Runner Up: Capsule - No Ghost (US group)
What happens when Drive Like Jehu, Small brown Bike, Cinemechanica, and a plethora of late 90's hardcore bands get together in a freaky orgy and have a baby? It sounds something like the red headed stepchild Capsule. Holy fuck have you heard this album? This shit is mind bogglingly complex, aggressive as hell, with that ooo to familiar No Idea records HWM style vocals. This was a super funny accidental find, I was searching around for some Capsule (Japanese group) recordings and stumbled into this US band.
Check out this track: Small caps
Runner Up: Rustie - Glass Swords
Oh I had to pick a Warp group but it didn’t quite make my top 10…but close! I love this label frankly they got SquarePusher, Battles, Flying Lotus, Bibio...I could keep going on. Rustie was a random find when listening to Warp Records Sampler 2010. Rustie I think is Warp Records best release of 2011. The album is hilarious and jam packed with attention deficit disorder. Some songs sound like B96 R and B songs, some songs have the Seinfeld bass samples in them (Flash Back and Hover Traps). It's great! I listen to it on the train pretty much every week. Highly suggested if you have ADD and love goofy electronica.
Check out this track: Ultra Thizz
10. Nicolas Jaar - Space is Only Noise
Oh wow so where do I start with this one. The second haunting album to make my top 10. I’m actually listening to this record right now while eating a terrible chocolate-chip muffin. The music however makes the muffin taste better. And if any one producer is inspiring me right now to strip down my electronic and get better at singing it is this guy.
Check out this track: To many kids finding rain in the dust
9. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
I love 80’s music and reverb, I love electronic music, I like shoegazer a little bit too. This guy sort of just packs it all up in a modern package. And as I’m working on my music, I often listen to M83 as a reference for how well I’m doing my synth production. He’s a genius. Literally, the fullness and emotional charge of these songs are astounding. This is a great album that’s worthy of any good set of headphones.
Check out this track: Intro
8. Panda Bear - Tomboy
Tomboy is a great album. And hell yeah, I love the title track actually. I think it's my favorite Panda Bear song. I'm not a huge Animal Collective and associated acts fanboy. I sorta fell of following Animal Collective after they released Feels. I also totally missed Panda Bear, when his music was described to me as an ethereal Beach Boys I just didn't seem interested. However, when I picked up Tomboy I just fell in love with the album. It's a great mix of pop sensibility and well...ethereal Beach Boys.
Check out this track: Tomboy
7. Mount Kimbie - Crooks & Lovers
I am breaking the rules. YES THIS ALBUM CAME OUT IN 2010. But who cares, it feels like a 2011 album. Addicting as all hell. The chillness of this album cools me so well. If you guys aren't aware, I work as a security consultant and spend 90% of my workweek behind a desk hacking into websites and writing reports. I wear headphones about 45 hours a week (at work and on the train). Mount Kimbie fits that vibe where I can put them on, listen to their entire discography on Monday, and then do it again on Wednesday. They truly capture the essence of the best of electronica wrapped up a minimalist package.
Check out this track: Before I move off
6. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
I fucking love this album. Enough said, I listen to it alot, I love these guys and their vocal work. This album just kicks ass that's why it’s in my top 10.
Check out this track: Sim Sala Bim
5. James Blake - Self Titled
So I didn't get James Blake right away. I thought he was highly overrated and I didn't care much for his full-length except a few tracks. But as time went on, and I finally saw him live, I understood what the fuss was about. He is a master of silence and a master of production. And he uses Dave Smith Instruments which I love. Plus he has a wonderful voice and seems really meticulous with his songs. I do have an appreciation for artists who take care of every note strummed or sung.
Check out this track: The Wilhelm Scream
4. Active Child - You Are All I See
What a great album. I love the harp and I love Pat Grossi's vocals. The mood on the album is quite wonderful, and the album really does make me feel great. I haven't seen him live yet, but I got tickets to see Tycho and Active Child in January at Lincoln Hall. I'm super excited to hear these wonderful songs live.
Check out this track: High Pristess
3. Hitterbox - Bear With Me
Yeah he's not signed to Def jam, but HitterBox's independent debut is one of the freshest hip hop albums I've heard in years. I struggle with a lot of hip hop albums these days, which don't seem to have a lot of cohesion or get redundant a few songs in. The wide variety of influences and beats on hear make it a joy to listen to, and the rhymes Slick Ritz delivers are on par with MF Doom and Aesop Rock for ingenuity. And yeah, yours truly makes a few guest appearances on it. I may sound biased, but all biases aside it’s a great album.
Check out this track: Matinee for Manatee
2. Salyu X Salyu - S(o)un(d)beams (Japan group)
Well this definitely made it in the top two albums of the year the minute I hit play. I will admit, I am a sucker for Japan pop music and well Cornelius. Who isn’t a sucker for this guy? He’s like the biggest influence on some of my favorite groups (most notably The Books). So he collaborates with this Pop singer, Salyu, who sort of made subpar pop music with a bunch of different producers. Enter Cornelius stage left. And then they decide to do a concept album. And it’s fucking amazing. This album is so forward thinking, catchy as all hell, and technically impressive. Before you go out and grab a copy of this record from Japan Amazon, go to youtube and watch a few of her videos. Here I will link a few for you:
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1. Son Lux - We Are Rising
Goosebumps. I can recall exactly 3 songs in my entire life that can consistently give me goosebumps every time i hear them. The first one being Smashing Pumpkins "Tales of a Scorched Earth" and the second one "Will You Smile Again?" by ...And You will Know us by the Trail of Dead. I Then herd this Son Lux album on accident when browsing Anticon's webpage looking for some new hip hop albums. The Song "flickers" streamed on the website, and I immediately got chills down my spine, making the song my 3rd goosebump everytime song. I ran out and bought the album, listened to it nonstop for most of the year. For me personally, this hits every single style characteristic and my emotional needs to also make it in my top 10 albums of all time. I wish I could describe it better with words; the album can bring me tears in an instant and make me smile the next. And when you read the story of how he made the record, in 28 days, during the month of February as a challenge and documented it for an NPR I just lose my mind. He did this in 28 days are you fucking kidding me? I guess if I could describe at all what this sounds like, it sounds like an artist that never stopped exploring music and decided to use everything he's ever learned to make the most emotionally driven album of the year.
Check out this track: Rebuild
