So someone hasn't blogged much recently, huh? Anyways, there are plenty of reasons for that--namely that I just don't really want to--but I still feel compelled to share my favorite music of the past year with you all over the internet. I'm not gonna write fancy writings telling you why I like this music--just suffice it to say that I like all this stuff because it's good, in some way or another.
These lists were especially tough to compile because, while there weren't any songs or albums that jumped out as being "the best", there was a veritable buttload of really nice releases in 2011 that deserve mention on this here blog (and on other blogs and magazines and stuff). There's not really an overarching theme to the music--we're post-genre, aren't we?--and there wasn't an exact science in choosing what albums/songs went in which order. Mostly I just picked the things that I listened to the most and provided the most intellectual/fun/emotional fodder for me in 2011 (which is why it's not a coincidence that my number one song and album are by the same artist). So, anyways, after the jump you'll find my sixty favorite albums, ninety favorite songs, thirty favorite reissues/compilations, and fifteen favorite EPs of 2011. They all rule. Happy new year.
Albums
UPDATE (1/11/12): There are several 2011 albums I've only heard recently that deserve to be on this list. They are listed, with a rough estimate of where I think I'd place them on the list, below:
Blut Aus Nord - 777 (high thirties / low forties)
KWJAZ - KWJAZ (high thirties / low forties)
The Men - Leave Home (high twenties / low thirties)
Michael Chapman - The Resurrection and Revenge of The Clayton Peacock (low-to-mid-teens)
Sandwell District - Feed Forward (low-to-mid-thirties)
Sean McCann - The Capital (mid-to-high twenties)
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Blood Lust (high twenties / low thirties)
60. The Doozies - The Doozies
59. TV On The Radio - Nine Types of Light
58. Run DMT - Dreams
57. Fire! with Jim O'Rourke - Unreleased?
56. Psychic Reality - Vibrant New Age
55. Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra
54. Disappears - Guider
53. Forma - Forma
52. Wire - Red Barked Tree
51. Battles - Gloss Drop
50. Sepalcure - Sepalcure
49. Fucked Up - David Comes To Life
48. Cult Of Youth - Cult Of Youth
47. Byetone - SyMeta
46. Mikal Cronin - Mikal Cronin
45. Glenn Jones - The Wanting
44. Arrington de Dionyso's Malaikat Dan Singa - Suara Naga
43. Cut Hands - Afro Noise 1
42. Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise
41. Hype Williams - One Nation
40. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Wolfroy Goes To Town
39. Omar-S - It Can Be Done But Only I Can Do It
38. The Field - Looping State Of Mind
37. DJ Rashad - Just A Taste
36. Bill Orcutt - How The Thing Sings
35. Zomby - Dedication
34. Danny Brown - XXX
33. Liturgy - Aesthethica
32. Colin Stetson - New History Warfare, Vol. 2: Judges
31. Prurient - Bermuda Drain
30. Alvarius B. - Baroque Primitiva
29. Locrian - The Clearing
28. Twin Sister - In Heaven
27. Atlas Sound - Parallax
26. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
25. Thee Oh Sees - Castlemania + Carrion Crawler / The Dream
24. Drake - Take Care
23. Peaking Lights - 936
22. Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
21. The Weeknd - House of Balloons
20. Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place
19. Telebossa - Telebossa
18. Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow
17. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
16. Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact
15. Sun Araw - Ancient Romans
14. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
13. Destroyer - Kaputt
12. Iceage - New Brigade
11. The Caretaker - An Empty Bliss Beyond This World
10. James Ferraro - Far Side Virtual
9. Julia Holter - Tragedy
8. Matana Roberts - COIN COIN Chapter One: Gens de Couleur Libres
7. tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l
6. James Blake - James Blake
5. Grouper - A I A
4. Tom Waits - Bad As Me
3. M83 - Hurry Up We're Dreaming
2. Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica
1. John Maus - We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves
Songs
90. Rebecca Black - Friday
89. Panda Bear - Slow Motion
88. FunkyStepz - Fuller
87. Grouper - Water People
86. Disappears - Superstition
85. Fire! with Jim O'Rourke - Are You Both Still Unreleased?
84. Antony & The Johnsons - Swanlights (OPN Edit)
83. Trash Talk - Blind Evolution
82. Twin Sister - Gene Campi
81. Actress - Gershwin
80. Jacques Greene - Another Girl
79. Nas - Nasty
78. C. Spencer Yeh - In The Blink of An Eye
77. John Maus - Matter of Fact
76. Sepalcure - Pencil Pimp
75. WU LYF - Heavy Pop
74. Liturgy - Generation
73. Nicolas Jaar - Keep Me There
72. Shackleton - Fireworks
71. Holy Ghost! - Jam For Jerry
70. SE62 - Dreaming
69. Terius Nash - Wake Me When It's Over
68. Bjork - Crystalline
67. Real Estate - It's Real
66. Omar-S - Here's Your Trance Now Dance
65. Drake - Doing It Wrong
64. The Weeknd - The Morning
63. M83 - Intro
62. TV On The Radio - Will Do
61. Zomby - Natalia's Song
60. The Rapture - How Deep is Your Love?
59. Julia Holter - Goddess Eyes
58. Jai Paul - BTSTU
57. Thundercat - For Love I Come
56. Gang Gang Dance - MindKilla
55. Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean
54. King Krule - Portrait In Black and Blue
53. Laurel Halo - Hour Logic
52. Danny Brown - Monopoly
51. Destroyer - Kaputt
50. Battles - Ice Cream feat. Matias Aguayo
49. Tom Waits - Bad As Me
48. Atlas Sound - Terra Incognita
47. Those Darlins - Be Your Bro
46. Locrian - Coprolite
45. Burial - Street Halo
44. Shabazz Palaces - Swerve... the reeping of all that is worthwhile (Noir not withstanding)
43. Junior Boys - Banana Ripple
42. Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire - The Last Huzzah (Remix)
41. Beyonce - Countdown
40. Azealia Banks - 212
39. XXXY - Ordinary Things
38. Daphni - Ye Ye
37. Peaking Lights - All The Sun That Shines
36. Thee Oh Sees - I Need Seed
35. Balam Acab - Oh, Why
34. Beirut - East Harlem
33. Grimes - Oblivion
32. Rockwell - Aria
31. Mathew Jonson - Learning To Fly
30. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - There Is No God
29. Chris Brown feat. Busta Rhymes & Lil Wayne - Look At Me Now
28. tUnE-yArDs - Bizness
27. James Blake - Measurements
26. Destroyer - Suicide Demo for Kara Walker
25. The Weeknd - House of Balloons - Glass Table Girls
24. Gang Gang Dance - Glass Jar
23. Prurient - Time's Arrow
22. John Maus - Hey Moon
21. Zoo Kid - Out Getting Ribs
20. Mikal Cronin - Apathy
19. Lana Del Rey - Video Games
18. Fleet Foxes - The Shrine / An Argument
17. Todd Terje - Snooze 4 Love
16. Massive Attack vs. Burial - Paradise Circus
15. Tom Waits - Chicago
14. M83 - Wait
13. Grouper - Alien Observer
12. The Weeknd - What You Need
11. Twin Sister - Kimmi In A Rice Field
10. Factory Floor - Two Different Ways
9. Blawan - Getting Me Down
8. tUnE-yArDs - Gangsta
7. Drake - Marvins Room
6. Tyler The Creator - Yonkers
5. Youth Lagoon - July
4. Adele - Someone Like You
3. M83 - Midnight City
2. James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream
1. John Maus - Believer
Reissues/Compilations
30. Wives - Roy Tapes
29. Jim O'Rourke & Christopher Heemann - Plastic People Vol. 1
28. Virgo Four - Resurrection
27. Faith - Subject to Change Plus First Demo
26. Van Dyke Parks - Arrangements Volume 1
25. Serge Gainsbourg - Gainsbourg Percussions
24. Lee Perry - The Return of Pipecock Jackxon
23. Anthony Braxton - Town Hall (Trio & Quintet) 1972
22. Various - The Hidden Tapes
21. Hecker - Sun Pandamonium
20. Demdike Stare - Tryptych
19. Mark Hollis - Mark Hollis
18. Plastikman - Artifakts B.C.
17. Reatards - Teenage Hate / Fuck Elvis Here's The Reatards
16. Various - Eccentric Soul: The Nickel & Penny Labels
15. Spiritualized - Lazer Guided Melodies
14. Various - Bangs & Works, Vol. 2
13. Harald Grosskopf - Synthesist
12. Bruce Gilbert - The Shivering Man
11. Jeff & Jane Hudson - Flesh
10. Nirvana - Hormoaning EP
9. LFO - Frequencies
8. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - The Doldrums
7. Disco Inferno - The 5 EPs
6. Fred McDowell - The Alan Lomax Recordings
5. Throbbing Gristle - The Second Annual Report / D.o.A.: The Third and Final Report
4. Various - I Listen To The Wind That Obliterates My Traces
3. Scritti Politti - Absolute
2. John Fahey - Your Past Comes Back To Haunt You
1. The Beach Boys - The SMiLE Sessions
EPs
15. Miguel Gallego - Derive
14. The Black Twig Pickers with Charlie Parr - EastMont Syrup
13. Robin Pecknold - Three Songs
12. Dylan Ettinger - Lion Of Judah
11. Hieroglyphic Being - A Visitor From Someone Else's Memories
10. Antony & The Johnsons - Swanlights EP
9. Vatican Shadow - Mural of Saddam
8. LA Vampires Goes Ital - Streetwise
7. Holy Other - With U
6. Trash Talk - Awake
5. Glenn Jones - Even To Win Is To Fail
4. Clams Casino - Rainforest
3. Burial - Street Halo
2. Andy Stott - Passed Me By / We Stay Together
1. Laurel Halo - Hour Logic
There you have it. The best music of 2011, or something like that. Yay, John Maus!
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