20. Shabazz Palaces, Black Up
A murky, mercurial, at times brilliant rap album that I kept coming back to, even when I didn't completely get it. But that's fine, art does that sometime.
19. Adele, 21
Adele's 21 album cover might be the most apt picture of the music inside, of probably any album released this year. With that said, the album is an elegiac, moody affair heavily relying on piano and Adele's beautiful voice.
18. Beyonce, 4
From the moment I listened to this album leak, I knew this was something special. From "Love on Top," to "I Care;" "Countdown" to "Rather Die Young," it was obvious Beyonce was in a different, more mature zone when she was in the studio. It didn't burn the charts up, and people looking for instant gratification from their pop music will say it's boring, but if this is boring Beyonce, I do not mind one bit.
17. TV on the Radio, Nine Types of Light
Call this their R&B album, if you will, but it has to be said this was a great effort front to back. It wasn't met with as enthusiastic acclaim as Return to Cookie Mountain or Dear Science, but after the death of Gerard Smith, the music became, to me, even more poignant than when I first listened.
16. The Black Keys, El Camino
I've become a bit more attached to The Black Keys ever since The White Stripes disbanded, even though i've been a fan of them since Attack & Release. And really, they've not disappointed me since then. The music on here is only 2 or 3 weeks old, but listening to it, it becomes clears that it's one of 2011's best rock albums.
15. PJ Harvey, Let England Shake
With album #10, Polly Jean Harvey became the only artist in history to win the Mercury Prize twice. And listening to Let England Shake, she deserves it. A folk set at heart, the album is political and steeped in rustic English harmonies. Harvey pushes her voices in new directions, and coupled with the song lyrics, it's all very arresting.
14. Florence + the Machine, Ceremonials
Florence Welch is one of pop's best singers today, and this album proves why. Production for the album was handled by Paul Epworth, and while some songs are a little heavy on the bombast, Welch's voice makes everything sound spectacular.
13. The Kills, Blood Pressures
One of the most under-rated albums of the year, what is astounding about Blood Pressures is that everything I love about The Kills- great chemistry, great song-writing, great hooks, great singing- has gotten so, so much better. Quite possibly their best.
12. Wilco, The Whole Love
From 7 minute opener "Art of Almost," you know Wilco mean business this time around. And while the songs that follow never really reach those giddy heights, they venture into different places. What it is, really, is a balance between the sonic wizardry of their most acclaimed set, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and some of their earlier work.
11. Foo Fighters, Wasting Light
Album #7 finds Dave and the guys working with Nirvana-producer, Butch Vig, giving them a terrific, visceral sound. Quite frankly, it's their best album in years. It's not exactly grunge, but it most certainly is a rewarding listen. Still in heavy rotation round these parts.
10. James Blake, James Blake
In 2011, the noise, pardon the pun, about dubstep got even louder. From Britney Spears to Katy B, Rihanna to Skrillex, it was all loud and dance-y. But as this album proves, dubstep can be a beautiful, non-ugly thing, too. Blurring the lines between that genre with others like soul, electronic and downtempo, Blake's debut album was minimalistic, largely relying on his arresting voice.
9. Lykke Li, Wounded Rhymes
I've said it before- listening to "Rolling in the Deep" then followed by "Rumour Has It" on Adele's new album, I expected to have heard an album like Wounded Rhymes- throwback, vintage-y, Phil Spector-esque sonics. We didn't get that from 21, but thank God for Lykke Li.
8. Drake, Take Care
When I heard the two first singles, I was underwhelmed. I saw the album cover, then I was concerned. Then I heard the album when it leaked and for a brief period, I was disappointed. Very brief. Take Care is so far ahead of Thank Me Later, the only thing I can compare it to is the difference between Kanye West's College Dropout and Late Registration, which came about a year later; the song productions have gotten so much more impressive, so too Drake's delivery and lyrics. It isn't a perfect album (it's far too long; Nicki Minaj's verse on "Make Me Proud" is terrible; Kendrick Lamar and Andre 3000 outshine him) but it almost is.
7. Jay-Z/Kanye West, Watch the Throne
From the golden album cover and artwork, (all designed by Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci) to the fact that this is the only album in present history that never leaked before its street date, to the fact that we are talking about Yeezy and Hov, Watch the Throne was more than an album- it was an event. And you know what? Listening to it damn sure sounds like one. From expensive beats to even more expensive watches and cars, this wasn't quite music, but a lifestyle most of us will never be able to afford. Some critics found it gaudy and excessive, especially in the face of Occupy Wallstreet, but whatever. The music is great and that's really all that should matter.
6. Destroyer, Kaputt
I admit that I initially wrote this album off. I mean, look at the cover. But Mama always said "never judge a book by its cover." She was right; it's a mature, complex, poetic, jazzy, addictive, and completely accessible listen. Its unique sound is what immediately drew me from the very first listen. Most of Kaputt's compositions hover in the 4 minute range, but it does have several songs that pass the six minute mark, with the closing track, "Bay Of Pigs" just over eleven. And what a closer it is. What's amazing about the whole thing is how the songs end exactly when they need to- never prematurely, never plodding on. It's a brilliant, enjoyable record, achieving the kind of consistency that evades most artists all their career.
5. Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Ever since collaborating with Kanye West, Justin Vernon's career has been on the up and up, and 2011 was no different. Incredible sales, great reviews and major Grammy nominations kept him on most everybody's lips, and i'm glad the reason that primarily drove all of that was this album. It's another rustic affair, not as melancholy as its predecessor For Emma, Forever Ago, but just as contemplative and introspective. Indeed, this album ventures into new sonic territory his former album didn't- case in point, the polarizing closing track "Beth/Rest." The lyrics are part nonsense, part poetry, but that's fine- Vernon has never attached himself to the conventions of song-writing. That kind of audacity makes this another winner.
4. St. Vincent, Strange Mercy
I'm not the biggest St. Vincent fan. But that's entirely my own fault. I failed to get into their music. Until now. I approached Strange Mercy with a lot of curiosity, and after the first couple of listens, I didn't know what to think. But I found something there I kept going back to. Then it all connected. See, I love albums like that; albums that aren't necessarily immediate, but will draw you in on repeated listens with its sometimes subtle, sometimes complex musical arrangements and compositions. Strange Mercy is exactly that kind of album. Set against lead singer Annie Clark's beautiful singing voice are some of the ugliest guitars freak-out's this side of Dirty Projectors. If you're reminded of Led Zep, you wouldn't be too far off the mark.
3. tUnE-yArDs, W H O K I L L
Just like the album below this, W H O K I L L is pretty hard to define. It doesn't sit still, it doesn't behave, it holds your hand at a cliff an then pushes you right off. But what a glorious fall it is. I absolutely LOVE it; everything is in there- hip-hop, funk, jazz, art-pop, world music- all exploding in a wondrously pure and imaginative way, the musical equivalent of a child taking a blank sheet of paper and going at it with a box of crayons. Just look at the cover! From start to finish, it is completely fun and arresting, teeming with life and wild abandon.
2. Girls, Father, Son, Holy Ghost
As one of my fave bands to have emerged on the indie scene in the last few years, i'm extremely proud to witness this, the album in which they've fully come into their own. Excising the more personal lyrics of Album, their first LP, in favour of more universal sentiments, they move away from the Beach Boys comparisons and harmonies, to meatier, more varied influences. I can hear The Beatles, Led Zep, Elvis Costello and even The Cure. But don't think this is plagiarism, although in less capable hands, it might have been. The music is always compelling and visceral, breath-taking even. If this is only their second album, i'm almost frightened to see what kind of discography they would have amassed having become a seasoned veteran.
1. The Weeknd, House of Balloons
Usually, with new artists, you can often listen to their music to get some sense of who they are. Not so with Abel Tesfaye, the über-mysterious neo-R&B artist hailing from Canada. We know a few tidbits about him- he's friends with Drake, he co-wrote a few tracks and is featured on Drake's album too. But that's not anything anybody with internet access can't simply find on wikipedia. The cryptic tweets, the grainy, black and white photos of himself, the Tumblr-porn album covers- none of this solve the mystery of who Tesfaye is. Ignoring all that, we're left with the music, but that confounds us even more. And House of Balloons is nothing if not confounding. Reveling in drunken nights, drug use, anonymous sex and extreme heartache, this is not music for the casual music listener. Melding Siouxsie and the Banshees samples with trip-hop, hip-hop, R&B, chillwave and acid house, and drawing references to Beach House, Drake and the xx, Tesfaye weaves chilling stories, building up then tearing down then building up his songs again. Don't believe me that this is brilliant, album-of-the-year type stuff? Listen to "High For This" or "Wicked Games" and tell me how you feel afterward. This is sonic innovation at every turn, and while the subject matter and stories aren't really new, the way it all sounds probably is. And he didn't stop here- two other free albums have been released this year too, one dropping just last night, pushing even further from where these songs start. Call it pretentious, if you will, but probably it wasn't made for you. And don't call it a "mixtape." Something this vital and fresh deserves the title album with a capital "A."
