Albums of 2011

[EnigmaHyena]

It's that time of year again where we discuss what CDs we got this year (if any) and what upcoming albums we're looking forward to!

2011 hasn't really been that great for me in terms of music...I think I've only bought 3/4 albums so far this year, of which only 2 are from 2011, which is poor considering I used to buy 40-50 albums a year :/ But I do really like these two albums though! The first is my personal favourite of the year, 'Beast' by DevilDriver and secondly 'Welcome Home Armageddon' by Funeral For A Friend. FFAF are still my favourite band and have been since 2005 but I feel this album just has too many 'filler' tracks that lack any soul or life, which is rare for them. Still, nice to hear them going back to their heavy roots, and the songs that ARE good are simply stellar.

Albums I'm looking forward to though are 'Imaginaerium' by Nightwish and 'Path To Totality' by Korn. Bring 'em on!

Other than that it's looking like 2012 will be the year where I get swamped with new albums by bands I love.

How was your year in terms of music? Did you fall victim to the wrath of Adele and buy her albums? Any stand-out albums this year, and any ones you're waiting for? Talk about it in here c:

 

[Ben]

Hells yeahs <3

The idea that I buy albums is quite cute as well <3

 

[kimahri]

Um... The total number of albums I bought this year was 2 and they were Last chance to reason's Level 2 and the Spirited Away Sound track. Neither of which are from 2011. :|

 

[gavin]

The standouts for me are:

P.J. Harvey: Let England Shake - fantastic album, one of her best easily and probably the best this year for me

Blondie: Panic of Girls - not their best, but got to love a bit of Debbie Harry

Bjork: Biophilia - <3 <3 <3

Tori Amos: Night of Hunters - gorgeous album and very different to anything she's done before

Nicola Roberts: Cinderella's Eyes - best pop album of the year

Cher Lloyd: Sticks and Stones - I kind of hate myself, but I love it

Kate Bush: 50 Words for Snow - perfect "winter" album (very atmospheric without a hint of **** in' Xmas)

Others that I got but wasn't a huge fan of were Lady Gaga (it's good, but I just couldn't get into it as much as The Fame) and Jessie J (bleugh).

For next year I'm looking forward to Madonna's new album (rumours of a track with MIA and Nicki Minaj, which should be amazing!), Nicky Minaj's new album and hopefully something from Lil' Kim.

Fiona Apple's 4th album has been due for about a year already, so hopefully that will finally see the light of day next year as well.

 

[nealbie]

Simples....

Added on from Progress this EP was nothing short of magical. Taking filler score from the live show and rewriting it into 6 new tracks as well as two new singles. Stunning. And we all love Love Love (except Will )!

Other than that it was a bit bog standard for music this year. Mylo Xyloto's (Coldplay) alright, and much the same can be said of Fallen Empires (Snow Patrol). So thank God for Gary!

Also, Kelly Jones, because you're BLATES reading this..... Release that bloody 8th album already man!

For 2012 I look forward to the return of the real CHER!

 

[gavin]

^Oohhh forgot about Cher's new one. Bring on the vocoder!

 

[danielfitzgerald99]

The Vaccines - What did you expect from the vaccines?
The Drums - Portamento
Arctic Monkeys - Suck it and see
Warpaint - Warpaint
The Strokes - Angles

 

[T0M]

I've bought many CDs as I usually do, but of actual new releases:

Alice Cooper - Welcome 2 My Nightmare [unremarkable]
Kasabian - Velociraptor [a couple of memorable tracks, but they continue to diminish since their 2006 peak]
Gary Numan - Dead Son Rising [outstanding]
Noel Gallagher - High Flying Birds [tired and boring, two good songs]
Professor Green - At Your Convenience [like most rap artists, at their best when they work with singers, so a handful of likable tunes]
Blink 182 - Neighborhoods - [a couple of good songs but the writing quality is no longer there, still great to have them back]
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues [their voices have lost some sweetness]
Lindsey Buckingham - Seeds We Sow [lacking the guitar showmanship he's capable of]
The Strokes - Angles [strong opening as per the last album, but difficult to remain interested]
SuperHeavy - [interesting mix of world influences]
UK Subs - Work in Progress [vintage sounding punk, lyrics aren't as good as they once were but there's still awesome Cockney spit in Charlie Harper's delivery]

 

[Ben]

Blink 182 - Neighborhoods - [a couple of good songs but the writing quality is no longer there, still great to have them back

Totally forgot that came out.

I liked, like, one song <//3 It was CERTAINLY not worth them cancelling our tour for another year for. OH WAIT. They cancelled that not for the album but to do more US dates. Blink <///3

 

[T0M]

Yeah, and something has happened to Tom's voice. It isn't just age I'm talking about. His vocal chords have been permanently damaged either from surgery or perhaps just from singing. Listen to the way he sings the word 'every' on Up All Night. I love that song but it is also heavily autotuned.

I'm not sure I would like to see them live now.

 

[Mackem Lad]

His voice has been like that since Angels & Airwaves. I don't think there is any vocal chord damage, he just changed his style of singing and thus sounds a lot different to the days of 'All The Small Things' et al. He's never been a great live singer either way.

As for my albums of the year:

- Neighborhoods (Blink-182)
- Mylo Xyloto (Coldplay)
- Torches (Foster the People)
- Turtleneck & Chain (The Lonely Island)
- Welcome Reality (Nero)
- What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? (The Vaccines)

Biggest disappointment was probably I'm With You (Red Hot Chili Peppers).


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[T0M]

It's certainly damage, what you hear is trying and failing of particular notes.

 

[ciallkennett]

For me, 2011 was an explosion of discovering new and upcoming talent as well as my normal intake of mainstream music.

Nero - Welcome Reality

Known about Nero for a while through their unreleased stuff on Youtube, but it wasn't until I heard Me and You on a Radio 1 advert that I actually realised they were releasing stuff. Picked up the album, was blown away. It's made of nom, and I went to see them live a few months back which was quite insane.

Noah & The Whale - Last Night On Earth

Been a big fan of Noah and The Whale since early 2008 when they released Peaceful The World Lays Me Down. LNOE is a massive change from the predecessors, and certainly feels more mainstream, but the core roots of indie folk still remain and the album isn't at all terrible. A number of really good songs.

Chase & Status - No More Idols

I was a MASSIVE fan of More Than Alot - and a lot like Nero - I was a massive fan of their unreleased stuff on Youtube. I was looking forward to No More Idols but it didn't quite meet my expectations. Some of the collaborations seemed to purely be done for mainstream credit, some of the songs were just terrible, whereas some were pretty decent. The album is growing more and more on me though.

Adele - 21

You either love it, or hate it. I love it. Miles better than 19, soulful, emotional, beautiful. I like most of the songs on there, whereas 19 is hit or miss. Actually, I hate Rumour Has It. It's terrible. But otherwise, this is why 2011 has been a big year for Adele. If you haven't listened yet, give it a go.

Olfar - Harbour

Onto a few bands/singers whom I discovered this year and have just released their first album. I found Olfar by mistake, and when I saw they were offering their album for free, I snapped it up and gave it ago. I wasn't expecting it to be so good. Beautifully written songs and perfect for winding down. It's a real shame they're hardly known about, because I can see them being very big.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich - Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm

Once again, I stumbled across BFL by accident about a year or so ago when he was releasing some EPs. I really enjoyed them, and found myself among a small fan base who was really loving his music. I'm so pleased to know he's done well and his album was a massive success, because it really is beautiful. Such a lovely voice.

Kate McGill - Replaced

Well, Kate McGill... saw her on Youtube, listened to her album in August, was blown away. I'm so pleased I got to see her perform live to about 30 people and got to meet her and get my album signed. The album is the most played album of 2011 on my iTunes, and rightly so. Her songs have so much meaning, you can hear the emotion as she sings them and it's quite simply amazing. LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Ed Sheeran can get a mention too, although I'm not a big fan of the album. One or two songs are ok, the rest just don't do it for me. I don't understand why so many people my age 'love' his stuff - it's mainly the chavs I'm shocked about. I just don't get it.

There's probably a plethora of other albums I've forgotten to mention, but yeah, 2011 I found some really decent artists who I hope will make it big sooner or later.

 

[peep]

I haven't purchased many new releases this year but I think the ones I have have been different and I've liked for one reason or another.

Foo Fighters - Back and Forth - Took me a couple of listens to really get into it but there are some great tracks on there

Chase & Status - No More idols - Excellent, love it from start to finish, I've had this on repeat for many days of this year, just can't get enough of it

Yelle - Safari Disco Club - For those that know me the title alone says why I love this album so mcuh. However it's got a really cool, yet odd, style, they need to stop touring places where I don't live and make a third album but seeing as there was like a 2/3 year gap between the first album and this one I've got a long wait ahead me thinks.

Alestorm - Back through Time - Absolutely hilarious, love it. Tbh any album that contains random metal versions of 'I am a pirate' (by Lazytown) or a song about cider is a great album in my books.

 

[Jer]

2011 was a pretty Meh year for music really, most albums I downloaded were just okay at best, but there were 5 albums, that blew my **** mind out of the water

1. Giant Squid - Cenotes EP

For the first year ever, my Album of the year was a 5 song EP, yes it's only 5 song, but I cannot explain the perfection of these songs, the way they sound individually as well as together is just, unmatched by anything this year. The bands new heavier style, and vocal sounds also adds new depth to their music.

2. The Middle East - I Want That You Are Always Happy

This album I downloaded randomly on a whim, and my mind was blown. The first I listened to it was on the way home from Gadv on a rainy night, and It was like an orgasm in my ears. The album is insanely emotional, and I even find myself shedding tears during the album.

3. Tom Waits - Bad As Me

His first album in years, I downloaded it through recommendation from a good friend, and I didn't expect much, I was wrong, it's a truly new and unique sound for Tom and at times it doesn't even sound like him at all. Very nice, and relaxing album to listen to

4. SBTRKT - SBTRKT

Pronounced subtract, SBTRKT taught me that dubstep doesn't have to sound like the stereotypical dubstep. The album didnt start out on good terms for me, but grew on me immensely, and now every time I listen to it, it's a treat, and a wonder, and it feels new every time I hear it.

5. The Antlers - Burst Apart

As a whole this album didn't get too fantastic reviews from the professionals, what I learnt recently.... **** the professionals, this album is outrageous. The first album by The Antlers "Hopsice" was my album of the year for 2009, and this album has a different sound, the vocals are more pronounced, and the sound is just different, in a way I just cannot describe.


I've only purchased a physical copy of Giant Squid's Cenotes EP, but i've been meaning to order the others.

 

[kimahri]

^ What about PPPPPP, you seem to rave about that a lot.

 

[marc]

Music must have been great this year I have bought nothing apart from 1 now cd lol.

 

[jayjay]

I only bought two albums from this year: Mylo Xyloto (Coldplay) which was just okay. Also Helplessness Blues (Fleet Foxes) which is my highlight. Loved everything on the album.

 

[Jer]

^ What about PPPPPP, you seem to rave about that a lot.

Thats not from 2011 though....

 

[Gangster4Life]

I only bought two albums this year: Eminem's Bad Meets Evil & Snoop Dogg's Doggumentary. Which I bought on my birthday :--D