Top 25 Albums of 2011
What a way to kick off the new decade. To wrap-up the end of a great year in music, Radio UTD’s team of DJs picked out our favorite 25 albums of this year. Everything from The Weeknd to Annie Clark to Wild Flag, we had quite the time this year listening to all of these albums, think we’d be lying if we said 2011’s picks didn’t have us dreaming.
25 Yellow Ostrich | The Mistress
The low-key, often sparse sound of Yellow Ostrich’s The Mistress is perfect in combination with Alex Shaaf’s tremulous voice, often the album’s focal point. Upbeat tracks “Whale” and “Hate Me Soon” hit all the right notes without being ostentatious, while the more somber “Mary” takes a more delicate approach over weighty subject matter. Put together, it’s an expansive work completely without pretention. —Chelsea Upton
“Whale”
24 Future Islands | On The Water
Future Islands’ latest release, On The Water, engulfs and takes listeners through a journey of heartbreak and discovery. The band of three, hailing from Baltimore, Maryland by way of Charlotte, North Carolina, attain the consistency of their 2010 release, In Evening Air, with each members’ individual talents: the elements of Welmer’s synth, Cashion’s bass, and Herring’s Waits-esque vocals establishes not a continuation of a chapter but a brand new story. In “The Great Fire,” Herring sings “But, I can’t watch you dream / beside a fire / you made to leave,” the songs throughout the album is as personal as it gets, yet at the same time, allow listeners to relate with each song’s story. A visceral piece of work done by the trio, it’s hard to not anticipate their works in the years to come. —Trang Nguyen
“The Great Fire”
23 Shabazz Palaces | Black Up
Shabazz Palaces’ Black Up proves itself another unforgettable listen from 2011. The spaced-out rap finds itself on its own level, which I think the group expresses best themselves with the line “catchy yes, but trendy no,” in “Free Press and Curl”. The odd section changes and all around originality of the songs on the album make Black Up easily my favorite rap album of the year, and a real landmark for hip-hop in general. —Evan Gordon
“Recollections of the Wraith”
22 The Weeknd | House of Balloons
Rising out of Drake’s Ontario school of emotionally-charged hip hop, 21-year old Ethiopian-Canadian Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd has released two great mixtapes this year—House of Balloons in March and Thursdays in August. The former is a vivid representation of the dream that occurs after a rap video centered on a intoxicated house party. The downtempo beats, accompanied by rich low chords and forte interludes that clash and resolve under Tesfaye’s sweeping high tenor vocals, are laden with tones of intimacy, anguish, excitement and turmoil. It is chill enough to be the afterparty mix, but busy enough to make the listener think about what The Weeknd went through in what seems to be one crazy night. Tracks to start with include “High For This”, “Wicked Games” and “The Knowing”, though this album is best listened to beginning to end to understand the story behind The Weeknd’s mixtape. —Prashant Raghavendran
“High For This”
21 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah | Hysterical
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah hit it big before indie rock hit mainstream and the “h-word” started being thrown around. Because of this, the band holds a place in many indie rocker’s (new and old) hearts. Luckily, Hysterical lives up to the band’s other two charmingly repetitive and nasally albums while bringing something new. After a four hiatus, CYHSY’s sound has veered slightly towards the melancholy and been developed to hold up better in a live setting. Ounsworth has also stretched the limit of his vocals to address any nay-sayers who couldn’t handle the bands sound in the past. —Zach Brown
“Same Mistake”
20 Gang Gang Dance | Eye Contact
Gang Gang Dance are an experience band, not a song band. Their live shows drive their music, and an album can only really give an altered half of the story. But what a story it still remains. Live performances and captivating 20 minute jam sessions are re-worked as clean cuts and perfect samples on the album. Completely immersing yourself into their sound is prerequisite to actually understand any of it. Song-of-the-year “Glass Jar” has been floating around their live shows for a long time and the final recorded version can never quite capture the feelings that it drives in a live setting, but finds a new kind of majesty in its contained environment. Each song constantly reaches outside of its own walls to draw new expression each time. The concise ebb and flow through the album as a whole is spectacular, but can hardly scratch the surface of the energy their music holds. —Daniel Hulsey
“Glass Jar”
19 Clams Casino | Clams Casino
The Clams Casino Mixtape by Clams Casino, AKA Mike Volpe, features tracks of instrumental background beats done for rap and hip hop artists like Lil B, Soulja Boy, and others that, without vocals to accompany them, stand out as excellent experimental electronic songs. Even without the vocals over his work, the songs definitely have an audible hip hop influence in them that is key to the success of the mixtape. Volpe’s sound found here is that of washed out, distorted vocals incorporated into heavy, slow bass beats that form a dreamlike atmosphere and danceable tracks. Clams Casino represents one of the best electronic efforts of the year. —Trace McCaslin
“Realist Alive”
18 Cut Copy | Zonoscope
Following 2008’s pristine In Ghost Colours was never going to be an easy task. Zonoscope has pushed Cut Copy in a different direction from the silky smooth transitions and instantly satisfying melodies throughout. Their third album still has its hits in songs like “Need You Now” and “Take Me Over,” but also finds a less accessible but still immensely rewarding dance groove in the second half of this year’s output. The pinnacle of the album comes at the end in 15 minute epic “Sun God.” Hitting a hypnotic groove and stretching the experience over such a long period, Cut Copy now demand your attention instead of kindly asking for it. —Daniel Hulsey
“Need You Now”
17 Girls | Father, Son, Holy Ghost
This sophomore effort by Girls is quite a treat. They continue to keep their classic rock melodies that slowly, but steadily reveal a beautiful piece of art work by the end. Father, Son, Holy Ghost shares an almost rewarding sense when you finish a song. Songs like “My Ma”, “Vomit”, and “Forgiveness” will give you the utmost gratification when finishing these epics. Two attributes that seem to get me every time when I’m listening to new music are honesty and nostalgia. This album has both as there is a lot of singing about love, forgiveness, angst, and other emotional rollercoasters followed by guitar sliding or solos that mirror the ups and down of emotions. —Daniel Zamorano
“Vomit”
16 Balam Acab | Wander/Wonder
This album is a soundtrack to one of the most tantalizing adventures known to man. You are scuba diving in a giant kelp field, enveloped in their lush swaying hugs. A deep turquoise swirl overtakes you and suddenly your goggles are blinding your vision. The textures of the kelp tingle your eyeballs as the hindering plastic falls from your face. Once you see the mermaids and seals, everything begins to glow and an epiphany hits: oxygen tanks are worthless when you can breathe your feelings. Every sound Alec Koone pieces into the mix gives life to the experience, every texture a new angle. The immaculately crafted album envelops your senses and washes the unswept corners of a dream world. —Daniel Hulsey
“Motion”
15 Radiohead | King of Limbs
When King of Limbs was abruptly released in February, it confused many and disappointed some. The short length and sudden, unceremonious release spurred rumors of a follow-up in the works. The odd, experimental, sample-heavy nature of the record—a huge departure from the polished, modern indie rock sound of In Rainbows—seemed at first to be a step backwards rather than forwards. However, in true Radiohead fashion, the album rewarded a careful ear and repeated listens. Those who stuck with King of Limbs found themselves enjoying one of the most well-produced, brilliantly constructed, and subtly powerful records of the year. King of Limbs explored new textures as well as consolidating the best qualities of some of Radiohead’s most underrated releases—for example, the digital melancholy of Amnesiac and the mechanical pulse of Hail to the Thief—and stands on its own as a strong release from the legendary alternative rock band. —Kevin Gravis
“Little By Little”
14 John Maus | We Must Become The Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
John Maus is the jack of all trades: attaining a PhD in political philosophy, composing music, and releasing his third album, We Must Become The Pitiless Censors of Ourselves. “Believer“‘s repeats of “They call me a believer,” or “Quantum Leap“’s “Heart to heart / Mind to mind / We are the ones who seem to travel through time,” are the words that tap into Maus’ fascinations with life, death, eternity, and loneliness. Alongside the philosophical curiosity, Maus’ interest with pop allows him to take ‘experimentation’ to heart, by not limiting himself to new wave sounds like Joy Division, but continually surprising and engaging listeners with beats and noises from start to finish. —Trang Nguyen
“Hey Moon”
13 Tom Waits | Bad As Me
Long a master of the indulgently melancholy, Tom Waits may by now be weary, but with his seventeenth studio album, Bad As Me, he certainly doesn’t show it. His growl here bristles with energy, from the bluesy “Raised Right Men,” to the sentimental “Back In The Crowd,” to the industrial-inspired “Hell Broke Luce.” Waits’ arrangements here, as usual filled to the brim with accordion, upright bass, and piercing percussion, are some of his strongest yet, avoiding the clichés that occasionally plagued his earlier material, and allowing his unique persona and dark strain of humor to shine through unhindered. —Patrick Hofsommer
“Bad As Me”
12 Yuck | Yuck
Unlike many of the bands in the recently booming 80’s/90’s alt rock revival movement, Yuck aren’t satisfied to merely slide by with a Big Muff distortion pedal and a bad attitude. It’s evident right from the opener, “Get Away,” that this England quartet has not only a deeper and more diverse set of influences than their peers, but the energy and songwriting chops to back it up. However, for all their influences and 90’s revivalist tendencies, they still manage to form their own identity and show certain qualities that are uniquely Yuck, all while providing a guilt-free feel-good rock album. It’s this nostalgic yet fresh quality mixed with an irresistible pop sensibility that makes their self-titled one of the most likable records of the year. —Kevin Gravis
“Shook Down”
11 Panda Bear | Tomboy
Seeing Panda Bear’s Tomboy on this list shouldn’t come as any surprise. The Animal Collective founder’s latest album is yet another solid effort; this time a little less sample-based and more rhythmically and guitar-based, but that’s not to say it doesn’t still ooze the same oddball nostalgia found on Person Pitch. Tomboy is definitely an album that can take many listens to soak in fully, but once it does, it doesn’t allow itself to be forgotten. —Evan Gordon
“Last Night at the Jetty”
10 Battles | Gloss Drop
Easily one of the best albums to waste a summer day with, Battles’ Gloss Drop is filled to the brim with clean guitars, ominous bass, and funky effects that make it an all-over pleasant package. The album itself serves as a true testament to Battles’ strength as a band, as neither a departure by former bandmate Tyondai Braxton nor time complications could stop them from delivering this fifty-three minute, breezy jam session to the creative music world. With vocals from electronic musician Gary Numan and Blonde Redhead’s Kazu Makino, Gloss Drop surely garnered some new fans for the band and showed what can happen when experimental rock is done almost too right. —Michelle Ofiwe
“Inchworm”
9 Kurt Vile | Smoke Ring For My Halo
Calling Kurt Vile’s most recent endeavor “simple” wouldn’t be fair, as it suggests a lack of creative decision. Limited by just three chords, most of the songs on Smoke Ring For My Halo show a great deal of careful consideration to create something both hauntingly melodic and therapeutic. Songs like “Runner Ups” and “Baby’s Arms” both stand strong in proving Vile’s ability to write something both emotionally inspiring and lingering while also channeling artists like Lou Reed and Neil Young. Smoke Ring For My Halo shows some of the best of Kurt Vile’s work, and acts as a humble starting point to an artist which unfortunately remains mostly unrecognized. —Zach Brown
“Baby’s Arms”
8 Real Estate | Days
Real Estate’s sophomore album does exactly what it should. It continues the bluesy, sentimental, and echoey jams of its predecessor, while polishing the overall sound. Even the album artwork, with its bleak sky, creates a powerful sense of longing despite the clean white homes. The songs on Days could almost bring a smile to your face if they weren’t so rainy-day sad. —Adam King
“It’s Real”
7 Jacuzzi Boys | Glazin’
Glazin’, the first LP by Miami-based Jacuzzi Boys, is a youthful album, with nearly every track dedicated to girls and desserts. “Sugar in my hair, melting everywhere in the sunshine,” singer Gabriel Alcala croons to an unnamed woman in the album’s title track, backed by the band’s raucous up-all-night-drinking garage rock. Glazin’ is a fun, highly danceable foot-stomper that’ll leave you craving something sweet. —Chelsea Upton
“Glazin’”
6 Wild Flag | Wild Flag
Supergroup Wild Flag immediately make it clear on their self-titled debut that they are more than the sum of their parts. Though they daringly combine the thick riffs and propulsive drumming of Sleater-Kinney with the clear-cut melodies and restrained synths of Helium and The Minders, the band has a palpable synergy that allows them to blend these components smoothly and precisely. With each veteran comfortable in their craft, they employ a style faintly retro, but remarkably urgent, and the end result in many ways sets a new standard for songwriting and musicianship. —Patrick Hofsommer
“Romance”
5 Active Child | You Are All I See
There’s no doubt that Pat Grossi proved some harp naysayers wrong with the release of his debut album, You Are All I See. Combining ambiance and hazy effects with the sultry instrument produced many a beautiful track for this album, including its title track “You Are All I See” and “Ivy.” There isn’t much Grossi shies away from using either, including 808s, choirs, and the ever trusty synth; each get their play in Grossi’s attempts to sound as heavenly as humanly possible. There’s no doubt that this will be a tough album to live up to, and I’m already curious to see what Grossi has next for us and that harp. —Michelle Ofiwe
“Hanging On”
4 Neon Indian | Era Extraña
Alan Palomo’s advance as a musical force since 2009 is extraordinary. Era Extraña is a much more cohesive and consistent album than Psychic Chasms. The hits are a little less instant, but they hold attention much longer than the simple arrangements seen in his previous work. This album establishes Neon Indian as a genuine band instead of a chillwave-riding flotation device. —Daniel Hulsey
“Polish Girl”
3 James Blake | James Blake
After his string of critically-acclaimed EPs in 2010, it’s no surprise that British post-dubstep visionary James Blake’s first full LP was met with similarly enthusiastic reception. It seems that oftentimes, classic albums are bleak and depressing, but at the same time artistically stimulating. By managing to marry the cold, detached pulse and hum of electronica to the warm, fourth-wall breaking intimacy of a singer-songwriter record—accentuated by the soul undercurrents—Blake has achieved this in way that no other artist has before him, and the result is a chilling and utterly captivating work of art that manages to innovate while stimulating the mind and the emotions. —Kevin Gravis
“The Wilhelm Scream”
2 St. Vincent | Strange Mercy
Marry Me was charming, and displayed an artist with promise, but a long way to go—the caterpillar. Actor was undeniably beautiful and mysterious, but felt awfully fragile and restrained—the cocoon. Strange Mercy, however, is a confident, swaggering, gorgeous beast—the butterfly. Singer-songwriter and guitar virtuoso Annie Clark—better known as St. Vincent—has been amazing critics and listeners since 2007, but it seems that on her third LP, Strange Mercy, she has, for the first time, fully and confidently spread her wings, revealing a huge, beautiful wingspan. Tracks like “Chloe in the Afternoon” and “Surgeon” show fully fleshed out forms of what “The Party” and “Marrow” merely hinted at two years ago. Songs like “Cruel” and “Northern Lights” pulse and thrash with a sort of delicate, subtle ferocity that is entirely new to Strange Mercy, but still sounds uniquely St. Vincent.
It’s not every year that you see an album that works so beautifully both as great pop and as great art. With her third and finest release, Annie Clark has created something special. It’s truly exciting to speculate where she’ll go from here. Strange Mercy is an album that has been fascinating me and affecting me since its release, and will certainly continue to do so long after 2011 has passed. —Kevin Gravis
“Surgeon”
1 M83 | Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
In all the hubbub of “epic” and “grand,” it’s incredibly easy to sell cheap feelings and ideas for more than they are worth: see Coldplay, Muse, Kings of Leon, Lady GaGa, U2, Creed etc. Sometimes it works, often times it is captivating, and but is it ever REAL? Maybe. Is that good enough? That’s up to the listener. One thing is certain: you count on M83 being real. Anthony Gonzalez’ music is nothing if not sincere. The voice throughout double album “epic” Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming is so precisely crafted it loses any inclination of insincerity. Every means of communication exploited in this exploration of surreal emotion fights fist to fist in its own defense. Inexplicable mumblings, a child’s story telling, triumphant singing, the roar and lull of synthesizers, or a monologue from an old French woman; every voice is true to its message and refuses to sell something it is not.
But that’s not good enough: your dad was sincere when he said “be home by 11 or else…” M83 explore crevices of imagination lost to childhood. Anthony explores dreams of giant monsters and giant valleys. The music touches the depths of the sea where you find your long lost brother you missed like the end of the world. And its all real. —Daniel Hulsey
“Wait”
