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airfigaro's top albums (year) 1. Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself (102) 2. John Talabot - Fin (96) 3. Christina Vantzou - No. 1 (87) 4. Jordi Savall - Vivaldi: Teuzzone RV.736 (73) 5. Johannes Brahms - Brahms: Liebeslieder-Walzer Opp.52 & 65; 3 Quartette Op.64 (69) 6. Yellow Ostrich - Strange Land (63) 7. The Shins - Port of Morrow (63) 8. Rufus Wainwright - Out Of The Game (60) 9. Of Monsters and Men - My Head Is an Animal (59) 10. Julia Holter - Ekstasis (59) 11. Grimes - Visions (57) 12. John Fahey - The New Possibility: John Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Albu (56) 13. The Throne - Watch the Throne (55) 14. Beach House - Bloom (53) 15. Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE (51) 16. Gerard Souzay - Gerard Souzay (1950-1955) (50) 17. Céline Ricci - Cirque (47) 18. Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan (44) 19. Bon Iver - Bon Iver (43) 20. Shearwater - Animal Joy (43) 21. John Musto - June 6 Concert BOUP (42) 22. The xx - Coexist (42) 23. Phish - 2012/08/28 I St. Louis, MO (42) 24. Hot Chip - In Our Heads (40) 25. The Walkmen - Heaven (39)

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

airfigaro's top albums (3 months as of 5/9/2011) 1. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing (108) 2. Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise (93) 3. Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972 (85) 4. James Blake - James Blake (79) 5. Destroyer - Kaputt (73) 6. P.J. Harvey - Let England Shake (73) 7. Teebs - Ardour (72) 8. Deerhoof - Deerhoof vs. Evil (72) 9. The Dodos - No Color (71) 10. The Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck (70) 11. Wye Oak - Civilian (68) 12. Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean (67) 13. Maritime - Human Hearts (61) 14. Cut Copy - Zonoscope (56) 15. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead (55) 16. Siriusmo - Mosaik (50) 17. Radiohead - The King of Limbs (49) 18. Yellow Ostrich - The Mistress (47) 19. tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l (46) 20. Deerhunter - iTunes Live from SoHo (44) 21. Christopher Willits - Tiger Flower Circle Sun (42) 22. John Blow - Venus and Adonis (41) 23. Johann Sebastian Bach - BACH: Early Cantatas, Vol. 1 (BWV 4, 106, 131, 196) (41) 24. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake (39) 25. TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light (Deluxe) (37)

I made a list of albums I love.. No here is the reality check. Here are the top albums that I actually scrobbled in 2010. Interesting to see what carried over from last year, and which albums that were high on this list, but not on my best of list. Good times.

airfigaro's top albums of 2010, (generated 12-22-2010) 1. Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me (206) 2. Laura Veirs - July Flame (186) 3. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor (184) 4. Spoon - Transference (174) 5. Vampire Weekend - Contra (170) 6. Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago (161) 7. Efterklang - Magic Chairs (155) 8. Tokyo Police Club - Champ (139) 9. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record (138) 10. Owen Pallett - Heartland (136) 11. Midlake - The Courage Of Others (135) 12. The National - High Violet (129) 13. Beach House - Teen Dream (125) 14. Yeasayer - Odd Blood (122) 15. Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks (121) 16. Jónsi - Go (120) 17. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid (115) 18. Josephine Foster - Graphic As A Star (107) 19. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (106) 20. The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You (101) 21. Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth (96) 22. The New Pornographers - Together (93) 23. Stars - The Five Ghosts (92) 24. White Hinterland - Kairos (86) 25. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma (84) 26. Wolf Parade - Expo 86 (82) 27. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today (80) 28. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest (80) 29. Future Islands - In Evening Air (77) 30. Johann Sebastian Bach - BACH: Early Cantatas, Vol. 1 (BWV 4, 106, 131, 196) (77) 31. Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts (76) 32. Balmorhea - Constellations (75) 33. Josh Rouse - El Turista (75) 34. Machinefabriek - De Jonge Jaren (2001-2004) (72) 35. Girls - Album (71) 36. Califone - All My Friends Are Funeral Singers (71) 37. Delorean - Subiza (69) 38. Menomena - Mines (69) 39. Fang Island - Fang Island (66) 40. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding (66) 41. Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz (65) 42. Hot Chip - One Life Stand (64) 43. The Black Keys - Brothers (62) 44. The Books - The Way Out (60) 45. Seraphic Fire - Claudio Monteverdi: Vespers of the Blessed Virgin 1610 (60) 46. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns (58) 47. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers (58) 48. Glenn Gould - Bach: Goldberg Variations (55) 49. Caribou - Swim (54) 50. Kathryn Williams - The Quickening (53)

Every year is a great year in music. New artists, new releases from favorite artists, and the trill of discovering new artists. This year, with my subscription to mog.com, I was able to access and hear more albums (new and old), than I ever had before. This made the task of choosing a "best of" list even more difficult. In the past I carefully screened and sampled albums before purchasing them, leaving many albums unheard in their entirety.


So here it goes, my favorite albums. I felt I had to put them in order, but I know that it the order might change over time. But this is how I feel at years end.

1. Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me
2. Menomena - Mines
3. The National - High Violet
4. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
5. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid
6. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
7. Beach House - Teen Dream
8. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
9. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
10. Laura Veirs - July Flame
11. Owen Pallett - Heartland
12. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
13. Balmorhea - Constellations
14. Emeralds - Does It Look Like I'm Here?
15. Kanye West -My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
16. Brian McBride - The Effective Disconnect
17. James Blake - Klavierwerke, CYMK EP, The Bells Sketch
17. Caribou - Swim
18. The Books - The Way Out
19. Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago
20. Tokyo Police Club - Champ
21. Efterklang - Magic Chairs
22. Wolf Parade - Expo 86
23. Dirty Projectors + Björk - Mount Wittenberg Orca
24. Kathryn Williams - The Quickening
25. Diamond Rings - Special Affections
26. Hammock - Chasing After Shadows...Living with the Ghosts
27. Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
28. The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt
29. Brad Mehldau - Highway Rider
30. Mice Parade - What It Means to Be Left-Handed

Honorable Mention

Mice Parade - What It Means to Be Left-Handed
Jason Moran - TEN
Stars - The Five Ghosts
Suckers - Wild Smile
Vampire Weekend - Contra
Best Coast - Crazy For You
The Black Keys - Brothers
Eleven Tigers - Clouds Are Mountains
Marcus Fjellström - Schattenspieler
Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
Frog Eyes - Paul's Tomb: A Triumph
iTAL tEK - Midnight Colour
Mark McGuire - Living With Yourself
Oneohtrix Point Never - Returnal
Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks
Robyn - Body Talk
Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts

Purchased
Yeasayer - Odd Blood (5.5)
-This has some highs, and some really low lows

Vampire Weekend - Contra (7)
Spoon - Transference (7)
Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago (8.5)
Midlake - The Courage of Others (6.5)
Local Natives- Gorilla Manor (9)
Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me (9)
Efterklang - Magic Chairs (6.5)
Clogs - Veil Waltz EP (7)
Beach House - Teen Dream (7)
Balmorhea - Constellations (7)
Owen Pallett - Heartland (7.5)
Laura Viers - July Flame (9)
Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness rock Record (9)
Caribou - Swim (8)
Jonsi - Go Do (8.5)
I have purchased others, but not listed them here, as yet)

Listened

***Kathryn Williams - The Quickening (8.5) - wonderfully arranged folk music, a lyrically and melodically talented songwriter delivers.

***Clubroot - II - MMX (5.5)
-Atmospheric dubstep, has a new agey vibe that could turn some off (especially the flute-like synths and some of the vocal samples), but I dig the beats.

***Tokyo Police Club - Champ (5)
-Didn't find anything all that catchy on this one, maybe it will grow on me with repeat listens.

***iTal tEK - Midnight Colour (7.5)
-Great mix of analog and organic sounds, mixed cleanly with dirty dupstep beats. Like the angular melodies in the dark soundscapes.

***Wye Oak - My Neighbor / My Creator (7)
-EP from them, also saw them live this year, opening for Shearwater. Not as fuzzed out as other stuff out there, which I like. Pretty straightforward, good stuff.

***Ratatat - LP4 (4)
-Sounds like... Ratatat. Signature guitar riffs, some interest in the blending of styles. 1970s piano-pop to straightforward dance rock with some disco bass lines mixed in. No standout tracks, too over the top for me.

***The Mynabirds - What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood (7)
-Sultry voice leads bluesy pop with a nice mix of other styles. Akin to She & Him, but more blues centered.

***Cell - Hanging Masses (4)
-Meh, not my thing. Down-tempo mystical ambient. At least it's not intrusive.

***Suckers - Wild Smile (7.5)
-Like this quite a bit, intrigued and will definitely give it more listens

***Drake - Thank Me Later (5.5)
-A Hip-Hop/R&B album I could actually listen to all the way through.

***The Drums - The Drums (7.5)
-Fun and Breezy, Sounds like the Cure on summer vacation.

***Here We Go Magic - Pigeons (7)

***Jason Moran - TEN (7)
-great Jazz pianist, this will definitely get more listens

Kele - The Boxer (4)
-average electro pop with some grimy dubstep thrown in for good measure, where are the hooks?

Ed Harcourt - Lustre (6)
Robyn -Body Talk Pt. 1 (6.5)
The Chemical Brothers - Further
The Chap - Well Done Europe (5)
The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme
Foals - Total Live Forever
Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
The National - High Violet
Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (II)
The Tallest Man On Earth - Wild Hunt
Olafur Arnalds - ...And They Have Escaped The Weight of Darkness
B.o.B - The Adventures of Bobby Ray
Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
Dosh - Tommy
Band of Horses - Infinite Arms
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part Two: The Return of the Ankh
The Black Keys - Brothers
Adam Green - Minor Love
Harlem - Hippies
The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever
Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts
Hot Chip - One Life Stand (6)
MGMT - Congratulations
She & Him - Volume Two
OK Go
Surfer Blood
Eels - End Time (4)
Massive Attack (6)
Family of the Year - Songbook
Tunng - And Then We Saw Land
RJD2 - The Colossus
AM - Future Sons & Daughters

Re-issues
Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
The Cure - Disintegration

Couldn't make it through...
do I dare list these?
not yet

Some day I will make a list. Soon, I hope.

Top 20
1. Antony and the Johnsons - The Crying Light
2. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
3. Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth
4. Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
5. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
6. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
7. Califone - All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
8. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
9. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
10. Harlem Shakes -Technicolor Health
11. Tim Hecker - An Imaginary Country
12. Japandroids - Post Nothing
13. Balmorhea - All Is Wild, All Is Silent
14. St. Vincent - Actor
15. The Raveonettes - In And Out Of Control
16. Why? - Eskimo Snow
17. The Antlers - Hospice
18. Taylor Deupree & Christopher Willets - mujo
19. Josephine Foster - Graphic As A Star
20. Dinosaur Jr. - Farm

Honorable Mention
Mount Eerie - Wind's Poem
Bruce Peninsula - A Mountain is a Mouth
Swan Lake - Enemy Mine
M. Ward - Hold Time
Lonely, Dear - Dear John
Atlas sound - Logos
Alela Diane - To Be Still
Volcano Choir - Unmap
Metric - Fantasies
Magnolia Electric Co. - Josephine

Best EPs
Destroyer - Bay of Pigs
Animal Collective - Fall Be Kind
Deerhunter - Rainwater Cassette Exchange

Top Tracks (In no particular order)

Antony & The Johnsons -Kiss My Name
Harlem Shakes - Strictly Game
Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You
Bear In Heaven - You Do You
Andrew Bird - Oh No
Lonely, Dear - Everything Turns To You
A.C. Newman - There Are Maybe Ten Or Twelve
The Antlers - Two
Taylor Deupree & Christopher Willetts - Seasons Centers Studies
Beirut - The Shrew
M. Ward - The Shrew
Jeremy Enigk - Mind Idea
Sunset Rubdown - Idiot Heart
Magnolia Electric Co. – Josephine
Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks
St. Vincent – Black Rainbow
Volcano Choir – And Gather
The Low Anthem – Charlie Darwin
Yo La Tengo – Periodically Double or Triple
Califone – Funeral Singers
Metric – Sick Muse
Woods – Rain
Dinosaur Jr. - See You
Dirty Projectors – The Bride
Atlas Sound (w/Noah Lennox) - Walkabout
Bon Iver – Brackett, WI
Akron/Family - River
Alela Diane - Dry Grass & Shadows
The Avett Brothers - Incomplete And Insecure
Bruce Peninsula - Crabapples
Deerhunter - Disappearing Ink
The Dodos - Fables
Lust For Life - Girls
Islands - No You Don't
Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire
Justin Townes Earle - Midnight at the Movies
The Raveonettes - Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)
Regina Spektor - Folding Chair
Rodrigo y Garcia - Atman
Sin Fang Bous - Catch The Light
Why? - January Twenty Something
The xx - Crystalised
Rhett Miller - Like Love
Wilco – Sonny Feeling
Swan Lake – A Hand at Dusk
The National –So Far Around the Bend