My Top 22 Albums for 2011

Is there anything harder than taking ALL of the music you listened to that came out this year and whittling it down to 20 AND putting them in order? I avoid doing this every year because it takes more thought and effort than I usually like giving…well, anything.

#1 is never hard, it’s 2-20. The first spot for me this year goes to Akron/Family. S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT really didn’t get a lot of pub this year and I’ve been amazed all year. It was my favorite when it came out and nothing was able to dethrone it. Just a fantastic album in my opinion.

All my picks(22….I couldn’t keep it to 20) are below the fold. Also, I decided this was a great opportunity to use Spotify for the first time, so a sample of my list is available here.

1.)Akron/Family – S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT – By far, my favorite album of 2011. Perfectly put together for the headphones and I can’t believe it hasn’t gotten more pub.
2.)Future Islands – On The Water – From what I can tell, this pick makes no sense unless you see them live. So…see them live.
3.)Bon Iver – Bon Iver – Hard not to have this in the top 5…you may fall asleep, but it’ll be the best sleep of your life. I love the Bruce Hornsby/Steve Winwood channeling on ‘Beth/Rest’.
4.)tUnE-yArDs – WHOKILL – One of the most inventive albums I’ve heard in awhile. Infectious.
5.)Wye Oak – Civilian – This is just a fantastic album. ‘The Altar’ stands out to me.
6.)Megafaun – Megafaun – An album that jumps all over the place from jam, folk, jazz, ambient. Big fan.
7.)Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues – What can ya say? You know what you’re gonna get….but you also know you’re going to enjoy it. Only reason it’s not in the top 5 is because they didn’t reach.
8.)Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr – It’s A Corporate World – Not gonna lie, didn’t listen for awhile due to their name. Glad I did, one of the more ‘fun’ albums of 2011.
9.)Okkervil River – I am Very Far – One of my favorite surprises of 2011. They’d always been ‘solid’ but this one stood out to me this year as incredibly well done.
10.)Gruff Rhys – Hotel Shampoo – I always feel like I’m being taken to another time and place…just not sure where or when. Good feeling though.
11.)M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming – I love it when I find albums my girlfriend can dance to AND I love hearing it. M83 is exactly that.
12.)War on Drugs – Slave Ambient – Love this album.
13.)The Mountain Goats – All Eternals Deck – I always enjoy spirit behind an acoustic guitar.
14.)Beirut – The Rip Tide – Once again, you know what you’re getting. A Beirut album is most likely going to get a lot of rotation with me…not sure when/if it’ll get old.
15.)TVOTR – Nine Types of Light – I don’t care that the sound at your live shows constantly disappoints me…the sound on your albums constantly pleases me. I’ll take it.
16.)Childish Gambino – EP – I really like Camp, but this EP was just right for me. Lyrics may be cheesy at points, but man, I enjoy it.
17.)Antlers – Burst Apart – I love the direction this took after ‘Hospice’ a couple years ago. Just a fantastic album.
18.)Elbow – Build A Rocket Boys! – Classic Elbow. Inspired way too(read: just the right amount of) many late night texts to friends this year.
19.)Agesandages – Alright You Restless – I can’t tell if liking this album is supposed to “hurt your rep” but then again, I don’t care. It kept finding it’s way in the rotation. Just fun.
20.)Wu Lyf – Go Tell Fire To The Mountain – Get past the vocals…because the songs are great.
21.)St. Vincent – Strange Mercy – See Beirut.
22.)Friendly Fires – Live Those Days Tonight - The first track by itself gets them on the list.