Favorite 10 Albums of 2011

So it took a while to set up this list but at the end it came up to what I listened to the most this year while enjoying it. Again, this is based on my own opinion and despite Spotify having almost every album worth listening to while also purchasing tons of stuff, I did not get a chance to really listen to everything. So...

10. Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact

Pretty great album all around. Effortlessly blends all different kinds of sounds (electronic, jam, etc.) into one cohesive unique sound that also translates well live.
 Gang Gang Dance - Glass Jar by rezvanm

9. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

I gotta be honest, I really thought that these guys were not going to be anywhere close to matching the brilliance from their previous album and EP. I was wrong, they pretty much matched it.
 Fleet Foxes - Montezuma by gypsysphere

8. WU LYF - Go Tell Fire To the Mountain 

What can I say about this album? It pretty much came out of nowhere and I fell in love with it pretty fast. I could hardly understand what the songs were saying, but they were incredibly captivating. A+ you guys!
 Wu Lyf - We Bros by WU LYF

7. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Did you guys hear this? My brother really got into them sometime this summer and I was like "who??" But when I heard them I saw what my brother had been geeking about. Excellent album that's also really fun to hear.
 Unknown Mortal Orchestra-FFunny Frendss by josiahmfilm

6. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost

I REALLY wanted to hate this album. I have a reason. Sirius XMU plays the shit out of these guys, a lot. It came to the point that I was exhausted of listening to stuff from their previous releases. Also it took me a really long time to get used to the guy's voice. This album is different though. It seems more elaborate, while it also sounds like stuff we've all heard before. I ended up really liking this album despite all of what I mentioned earlier.

 Girls - Vomit by artsandcraftsmx

5. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

I really enjoy St. Vincent despite what others (Hipster Runoff) say about her music. I really liked her previous two albums and I had 'Actor' in my top 10 of 2009 I believe. If not then pretty close to the top 10. This album continues Annie Clark's impressive career by making her strongest album yet in my opinion.
 St. Vincent - Cruel by Posh Magazine

4. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

I wasn't crazy about the double-album idea, but I told myself "what the hell, if anybody nowadays could pull it off, it would be M83". Well I didn't exactly say that, but "Midnight City" totally got me onboard for this album. Add the Zola Jesus appearance for "Intro" and I was sold. I went out to my record store, paid the ~$20 for the CD and chilled the rest of the day in my room exploring this album. Did not disappoint.
 M83 - Intro (Feat. Zola Jesus) by edin2sun

3. Wild Flag - Wild Flag

 I thought listening to this album would only make me realize how much I miss Sleater-Kinney, but nope, no way, this album stood on its own and made me realize how talented these women are. Not to mention it always gets me pumped up to see Portlandia clips on Youtube too.

 Wild Flag - Romance by Wichita Recordings

2. Real Estate - Days

I spent a good portion of time looking for one weak track, and did not find it. Highly listenable, it caught me off guard on how good it was after it came out near the same time M83s epic did. Their debut was good, but this was just excellent. Way to go Real Estate guys on such a good album!!
 Real Estate - It's Real by DominoRecordCo



and for #1....


1. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

When I heard last year that album would be releasing a new album in early 2011 I was super happy, and I remember thinking that its February release was so far away. Well February came around and I heard the album and was blown away. Too good. Listening to lyrics about soldiers falling like lumps of meat to this sort of happy sounding tunes, too good. Sets the standard for what is considered a war album. Easily my number one.
 PJ Harvey - The Words That Maketh Murder by Vagrant Records


Yay good year you guys!! High fives all around and hope you drink tons of eggnog and get the presents you guys want for the Holidays!!