Sunday 1 January 2012

Top 50 Albums of 2011

Alright pop pickers, it's time for the definitive list of the best (read: my favourite) fifty long-players released this year. Read 'em and weep.

50. THE COMPUTERS: This Is The Computers
49. NOAH AND THE WHALE: Last Night on Earth
48. COSMO JARVIS: Is the World Strange or am I Strange?
47. THE JOY FORMIDABLE: The Big Roar
46. I AM THE AVALANCHE: Avalanche United
45. LITTLE COMETS: In Search of Elusive Little Comets
44. MAZES: A Thousand Heys
43. COPY HAHO: Copy Haho
42. SMITH WESTERNS: Dye It Blonde
41. TELEKINESIS: 12 Desperate Straight Lines
40. CHRIS T-T: Disobedience (Chris T-T Sings A.A. Milne)
39. YOUNG LEGIONNAIRE: Crisis Works
38. BATTLES: Gloss Drop
37. BLACK LIPS: Arabia Mountain
36. VERONICA FALLS: Veronica Falls
35. DAN ANDRIANO IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM: Hurricane Season
34. GIRLS: Father, Son, Holy Ghost
33. FUCKED UP: David Comes to Life
32. BJORK: Biophilia
31. tUnE-yArDs: w h o k i l l
30. EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY: Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
29. ARCTIC MONKEYS: Suck It and See
28. BEIRUT: The Rip Tide
27. THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART: Belong
26. PATRICK WOLF: Lupercalia
25. TV ON THE RADIO: Nine Types of Light
24. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE: Codes and Keys
23. FLEET FOXES: Helplessness Blues
22. THE ANTLERS: Burst Apart
21. THE NAKED AND FAMOUS: Passive Me, Aggressive You
20. BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB: A Different Kind of Fix
19. DAVE HAUSE: Resolutions
18. WILD FLAG: Wild Flag
17. IRON & WINE: Kiss Each Other Clean
16. THE VACCINES: What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
15. CRAZY ARM: Union City Breath
14. BON IVER: Bon Iver
13. BRITISH SEA POWER: Valhalla Dancehall
12. THE BLACK KEYS: El Camino
11. WILD BEASTS: Smother
10. CAGE THE ELEPHANT: Thank You, Happy Birthday
9. TWIN ATLANTIC: Free
8. LOS CAMPESINOS!: Hello Sadness
7. BRIGHT EYES: The People's Key
6. RYAN ADAMS: Ashes and Fire
5. WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS: In the Pit of the Stomach
4. THE HEAD AND THE HEART: The Head and the Heart
3. PJ HARVEY: Let England Shake
2. MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA: Simple Math

And the record of the year goes to... drum roll please...

1. FRANK TURNER: England, Keep My Bones

Consisting of 12 of his very finest lyrics, 'England, Keep My Bones 'is Frank Turner’s love letter to dear old Blighty, a collection of beautifully evocative and at times deliciously poignant poems that celebrate the people and places that make up this ramshackle little country. It’s undoubtedly his most consistent, and really bloody brilliant, work to date, moving effortlessly from one rousing chorus to the next; whether it’s the unashamedly atheist 'Glory Hallelujah' or the spine-tinglingly moving 'I Am Disappeared', these are songs that you just cannot resist singing along to. It’s no coincidence that this is his most successful album yet and long may the upward trend continue. Roll on Wembley.

And also... a special mention to Alex Turner's sublime soundtrack to Submarine, a truly beautiful piece of work that would most definitely be awarded Soundtrack of the Year status if I'd actually bothered listening to any other soundtracks. Probably.

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