Top 50 Albums 2011

So I finally finished working my way through my top 100 tracks of last year. I've put a list of my favourite albums together, too, although - as usual - the tracks list feels like it matters a lot more to me, and it's certainly more of a representative sample of the music which excited me in 2011. For what it's worth, though, here are my top 50 albums of last year.


50. Beyoncé – 4



49. Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Vol 2: Judges



48. Zomby – Dedication



47. Radiohead – The King Of Limbs




46. Touché Amoré – Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me



45. Miranda Lambert – Four The Record



44. James Blake – James Blake



43. Indian – Guiltless



42. Egyptrixx – Bible Eyes




41. Various Artists – Back & Forth: A Hotflush Compilation



40. Various Artists – Hessle Audio: 116 & Rising



39. Various Artists – IOTDXI



38. Shabazz Palaces – Black Up



37. DJ Diamond – Flight Muzik



36. CocknBullKid – Adulthood



35. Tombs – Path Of Totality



34. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – Belong



33. Africa Hitech – 93 Million Miles



32. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming



31. Kuedo – Severant



30. Mastodon – The Hunter



29. St. Vincent – Strange Mercy



28. Young Montana? – Limerence



27. Kendrick Lamar – Section.80



26. Cher Lloyd – Sticks + Stones



25. The Field – Looping State Of Mind



24. Lowkey – Soundtrack to the Struggle



23. Blut Aus Nord – 777 Sect(s)/777 – The Desanctification



22. WU LYF – Go Tell Fire To The Mountain



21. Rustie – Glass Swords



20. The Roots – Undun



19. Nicola Roberts – Cinderella’s Eyes



18. Various Artists – Boy Better Know: Tropical 2



17. Wolves In The Throne Room – Celestial Lineage



16. Will Young - Echoes



15. SBTRKT – SBTRKT



14. Sub Rosa – No Help For The Mighty Ones



13. Britney Spears - Femme Fatale



12. tUnE-yArDs – W h o k i l l



11. Matana Roberts – Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens De Coleur Libres



10. Araabmusik – Electronic Dream



9. Adele – 21



8. Various Artists – Bangs & Works Vol 2: The Best Of Chicago Footwork



7. EMA – Past Life Martyred Saints



6. Lil B – I’m Gay



5. Kate Bush – 50 Words For Snow



4. La Dispute – Wildlife



3. Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost



2. Katy B – On A Mission



1. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake



I'm sure no one who has read what I've written about Let England Shake lately (both in my top tracks list and here) will be surprised to see that it made my number one, but it actually almost didn't - I agonised over the order of those top two albums, and I changed my mind several times. When I first heard PJ Harvey's latest, way back in February, it seemed like an obvious album of the year, but On A Mission really snuck up on me and gave Let England Shake more of a run for its money than I thought possible. Part of me wanted to make Katy B number one for symbolic reasons; it seemed a shame to make such a perfect, timely and vibrant pop album - and such a perfect reflection and realisation of what excited me the most about music in 2011 (i.e., the new levels of pop power and pervasiveness enjoyed by underground UK bass music) - come in second place to something as old-fashioned and worthy as a concept album by a 42-year-old rock veteran. On A Mission really was the perfect pop album for 2011, back-to-back brilliant songs informed both musically and lyrically by London club music. But at the end of the day, Let England Shake was just too perfectly realised, too endlessly fascinating and rewarding, too rich with layers of meaning and resonance, to be anywhere but number one. It has little to do with the musical landscape of 2011, but that's sort of the point - it feels genuinely, unsettlingly timeless, shifting its focus across the face of the earth and across the last hundred years or so of human history. It is at once breathtakingly ambitious and strikingly understated. I certainly don't think that timeless High Art with lofty aims should always win out over populist club music which seeks only to capture a single moment; and, arguably, On A Mission has just as many important and meaningful things to say to its listeners as Let England Shake. In a way, the albums are two sides of a coin, and both represent - at least in part - a confrontation with, and meditation upon, the culture of the country in which they were made. They were the two albums that meant the most to me over the last twelve months.

Finally, here are some 'honourable mentions' - some other albums of 2011 that I really liked, but which there just wasn't room for in the top 50. Some were particularly painful omissions, and some, which I heard towards the end of the year, might well have made the list if I had had a few more months to live with them.

Anti-G - Kentje'sz Beatsz
Balam Acab - Wander/Wonder
Clams Casino - Instrumental Mixtape
The Coathangers - Larceny and Old Lace
Disma - Towards The Megalith
Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Make A Scene
Elzhi - Elmatic
Falty DL - You Stand Uncertain
Grayceon - All We Destroy
Iceage - New Brigade
Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise
The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
Kode9 & The Spaceape - Black Sun
Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
Liturgy - Aesthethica
Los Campesinos! - Hello Sadness
Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra
Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica
Panda Bear - Tomboy
Pianos Become The Teeth - The Lack Long After
Pistol Annies - Hell On Heels
The Saturdays - On Your Radar
Thundercat - The Golden Age Of Apocalypse
Thurz - L.A. Riot
Ulcerate - Destroyers Of All
Various Artists - Bazzerk: African Digital Dance
Various Artists - Harmonia: Family Album
Wiley - 100% Publishing
Yob - Atma