Here are the best albums of 2011 as chosen by our panel of “experts” (Woody, Shirk and I). I’m not a huge fan of ranking albums because my personal rankings are fluid and change depending on the time of year, my mood of the moment, and the album’s propensity to get played again and again over time.
Because we collaborated on the list, we each had to leave off some of our personal top 50′s. In the end, man-to-man mud wrestling prevailed and we compromised. The unanimous top album among all of us was Tamer Animals by Other Lives and our second choice was the most snubbed band on best of lists in 2011, The Deep Dark Woods. Get in there and let us know what we missed. You can also hit play on the mp3′s and they’ll play as a playlist. Sit back and enjoy!
If some of the comments don’t make sense, it’s because we’ve used posted our favorite albums to this list throughout the year so they could be outdated.
1. Other Lives – Tamer Animals
Other Lives – Tamer Animals (from the HearYa Live Session)
Other Lives – Dust Bowl III (from the HearYa Live Session)
2. The Deep Dark Woods – The Place I Left Behind
The Deep Dark Woods – West Side Street
The Deep Dark Woods – Ballad of Frank Dupree (from the HearYa Live Session)
The Deep Dark Woods – The Banks of The Leopold Canal (from the HearYa Live Session)
3. Centro-Matic – Candidate Waltz
4. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit – Here We Rest
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit – Codeine
5. Elliott BROOD – Days Into Years
6. Gillian Welch – The Harrow & The Harvest
7. The Low Anthem – Smart Flesh
The Low Anthem – Boeing 737 (from our live session with The Low Anthem)
The Low Anthem – Love and Altar (from our live session with The Low Anthem)
8. The Decemberists – The King Is Dead
9. Wilco – The Whole Love
10. Bon Iver – S/T
11. My Morning Jacket – Circuital
12. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
13. Okkervil River – I Am Very Far
Okkervil River – Wake and Be Fine
14. Wye Oak – Civilian
15. Ryan Adams – Ashes and Fire
16. White Denim – D
White Denim – Anvil Everything
White Denim – Street Joy (from the HearYa Live Session)
White Denim – Keys (from the HearYa Live Session)
17. Charles Bradley – No Time For Dreaming
Charles Bradley – The World (Is Going Up In Flames)
18. WATERS – Out In The Light
19. Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost
20. The David Wax Museum – Everything Is Saved
The David Wax Museum – Born With A Broken Heart
21. Mount Moriah – S/T
Mount Moriah – Reckoning (from the HearYa Live Session)
22. Megafaun – S/T
23. AA Bondy – Believers
AA Bondy – The Heart Is Willing
24. The Black Keys – El Camino
25. Drive-By Truckers – Go-Go Boots
Drive-By Truckers – Everybody Needs Love
26. Southeast Engine – Canary
27. Blitzen Trapper – American Goldwing
Blitzen Trapper – Love The Way You Walk Away
28. Middle Brother – S/T
29. Roadside Graves – We Can Take Care Of Ourselves
Roadside Graves – Double Feature
Roadside Graves – Love Me More
30. Ha Ha Tonka – Death of a Decade
31. Deer Tick – Divine Providence
Deer Tick “Main Street” by Partisan Records
32. The War On Drugs – Slave Ambient
The War On Drugs – Slave Ambient
33. Caveman – CoCo Beware
34. The Middle East – I Want That You Are Always Happy
The Middle East – Jesus Came To My Birthday Party
35. Dead Man Winter – Bright Lights
36. Caitlin Rose – Own Side Now
37. Brown Bird – Salt For Salt
38. Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears – Scandalous
39. Vetiver – The Errant Charm
40. Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo
41. Fruit Bats – Tripper
42. Little Hurricane – Homewrecker
Little Hurricane – Crocodile Tears
43. Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside – Dirty Radio
Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside – I Swear
44. The Milk Carton Kids – Prologue
The Milk Carton Kids – Michigan
The Milk Carton Kids – Milk Carton Kid
45. Alela Diane and Wild Divine
46. The Devil Whale – Teeth
47. Ponderosa – Moonlight Revival
48. She Keeps Bees – Dig On
2. She Keeps Bees – Saturn Return by wepromised
49. Country Mice – Twister
50. Seryn – This Is Where We Are
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hard to argue w/ this list though I would probably add the Cave Singer’s “No Witch” and Centro-Matic’s “Candidate Waltz”
Would certainly include the Iron & Wine album that came out in January
@Billy Shaw. I like Cave Singers just fine but I agree with you that Centro-Matic is a grievous oversight. Candidate Waltz is one of my favorites of the year. Thanks for pointing it out.
My top-10 so far. I’m a bit more “hipster” in my music likes, I guess because I’m not American, so I don’t understand much the Dylan-style guitar “rural American” music.
1. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
2. Austra – Feel It Break
3. Cults – Cults
4. Washed Out – Within and Without
5. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
6. Smith Westerns – Dye it Blonde
7. Wye Oak – Civilian
8. Chad VanGaalen – Diaper Island
9. John Maus: We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
10. Craft Spells – Idle Labor
I can’t wait for M83′s new album arrival in the Fall.
Great list. I’d also like to add Dawes’ latest album “Nothing is Wrong” and Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi’s “Rome.”
My top 5 from my blog:
The Decemberists The King is Dead
The Head and the Heart – self titled
The Apache Relay – American Nomad
Dawes – Nothing is Wrong
Lucinda Williams – Blessed
More details at:
http://musicintheatx.blogspot.com/2011/07/best-so-far-new-releases-of-2011.html
Dale, The Head and the Heart’s album released in 2009.
My favorite unknown album of this year is A Lost Circus from Wolf Kroeger. I read it’s his first album and he did it all on himself. Talk about independent!!! I hope he’ll get to be known one day…
Good list – but I agree with J that “Rome” deserves to be in the top 20. Other albums I’d add include:
- Brandi Carlile – Live at Benaroya Hall in Seattle
- Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes
- Moon Duo – Mazes
- Peter Murphy – Ninth
still really surprised The people’s key- bright eyes wasnt mentioned..
01. Peter Bruntnell – Black Mountain UFO
02. Daniel Romano – Sleep Beneath The Willow
03. Richmond Fontaine – The High Country
04. Hayes Carll – Kmag YoYo
05. Robert Pollard – Space City Kicks
06. Gillian Welch – The Harrow and The Harvest
07. Centromatic – Candidate Waltz
08. The Phoenix Foundation – Buffalo
09. The Booze – At Maximum Volume
10. Boston Spaceships – Let It Beard
11. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
12. Rafael Saadiq – Steam Rollin’
13. Woods – In Sun & Shade
The Twilight Singers, “Dynamite Steps”
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit and Drive-By Truckers the BEST.
Very good list. I can think of two you missed.
1. Wilderness of Manitoba – When you left the fire.
2. James Vincent McMorrow – Early in the Morning.
And someone else mention Cave Singers – No Witch. Agree, another album that stands out this year.
Nice list. A few you may have missed…
1. Wilderness of Manitoba – When you left the Fire.
2. James Vincent McMorrow- Early in the Morning.
3. Cave Singers – No Witch (someone mentioned).
4. Vandaveer – Dig down deep.
This is a pretty good list. A new EP that I am pretty excited about is Far From Things That We Know from Madi Diaz. If you haven’t heard of her yet you should check her out. http://www.ifc.com/news/2011/08/exclusive-premiere-madi-diaz-l.php
Fruit Bats, “Tripper” definitely deserves a listen or two – or ten.
You might wanna take a listen and/or a second listen to Dawes’ 2011 release, “Nothing Is Wrong” and consider it for your “Best Albums of 2011.” If not it should at the very least, be deserving of some kind of a Honorable Mention of sorts. I honestly do not buy a lot of newly released albums, but “Nothing Is Wrong” is worth buyin’! Lucinda Williams’ 2011 album, “Blessed” is also worth a listen too.
Real solid list! I would also add little hurricane’s debut album ‘homewrecker’ to the list. That album will melt your face off!
Thank you for pointing out Southeast Engine’s Canary. What gorgeous music.
Love your list! Just missing The Wild Beasts beautiful album Smother.
Now that the year is 3/4 of the way through and so many more great albums have been released, hope to see some of the below make it onto ‘The Best Albums of 2011′ list:
Wilco – The Whole Love
Tedeschi Trucks Band – Revelator
Sam Roberts Band – Collider
The Rosebuds – Loud Planes Fly Low
Rival Sons – Pressure & Time
Richard Buckner – Our Blood
Quiet Life – Big Green
My Pet Dragon – Mountains and Cities
MuteMath – Odd Soul
Matt Pond PA – Spring Fools (EP)
M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
The London Souls – Self Titled
Hot Bodies in Motion – Old Habits
Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Foster the People – Pumped Up Kicks
Feist – Metals
Eef Barzelay – Black Tin Rocket (Songs of the Transmissionary Six)
Deep Dark Robot – 8 Songs About a Girl
Cavemen – CoCo Beware
Blitzen Trapper – American Goldwing
Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See
Absofacto – Sinking Islands
Since I last visited, I see a few more albums have made the “Best Albums of 2011″ list. I too also love Ryan Adams’ “Ashes & Fire,” The DDW’s “The Place I Left Behind,” and Deer Tick’s “Divine Providence.” Great additions to your list!!! I tip my hat to you! The new Deer Tick album is a diverse album with a lot of different musical genres shakin’ and mashed together. I had the pleasure of watchin’ Deer Tick perform last weekend and what a show!!! They are waaaaaaaaaay better live, a very unique group of musicians.
Check out Honeyhoney’s new album, “Billy Jack,” it’s a good one too!
Cosmicoldcrowe,
I listened and I like it. Thanks for the recommendation.
also somebody on this list mentioned Caveman’s Coco Beware. I’m enjoying that as well. Thanks.
This is a superb list, and it has gotten even better with the new additions! There is still one glaring oversight, in my humble opinion. Dawes- Nothing is Wrong is one of the best albums not only of this year but of the last few years at least! As a lyricist, Taylor Goldsmith is emerging as one of the best songwriters of this generation. Add that to a talented line-up of musicians and you have something pretty damn spectacular!
I would add ———— St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
Great list and great site! I would highly recommend Sean Rowe’s Magic for the list. He has a powerful, unique voice and his songwriting is deep and strong. Few albums have moved me so much in recent years. Thanks.
A.A. Bondy’s ‘Believers’ is already on this list but hot damn, after hearing it performed live, it may deserve to wear the ‘Best Album of 2011′ crown. It’s saturated with heartache, despair, and solitude, yet leaves the soul feeling elated simply by the sheer beauty of each note, each lyric…
I don’t think this list could be complete without the Rural Alberta Advantage’s ‘Departing’. Easily the best album of the year!!!
I’m going to include the link for this because no one will believe me otherwise. CBC Radio is asking its listeners to vote on the best Canadian artist of the year. There’s a list of 50 possible candidates. Deep Dark Woods is not one of them.
http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/top50.html
Loving the Wilco album, their most accessible for years. They have always seemed like a pop band to me. Great album good inclusion.
Check out ‘The Jezabels’ album – Prisoners. Just came out in November and it’s pretty sweet!
A DEFINITE nominee is
The Black Lips – Arabia Mountain
WOW…. this album keeps a theme but literally dances circles around it, bursting at the seams
Way to go Denton, two bands Centro-matic and Seryn in the top 50. I’m telling everybody Denton TX has crazy mad talent and some of the best music out there. I lived in Austin for 15 years and no disrespect because there are some wonderfully talented artist there, but Denton has more talent musically per capita than any place in Texas perhaps the whole of the US of A.
Great list – share’s a lot with my own best of the year list :
http://active-listener.blogspot.com/2011/12/active-listeners-top-twenty-albums-of.html
I definitely need to check out the Deep Dark Woods
Have y’all heard Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three?
This is a great list. I’m enjoying many of them — I really like David Wax Museum and A.A. Bondy (love him!). Thanks so much for introducing me to the Alabama Shakes! I love their sound .
What a plethora of picks — and good ones. Impressive.
I only picked twenty albums, but we have some comparable selections: http://plannedob.blogspot.com/2011/12/top-tentwenty-albums-of-2011.html
Great list and yes The Deep Dark Woods are amazing indeed !!
Pretty surprised that Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers – ‘Starlight Hotel’ is not on here — a truly GREAT album !!
You guys have great taste! Love the Seryn and War on Drugs plugs. I put together 15 if anyone wants to take a peak.
http://derubino.blogspot.com/2011/12/2011-ultimate-music-megapost-top-15.html
Love the list– a few notable additions that I think would fall into this list [i.e. M83 excluded]:
Real Estate
Bootstraps
The Drums
Youth Lagoon
Bombay Bicycle Club
Gary Clark Jr.
Safari Man – Gary Clark Jr. is badass. Totally forgot about that.
It was an EP right?
Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math, Is one of my favorites of the year, but rarely on a “list”, which is a shame..
Jessica Lea Mayfield – Tell Me, Is the Best!! but not on a “list”, great great album, check it out! should be on the list..
Starfucker–Reptilians = Fantastic, easily top 50… Has anyone heard these albums besides me? don’t get me wrong, there are some great albums on the list, but these three could easily knock any of those out..
STARFUCKER– http://youtu.be/09-ZsYkZcFc Jessica Lea Mayfield– http://youtu.be/O2ubDouN7Z0 Manchester Orchestra– http://youtu.be/trCD3oDIyfg
My Top Twenty Albums of 2011
20. Bombay Bicycle Club – A Different Kind Of Fix
19. Feist – Metals
18. Deerhoof – Deerhoof vs. Evil
17. Eddie Vedder – Ukulele Songs
16. The Kills – Blood Pressures
15. Cut Copy-Zonoscope
14. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
13. Explosions In The Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
12. Wilco – The Whole Love
11. Washout – Within and Without
10. The Black Keys – El Camino
9. Death Cab For Cutie – Key and Codes
8. Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire
7. Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
6. Jill Andrews – The Mirror
5. Radiohead – The King Of Limbs
4. The Decemberists – The King Is Dead
3. Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math
2. STRFKR – Reptilians
1. Jessica Lea Mayfield – Tell Me
Honorable Mention (just outside the top twenty) :, , tUnE-yArDs – W h o K i l l, Liam Finn – Fomo, The Antlers – Burst Apart, Maria Taylor- Overlook
Dawes – Nothing is Wrong, , White Denim – D, Mute Math – Odd Soul, Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit – Here We Rest, M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, Angus And Julia Stone – Memories Of An Old Friend
Damn Scott. You got enough entries there? I don’t think the Barr Brothers should have been left off. It was on your earlier list and it’s a damn good album. Also, no one picked up on Sean Rowe-Magic suggestion earlier. It might not fit the tidy, rootsy, americana band thing but it’s a hell of an album. For whatever it’s worth.
@Eric – The Barr Bros was a mistake. We had that in the late 20s or 30s and simply missed it. I also realized that we left off O’Death which is one of my favorites of the year as well.
The Black Keys at #24!!! what?! how can that be with tracks like this!!!
http://shrt.fm/uQKwnn
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