lördag 14 Jan 2012, 19:00

As the years go on, it's getting more and more difficult to make these lists. I'm finding that I have less time that I can devote solely to devouring albums. Often my music listening time is occupied but other chores, leaving me only a certain percentage of concentration devoted to the music. Also with a subscription to mog.com and a free Spotify account, I have access to way more music. It used to be that I would collect MP3s from blogs, and purchased albums based of these samples. Now I can sample the entire album, and often I listen one album, enjoy it, but never take the time to really get to know it. I know, poor, cry me a river.

So… this list is composed of albums that I spent a lot of time listening to, but also have rated high on rateyoumusic.com. Coming in a little late this year, here are my favorite albums released in 2011:

1.) PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

2.) Tune-Yards - w h o k i l l

3.) Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

4.) Grouper - A I A : Dream Loss + A I A : Alien Observer

5.) My Brightest Diamond - All Things Will Unwind

6.) James Blake - James Blake

7.) The Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing

8.) A Winged Victory for the Sullen - A Winged Victory for the Sullen

9.) Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972

10.) Destroyer - Kaputt

11.) Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver

12.) TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light

13.) M83 - Hurry Up We're Dreaming

14.) Wilco - The Whole Love

15.) The Antlers - Burst Apart

16.) Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean

17.) Maritime - Human Hearts

18.) Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place

19.) Christina Vantzou - No. 1

20.) Wye Oak - Civilian

21.) Nicholas Jaar - Space is Only Noise

22.) St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

23.) The Decembrists - The King Is Dead

24.) Gillian Welch - The Harrow & the Harvest

25.) The Dodos - No Color

Honorable Mention
The Field - Looping State of Mind
Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto - Summvs
Kate Bush - 50 Words for Snow
Charles Bradley - No Time for Dreaming
Cut Copy - Zonoscope
Deaf Center - Owl Splinters
Dustin O'Halloran - Lumiere
Jill Scott - The Light of the Sun
Britney Spears - Femme Fatale
Panda Bear - Tomboy
Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
Radiohead - The King of Limbs