Well I suppose since we're at the end of the year I should post my top albums of 2011. For those who missed last year's list, check it out here. This year was mostly, by my estimation, one of experimentation and there weren't really a lot of standouts per se, and I doubt many of these albums will put up much fight in any future "best of" lists, but there were some good ones amidst the piles and piles of dross.
The end of the year, in particular, kind of saved this from being a "who can I throw in" list rather than picking the best of a decent group. As usual I include the disclaimer that this is not a definitive list of the best albums of the year, merely a list of those that I found stimulating, unique, and most of all that I enjoyed. I'm sure there are many more good ones that I'll continue to find well into the new year. That said, I'm think there's a pretty good range of styles represented here. With the increasing prevalence of EPs being released rather than full LPs, I'm also going to give you my top 7 of those as well.
Without further adieu, here's part 1 of my best of 2011. Enjoy.
#21
Nujabes
Spiritual State
This is kind of a sentimental selection, as its creator Jun Seba tragically died in a traffic accident early last year. This album is a collection of songs he had left unpublished, some of which being finished off by collaborators. It's the first full-length Nujabes release since 2005, and it's a fitting end to a truly unique producer.
While it probably isn't quite up to the standards of his earlier work, it's still a very good album and worth getting if you're at all interested in him or lo-fi beats. His signature use of jazz samples are prevalent, and the beats are rock-solid as usual. At the end of the hour you're left wishing for more, but hopefully a new generation of Japanese musicians will be inspired to greatness because of it.
Spiritual State
Spiral
Far Fowls
#20
Icebird
The Abandoned Lullaby
Icebird are a sort of part soul, part hip-hop, all groove project duo in the vein of Gnarls Barkley. While not quite of the same level of genius, the combination of producer RJD2 and vocalist Aaron Livingston is probably the next best thing. There's even a hint of Black Keys style blues in there.
With twelve tracks clocking in at around fifty minutes, it's a solid effort for their debut release. The infusion of soulful organs and jazzy pianos are a bit of a departure from RJ's usually percussion-driven tracks, but they're smooth and have a bit of swagger and lack nothing in character. There's not much more to say on this one, how's about we let the music do the talking.
Going And Going And Going
Charmed Life
I'm Green
#19
Round Table Knights
Say What?!
Round Table Knights is the brainchild of the UK's Benjamin Fay (aka Benfay), Christoph Haller, and Marc Hofweber (aka DJ Questionmark). They've been around for a few years now but this is their first full-length LP release and it came with a fair bit of fanfare. At it's heart it's basically a house album, but it's much more than that with a surprising amount of depth that has been a feature of several purely electronic releases this year.
If you're looking for straight-up four-to-the-floor beats, this isn't the album for you. If you want style, sass, jazz, and some attitude, then maybe this is more your flavor. Really this could have been much higher on this list based on the amount I've listened to it, but oh well here it is. The tricky part is going to be picking three songs to give you, because there really isn't a bad song on the album. Highly recommended, whether you're a house fan or not.
Cut To The Top
Paparussi
Say What
EP #7
Gigamesh
Gigamesh
If you're into dance music of any kind and you haven't heard of Gigamesh by now then you've either been living under a boulder or are just completely oblivious to who's making half of the awesome beats you've been rocking out to in the past twelve months. Matt Masurka has been absolutely killing it in the remix department lately, and he's finally gotten around to releasing something of his own with this cool self-titled four-track EP. No videos as of yet, so just listen to these goodies.
When You're Dancing
It's So Intense
Red Light
Phew... break time! Tomorrow, parts 2 & 3!
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