2011 has seen a diverse and complex collection of music cross the audio pathways of the Gig Ape team and after a lot of debate and deliberation we have finally settled on (in no particular order) fifty of the best albums that 2011 had to offer.
This is by no means a definitive top 50 for 2011 more a list of albums that have brought great pleasure over the course of 2011. Let us know if you have any you think should be on the list!
The Weeknd - House of Balloons - Abel Tesfaye's, 21-year-old from Toronto, striking debut is a battered and bruised hip-hop-esque album thats completely stunning!
TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light - This album is packed full of aggressive yet strangely delicate songs thanks in part to the amazing vocals of Tunde Adebimpe.
DJ Shadow - The Less You Know, the Better - Four albums in 15 years isn't a massive catolgue off work but its the quality that allows, 39-year-old Californian Josh Davis aka DJ Shadow, to shine and this album certainly is that.
Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two - three decades on the New Yorkers still have it!
Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes - fantastic follow up to 2008's breakthrough album, Youth Novels from the gifted Swedish songstress!
The Horrors - Skying - slow burner but excellent follow up to 2009's Primary Colours.
The Vaccines - What did you expect from the Vaccines? - loved this one had it on repeat on my ipod for ages, Wetsuit, summer festival anthem! I caught them twice at SXSW and they have quickly become one of my favorite new rock acts.Favorite track: Blow It Up.
Laura Marling - A creature I don't know - this girl just gets better and better with each album- very talented indeed- Lady Gaga eat your heart out!!
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues - effortless and faultless follow-up to eponymous debut.
Cloud Control - Bliss Release - couldn't get enough of it, hopefully these Australians will go on to bigger things, if there was any justice in the world! Brilliant pop songs here like "Gold Canary", I could go on..............!!!
Wild Beasts - Smother - what a follow up to "Two Dancers"! Can't believe they didn't win the Mercury Prize, absolutely fantastic record! Check out "Bed of Nails"..............among the rest!
Gary Clark Jr. - The Bright Lights - It’s only four tracks, but when looking back on 2011, Gary Clark Jr.’s EP is one of the year’s standouts. One part talent sampler and one part showcase, Clark uses this EP, as he did much of the year, to show off his guitar chops to the world.“Bright Lights” may be the song that has garnered the most attention, but the solo, acoustic and live version of “When My Train Pulls In” mixes Clark’s ability to pull a softer and deeper feeling from his instrument with traces of the faster and tenser playing that snaps your attention away from wherever it might be. You listen because to not do so simply isn’t an option.
Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi - Rome: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - A pet project of Brian Burton and featuring Jack White and Norah Jones, Rome may not be for everyone, but just like a Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western, if your in the mood for it, it can blow you away.
Close your eyes while listening and you can picture the hardscrabble ranches and rolling vistas of Leone’s vision of the American West as shot in Rome’s Cinecittà studios. What makes this album truly stand out are Jones’ vocals on tracks like “Black” and “Season’s Trees” where she carries a sense of scorched emotions worn down by years of struggle. The American West was a hard place to live, but here Burton and Luppi give it an Italian-flavored sheen of beauty.
The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar - Dave Grohl called "Whirring" the song of 2011. I agree. Packed with fantastic tunes like "Cradle" and "Austere", this is one hell of a debut album. And boy do they rock live. Favorite track: "Cradle".
R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now - Thought this was the best R.E.M. ablum in years. It felt fresh but still retained that R.E.M.sque feel with excellent songwriting and melodies.
Foster the People – Torches - I may sound like a super hipster, but I totally liked FTP before everyone else did and have the gig tickets from 100 person venues toprove it. They deserve the hype. Favorite track: "Helena Beat".
Yuck - Yuck - Another favorite from SXSW. While I was never into those 90s bands like Sonic Youth, these guys do it for me. Favorite track: "Get Away".
Das Racist - Relax - a fresh and intimidating album from the Brookyln rappers!
Kasabian - Velociraptor! - One of Britain's greatest rock bands right now. I hope someday they manage to make a name for themselves in America, but until then, I'll be clutching my imported albums tightly in hand and singing "Fire"loudly in the car to myself. Favorite track: "Switchblade Smiles".
Mastodon – The Hunter - With their fifth studio album firmly under their belt it must be said that the Atlanta four-piece stand triumphantly on the front lines of the heavy metal battle field.
Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind of Fix - great quicky pop and looping samples form the basis of this great album from Jack Steadman and the boys!
Mother Mother - Eureka - proving Arcade Fire isn't the only great indie band to come from Canada.Favorite track: "Baby Don't Dance".
Funeral Party - The Golden Age of Knowhere - post punk guitars and cow bells are the order of the day from the Los Angeles rockers!
Scroobius Pip - Distraction Pieces - aka David Meads brings his witty flow back to the masses!
Big K.I.R.T. - Return of 4Eva - one of the best mixtapes of the year and could easily have been a full album. Full of Southern cool.
M83 - Hurry Up, Were Dreaming - this one could have been album of the year, simply stunning from start to finish - even the acid trip frog world peace number!
Metronomy - The English Riviera - "The Bay" has to be one of the best indie tracks of 2011, up there with The Drums' "Money" and Girls' "Honey Bunny". The rest of the album is just as good. Favorite track: "The Bay"
The Decemberists - The King Is Dead - a more straightforward album from these guys but a very catchy one nonetheless. Includes the stunning This Is Why We fight.
White Lies - Ritual - White Lies didn't succumb to the sophomore slump and they brought with them double the 80s synths.Favorite track: "Holy Ghost".
True Widow - As High As The Highest Heavens And From The Center To The Circumference Of The Earth - a contentor for album of the year and a winner of longest name of the century!
Shabazz Palaces - Black Up - stunning left-field hip-hop thats closer to dubstep digital landscapes.
Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi - brilliant debut by the Londoner includes the superb single, Desire.
Young Legionnaire - Crisis Works - Paul Mullen leads this quirky ensemble with beautiful results!
And So I Watch You From Afar - Gangs - second album from instrumental act from Belfast, so packed full of energy and hooks, its amazing!
The Wombats - This Modern Glitch - contains catchy hooks but also has a strong sense of sadness in the second album from the Liverpudlians.
Bell X1 - Bloodless Coup - Velcro is my favorite track from the Irish Talking Heads. Great return to form!
Gardens & Villa - Gardens & Villa - I saw these guys open for Foster the People and it was instant love.If you can find it, they also have some mean covers of "Here In MyCar" by Gary Numan and "Runabout" by Little Dragon. Favorite track:"The Bay"
Little Dragon - Ritual Union - Swedish group Little Dragon produced impeccable set of soulful electro-pop tunes.
Bon Iver - Bon Iver - great album about places real and places imagined, atmospheric and haunting!
SBTRKT - SBTRKT - brilliant self titled debut from producer who has lavish dubstep and garage grooves.
The Kills - Blood Pressures - Scuzzy blues-rock at its best from Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince.
Other Lives - Tamer Animals -Oklahoma five piece mix cello and violins with guitars and attain full, rich and complex yet introspective sound.
Mojo Fury - Visiting Hours Of A Travelling Circus - stunning band live and with this album they really have something to sonically assault you with!
Ryan Adams - Ashes and Fire - ok so this probably won't end up on a lot of best of 2011 lists, but it's my favourite album of the year and I'm a total sucker for this guys voice........each song on here oozes quality................start off with "Dirty Rain" and take it from there!! I'm sure I reviewed this one............probably quite bias then cos I'm a huge fan of his!!
Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You - loved this album so much I actually paid to go and see a live recording of the RHCP in the cinema when I missed out on tickets to their live show!
Cults - Cults - Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion have created a subtle gem which actually contains sampled audio from cult leaders on their eponymus debut!
White Denim - D - What a stunning album with probably the best instrumental I've ever heard (At The Farm) but heres a blast of Drug!
Reks - R.E.K.S. (Rhythmatic Eternal King Supreme) - the third album from Reks contains some really strong beats and laced with lyrical venom.
It was always going to be nearly impossible to follow up In Rainbows but Radiohead, with King Of Limbs, have arguably changed music as we know it - again!
Kendrick Lamar - Section 80 - Hold Up is a great track from Compton rapper, who lyrics are full of honesty.
Thanks for the contributions from Ken, Haley, Dan, Jane, Alan!
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Some great albums there!!
Great range of music on this one lads! Love The Weeknd album and M83
Love the list – love the Big K.I.R.T mix tape so summer time!
Has to be SBTRKT for me. Its hard to believe this is a debut!
Some other great ones missing too…like Death Cab For Cutie’s “Codes And Keys” was phenomally good…certainly more so than anything Red Hot Chili Peppers have done in a decade… Also missing: Opeth’s Heritage, another prog rock masterpiece…