| 5.0 classic |
| *shels Plains Of The Purple Buffalo |
| I've never heard anything close to this. A blend of too much to even comprehend, but not too much for it to lose the heavy emotions it evokes. |
| Alcest Souvenirs D'Un Autre Monde |
| While there may be somewhat unmemorable parts to this album, I am so obsessed with this sound that any flaw is irrelevant. A gorgeous blend of shoegaze and metal, which really takes me to the other world he was writing about. |
| Hash Jar Tempo Well Oiled |
| Like taking the 10 experimental seconds before a Beatles song goes pop and making an album out of it. |
| Have a Nice Life Deathconsciousness |
| James Blake James Blake |
| My favorite album of 2011, although the year's not over, I've known this since it came out. It simply rings with me in a way no other album has from this year, or ever. It is progressive without losing the intention, in other words, retaining the emotion. Outstanding |
| Joyce Manor Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired |
| Mastodon Crack the Skye |
| Quite likely my favorite metal album and also one of my favorite psych/prog ones. Such a beautiful melding of different genres while still being extremely memorable, even with the songs' considerable lengths. At times beautiful, at times spacey, at times visceral, but always with a feeling of something important. |
| Miles Davis Sketches of Spain |
| My favorite Miles Davis album, perfectly captures the Spanish sound with great intensity and emotion. A bullfighter, doubting the ability of a black man to make Spanish music, listened, and then was so moved that without a word to the presenter of the music, he went out and killed a bull. |
| Shabazz Palaces Black Up |
| The Angelic Process Weighing Souls With Sand |
| Where many bands attempt to be loud an overpowering for the sake of being loud and overpowering, this band stands out because of it's concept which really fleshes out the sound to another level. The intense waves of reverb and other shoegaze sounds are used to mirror the waves of pain the protagonist is feeling. A great way to make a concept album which rings just as much in the music as the lyrics. |
| Thrice The Artist in the Ambulance |
| Opening up their post-hardcore sound to more influences while refining the already great lyrics |
| TV on the Radio Return to Cookie Mountain |
| Every song is highly memorable, and a original mix of musical scenes unlike any out there. Province is one of my favorite songs of all time. I had a high fever when I first heard this album, and every time I hear it, it still takes me back to that hazy warmth and confusion. |
| Tycho Past is Prologue |
| I always loved the sounds of BoC, but thought they were a bit unrelatable. This is what I was looking for |
| William Basinski The Disintegration Loops I |
| Probably one of the most important classical pieces for the 21st century. This recording says so much about the end of things and the overall human condition, while using so little and letting even that little be scraped away. |
| Yes Close to the Edge |
| Just takes me to a place far away, where things have more meaning |
| 4.5 superb |
| Amadou and Mariam Dimanche a Bamako |
| The catchiest afrobeat i've ever heard. Really energetic |
| CunninLynguists Oneirology |
| Dorian Concept When Planets Explode |
| Was my intro to glitch, I really loved how colorful and bouncy this was, made a great effect on me. |
| Dr. John Gris-Gris |
| Makes me happy to think about the days back when weed music was good. Such a creepy, smoky, sneaky album. Almost tribal at times. |
| Earl Sweatshirt EARL |
| Best (or 2nd best) release out of OF. Very memorable and entertaining lines while still being disturbing and nihilistic. His complex structure to the rhymes are like puzzles, all the more rewarding when figured out. |
| Frank Turner England Keep My Bones |
| Gang Gang Dance Eye Contact |
| Best release yet, in my opinion. Glass Jar is my favorite GGD song and one of my favorite songs of all time. I think it was foolish of them to begin the album with such a standout, but it is still a great album on all accounts. |
| Gospel The Moon Is a Dead World |
| Complex, yet when I returned I found it was memorable as well. |
| Insomnium Above the Weeping World |
| Fantastic and consistent, the first time I've really connected with melodic death metal. Great use of vocals to truly convey the pain in these situations. |
| Kyuss Blues For The Red Sun |
| Such beautifully dark sludge slowly poured into your ears, and one of the first bands to do it. The best testament to this album's worth is that I was listening to a song which I thought was 4-5 minutes and turned out to be less than 2. It's just that heavy |
| Lady Gaga The Fame Monster |
| Each song is great on this release. They all take from other artists, but that's what most pop is anyway, and at least these are presented in an interesting and artistic way, especially the videos. |
| Last Chance to Reason Level 2 |
| Lil B Rain In England |
| This album just really makes me giddy. The ambient tracks are work very well and are quite pretty, and the Based God is probably at his most entertaining on this one, although I don't believe it to be to the quality of I'm Gay. |
| Nas and Damian Marley Distant Relatives |
| Very underrated in my opinion. Much better than either of the solo artists recent releases |
| Olafur Arnalds Eulogy for Evolution |
| Really gorgeous throughout, although I'm always waiting for the excitement of the last song. |
| Pianos Become the Teeth Old Pride |
| Perfectly encapsulates the feeling they aimed for. Great example of what people are missing out on when they dismiss screaming |
| Raphael Saadiq Instant Vintage |
| Drags on a bit due to it's sizable length, but it still probably my favorite neo-soul album, along with Mama's Gun. |
| Scale the Summit The Collective |
| Starscream Future, Towards the Edge of Forever |
| Fantastic mixture of post rock and chiptune. Both genres have a thematic element in the lengths of imagination, and this work succeeds in continuing this with its very spacey sounds. The youthful chiptune sounds mixed with the more mature aesthetics of post rock make for a very pleasing combination. |
| The Dear Hunter Indigo |
| The Rapture Pieces Of The People We Love |
| Really fun, probably my favorite disco revival album. |
| Title Fight Shed |
| toe New Sentimentality |
| One of my favorite EPs, a lot more lasting than I expected it to be |
| Toro Y Moi Underneath The Pine |
Great sounding chilled out funk, although it never gets too close to lounge or background
music. Emotional and involving with a lot of variance in the songs compared to the earlier
effort. |
| Touche Amore ...To the Beat of a Dead Horse |
| Great intensity along with great emotional and clever lyrics, 2 aspects often left unmixed |
| Unwound Leaves Turn Inside You |
| Like the most energy you can give to cling on to life when you're tired as fuck |
| Wynton Marsalis Wynton Marsalis |
| Very exciting and evocative, an interesting take on getting that old feel back with something new |
| You and I The Curtain Falls |
| Highly enjoyed it, especially when the more emo parts were layered on top of each other or integrated with the hardcore. |
| 4.0 excellent |
| Balam Acab See Birds |
| A great conglomeration of the many things going on in electronic music lately. Tracks go from heavy bass jams, to chill out songs, to a mix of the two sprinkled with the sounds of chiptune. Really brings out an emotional finish, something indescribable & somewhat odd, but it leaves an impression nonetheless. |
| Cass McCombs Wit's End |
| Light on the ears, but weighs on the heart. I really like how the songs are made so you know them pretty well by the first listen |
| Chuck Mangione Feels So Good |
| Very pretty and entertaining, although not exactly part of one of the most artistically progressive movements |
| Hawthorne Heights The Silence in Black and White |
| It was one of my favorite albums in middle school and whenever I return I enjoy it very much. It's cheesy, moody, and a poor attempt at maturity, but all of that can be said for my middle school self and that nostalgia comes with every listen. |
| Memory Cassette Call And Response |
| It seems to have more of a focus on mood than writing, but what a mood it strikes up, especially Asleep at a Party. |
| Salem (US) King Night |
| King Night will forever be one of my favorite songs from this scene in sound. Some songs don't make as much of an impression but it seems the focus is more on the dark mood stirred up as opposed to the songwriting. A big exception is the very sexy Traxx. |
| The-Dream Love Hate |
| Catchy and entertaining, but doesn't come close to the intimacy of "Shut it Down" |
