2011 Top Album Lists

Mrd00d · 12-17-2011, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomClancy11

Sort of off the top of my head.

CunninLynguists - Oneirology

Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

Good stuff, especially the Cunninlynguists album...

starrynight · 12-17-2011, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zer0

This year's been decent enough I guess, it's been kind of on par with last year and not quite as good as 2009. My top 6 albums I think are great but I might grow to really like some of the others over time. I think some of the big releases this year like the Radiohead and Fleet Foxes albums have been disappointing.

I don't care that much about hyped releases anyway. The more you hear the more you will like, I think think is the same for everyone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bertbill

Emmy the Great - Virtu

I've been thinking for a while that if she was American she'd probably be more famous by now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kinda Blue

Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost

Nearly all hyped releases through the 2000s disappoint me, probably would have been the same in the 90s. Girls though are a hyped group that is consistently good, a real rarity. Fleet Foxes are a good group but I think their albums are a bit patchy with great stuff mixed with lesser.

Mrd00d · 12-17-2011, 09:50 PM

I need to order these around and write a full-on 2011 review here this month... But these are just the ones I think I'll be making a top albums of the year list of. Doesn't include crap I can't be arsed about, but I know there are albums that are worth their weight I haven't gotten to yet. Anyway:

The :Egocentrics - Center of the Cyclone
13 & God - Own Your Ghost
311 - Universal Pulse
Adrenaline Mob s/t
Animals as Leaders - Weightless
Anthrax - Worship Music
A-Plus - Pepper Spray
Astronautalis - This is Our Science
Atmosphere - The Family Sign
Blueprint - Adventures in Counter-Culture
Bong - Beyond Ancient Space
Bootsy Collins - The Funk Capitol of the World
Buckethead - Underground Chamber
Buckethead - Empty Space
Buckethead - It's Alive
Buckethead - Look Up There
Cake - Showroom of Compassion
Casual - The Hierophant
Cloudkicker - Let Yourself Be Huge
Corea, Clarke, & White - Forever
Cosmic Dead - Cozmik Tape I
Cunninlynguists - Oneirology
Das Racist - Relax
Del tha Funkee Homosapien - Golden Era
Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction
Devin Townsend Project - Ghost
DJ Shadow - The Less You Know, The Better
Doomtree - No Kings
Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events
Electric Moon - Flaming Lake
Electric Moon - Inferno
Eligh & Amplive - Therapy at 3
Freestyle Fellowship - The Promise
Gösta Berlings Saga - Glue Works
Hail Mary Mallon - Are You Gonna Eat That?
Hannebu & Mind Oscillation - Highgrow
Hills - Master Sleeps
Immortal Technique - The Martyr
Incubus - If Not Now, When?
Jane's Addiction - The Great Escape Artist
John Zorn - At the Gates of Paradise
Karma to Burn - V
Keak da Sneak - Keak Hendrix
Liquid Sound Company - Acid Music for Acid People
Mastodon - The Hunter
Maylene & The Sons of Disaster - IV
Megadeth - TH1RT3EN
Monkey3 - Beyond the Black Sky
Mr. Big - What If...
Myka 9 - Mykology
Omnia Opera - Nothing Is Ordinary
Opio & Equipto - Red X Tapes
Ott - Adrift in Hilbert Space
Ozric Tentacles - Paper Monkeys
People Under the Stairs - Highlighter
Polkadot Cadaver - Sex Offender
Primus - Green Naugahyde
Protest the Hero - Scurrilous
Puscifer - Conditions of My Parole
Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You
Russian Circles - Empros
Scale the Summit - The Collective
Sepultura - Kairos
Seun Kuti and the Egypt 80 - From Africa with Fury
Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
Star****er - Reptilians
Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning
Sunspot Jonz - Galaxy of Dreams
They Might Be Giants - Join Us
Tom Waits - Bad As Me
Turisas - Stand Up and Fight
Ulver - War of the Roses
Umphrey's McGee - Death by Stereo
Unexpect- Fables of the Sleepless Empire
Van der Graaf Generator - A Grounding in Numbers
Vast Aire - OX 2010: A Street Odyssey
Vibravoid - Minddrugs
Wayne Static - Pighammer
Wooden Shjips - West
Yes - Fly From Here
Zion I & The Grouch - Heroes in the Healing of the Nation
Zombi - Escape Velocity

18 more to make a 100 albums list though... there's John Zorn albums, Danny Brown, Oresund Space Collective... I just need to hear a few more and I think I can make it happen...

starrynight · 12-17-2011, 11:19 PM

Well there's a few thousand albums that can be listened to so that's why I think everybody could listen to loads more. I liked some of Scurrilous, but I remember Kezia being more consistent.

Mrd00d · 12-17-2011, 11:32 PM

It all comes down to amount of time in the day you can focus on analyzing new albums, as opposed to listening to classics and real life priorities...

I'm going to be powering through the last of my unlistened 'stack' this week and next, hopefully before the year turns over. I might as well start getting a rough outline of what I think of the ... 82... albums I have here, though...

I agree with your Protest the Hero comments... It wasn't bad but could've been a little better rounded. I have 4 tracks 5 starred off the album, so that's not too bad.

RVCA · 12-18-2011, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

In ascending order (though the Gridlink album would have been a lot higher on the list if not for those annoying click intros to ever track):

10. Death Grips—Exmilitary
9. The Book of Knots—Garden of Falling Stars
8. Gridlink—Orphan
7. Whores—Ruiner
6. Shabazz Palaces—Black it up
5. Tom Waits—Bad as Me
4. Necro Deathmort—Music of Bleak Origin
3. Tune-Yards—Whokill
2. Combat Astronomy—Flak Planet
1. Matthew Shipp—The Art of the Improvisor

Haven't heard of most of these, looked a few up on RYM, will be downloading Ruiner shortly

And holy **** Matthew Shipp releases a lot of music

starrynight · 12-18-2011, 01:13 AM

When I listened to some of the tUnE-yArDs album I felt it was probably one of those groups (like Animal Collective) that are considered hip more because they sound different than through actual achievement. I suspect there are many better pop albums out there but as they are often more conventional sounding they are likely to be ignored.

RVCA · 12-18-2011, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starrynight

When I listened to some of the tUnE-yArDs album I felt it was probably one of those groups (like Animal Collective) that are considered hip more because they sound different than through actual achievement. I suspect there are many better pop albums out there but as they are often more conventional sounding they are likely to be ignored.

So is having an innovative sound not considered an "achievement"?

I didn't like the tune-yards album either, btw.

starrynight · 12-18-2011, 01:39 AM

No, I don't think it is. What you do with a sound is more important than just having a sound. Otherwise something is likely to be flavour of the month or year, but will not really last.

Phantom Limb · 12-18-2011, 02:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starrynight

No, I don't think it is. What you do with a sound is more important than just having a sound. Otherwise something is likely to be flavour of the month or year, but will not really last.

I disagree. I think that making the effort to actually do something in a new way is very important. There's lots of "good" pop music being put out every day that all sounds quite similar to me. Take Adele for example. She is beloved by critics and the common people alike but all her music is is a rehashing of past pop ballads. Yes, it's well put together, but is it interesting? Not in the slightest. To make a truly great album you have to think outside the box a little bit, and maybe that doesn't mean pioneering a new sound, but it does mean that you do things in a unique enough way that you stand above the crowd. Sufjan Stevens is a good example. I'm not that fond of his music, but I respect it a hell of a lot more than I respect anything Adele or Beyonce has done. It's because he puts the effort in to be unique. Most REALLY popular bands do have a sound that was at one point original to some degree. Radiohead wouldn't be where they are if all they did was remake Pablo Honey over and over again.

12-17-2011, 09:50 PM	#53 (permalink)
Mrd00d Stoned and Jammin' Out Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Northern California; Eugene, OR; mobile Posts: 1,602	I need to order these around and write a full-on 2011 review here this month... But these are just the ones I think I'll be making a top albums of the year list of. Doesn't include crap I can't be arsed about, but I know there are albums that are worth their weight I haven't gotten to yet. Anyway: The :Egocentrics - Center of the Cyclone 13 & God - Own Your Ghost 311 - Universal Pulse Adrenaline Mob s/t Animals as Leaders - Weightless Anthrax - Worship Music A-Plus - Pepper Spray Astronautalis - This is Our Science Atmosphere - The Family Sign Blueprint - Adventures in Counter-Culture Bong - Beyond Ancient Space Bootsy Collins - The Funk Capitol of the World Buckethead - Underground Chamber Buckethead - Empty Space Buckethead - It's Alive Buckethead - Look Up There Cake - Showroom of Compassion Casual - The Hierophant Cloudkicker - Let Yourself Be Huge Corea, Clarke, & White - Forever Cosmic Dead - Cozmik Tape I Cunninlynguists - Oneirology Das Racist - Relax Del tha Funkee Homosapien - Golden Era Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction Devin Townsend Project - Ghost DJ Shadow - The Less You Know, The Better Doomtree - No Kings Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events Electric Moon - Flaming Lake Electric Moon - Inferno Eligh & Amplive - Therapy at 3 Freestyle Fellowship - The Promise Gösta Berlings Saga - Glue Works Hail Mary Mallon - Are You Gonna Eat That? Hannebu & Mind Oscillation - Highgrow Hills - Master Sleeps Immortal Technique - The Martyr Incubus - If Not Now, When? Jane's Addiction - The Great Escape Artist John Zorn - At the Gates of Paradise Karma to Burn - V Keak da Sneak - Keak Hendrix Liquid Sound Company - Acid Music for Acid People Mastodon - The Hunter Maylene & The Sons of Disaster - IV Megadeth - TH1RT3EN Monkey3 - Beyond the Black Sky Mr. Big - What If... Myka 9 - Mykology Omnia Opera - Nothing Is Ordinary Opio & Equipto - Red X Tapes Ott - Adrift in Hilbert Space Ozric Tentacles - Paper Monkeys People Under the Stairs - Highlighter Polkadot Cadaver - Sex Offender Primus - Green Naugahyde Protest the Hero - Scurrilous Puscifer - Conditions of My Parole Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You Russian Circles - Empros Scale the Summit - The Collective Sepultura - Kairos Seun Kuti and the Egypt 80 - From Africa with Fury Shabazz Palaces - Black Up Star***er - Reptilians Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning Sunspot Jonz - Galaxy of Dreams They Might Be Giants - Join Us Tom Waits - Bad As Me Turisas - Stand Up and Fight Ulver - War of the Roses Umphrey's McGee - Death by Stereo Unexpect- Fables of the Sleepless Empire Van der Graaf Generator - A Grounding in Numbers Vast Aire - OX 2010: A Street Odyssey Vibravoid - Minddrugs Wayne Static - Pighammer Wooden Shjips - West Yes - Fly From Here Zion I & The Grouch - Heroes in the Healing of the Nation Zombi - Escape Velocity 18 more to make a 100 albums list though... there's John Zorn albums, Danny Brown, Oresund Space Collective... I just need to hear a few more and I think I can make it happen... __________________ Mrd00d's Last.fm Last edited by Mrd00d; 12-17-2011 at 10:12 PM.*

12-17-2011, 11:19 PM	#54 (permalink)
starrynight Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 937	Well there's a few thousand albums that can be listened to so that's why I think everybody could listen to loads more. I liked some of Scurrilous, but I remember Kezia being more consistent. __________________ non-cliquey member of every music forum I participate on Last edited by starrynight; 12-18-2011 at 01:12 AM.

12-17-2011, 11:32 PM	#55 (permalink)
Mrd00d Stoned and Jammin' Out Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Northern California; Eugene, OR; mobile Posts: 1,602	It all comes down to amount of time in the day you can focus on analyzing new albums, as opposed to listening to classics and real life priorities... I'm going to be powering through the last of my unlistened 'stack' this week and next, hopefully before the year turns over. I might as well start getting a rough outline of what I think of the ... 82... albums I have here, though... I agree with your Protest the Hero comments... It wasn't bad but could've been a little better rounded. I have 4 tracks 5 starred off the album, so that's not too bad. __________________ Mrd00d's Last.fm

12-18-2011, 01:13 AM	#57 (permalink)
starrynight Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 937	When I listened to some of the tUnE-yArDs album I felt it was probably one of those groups (like Animal Collective) that are considered hip more because they sound different than through actual achievement. I suspect there are many better pop albums out there but as they are often more conventional sounding they are likely to be ignored. __________________ non-cliquey member of every music forum I participate on

12-18-2011, 01:39 AM	#59 (permalink)
starrynight Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 937	No, I don't think it is. What you do with a sound is more important than just having a sound. Otherwise something is likely to be flavour of the month or year, but will not really last. __________________ non-cliquey member of every music forum I participate on