Wow, its been a full year since i remembered i had a blog. must be time for the best albums of 2011!
i'd like to say that i haven't listened to everything. i miss things. like if i'd really been paying attention i would have included the legend of mr rager on last year's list, but i didnt hear it til last month. oh well. this year was stronger.
honorable mentions:
PJ Harvey, Balam Acab, Bon Iver, The Decemberists, Radiohead, and James Blake all put out fantastic albums this year. These 10 were better...
10. Common - The Dreamer, The Believer
It's exactly what you expect out of a Common album: meaningful lyrics, clever hooks, good beats. If you're in to that sort of thing, you'll probably like it.
9. Lady Gaga - Born This Way
You've heard it. And you probably enjoyed listening to it. It's pop music. Get over yourself.
8. The Field - Looping State of Mind
So pretty.
7. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
The [perfectly legal] download I got of this album has its genre listed as "Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy"
Well there you go.
6. Das Racist - Relax
No hip hop album has made me laugh this much since Ludacris was good.
5. Washed Out - Within and Without
I have no words for how beautiful this album is. The sense of space is immaculate. I don't even think that sentence makes sense.
4. The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
If they made "Rockstar Barbie," they would have to model it after Ritzy Bryan
3. Jay Z and Kanye West - Watch the Throne
That is all.
2. The Weeknd - House of Balloons
Abel Tesfaye has perhaps the best voice in all the world. All 3 of his releases this year could have made this list, but that didn't seem fair. This is the best one.
I'd also like to point out that the clips from "Havoc" in this fan-made music video are awesome.
1. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Jesus. I spent 5 minutes deciding my favorite song for the embedded video. I'm still not sure.
A little background:
Oasis has been my favorite band since the first time I listened to "Be Here Now" all the way through. Turns out that Liam, Guigsy and Gem were just holding him back. This is the best Oasis album ever.
This may be the best album ever.
It is absolutely the best album of 2011.
And it isn't close.
Here's one more.
