the tracks is the downfall. Shake It Off is the standout amidst the rest.