2011: First Half (yes, This Shit Again)
First half of 2011 is over, and after checking up some albums I had missed, here is my ranking rfor the first half. |
| 40 |  | The Decemberists
The King is Dead
One album has to end up last on a list like this, but in this case it's still a
good album. |
| 39 |  | Protest the Hero
Scurrilous
Has some good music, but the vocals drag it down for me. I haven't heard
their other stuff, so obviously it may sound much better with harsher vocals
from this guy, but the clean vocals didn't quite "fit" with the somewhat
heavier music, IMO. |
| 38 |  | Destroyer
Kaputt
Bit of a let down to be honest, seen a lot of praise for it, didn't quite live up
to that. |
| 37 |  | Her Name is Calla
Maw
Really good release, though being more like a very short EP then an album.
Solid all the way through. |
| 36 | | Bright Eyes
The People's Key
Solid album, though I think it's slightly overrated when I see other people
praise it. It's good, but none of the songs stand out as being really great
IMO. |
| 35 |  | Bon Iver
Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Might be low to some, but honestly.. this year has just been so good this
far. Beth/Rest is the song that drags down the album for me, I don't like the
sort of cheesy-tone it has, and if it hadn't been for that song, this album
might have been 15 places higher. The rest of the album is very good
though. |
| 34 |  | Explosions In the Sky
Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
Very solid album, not bad at all, only dragged down a bit for being slightly
repetitive at parts. I still enjoy it. |
| 33 |  | Gang Gang Dance
Eye Contact
Very unique music, haven't heard anything like this before, and it will need
more spins from my side. |
| 32 |  | Dredg
Chuckles & Mr. Squeezy
This album has me kinda mixed. On one hand, I do like all the songs, and I
can't say that any of the songs are bad. On the other hand, none (or few at
least) of the songs stand out as being GREAT like the band's earlier work.
It's just a fairly forgettable album. |
| 31 |  | Adele
21
Normally not my type of music, but unlike similar singers like Duffy, Adele
manages to make the music interesting to me. "Rolling In the Deep" is
already overplayed as hell, but the rest of the album has some good songs. |
| 30 |  | City and Colour
Little Hell
Seen lots of good reviews of this one, had to check it out. Very solid album. |
| 29 |  | ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
Tao of the Dead
Another new band for me this year. Cool mix of progressive elements and
Indie/Alternative Rock, the result is a record that keeps me hooked all the
way through. |
| 28 |  | Thomas Giles
Pulse
Love the variety this album offers. Anything from "Medic" to "Scared", to
"Reverb Island", this album is an interesting journey. |
| 27 |  | Lykke Li
Wounded Rhymes
Another artist I hadn't heard before this year, but she is very unique and
has her own sound. This album is great, and I get why people compare her
to Bj?rk. |
| 26 |  | Cunninlynguists
Oneirology
I'm not normally into hiphop/rap-music, but this album is very good. |
| 25 |  | James Blake
James Blake
Another very impressive release of this year, I really dig the style of this
album. |
| 24 | | Buckethead
It's Alive
Had not heard this guy before, but I was really impressed by this. Cool mix
of avant-garde and a lot of other styles, I know he has a huge discography
though, so kinda lost on where to start. |
| 23 |  | Radiohead
The King of Limbs
Bit of a let down. It is still a very good album all the way through, but very
few songs stand out as having that potential 'classic'-status. Lotus Flower
and Codex perhaps. |
| 22 |  | The Devin Townsend Project
Deconstruction
Oh glorious cheeseburger we bow to thee. The secrets of the universe lies
between the buns. |
| 21 |  | Mogwai
Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
I've heard that a lot of people have a hard time getting into this. It makes
me sad, because I prefer this over "The Hawk is Howling", and it is a
fantastic album overall. It also has "White Noise" which has become my
favorite Mogwai-song. |
| 20 |  | Between the Buried and Me
The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues
So this is an EP and not an album. "Specular Reflection" might be one of my
favorite songs by the band, and the rest of the EP is very good as well. |
| 19 |  | Riverside
Memories In My Head
So this is another EP, but it's a fantastic one. All three songs are really
good, and I can't wait for another album. |
| 18 |  | Codes In the Clouds
As the Spirit Wanes
Another fantastic Post-Rock band I discovered this year. Remind me a bit of
Explosions in the Sky, but less repetitive. EitS can easily become very
"samey" for me, and that is the reason why I can't listen to them much in a
row. |
| 17 |  | Sarah Fimm
Near Infinite Possibility
Very good and solid album, not a single bad song on it. Was more rock-ish
then I had expected, but now I have to check out Nexus. |
| 16 |  | WU LYF
Go Tell Fire to the Mountain
Very unique music, that I couldn't possibly find a suiting genre for. This
album was a really positive surprise, and in the end of 2011, it might be
even higher on the list. |
| 15 |  | PJ Harvey
Let England Shake
Had not heard PJ Harvey before, but her voice complemented the music in a
good way, and I will check out more. |
| 14 |  | Laura Stevenson and the Cans
Sit Resist
Another fantastic release, not much more to say. |
| 13 |  | Unexpect
Fables of the Sleepless Empire
"In a Flesh Aquarium" was too hard for me to get into because of all the
chaos, but this album is more... calm, I guess. Kinda like if someone gave
Unexpect horse-tranquilizer and they wrote this album while being very
sleepy. I really like it. |
| 12 |  | Swarms
Old Raves End
Another album that is kinda hard for me to place genre-wise. No matter
what genre it is, I really like this. |
| 11 |  | Tim Hecker
Ravedeath, 1972
This is kinda creepy and haunting at the same time, I love ambient-type of
music, and I love this. |
| 10 |  | Amplifier
The Octopus
People might argue that this album should be a 2010-release, but it wasn't
released in stores until 2011, so I count it as that. Wonderful double-album,
lots of variety and lots of great songs. |
| 9 |  | Eisley
The Valley
Really good and really catchy album, love those melodies. |
| 8 |  | Ulver
Wars of the Roses
This album is just quality throughout. Not a single bad song and with many
really good ones. "Stone Angels" is probably the most pretentious song
they've done, but it is also my favorite on the album. |
| 7 |  | The Devin Townsend Project
Ghost
One of the most laid-back albums I've heard, this is kind of the typical
album if you have a headache or a hungover, and just want something
atmospheric. Love those flutes. |
| 6 |  | Maybeshewill
I Was Here For A Moment, Then I Was Gone
Post-Rock can be sort of hit or miss sometimes, even though it's one of my
favorite genres. This band/album really impressed me, it had variety but
also quality. |
| 5 |  | Fair to Midland
Arrows and Anchors
I heard "Dance of the Manatee" a year ago and really digged the song,
however I did not check out the band further. After being blown away by
this album, I really should check them out more. |
| 4 |  | Blackfield
Welcome to my DNA
Despite what many others think, I love this album. It has everything that
makes Blackfield so good, yeah the lyrics to "Go to Hell" aren't good, but
musically it's a great song, and the rest of the album is just so good that it
couldn't have ended up lower. |
| 3 |  | Stateless
Matilda
Had not heard this band before, but this album is just amazing. |
| 2 | | Petter Carlsen
Clocks Don't Count
Sadly this is a guy who isn't that well known yet, but hopefully people will
check out this album. Very atmospheric and catchy rock/pop-music, a lot of
melodies similar to Anathema, overall a fantastic album. |
| 1 |  | The Dear Hunter
The Color Spectrum (Complete Collection)
Even though there are a few songs that get's repeated a bit too much, and
some songs not being AS good as the rest, this is still 2 ? hours of brilliant
music. |
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