2011 - 36 Albums
Here's a list I made for the 36 2011 albums that I managed to listen to. This is not a best of list only! Feel free to recommend me anything else. |
| 36 |  | Lou Reed and Metallica
Lulu
An atrocious album. I managed to listen to it once, while watching the lyrics and laughing. The second time, I put the music in the background while playing on the computer and after 4-5 tracks I felt irritated by this and I wasn't even paying attention to it. The same riff going on and on and that voice that never stop, it's horrible. The only song that can remotely be acceptable is Iced Honey. |
| 35 | | Boots Electric
Donkey Kong
Weak album by Eagles of Death Metal's Jesse Hughes. Simple and cheesy melodies and nothing memorable. Why has he even released this record ? Why not doing something with EODM instead ? |
| 34 |  | Skold
Anomie
Skold released a new solo album this year. It's raging, he's too serious and the songs have almost no catchiness. I listened the record three times and I can't remember almost any track by name. However, Satellite and Here Comes The Thunder are okay. |
| 33 |  | Metallica
Beyond Magnetic
Most probably released to wipe off some of Lulu's shame, this EP contains some good tracks that should have seen the light of day a few years ago on Death Magnetic. It's a mixture of what they have done over the past two decades. I like Hell and Back and Hate Train. |
| 32 |  | Limp Bizkit
Gold Cobra
Of course this is the album of the year. However, it is not that bad as everyone expected it to be. Borland's music still kicks some ass here sometimes, on tracks like Bring It Back, Why Try and Walking Away. Still, if you manage to get past Fred Durst' lyrics that are again just disappointing. |
| 31 |  | Sublime with Rome
Yours Truly
Far from the original Sublime, but some of the tracks like Only, Spun or Panic are actually enjoyable and I listened to them a lot this summer. |
| 30 |  | Dead Skeletons
Dead Magick
An acid/psychedelic rock album from Iceland's death-obsessed Dead Skeletons. One of the band members, Jon Saemundur, has worked with Anton Newcombe on his latest BJM albums. The production is muddy, the guitars are riveting, but to listen to the whole album you need to be on LSD or mushrooms. Otherwise, some of the songs tend to drag a bit , but listen to When The Sun Comes Out (For The Last Time), Dead Magick I and Kingdom Of God, they are great. |
| 29 |  | Radiohead
The King Of Limbs
I'm not such a big fan of Radiohead, but I took TKOL to have a go and it's good. I love Give Up The Ghost, Codex and Lotus Flower and the whole album has a great atmosphere, sounding like you are lost in some forest at night. I have also downloaded In Rainbows and is great. Still, they are overrated and their music
has almost no emotion. |
| 28 |  | The Egocentrics
Center Of The Cyclone
A Romanian psychedelic rock band, they have some great riffs but the music passages in between the heavier tones are unmemorable. Still, they are friends of mine, I enjoy all their concerts and I'm supportive of their work. |
| 27 |  | Karma to Burn
V
V is a good album, but with little replay value. The tracks sound close one to another, and more vocals could've helped the album since the structures are close to the standard. However, I have seen them live this week here with The Egocentrics and they've blown me away. Also, I managed to chat a bit with them and the guys are great and signed my venue poster |
| 26 |  | Mogwai
Earth Division
A short EP, containing 4 very different tracks. From the orchestral Get To France to the angry and noisy Drunk And Crazy. The biggest flaw is that the EP is too short and there is no time to sink into it. |
| 25 |  | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
A huge dark ambient album. It's great in small doses, but I can't find myelf listening 3 hours to it, which is a reason why I placed it so low. The Immigrant Song cover and the beautiful piano tunes What If We Could ?, Parallel Timeline With Alternate Outcome are great. |
| 24 |  | Eddie Vedder
Ukulele Songs
Vedder's second album is stripped of almost any instruments except the ukulele and somehow it doesn't match Int The Wild's beauty. It's a simple and refreshing listen but it could've been better if it was more complex. Some of the songs that i really like are Sleeping By Myself, Sleepless Nights and Without You. |
| 23 |  | Steven Wilson
Grace For Drowning
Steven Wilson's second solo effort is an ambitious beast, but somehow it feels scattered. Not that accessible and more progressive, I personally prefer Insurgentes because this is too long. However there are some great tracks like Sectarian, Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye and Deform To Form A Star. |
| 22 |  | ohGr
unDeveloped
OhGr's Undeveloped is a solid album with some really good tracks like TraGek, Comedown or 101, but there's some filler like the intros to the tracks and Typer that drag the album down. |
| 21 |  | Wilco
The Whole Love
Wilco are one of the few consistently good bands. I have found them this year and they blew me away. Jeff's sweet vocals blend very well with the music and any album is worth remembering. I like very much Black Moon, One Sunday Morning and Rising Red Lung. |
| 20 |  | SONOIO
Red
SONOIO is Alessandro Cortini's solo project. It blends electronic music with industrial elements and all tracks are made on Buchla synthesizers. Listen to Enough, Scientist or Livid they are amazing. |
| 19 |  | Coldplay
Mylo Xyloto
Mylo Xyloto is Coldplay on party mode. As much as I tried to like this as much as their previous works, I can't. They often sound washed up. Still, Princess Of China (their collaboration with Rihanna, whom I despise) is really nice and Paradise, Major Minus (Buckland's guitar finally has muscle) and
Hurts Like Heaven are addictive. |
| 18 |  | blink-182
Neighborhoods
Again, Tom is fucking everywhere on this record and this time he brought his Angels And Airwaves synths. On the other hand, Mark's tracks are the best here and it's a shame he doesn't sing more. Listen to MH 4.18.2011, Natives, Heart's All Gone. |
| 17 |  | R.E.M.
Collapse Into Now
I really like R.E.M's last 2 albums and I wish they hadn't split. I listened to Collapse Into Now a lot this year and I really like All The Best, Mine Smell Like Honey, UBerlin and Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando And I. |
| 16 |  | KMFDM
WTF?!
It's nice to see KMFDM trying something new after so many years of doing it all over again. Though the result is't far from their usual sound, there breathes new life. Listen to Lynchmob, Take It Like A Man, Amnesia or Vive La Mort. |
| 15 | | Seasick Steve
You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks
How can you not like Seasick Steve? His appearance is enough to intrigue you and his guitar skills are just amazing. From the somber Treasures to the slow burner Burnin' Up or the Back To The Doghouse rocker, everything is really good here. |
| 14 |  | Red Fang
Murder The Mountains
Murder The Mountains is a really fun album. I wanna take this and their debut and drive out of town into the country while listening to them. I love Hank Is Dead, Wires, Human Herd and Throw Up. Also, check their videos they are redneck fun. |
| 13 |  | Gruff Rhys
Hotel Shampoo
I envy Gruff Rhys. The man has a lovely voice and the music he makes solo or with Super Furry Animals is just great. This album borders jazz-like piano ballads with pop tunes and the result is really refreshing. Shark Ridden Waters is amazingly good and Sensations In The Dark, Honey All Ove and Christopher Columbus are really good and funny. |
| 12 |  | Skinny Puppy
HanDover
HanDover is one of the most quiet Skinny Puppy releases. The songs rely on atmosphere and if listened without thinking about all the past glory, HanDover is a great listen. Some of my favourite songs are Village, Gambatte, Point, Brownstone and Wavy. |
| 11 | | Jane's Addiction
The Great Escape Artist
Jane's Addiction's Great Escape Artist is a great album. I really like Navarro's guitar playing here (You can say anything but he's good here) along with the synths. I really love Twisted Tales, Underground and End To The Lies. Also, check out I'll Hit You Back and Curiosity Kills. |
| 10 |  | Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters
Bikers Welcome Ladies Drink Free
My surprise of the year. Uncle Al (Jourgensen) finally released his country album this year and is amazingly catchy and fun. All the tracks are great and the music is really cool. Tracks like Quicker Than Liquor, I Hate Every Bone In Your Body Except Mine, What's Wrong With Me? or Cheap Wine, Cheap Ramen are fun fun fun. Listen to this in its entirety. |
| 9 | | Red Hot Chili Peppers
I'm With You
Yes, this is not as good as Frusciante's work with the band, but I like Josh Klinghoffer and some of the songs here are as good as Red Hot Chili Peppers can get. Monarchy Of Roses is the most addictive track, along with Did I Let You Know, Look Around and Meet Me At The Corner. Police Station is great too, some of the other tracks lack that spark their latest album had and I can't understand 90% of the time what the hell is trying Anthony Kiedis to say. |
| 8 |  | The Black Keys
El Camino
My first Black Keys album and I have put it on repeat for the past two weeks. It's short, fun and to the point and this adds a lot to its replay value. Tracks like Gold On The Ceiling, Lonely Boy, Sister or Run Right Back are addictive, but everything here deserves at least a spin. I have yet to listen to Brothers, since everyone says it's better than this. |
| 7 |  | TV on the Radio
Nine Types Of Light
Another band I have discovered this year and blew me away. I love Tunde's lyrics and voice set on such great instrumentals. The whole album just works and it's amazing. I love Will Do, Repetition, Keep Your Heart and You. |
| 6 |  | Primus
Green Naugahyde
It's nice to hear something new from Primus again. Les Claypool is still insane and Green Naugahyde is Primus at their best. Check out Tragedy's a' Comin', Jilly's On Smack, Lee Van Cleef and Eternal Consumption Engine, they are amazing. |
| 5 |  | Mastodon
The Hunter
I am not such a big Mastodon fan. But I find The Hunter their best album (many people will hate me now) because the clean vocals sound really good (I am not a fan of their harsh vocals) and the music is more concise. The whole album is excellent but The Sparrow is just hypnotically good and I've got this along with Curl Of The Burl, Spectrelight, Blasteroid and Octopus Has No Friends stuck in my head for a long time. |
| 4 |  | Kasabian
Velociraptor!
I was amazed to see how much I like this album. Kasabian were a singles band but with their last two albums, especially Velociraptor! they have managed to do the opposite. Also, this time Pizzorno is hooked on eastern influences and Beatles. Listen to Acid Turkish Bath, Re-Wired, Lets Roll Just Like We Used To and Days Are Forgotten. |
| 3 |  | Foo Fighters
Wasting Light
The Foos got their balls back! This is their most consistent album and it's the most powerful. I love White Limo, I Should Have Known and the whole album really. I spent weeks to play the songs on guitar and pretending to be Dave Grohl. |
| 2 |  | Mogwai
Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
Mogwai's best album in my opinion (even more people will hate me now). Each song here is memorable here including b-sides, especially San Pedro (one of the best tracks of the year), You're Lionel Ritchie, Mexican Grand Prix and Slight Domestic. Some people are too obsessed with comparing the album with Young Team instead of listening to it less critically. |
| 1 |  | Moby
Destroyed
My personal favourite (yes, I listen to techno!), tied with Mogwai's Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. Moby's Destroyed may not be his best but I find these songs very heartfelt and the fact that I have seen Moby live this summer made me love this record even more. All the albums is excellent as a whole to listen to, but tracks like Blue Moon, Victoria Lucas, The Right Thing, Be The One or Lie Down In Darkness are among his best. |
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