My Favourite Albums of 2011

2011, as it turned out, was a pretty great year for music. This fact, however, makes selecting my favourite albums of the past 12 months that much more challenging.

Last year, I opted to run a top 5 list: five separate blog posts, which elaborated on my selections as I counted down my top 5 albums of the year. I intended to do the same this year. However, as time went on, I got increasingly busier until suddenly, I just didn’t have the time to present my list in the manner which I’d intended. (It’s fitting, then, that a few of the albums I’ve selected for this year-end list deal with time: the passing of it; spending it; wasting it). So, instead of 5 posts...this is one long post. Sorry.

I’m no critic or music journalist; I’m just a fan. So, while there are certainly critically acclaimed albums on my list, I relied only on my own ears and brain. If the music I listened to evoked emotions in me, or made me think, or just simply entertained me, I’ve included it here. These are the albums I’ve gone back to time and time again all year...in some cases, literally since January. Hopefully you’ll agree...and if don’t, that’s fine; this is simply what I’ve liked. Feel free to post your own favourites below in the comments.

MY TOP 5 ALBUMS OF 2011 (In no particular order; though I suppose I did start at #1)

--FOO FIGHTERS - WASTING LIGHT (APRIL 12, 2011)



I’ve never hidden my geek fandom for this band, so this should come as a shock to no one, but I can’t deny that the band made a truly fantastic rock album. Wasting Light debuted at No.1 in 9 countries and went on to be nominated for 6 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year – no easy feat for a rock n roll band these days. Adele is likely going to win that one, but Foo Fighters accomplished this by going back to basics...albeit with millions of dollars at their disposal.

The album was recorded by Butch Vig (who did Nevermind) in Dave Grohl’s garage, using only analog tape. There are no digital tricks to this album; it’s five guys making music together. From the buzzing guitar intro and scream of Bridge Burning’s opening line, to the final cries of Walk, Wasting Light is quite possibly the best thing this band has done since 1997. The first half of the record moves at a break-neck pace from Bridge Burning to lead single Rope. Bob Mould of Husker Du makes a nice appearance on Dear Rosemary and the band gets thrashy with White Limo before going back to the “quiet, loud, quiet” formula for the insanely catchy Arlandria. These Days falls right in the middle of the record, and seems to be the turning point.

 I’ll admit that once Back & Forth starts, my enthusiasm dips a bit. It’s a fun song with a Cheap Trick kind of vibe, but I find it tiring.  A Matter of Time follows and similarly bores me now with its repetitiveness. Although I really like Miss The Misery, I can admit that it might also be considered a piece of filler. Thankfully the album goes out on a high note...two of them, in fact.

Reuniting Grohl & Vig with Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic offers one of the most poignant moments on Wasting Light. I Should Have Known could be about anything, but it’s hard not to draw the connection to Kurt Cobain. The atmosphere of the song alone is haunting and Novoselic’s grungy bass line cuts through the bridge to really hammer home the emotional release the songs evokes. Then with Walk, after spending most of the album looking at the past, Grohl sets his eyes on the future. The screaming refrain of “I Never Wanna Die” show a man (and a band) renewed; ready to keep going. As a fan, I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Album Stand-out: I got to see them live this year...here’s one of my favourite from the album from their show in Montreal:





--HEY ROSETTA! - SEEDS (FEBRUARY 15, 2011)



Easily my favourite Canadian album of the year – and strong contender for over-all favourite album -  Hey Rosetta’s Seeds has been close to my CD player since it was released. It’s a little more upbeat than the band’s previous album, which is a welcome decision. It showcases the energy the band exhibits in their live show and Tim Baker’s lyrics are like poetic stories. The songs, as the title of the album suggests, imbed themselves in your head and grow and change with each listen. In fact, many of the songs speak of change and the passing of time as we grow older.

 The lead single Welcome is about the birth of a child and realising that you’re getting older and reflecting on the life you’ve lived to this point, and what brought you here and what’s to come not only for a newborn, but yourself.  The orchestral sound of the band (they have a small string section as permanent band members) creates a layered hypnotic effect which allows the listener to experience the songs rather than just hear them. Depending on your mood, the songs affect could change with each listen. It’s a true full album experience, which i continue to enjoy even 12 months after the fact. Each time I play it seems new.

Album Stand-out: There were many contenders, but I’ll go with the acoustic finisher, Bandages:





-- THE BLACK KEYS - EL CAMINO (DECEMBER 6, 2011)



The duo from Akron, Ohio topped my list last year with the outstanding, funky soul of Brothers. This year, they pump up the energy with a quickly paced blues-rock triumph. The tone of the record is set with the opening guitar riff of Lonely Boy and from there progresses to the raw energy felt on previous Black Keys albums, infused with that full-band sound found on last year’s offering.

The album was actually written, for the most part, in the studio as the band took breaks from touring over the past year. That jam-packed schedule makes itself known in the frenetic pace of the music on El Camino. These are some of the fastest tempos the band has had on a record and the whole thing is best experienced loud – as the packaging indicates. From one song to the next, this band demonstrates their ability to write radio hooks without sounding like anyone else in the mainstream. Their blues influences are string, and songs like Little Black Submarines sound as if Led Zeppelin jammed with Tom Petty. Then there’s the soulful R & B underlying it all. Sister sounds like a beat one might hear on a Michael Jackson record.

The band continues to impress me, and it’s no wonder they’re the buzz band of the last couple of years. After 10 years as a band, the attention is well deserved. Do yourself a favour and check out their back catalogue too.

Album Stand-out: Tough to choose just one, but I’ll go with Little Black Submarines as my earliest favourite:





--ELLIOTT BROOD - DAYS INTO YEARS (SEPTEMBER 27, 2011)



As I mentioned, many of the albums on my list consist of themes of time and change and reflection. Ontario’s Elliott Brood imply that theme with the title of their latest effort. As a fan of this band for a few years now, I was eagerly awaiting this release. The band is hard to define in a single genre, so alt-country-folk-rock is probably the best description. Their songs imbue a laid back, down-home relaxing vibe; the album sounds like a band relaxing on a back porch reflecting on life. In fact, the band makes reference to that in the single If I Get Old.

In the albums’ opening song, Lindsay, the words speak of cleaning out an old family home before it’s demolished, finding relics which remind the subject of days gone by. Other songs, like Northern Air, are inspired by the band’s visit to a military cemetery in France where the bodies of Canadian Soldiers from World War 1 lay to rest. The folk-aspect of these songs brings you to that time; the songs feel like they’re embodied by someone from those early decades in the 1900’s.
One thing which is a welcome addition the band’s sound is that of the electric guitar, which adds extra atmosphere and energy to the songs. While the album is best enjoyed just kicking back and listening, it’s also a nice companion on an afternoon drive through the country (as I’ve done many times visiting family) or on a stroll or a bike ride at dawn or dusk (y’know during the warmer months...).

Album Stand-out:  The album’s opening song, Lindsay:






-- JAY-Z & KANYE WEST - WATCH THE THRONE (AUGUST 8, 2011)



Yup, a rap record in my Top 5. Look, Hip-Hop doesn’t really do it for me on most occasions, but I have always had a soft-spot for Jay-Z. The man knows how to put words together and spin a verse, and Kanye West, for his part, is no slouch (his ego and personal matters aside). The fact that two of the biggest names in the game got together to make an album garnered a tremendous amount of hype; the fact that the album lives up to that kind of hype is impressive.

Hip-Hop, essentially, is about ego. So maybe it’s not for everyone. Maybe Watch The Throne is just two egomaniacs telling everyone they’re egomaniacs...but that’s why it’s great. It’s a fun album. These two know who they are, and they know everyone knows who they are, so they revel in that ego and have assembled a collection of music that is catchy, in your face and lyrically impressive. Their rhymes tell stories as much as anyone else did on my year-end list, and they did it in a way that I can’t get out of my head.

Album Stand-out: I was first introduced to one of the songs via the trailer for the upcoming film, Safe House...so No Church In The Wild is my choice (plus it's one of the cleanest songs on the album...):






HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

 I really loved Steve Earle’s I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive – especially after seeing him perform at the Playhouse – and the so-called “Year of Adele” is because her album 21 is an emotionally raw collection of heartbreak that is truly one of the best albums of the year...but it’s just not something I’ve listened to repeatedly, as was the criteria for my list. Chevelle put out a new one which may be their best since Wonder What’s Next, and The Decemberists spent a good while in my player and on my mind with The King is Dead.

Locally – and regionally – there were a few stand-out albums as well: Keith Hallet sounds like the incarnate soul of Son House on his impressive album, I Just Lost My Mind. Andrew Hunter & The Gatherers’ Warhorses sat in my car player for weeks on end, and both the Westerberg Suicides & She Roars delivered pop-rock at its finest with their respective albums.

Looking ahead to 2012, I’m excited for new music from Big Wreck, Our Lady Peace, Sleepydriver...and that’s just the Canadian Content. Yeah, 2012 should be a good one.

Happy New Year!
-Crash-