YEAR IN REVIEW: Albums of 2011: 10-1

	10. SBTRKT - SBTRKT The talented London producer's debut record is a soulful, varied and fun record that evokes many different feelings throughout. This makes it perfect for every occasion, be it relaxing at home or partying it up. 2011 has been a year saturated in amazing electronic music, but SBTRKT stands heads and shoulders above the rest in my mind, as the most well-crafted collection of songs. Sampha provides much of the vocal work throughout, but the many collaborations help elevate this album towards greatness. Each song has a distinct feel and it never gets repetitive. SBTRKT's debut album is one of the most promising debuts of the year.  DOWNLOAD: Trials of the Past
	9. Bon Iver - Bon Iver Gone are the days of recording albums in secluded cabins for Bon Iver. With his second album, Justin Vernon upped his game in a major way. The album is treated to arrangements of full orchestras while still maintaining that heart-wrenching soul that For Emma, Forever Ago showed so brilliantly. Beautiful harmonies permeate every corner of the album and every element feels like it was thoroughly thought-out and planned so precisely. It's a rather unforgettably beautiful album. DOWNLOAD: Towers
	8. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost With Father, Son, Holy Ghost, Girls created one of the most diverse and creative albums in the diminishing world of quality guitar rock. It draws influences from a vast pool of artists, and fuses them together to make on of the most solid rock albums in a fair while. Frontman Christopher Owens' vocals display an impressive range of emotions throughout the album, from the loved-up pop of Magic to the frantic rock opera of Die. The second album is usually a difficult thing to accomplish for bands, but Girls show that they have everything figured out terrifically. DOWNLOAD: Magic
	7. tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L The way in which tUnE-yArDs style their name might look peculiar to the casual onlooker, but once you come to terms with Merrill Garbus's second album, you'll see that the name is one of the least strange things about it. W H O K I L L diverse, fun and just altogether different experience. She uses her voice as much as an instrument in its own right as a forms of communicating. The vocal ranges on display here are phenomenal, and the almost tribal beat of the album is really something you need to here. She has many different bases covered throughout the album, from the up-beat, bombastic stylings of Gangsta, to the eerie, haunting Wooly Wolly Gong. W H O K I L L is one of the most innovative, ingenious albums of the year. No one else makes music like this. DOWNLOAD: Gangsta
	6. Destroyer - Kaputt Destroyer, AKA Dan Bejar, have had a long history of creating music, with Kaputt being the ninth studio album under the moniker. I was blissfully unaware of the musician's existence until this offering, I had been missing out on a treasure trove of music. Kaputt was one of the most relaxing, intriguing records of the year, and the instrumentals on display were beautiful. Bejar employed so many different instruments for so many perfect occasions and combined it with his soothing vocals and honest lyricism. This album is absolutely essential listening for 2011. DOWNLOAD: Savage Night at the Opera
	5. Los Campesinos! - Hello Sadness Los Campesinos! aren't as young as they were back when recording 30 second songs filled with frantic drumming and yelping. Hello Sadness showed a distinct evolution to the band, and a distinct feeling of sorrow, but countered with an underlying feeling of confidence. Los Campesinos! are a band that just get stronger and stronger, and Hello Sadness is the most concise, powerful and brilliant collection of songs they have produced to date. DOWNLOAD: Baby, I Got the Death Rattle
	4. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Mirror Traffic With Mirror Traffic, Malkmus's fourth solo album since Pavement's end, he compiled the most rhythmic, accessible solo material to date, with hooks everywhere, this was the true return to form we'd always been waiting for from the godfather of indie music. His trademark wordplay and vocals came together, along with intricate guitar playing, to create an album that encapsulates everything that makes Malkmus such an influential figure. Tigers, the lead single displays the infectious hooks that Pavement were known for, while Senator has that signature tongue-in-cheek attitude. Mirror Traffic just has track after track of good old fashioned indie rock, with excellent production by Beck himself. DOWNLOAD: Stick Figures in Love
	3. Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation Combining minimalist instrumentation, hypnotic rhythm and soothing synth beats, Trevor Powers' honest, heartfelt lyrics help propel this debut forward. The songs start off simple, and build up and up into more complex structures, forming some of the most mesmerizing sounds put onto record this year. For someone of 22 years old to have created a collection of songs with the power, precision and passion on display in his debut is staggering, especially bearing in mind it was self-produced in his bedroom. The future for Youth Lagoon is almost blinding. DOWNLOAD: July
	2. St Vincent - Strange Mercy Annie Clark's third solo album was never going to disappoint. The musicians brand of off-beat fuzz-filled pop is always unpredictable in nature, and Strange Mercy displayed the diversity that we have come to expect from St Vincent. Her soft spoken vocals harmonise with the music perfectly, while the intelligent, witty lyrics slide by seamlessly. Strange Mercy sure feels like musical bliss. DOWNLOAD: Cheerleader
	1. The Antlers - Burst Apart Following up from 2009's Hospice was always going to be a difficult task, but the resulting album feels like it was conceived by a completely revitalised band. Burst Apart feels like the perfect middle-ground between the desolate misery of Hospice and happy-go-lucky pop. The songs flow together so well, and Silberman's haunting falsetto voice falls so delicately upon the music, it just all feels so right. The lyrics shine as much as the music itself; Silberman has taken his experience making hospice and refined his skill to create songs that can be at times brutally honest and the next moment upbeat and insightful. The emotion conveyed in Silberman's voice is second-to-none. Burst Apart is a record that is so well conceived and has enough variation to keep it exciting. It packs in just the right elements of raw emotion on display in Hospice, to create what is, to my mind, the best album that 2011 has to offer.  DOWNLOAD: Putting the Dog to Sleep

YEAR IN REVIEW: Albums of 2011: 20-11

	20. Atlas Sound - Parallax After listening to Parallax, I think I've decided that Bradford Cox is one of those musicians I can always rely on, year in, year out, to deliver amazing musical experiences; be it while playing in Deerhunter or during his solo affairs as Atlas Sound. Parallax is a hazy, familiar affair that doesn't necessarily evolve the Atlas Sound formula, but when the foundations are set down so well, why change them? The record is another massive achievement from a musician who just seems to ooze song-writing ability. DOWNLOAD: Mona Lisa
	19. Deleted Scenes - Young People's Church of the Air I feel like I don't need to put a lot here, seeing as I only did a review recently, which you can read here. Young People's Church of the Air is a wonderful collection of songs with infectious melodies and pleasant vocals akin to The Shins. If you don't have a melody contained on this album running constantly through your head after listening, there might be something wrong. DOWNLOAD: Baltika 9
	18. TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light The follow-up to 2008's Dear Science was a massive release for me, and it delivered on all fronts. TV on the Radio are a band that sound on top of their game with this record. 40 seconds into the album, the beat kicks in and you remember what you'd been missing for three years. No one does it quite like TV on the Radio, and their brand of soulful, trumpet-filled, frantic rock music is always welcome. Nine Types of Light is the epitome of what the band are all about. DOWNLOAD: Caffeinated Consciousness
	17. Drake - Take Care Drake's brand of smooth RnB mixed with some of the best-produced hip hop made Take Care an album that needs to be heard. Collaborations from Jamie xx, The Weeknd and Frank Ocean, to name a few, Take Care takes everything that was great about Drake's debut and adds more variety and polish to create a record that's a joy to listen to from start to finish. DOWNLOAD: Marvin's Room
	16. Active Child - You Are All I See Active Child's 2010 EP Curtis Lane showed a lot of promise, so I was anticipating his debut LP very highly. Heavenly harp notes join with synthesisers and thumping drum beats to create a unique sound punctuated by Pat Grossi's unique falsetto tones, the album leaves you feeling a strange sense of enlightenment. DOWNLOAD: Hanging On
	15. Beirut - The Rip Tide Zach Condon & Co's new album shows the most refined, complete collection of songs the band have put out to date. With delicate melodies spread across a modest 10-track, this album proves to be the easiest entry point for newcomers to Beirut's work, with all shades of their unique style on show for all to see.  DOWNLOAD: Vagabond
	14. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming When I try to think of any double albums that I listen to regularly or even at all, my mind comes to a blank. With Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, M83 were taking a big risk that ultimately paid off in dividends. This album provided a fascinating look at the world of M83 through an epic 22-track.  Gonzales is well experienced in his art, and this year's offering from him feels like the most complete, visualised and compelling work yet. Plus... Saxophones. DOWNLOAD: Midnight City
	13. Bright Eyes - The People's Key Personally, this was my most highly-anticipated album of the year, and it did not disappoint. After 2007's slightly underwhelming Cassadaga, The People's Key was Oberst's chance to prove that he still had what it takes to compete with other bands these days, and it proved it superbly. nonsensical ramblings from a priest introduce the album with a familiarly long winded spoken intro, and he closes it as well. Oberst is at the top of his game with this album, it really has all the key ingredients; whimsical lyrics that are perfectly constructed, a decidedly more upbeat instrumentation and hook after hook. One For You, One For Me is a testament to how bands should close out albums for future reference. It might just be Oberst's most well-realised, polished and complete collections of songs to date. DOWNLOAD: Triple Spiral
	12. Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra Frank Ocean is undoubtedly the best thing to come out of Odd Future, in my eyes. Nostalgia, ultra is a mixtape that showcases the limitless talent that Ocean possesses. The smooth pop-tinged R'n'B is so heart-felt and different to what the rest of the Odd Future crew are doing. Audio snippets from Kubrick's last film Eyes Wide Shut permeate throughout the record in an unsettling fashion, along with other little blemishes that give the album a distinguished feel. Ocean uses samples of the likes of Coldplay and MGMT but makes them his own with his imminently listening vocals. The fact that the album is free from the constraints of a label and was released DIY-style on the internet is an added bonus to this already brilliant debut. DOWNLOAD: Novacane
	11. Connan Mockasin - Forever Dolphin Love This re-issue of Connan Mockasin's delightfully weird 2010 debut is one of the most unusual records I've had the pleasure of listening to this year. His sound is definitely unique, showing hints of The Beatles at their most hallucinatory. Mockasin uses surreal lyricism and a psychedelic sound to build a collection of songs which have such an endearing atmosphere. The album has a decidedly laid-back pace which just lets you sit back in wonderment at the strangeness of the world Connan Mockasin has created. DOWNLOAD: It's Choade My Dear