Here's some more to listen to"
http://open.spotify.com/user/djperry1973/playlist/2c5J6cInjUXV647UzhXZbS
My favorite albums of 2011. A quick rundown:
Lamb - 5
Old school trip-n-bass comes roaring back like a subdued Portishead, remaining as wonderful as they did in their heyday.
Standouts: "Butterfly Effect", "Build A Fire", "She Walks"
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Fragile, emotional renderings of the impact of WWII on England, sung in a revelatory manner more reminiscent of Kate Bush than "Sheela-Na-Gig".
Standouts: "The Words That Maketh Murder", "On Battleship Hill"
The Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck
Duh.
Standouts: "Damn These Vampires", "Age Of Kings", "High Hawk Season" (duh*2)
Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials
This fucking woman ruined what is probably the best goth-pop album released this year by releasing a fucking racist video. It's super infuriating because this album is great. Never buy it.
Standouts: "What The Water Gave Me", "Remain Nameless", "No Light, No Light" <-- this is the racist video
Austra - Feel It Break
Buy this instead of Florence. It's basically the same voice over moody electronics and without the racist videos.
Standouts: "Beat and the Pulse", "Hate Crime" (irony!)
Beyonce - 4
Despite being largely about how Beyonce can't exist without a man, this is an astonishing sounding album. B has never sounded better and a bunch of the songs are super bonkers. People will tell you the bonus tracks are the real stars; these people are high.
Standouts: "End of Time", "I Care", "I Miss You", "Countdown"
Lone - Echolocations EP
omg it's 1993 again and I'm raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaving
Standouts: "Explorers", "Rapid Racer"
M83 - Hurry up, We're Dreaming
Yes it's an extended John Hughes soundtrack/Tears for Fears meets Simple Minds pastiche; this is precisely what makes it so fucking awesome.
Standouts: "Midnight City", "OK Pal", "Claudia Lewis"
Planningtorock - W
Specifically for those times when you think "you know what, Fever Ray is too commercial for me"
Standouts: "Doorway", "I Am Your Man", "The Breaks"
Del The Funky Homosapien - Golden Era
Yes I like old dudes who were releasing albums when we were in college, sue me
Standouts: "Calculate", "Double Barrel"
Kanye & Jay-Z - Watch The Throne
At some point, this went from being a pleasant diversion to the strongest affirmation of black achievement I listened to all year. Kanye is still iffy but Jay sounds better than he has in YEARS.
Standouts: "No Church In The Wild", "Ni**as In Paris", "Murder To Excellence", "Who Gon Stop Me"
When Saints Go Machine - Konkylie
Imagine if Antony and the Johnsons weren't fucking horrible and massively irritating and you've got this. Similar voice, VASTLY more interesting songs.
Standouts: "Konkylie", "Church and Law", "The Same Scissors", "Adds End"
Emika - Emika
More moody female-fronted synth-pop. Very intense at times.
Standouts: "Professional Loving", "Pretend"
Kate Wax - Dust Collision
Mostly for one song, but oh my god that song!
Standout: "Human Twin"
Schoolboy Q - Setbacks
I had no idea that mixtape blog rappers were doing anything that wasn't utter bullshit before stumbling across this. Apparently their whole collective (Black Hippy) is amazing.
Standouts: "Figg Get Da Money", "Light Years Ahead", "Fantasy"
Kendrick Lamar - Section.80
Another Black Hippy dude I discovered late last year. Holy shit. Keep an eye on this dude, he is NEXT LEVEL.
Standouts: "A.D.H.D.", "Tammy's Song (Her Evils)", "Keisha's Song (Her Pain)", "Rigamortus"
Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
Doodlebug from Digable Planets resurfaces as a paranoid nightmare. Fucking unbelievable; you will never hear "Cool Like That" the same way again.
Standouts: "free press and curl", "An echo from the hosts that profess infinitum", "yeah you"
Rihanna - Talk That Talk
I don't know if Rihanna has ever sounded as comfortable with ridiculously dirty songs as she does here. Also, the candy pop songs are extra sparkly. Also, one song is built off of the best track on the XX album.
Standouts: "We Found Love", "Cockiness (Love It)", "Birthday Cake", "Drunk On Love"
Invisible Conga People - Invisible Conga People EP
I just discovered this and it's fucking beautiful. Not gonna bother listing standouts because it's two songs and two remixes but it's AMAZING.