Before I get to the list of my favorite albums released in 2011, I have to make this important announcement: I have finally, FINALLY, finished ripping and tagging some 1,124 albums in my music collection and now I’m rediscovering my collected tunes all over again. Having a digital music server means I can go from J. S. Bach to Beastie Boys to Vince Guraldi Trio and back to Aberfeldy, all in a single listening session without having to rummage through my CDs. This is especially important for the screw-your-desert-island types like me who simply must have ready access to at least 20 different albums by different artists in different genres at any given time.
So, what good tunes turned up in 2011?
Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2 by Beastie Boys
One of the things I dislike most about 8 Mile (I don’t think much of the movie as a whole either) was when Eminem dissed the Beastie Boys. Now I don’t care whether he actually loves and respects the Beasties in real life, but somebody’s gotta let him know that the Beastie Boys are still in the game, and Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2 is their strongest record since Hello Nasty. Adam Yauch’s (aka MCA) battle with cancer in 2009 sure made me worry for a while, but the minute I put this CD on, I knew the boys were back. Not convinced? Listen to this.
Kitty Wells Dresses: Songs of the Queen of Country Music by Laura Cantrell
I stumbled upon Laura Cantrell purely by chance back in 2005 when she released Humming by the Flowered Vine. I had not heard of her prior to that, and when I checked out the samples on Amazon, I thought, okay, I’ll give it a whirl. That record has been in heavy rotation in my CD player and iPod ever since. Although I was a little apprehensive on hearing that Cantrell’s latest album is a series of covers (save for the eponymous track), again the samples I heard proved my fears unfounded. And so Kitty Wells Dresses is now in heavy rotation in my music server.
This Is Only a Test by Smoking Popes
Not many people know that one of my all-time favorite albums is the Smoking Popes’ Born to Quit. But why should they? I don’t know that many people, and it’s unlikely they even heard of the band; they’re not exactly Grammy Award material, and they’re not hip or cool in any kind of way. After two more albums, they disbanded in 1998, and I thought that was that; you know what they say about good things. So imagine my surprise and joy when I heard This Is Only a Test. No, it’s not Born to Quit, but it’s better than much of the crap that kids are listening to these days. What do the Smoking Popes sound like? Like Morrisey crooning lounge-style about being a loser youth hopelessly in love with the school’s most popular girl, backed by Weezer or Green Day. Try this one (play it LOUD); it’s my favorite track on Born to Quit.
Ceremonials by Florence & the Machine
Has anything good come out of the Twilight series, other than four films so laughably bad and popular it’s not even funny, and four so-so but equally popular novels? I confess I have yet to read any of the books or watch any of the films, but I’m willing to take the word of both my friends and professional film critics for it. But going back to the original question, my answer would be an an unequivocal ”yes”: the soundtrack to Eclipse first introduced me to Florence & the Machine, and I went on to buy their 2009 release Lungs, and I was hooked. Standing now on the edge of 2012 (the Mayans said it’s all gonna end next year, right?), Florence Welch’s cosmic vocals and gets me all “ready to suffer and I’m ready to hope.”
Four the Record by Miranda Lambert
Another country album? For me, this year’s been pretty strong for country music (Brad Paisley’s This Is Country Music damn near made this list), but rap and and pop/rock are also very well represented here, as you’ll soon see. Anyway, this is my first Miranda Lambert album. For some reason I just couldn’t wrap my head around her acclaimed Crazy Ex-Girlfriend—a little too fiery, perhaps?—but Four the Record suits my country music taste just fine.
Wasting Light by Foo Fighters
You might have read somewhere that the Foo Fighters’ latest album was inspired by ABBA and the Bee Gees. Either I have absolutely no musical sense or Dave Grohl is absolutely pulling your chain, but Wasting Light bears no resemblance nor reveals any kind of influence from those two 70s pop groups. Chain-pulling aside, though, this album is probably the Fighters’ greatest moment. Meaty, fierce as hell, and armed with solid hooks, get this album and you’d have the best rock record of 2011 in your hands.
Blood Pressures by The Kills
I discovered The Kills in a Rough Trade Records sampler quite a few years back. The compilation included acts like British Sea Power, Belle & Sebastian, and Kathryn Williams, but The Kills resonated with me the most with “Pull a U.” Those who are prone to jumping to conclusions will straightaway shout “White Stripes!” but trust me, the similarities are superficial (even though Alison Mosshart did take part in Jack White’s Dead Weather project). Nope, the vibe’s all different—sexier, and more dangerous—and The Kills have a truly signature sound and a chemistry so invincible yet effortless it’s ridiculous.
Undun by The Roots
Didn’t I say rap would be well represented? It may be the last one this list (mainly because it was released only earlier this month), but it is without a doubt one of the best albums released this year, and arguably one of the Roots’ best; and given their body of work, that’s saying something. While the honor of the most incisive Roots album goes to 2006′s Game Theory, in Undun the rhymes flow smooth and sure, and the theme is simple and down-to-earth, making this most accessible album Roots album yet.
Next: The Best of 11: Movies
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