Friday, December 9, 2011

Cream of the Crop 2011

Cream of the Crop is a tradition that I started back in 2006 (long before the beginnings of this blog). It was a way for me to chronicle my some of my favorite albums throughout the year and post it as a list for people to see. It is still a tradition that I still continue even until today.

2011 has been a great year for music and there were so many great albums that came out. It was tough having to narrow down my choices to only 20 this year, but as I look at my list, I'm very happy with the albums I have selected.

Before moving on, I would like to first acknowledge of some of my favorites albums that did not make the Cream of the Crop list this year, but are still worth mentioning. These are albums are featured under my "Honorable Mentions" section.

Honorable Mentions

Dye It Blonde by Smith Westerns
Within and Without by Washed Out
How Do You Do by Mayer Hawthorne
Ladies Choice by Joel Barber
Skying by The Horrors
Past Life Martyred Saints by EMA
Tessa EP by Tessa
Belong by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
The Whole Love by Wilco
David Comes To Life by Fucked Up

And now without further ado, I give you the Cream of the Crop list of 2011! Enjoy!


20. Suck It And See by Arctic Monkeys
The title of Arctic Monkey's fourth studio album derives from an English slang that means, “Screw It! I'm going for it!” That has always been the motto of the band throughout their musical career. With Suck It and See, the band combined the psychadelic influences from Humbug with the garage rock energies of their first two albums (Whatever People Think of Me... and Your Favourite Worst Nightmare) to create their most balanced and well toned effort to date.

19. Watch The Throne by Jay-Z & Kanye West
When news of the two biggest names in hip-hop wanting to work together on an album, it caused quite a speculation. Many people were questioning how these two juggernauts would sound if collided with one another. Fortunately, their first (and probably not their last) collaborative effort, Watch The Throne is an incredible feat that showcases both artists' charismatic personalities. Influenced by progressive rock and classical orchestral style of recording, the album moves in more unconventional direction, which bring about a more raw and massive sound. The two may be distinct in their own styles but they have achieved cohesiveness as one.

18. Take Care, Take Care, Take Care by Explosions In The Sky
4 years since their last recorded effort, the Texas post-rock outfit Explosions In The Sky began harnessing their strengths with a renewed sense of focus. On Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, the band took the time to develop their patience in assembling their music. As a result, the melodies on the new album flowed more freely and elegantly as makes transitions from guitar-driven noise to the delicate moments of silence. It is the kind of music that brings about a whole new level of intimacy in which the listener can connect with.

17. Underneath The Pine by Toro Y Moi
Although he is highly regarded as one of the leading artists of the Chillwave movement, Toro Y Moi’s can be described as a chameleon in which his musical landscapes can take on a variety of different disguises. Throughout Underneath The Pine, his music can easily shift from dream pop psychedelia to ambient shoegaze to new wave lo-fi. The fact that he is able to tackle on so many genres is quite remarkable. There is still very little understanding of what chillwave is, but with Toro Y Moi leading the course, it may be possible the newly discovered genre can take on a whole new different form.

16. Soul Punk by Patrick Stump
The moment Fall Out Boy announced their hiatus, it was pretty clear that Patrick Stump would be first in line for a solo spot. Steering away from the punk rock sounds of his previous band, the humble frontman utilized his love of Prince and Michael Jackson as his inspiration for his debut record, Soul Punk. Beautifully chiseled and radio friendly infectious, his sound is reminiscent to the classic heydays of 80's and 90's pop. Stump's broad range of instrumentation as well as his vocal finesse is highlighted on this album, but what makes Soul Punk so incredible is his uncanny ability to adapt in any music genre. Although in this case, it's obvious this is the kind of music he was meant to play.

15. Nine Types of Light by TV On The Radio
TV On The Radio were always known for their broad range of influences. Everything from Bad Brains to Earth, Wind and Fire to even Brian Eno. The band members were never afraid to experiment with their sound. With Nine Types of Light, they blended of all their influences once again and created one of their most cohesive pieces to date. Sadly though, their bassist and fellow comrade, Gerard Smith died of lung cancer a few days after the album was released.

14. Wasted Light by Foo Fighters
An album recorded directly from Dave Grohl's garage, the popular frontman of the Foo Fighters wanted to make a larger than life rock record. The band have succeeded in doing that with their seventh studio album, Wasted Light. Raw, loud and very edgy, this album is worthy of playing in garages and in crowd packed arenas. Every riff and every beat was not wasted and it's dead on "kick your teeth in" rock and roll. The Foo Fighter were already rock stars, but this album only solidifies it.

13. Gloss Drop by Battles
The writing of Gloss Drop took place sometime last year. During that time, guitarist and vocalist Tyondai Braxton left the band to focus on his solo projects. Taking as a chance to reinvent themselves, they re-wrote a brand new album as a trio. What came out of is the same experimental rock sound that fans have grown to love, but with a slight difference. Unlike their previous works, Gloss Drop is less structured and the band incorporated pop sounds into the mix to create a more playful dynamic to their music. It goes to show that although Braxton is no longer with them, they can easily adapt in any situation and can carry on on their own.

12. Civilian by Wye Oak
One of the most intriguing surprises of the year, the indie rock duo was able to use two different genres, both from opposite sides of the musical spectrum and combine them into one amazing sound. On Civiilan, noise and folk (along with indie rock) blends perfectly with one another to create a peaceful, yet driving rock and roll sound. This is an album serves as a reminder that when it comes to music, the possibilities are endless.

11. Angles by The Strokes
Angles mark the band's triumphant return to the music scene. Two years in the making, the band reverted back to the ways of their debut album, Is This It with a few new twists. While playing a more refined version of their garage, post-punk sound this time around, they experimented with electronics and keyboards, which allowed them to create unique layers into their music. As a result, Angles is an extraordinary sonically charged album that is unparalleled to anything in their catalog. After being away for 5 years, it was worth the wait.

10. Strange Mercy by St. Vincent
Strange Mercy, an album that was based on the depression that Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent was experiencing, was recording during a time of reflection and isolation. Musically compelling like her previous albums, but the highlight of this record is her lyrics. Deeply riveting and poetic, her third album is her most personal and endearing work as an artist. This lyrical masterpiece only proves what a gifted songwriter she truly is.

9. The King of Limbs by Radiohead
The band's most spontaneous album (and also their shortest) to date, The King of Limbs was released unexpectedly and in the same fashion as their previous album, In Rainbows. With only eight tracks, Radiohead experimented with their established rock sound while fidding with some new elements such post-dubstep and ambient sounds. What's unique about The King of Limbs is their use of sampling and looping as well as adding the turntable into their instrumentation. It's has oddly mishaped their sound, but perhaps in Radiohead's case, it was probably what they were going for.

8. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
An album that was supposedly set to release late last year, turmoil and setbacks caused the album to be pushed back. Finally early this year, Helplessness Blues saw the light of day. With the addition of multi-intstrumentalist Morgan Henderson (formerly of The Blood Brothers), their folk pop sounds fuller and more defined. Along with that, the band's vocal harmonies as a band are absolutely superb on the new album.

7. Build A Rocket Boys! by Elbow
It took 3 years for the English rockers, Elbow to come up with a follow up for their highly acclaimed album, The Seldom Seen Kid. Build A Rocket Boys! is based on frontman's Guy Garvey's nostalgia of his childhood and the beauty of growing up. Heartfelt rock anthems lead by Garvey's uplifting vocals is simply breathtaking and carries a sense of innocence throughout the album. It's is a reminder to always stay young at heart, but to keep moving forward wherever life takes you.

6. England Keep My Bones by Frank Turner
The title England Keep My Bones was derived from a work by William Shakespeare that Frank Turner was reading at the time. While reading the legendary writer’s work, topics such “English identitiy” and “mortality” came to mind. Frank Turner used these thoughts as his inspiration for his latest work. The songs still carry the same punk rock, sing along quality to them like his pervious albums, but this time around the songs carry a much greater depth and emotion to them. It is an album in which Frank Turner has a better understanding of his English roots and the meaning of life.

5. Bon Iver (S/T)
On his self-titled second album, the Wisconsin folk singer takes a giant leap in the direction of his music. The album was recorded in the lush landscape of the town where Bon Iver grew up in. The singer-songwriter guided the recording process but allowed the music takes it's own natural course. This experiment along with the serene landscape helped shaped his music in a tremendous way. The music sounds more organic and more free and invokes a spiritual quality to the album. It goes to show that nature has a way to guiding us in the right direction.

4. Kiss Each Other Clean by Iron and Wine
Although Samuel Beam, aka Iron and Wine is known for his honest folk sound, on his new record Kiss Each Other Clean, the singer-songwriter catches himself playing with the friendly sounds of pop. The album still retains the deep and heartfelt melodies listeners have loved from the artist, but it gives off a vibe that is similar to a classic pop record.

3. Ceremonials by Florence + The Machine
Florence Welch, aka Florence + The Machine, describes her latest work as an album that combines her love of chamber pop, art rock and soul. On Ceremonials, she captivates her audience with her monumental voice and with her powerful ballads. The beautiful songstress of soul may have crafted an album that not only succeeded her previous work, but perhaps she has created one of the most vocally compelling albums of the year.

2. James Blake (S/T)
James Blake caught the attention of many listeners with his haunting cover of Feist's "Limit To Your Love". But that was only the tip of the iceberg. His self titled debut captures a raw sense of romance but in a strikingly bizzare undertone. Other than the fact that the music was recorded in a minimalistic fashion, he utilizes dubstep and ambient elements to create a unique listening experience. But it's Blake's soulful croon is the glue that brings all these elements together and gives life to the album.

1. House of Balloons by The Weeknd
The best record of 2011 happens to be the most mysterious. There is little that people know about Abel Tesfaye, the man behind the moniker The Weeknd. In fact, this album is just a mere mixtape that he created late 2010 and was not released to the general public until March 2011. But little did people realize how incredible this mixtape truly is. Tesfaye sampled different tracks from various artists including Beach House, Siouxsie and the Banshees and even the late Aaliyah and incorporated these pieces into the landscape of his music. He also used elements of hip-hop, dream pop and ambient into the mix to help “soften” the music. In addition, Tesfaye's soulful pipes is a retrospect of the glory days of 90's R&B. When you combine all of these elements together, the results is something unheard of and an absolute thing of beauty. In essence, House of Balloons is what happens to R&B begins to evolve in the modern technological era. A classic vibe thrown into the wonders of a majestic soundscape.

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