1. Bon Iver - “Bon Iver”
Why: Despite it’s uber-popularity amongst the indie crowd, this album feels extremely intimate. I splurged on a second-row ticket to see them this past year, and was completely blown away by their heavy arrangements and (at times) hard-rock sound. While their songs are moody and soft, Bon Iver is anything but quiet. This band will be at the forefront of rock for years to come, and this is the album we will remember for putting them there.
Listen to: “Perth”
2. PJ Harvey - “Let England Shake”
Why: This album is a near-masterwork. If it weren’t for Bon Iver’s breakthrough, “Let England Shake” would be a shoe-in for the top spot. I’ve never listened to PJ Harvey in the past, but this collection of songs seems to channel other-worldly poetry in painting a picture of a corrupt world toppling under the weight of a slowly-enlightening public. It’s hard to listen without getting chills.
Listen to: ”In The Dark Places”
3. Beirut - “The Rip Tide”
Why: In the past I’ve moderately enjoyed Beirut and his hipster-klezmer music, but I found his albums to be something of a mess, containing 2 or 3 great songs and a bunch of homogenous, uninteresting tracks. “The Rip Tide,” however, is flawless throughout. It’s exceptional music for traveling, soaring you high on masterful orchestration on Zach Condon’s amazing voice. It’s hard to imagine Beirut topping what’s been accomplished with “The Rip Tide.”
Listen to: ”A Candle’s Fire”
4. Radiohead - “The King of Limbs”
Why: Because I don’t give a shit about the opinions of people who listened to the album once and “didn’t get it.” I’ll admit that it’s not Radiohead’s strongest work, however it’s an extremely mature piece of work with haunting poetry and complex songwriting. I can strongly suggest listening to the From The Basement version - holy crap.
Listen to: ”Bloom”
5. Fleet Foxes - “Helplessness Blues”
Why: On top of a signature, thick, reverb-soaked sound, this album contains a gold mine of overwhelmingly-touching songwriting from mastermind Robin Pecknold. He’s got a crafty way of spinning a tale into a song, and “Helplessness Blues” has thusly received a great deal of fanfare. For me, it’s the B-sides that I find truly impactful. Check out “Someone You’d Admire,” & “Blue Spotted Tail.”
Listen to: ”Sim Sala Bim”
6. M83 - “Hurry Up, We’re Asleep”
Why: This album is epic. I found M83’s previous albums to be a little boring, but “Hurry Up, We’re Asleep” is a huge, daring, 2-disc concept album that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Listen to: ”Wait”
7. St. Vincent - “Strange Mercy”
Why: Similar to M83, I was not a big fan of St. Vincent’s previous album “Actor.” But “Strange Mercy” is all kinds of crazy… in a good way. Her rabid, grungy guitar is equally an attraction as her pitch-perfect voice, and this collection of songs seems to draw inspiration from the organized madness of Radiohead’s “OK Computer.” If this is the direction St. Vincent is headed, I will definitely follow.
Listen to: “Cruel”
8. Delay Trees - “Delay Trees”
Why: I happened upon the impressive debut album from this band from Finland a few weeks ago, and I’ve been enamored with it ever since. Delay Trees has managed to take the dramatic slow-build of shoegazer rock, marry it with vocals, and package it all up into 3-minute songs. The result sounds a bit like Explosions in the Sky fronted by Win Butler from Arcade Fire.
Listen to: ”Cold”
9. Alexander - “Alexander”
Why: Another extremely impressive self-titled debut album in 2011. It was clearly a good year. A reviewer on Rdio commented that “Alex Ebert seems to be on a quest to sound like Neil Diamond on LSD.” I approve.
Listen to: ”Truth”
10. TV On The Radio - “Nine Types of Light”
Why: “Nine Types of Light” is more of the same from TVOR… and that’s certainly not a bad thing. I wouldn’t put this album ahead of their last release, “Dear Science,” but it is an hour’s worth of deep, transcendent songs with catchy melodies.
Listen to: ”Will Do”
