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Staff
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Last Active 01-01-70 12:00 am
Joined 01-01-70
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| Sowing's 2011
I deleted all 125 of my lists and am now archiving my favorite albums from each year of the previous decade. Just my way of trimming my profile and making it a bit leaner/meaner. List is straightforward; these are my 20 favorite releases from 2011. | | 20 |  | Foo Fighters
Wasting Light
I was as surprised as anyone when these guys released such a solid album so late into their careers. Prior to this they had fallen into a trap of releasing great singles, but hit-or-miss albums. This is as consistent as rock albums come nowadays, and easily one of my favorite works by the Foo Fighters. | | 19 |  | Armistice
Armistice
Want beach vibes? Doesn't get much better than this lovely 5-track EP, complete with duets, swelling strings, and a mariachi band. Romance is in the air, too - it's tough not to fall head over heels for this sweet little thing. | | 18 |  | Papercranes
Let's Make Babies in the Woods
As the site's biggest Papercranes proponent, I can tell you this is the best album to check out. Abrasive tones and murky, dark atmospheres. If you're a fan of Hop Along style vocals, this is for you. | | 17 |  | Destroyer
Kaputt
I'm not into this as much as some others in this community, but even I can't deny that it has a brilliant atmosphere and extremely unique vocals. The jazz influences are what makes this worth returning to years later. | | 16 |  | Hey Rosetta!
Seeds
Very underrated indie/alt rock record. Outstanding lyrics and a warm atmosphere invite repeated listens as intricate rhythms and delicate strings whisk you away. Songs like 'Welcome' and 'Yer Fall' have ensured this album's staying power. | | 15 |  | The Decemberists
The King Is Dead
The first album in the Decemberists' folksy/Americana stage. Not everyone will remember this, but their departure from over-the-top concept albums came as quite a surprise and not everyone loved it at the time. This has aged remarkably well, and is arguably better than anything they've done save for The Crane Wife. | | 14 |  | The Roots
undun
This came only a year after How I Got Over, which was a rare instance of me enjoying hip-hop, and this is even better. Moments such as "Stomp" and "Lighthouse" represent this band at its very pinnacle, but the entire album flows together perfectly. | | 13 |  | O'Brother
Garden Window
All you new O'Brother fans need to go back and see where the magic began. This is far heavier than anything they've done recently, and it's also more progressive/complex. Tumble down the rabbit hole, because this album is pure magic. | | 12 |  | Fair to Midland
Arrows and Anchors
One of the best and most diverse rock albums of the decade. This experience rocks heavily, but also elegantly shimmers and sways. It's a shame these guys disbanded so quickly, because they would have been huge if they continued releasing albums well into the decade. | | 11 |  | The Weeknd
House of Balloons
Only discovered this album recently, and it blows away anything else this guy has ever done. Dreamy, druggy, fun, and sexy - this has it all. The album makes me want to go out and party like I'm 18-21 all over again. This is more than just a catchy R&B album - the production is leaps and bounds above similar contemporary artists and the arrangements will leave you dumbfounded. | | 10 |  | Thursday
No Devolucion
This was quite the evolution. You hear a lot about how Thrice matured on Vheissu and how Brand New matured on TDAG - well, this is Thursday's version of that. This thing is musically magnificent and epically depressing. | | 9 |  | The Antlers
Burst Apart
As with all Antlers releases, this tends to take a backseat to Hospice in the public eye. While this doesn't hit with the same emotional impact, it is far prettier. The atmosphere is dark and illustrious at the same time; it possesses sinister undertones but still sparkles like a starlit summer night. This is a mesmerizing little bubble to wander into, and I will never get enough of it. | | 8 |  | Yellowcard
When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes
Yellowcard's post-hiatus comeback record is everything a fan could hope for. It's warm and sentimental, yet way more mature and refined than their previous summery pop-punk records. This LP is sort of a resume of everything that Yellowcard does best, and that makes it worthy of a top 10 spot for 2011. | | 7 |  | The Republic of Wolves
The Cartographer
This EP is often overlooked compared to the band's LPs, but it is arguably the best thing they've ever released. It cleans up some of the production issues they experienced with their 2009 debut His Old Branches, while expanding thier sound with poppier hooks. All the while, it's still very mysterious, dark, and alluring. A masterpiece of an EP that you should definitely check out if you haven't yet. | | 6 |  | Florence and the Machine
Ceremonials
This remains the best album that Florence and the Machine have ever released. The entire record is a series of beautiful, powerful,and oddly life-affirming incantations. From within the pop sphere, it does everything a great album should by leaving long-lasting impressions with its hooks and choruses. From an artistic perspective, there's still nothing that sounds quite like this even a decade later. | | 5 |  | Frank Turner
England Keep My Bones
I miss when Frank Turner sounded like he actually meant what he was singing. That's the main appeal of England Keep My Bones - by and large his best album. It draws us together and inspires us with its folksy charm, rock 'n roll, and optimism. The lyrics are excellent, but even if they weren't, I'd still soak up everything Turner sings about because he just has "it". Here, he could sing me off a bridge and I'd smile the whole time. | | 4 |  | Fleet Foxes
Helplessness Blues
This isn't even the best Fleet Foxes album (see: incoming 2017 list), yet it could still be argued as the best record of 2011. Honestly, the top 4 on this list are all a virtual tie. This is one of the greatest folk records of the decade for its brilliant songwriting, lush arrangements, intelligent lyrics, and woodsy charm. Imagine that Simon and Garfunkel got lost in a forest for several years, grew out massive beards, and learned only how to wield an acoustic guitar. That's Helplessness Blues. | | 3 |  | Bon Iver
Bon Iver, Bon Iver
I foolishly placed this below other Justin Vernon works in the past, but no longer! This is the ideal combination of both sides of Bon Iver: it possesses the folksy, nature-laden side of For Emma but shrouds it in a sleek, beautiful, 80s-influenced gaze, and also achieves even more stunning production but does so before Vernon got a little too ambitious with 22, A Million's glitchy, tripped-out stylings. I could retire to a remote cabin right now with nothing but this album and some survivalist essentials, and be a happy man. | | 2 |  | The Dear Hunter
The Color Spectrum (Complete Collection)
Somehow, this 9 EP, 36-song collection doesn't feel appreciated enough (even though it gets plenty of love). But considering how massive this thing is, how wide of a musical spectrum it covers, and how remarkably consistent the quality is, we really ought to be discussing this as one of the most impressive concept albums of all time. If you like theatrically-leaning indie-rock, and somehow still haven't heard this, you're about to be in for a treat. | | 1 |  | Manchester Orchestra
Simple Math
Here's a simple testament to how amazing Simple Math is: it has grown off me and is still the clear-cut best album of 2011. The reason I appreciate it slightly less doesn't even have anything to do with this LP, it's just that they - somehow - accomplished this level of sleek bombast even better on 2017's A Black Mile to the Surface. Regardless, this string-swept magnum opus is one of the most beautiful, raw, honest albums I've ever heard and it's catchy as hell to boot. The lyrics range from cheeky and humorous to the frontman confessing to his wife, through a song, that he no longer loves her. It even ventures into existentialism on the title track. There's precious few albums that can be this infectious and this poignant at the same time. | |
Sowing
05.12.20 | The beat goes on...hope these lists are able to provide some level of nostalgia for our longtime users, and perhaps serve a rec guide for newer members. | JustJoe.
05.12.20 | 17 11 4 3 | JustJoe.
05.12.20 | 2011 is my favorite year for music ever | Sowing
05.12.20 | Yeah it's up there for me too. There are probably 4 or 5 albums here that could have been AOTY in any other year. | Relinquished
05.12.20 | agreed with 20's sentiments | Lord(e)Po)))ts
05.12.20 | 9, 11 and 14 are good | SnipeCity
05.12.20 | I remember your review for #19 got me into that album pretty hard that summer. I'm disappointed they haven't released anything else since then.
Love #10, one of my favorite records from that scene.
#7 is actually my favorite by them.
Out of everything on this list, #4 is what I still listen to most frequently. It fits perfectly with many different moods and the lyrics have grown with me. I used to sing along with the title track ironically, but now I do it sincerely. | budgie
05.12.20 | wheres agape Q_Q | Sowing
05.12.20 | Nice, Snipe. Had no idea you were around then but it's good to see some old timers have persevered. | klap
05.12.20 | also the year sputnik peaked | theBoneyKing
05.12.20 | 15 is 1 | Lucman
05.12.20 | Love the picks! 17 is my AOTY for 2011, with 1, 4, 8 and 13 close behind. | Sowing
05.12.20 | "also the year sputnik peaked"
probably a matter of perspective, but yeah, I felt like '08-'12 was the heyday, especially '10 and '11 | Sowing
05.12.20 | "15 is 1"
I definitely love that album! Hasn't lost its spark after all these years.
"Love the picks! 17 is my AOTY for 2011, with 1, 4, 8 and 13 close behind."
Thanks Lucman! We always have a lot of overlap. 17 is amazing but I just never got that special connection to it like I did for Simple Math, or really any of my top 10 lol. | Colton
05.12.20 | Always thought The King Is Dead is underrated. Great list. | Lucman
05.12.20 | Yep, Kaputt is absolutely a special record for me. There's nothing else like it and it was one of the albums that were fundamental to my appreciation of atmosphere and nuance.
Looking through my 2011 ratings I'd personally add upon what I already love here: Opeth's Heritage, Theocracy's As The World Bleeds, Bomb The Music Industry's Vacation! The Violet Burning's The Story Of Our Lives and, of course, Laura Stevenson's Sit Resist. Stacked year. | sixdegrees
05.12.20 | rip all those lists | Sowing
05.12.20 | "Looking through my 2011 ratings I'd personally add upon what I already love here: Opeth's Heritage, Theocracy's As The World Bleeds, Bomb The Music Industry's Vacation! The Violet Burning's The Story Of Our Lives and, of course, Laura Stevenson's Sit Resist. Stacked year."
Definitely stacked. I'm happy leaving all those off though. I really disliked Heritage and really all of Opeth's proggy phase. BTMI! I always found good but not great, the vocals wear on me. Sit Resist was great but not quite year-end-list worthy for me (Wheel was her best). The other two you mentioned I've never heard.
"rip all those lists"
Indeed. Figured it was time to tidy up. Ready to see how my profile looks with 500 reviews and 10 lists, lol. | Lucman
05.12.20 | Very understandable reasons, Sow, and I agree, Wheel is Stevenson's best, but then that's my favourite singer/songwriter album of all-time. Sit Resist isn't too far below that for me, despite getting into it much later. | Sowing
05.12.20 | Oh, I'm not one to talk - I have some artists that have 3+ classic ratings and rank at #1 for multiple years lol. I definitely understand! | neekafat
05.12.20 | 20 fell off hard for me
I've heard a few more of these this time but still an uncomfortably small amount | Lucman
05.12.20 | Same Sowing hahaha! I just realized I contradicted myself though, so I'll clarify. Wheel > Kaputt, by a small margin. They're pretty much equal though as they were both foundational to my tastes today. | Itwasthatwas
05.12.20 | I jammed 1,3,5,6,10,11,19,20 quite a bit that year. There were some great metal albums that year too from ulcerate, flourishing, deafheaven, antediluvian, loss, corrupted, ash borer, fell voices, mitochondrion, etc. Glassjaw’s Coloring Book was awesome too. Pretty fun year though for me I enjoyed 2010,13,16 more from a music quality POV. | Itwasthatwas
05.12.20 | On another note I’ll never understand this site’s love for the dear hunter. Just don’t get it at all | Sowing
05.12.20 | "I've heard a few more of these this time but still an uncomfortably small amount"
I sense an opportunity here
"Wheel > Kaputt, by a small margin"
Agreed there!
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