My Favourite Ten Albums Of 2011
In No Particular Order

For some reason this year I feel like refraining from posting my top 20 or 30 albums of the year ranked in order or preference. It's really difficult to draw up a list placing one album over the other and attracting criticism in the process. Also judging by some lists I've seen here it just seems to be a competition as to who listened to the most new albums in 2011. I did make out a rough list however on Rate Your Music if you are interested in viewing, it's no means a definitive list. So without further adieu here's just a little list of 10 albums which have lit up my year in 2011, in no particular order.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Belong


2009's Higher Than The Stars EP and 2010's Say No To Love Single hinted that there was more depth to this band than the twee lo-fi noise-pop on their 2009 self-titled debut. Belong was a step forward for the band and the cleaner production made their hook-laden songs all the more enjoyable. It's an uplifting album and the band sound like they enjoyed making it as much as I enjoyed listening to it.

Yuck - Yuck


When I first heard this album back in January it made me go "fuck yeah!". Their music is steeped in indie-rock influences from the likes of Teenage Fanclub, Yo La Tengo and Dinosaur Jr., but Yuck managed to use these influences convincingly and not end up sounding like an ironic retro throwback. Simply one of the best debut albums I heard in a long time.

The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar


Their debut mini-album A Balloon Called Moaning was so good I thought there was no way the band could top it. After a few plays of this album I realised they had proved me wrong. Theses twelve songs of joyous and energetic indie rock left me hooked and it's still an album I listen to very regularly.

Wild Beasts - Smother


Their previous album Two Dancers was enjoyable but I could never really grow to love it. Smother however was a more enjoyable album and had a far better impact on me. Songs such as 'Bed of Nails' and 'Reach a Bit Further' are among the best songs I've heard in 2011 and prove what an incredibly gifted vocalist Hayden Thorpe is.

Lanterns On The Lake - Gracious Tide, Take Me Home


2011 was quite a year for British bands. This Newcastle indie-folk sextet's debut album reminded me of a less dreamy Beach House and is simply one of the warmest and most beautiful albums I've heard this year. Although it's not a concept album some songs do have a strong sea-faring theme and a sense of sadness associated with it. This band could go on to even better things.

The Horrors - Skying


The Horrors were a band I dismissed in the past as an NME-hyped, Mighty Boosh-cameoing fad that valued image over music. When I heard this album and their previous album Primary Colours together I couldn't believe it was the same band. Skying is the sound of a young band on top of their game and has British indie classic written all over it.

Ringo Deathstarr - Colour Trip


Since My Bloody Valentine released Loveless in 1991 there has been no shortage of bands since mining it for inspiration, some sounding completely flat and generic. But what makes Ringo Deathstarr stand out from the rest of the current shoegazing crop is that they inject a sense of fun and sexiness into the sound. This is a delightful album of eleven short, addictive, noisy pop songs that never outstays it's welcome and leaves you coming back for more.

Bon Iver - Bon Iver


Their second album Bon Iver was a clear progression from the sparse and intimate sounds of their debut album For Emma, Forever Ago. The music seems give a remote outdoor feel that, like For Emma, gives you a sense of isolation but also a feeling of being closer to nature. While For Emma was inward-looking, Bon Iver seems to be more outward-looking and has a more optimistic outlook. Perhaps Justin Vernon stepped out of the remote cabin where he recorded most of For Emma, took a look out at the scenic landscapes of Wisconsin and had an idea of what to do next.

M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming


Following up the hazy, electronic dream-pop of Saturdays = Youth was never going to be easy but Anthony Gonzalez has done pretty damn well with this ambitious double album. The album is based around the loose concept of dreams, as children, as teenagers and as adults. As a result it's an album to escape into and imagine your own little dream world. My world is a carnival at nighttime where everyone is dressed up in crazy costumes. While the album does perhaps contain some pointless filler tracks, the quality of the other tracks and the overall flow of the album make it one of my favourite releases of the year.

Feist - Metals


I've never really listened to Feist before this album but I am more than impressed with her latest. The raw emotion in her voice at times makes the hairs on your neck stand up, especially when her songs go deep into sadness. The diversity of this album is astounding, it can be at times smoky and sultry, warm and uplifting, deeply melancholic, but most amazingly she makes it all sound so effortless.

Originally Posted by Trollheart Good call on Lanterns on the Lake's debut. I also just picked it up on a whim, basically I liked the band name and loved the title. Wasn't expecting too much, but after listening to it you could find me somewhere in Oregon (I live in Ireland) --- it blew me away that much! In my review of the album I noted that listening to Hazel Wilde's voice was the closest thing I've ever come to being actually sung a lullaby by an angel. It really is that good, isn't it? And not a single bad track. Just proves sometimes you CAN judge a book by its cover...

Originally Posted by Pedestrian Huge amount of overlap between your list and my own, and that's excellent. That's why I take all your recs!

Originally Posted by Trollheart Hey that's so cool! Someone's listening to me! May I also suggest Kate Bush's new album (due for review soon) and the mighty Steven Wilson's "Grace for drowning" (already reviewed) is just something you will not want to miss out on. And may I be the first to wish you a Happy Christmas! TH