Archive for the ‘50 Best Albums of 2011’ Category
50
(All week we’re counting down the top albums of 2011. For previous entries on the list, click here. We hope you enjoy the music.)
10. Balam Acab – Wander/Wonder
In 2010, with critically acclaimed releases from young artists like James Blake and How To Dress Well, the re-purposing of classic R&B became all the rage. Of course, in 2011 the enthusiasm faded, replaced by excitement over the creation of new R&B (more on this later). It may be for this reason that Balam Acab’s debut LP Wander/Wonder fell largely on deaf ears. It’s a shame that critical opinion is so heavily dictated by musical trends, because you are unlikely to find a more beautiful collection of 8 songs this year. There is much to be said about the aquatic production and judicious use of samples on this record, and it has all been said elsewhere. Most importantly, though, this record is an encapsulation of the power of music to move and enchant. A power that is, after all, impervious to trends. -LVL
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50
(All week we’re counting down the top albums of 2011. For previous entries on the list, click here. We hope you enjoy the music.)
20. Gil Scott-Heron & Jaime xx – We’re New Here
Dubstep (and it’s painfully precise sub-sub-genres) has had a landmark year, for better or for worse. Jamie xx’s reimagining of Gil Scot-Heron’s stellar goodbye I’m New Here is an example of the best. Deep and deliberate production fill the holes of the autobiographical original, drawing interesting parallels between two artists at complete opposite sides of the career arc. -PTL
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50
(All week we’re counting down the top albums of 2011. For previous entries on the list, click here. We hope you enjoy the music.)
30. Gang Gang Dance – Eye Contact
There is no greater confounder to the proper evaluation of a record than one’s experience of the previous record. Gang Gang Dance’s 2008 LP Saint Dymphna stood as the most eclectic release yet from an eclectic band, a multicultural mix of musical styles that had few precedents in indie rock. By contrast, Eye Contact is singular in its focus, and as such I found it disappointing on initial listen. But, as the year has gone on, I’ve found myself returning the record again and again, more willing each time to be washed over with its shower of sumptuous synths. A daring record from one of our most daring bands. -LVL
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50
The year-end albums list is the greatest challenge any music publication faces. It is not only an effort to encapsulate an entire year’s worth of music: it is an effort to convey the entire musical philosophy of a site in one rather gimmicky column.
Of course, it is also a lot of fun. It allows the opportunity to go through our favorite music all over again; it provides for spirited debate between editors and staffers; and it is ultimately a lesson in compromise and inclusion. Which is, of course, precisely the philosophy of this site: different people with different musical tastes avoiding snark and snobbery and making the effort to tell you, the reader, why it is that we like what we like, and why we think you should like it too. So, without further ado, here are 50 albums we hope you’ll enjoy. They happen to be, to our ears, the year’s 50 best.
Frontier Psychiatrist 