The Best Albums of 2011
During 2011, Australian musicians to feature substantially in the Hottest 100 countdown were Boy & Bear (unearthed,) Gotye, 360, Architecture in Helsinki, and Ball Park Music-Unearthed. Again, the correlation between the Hottest 100 and the growth of singles on the ARIA and iTunes singles charts in the week following was strong. Rapper 360 and his song, “Boys Like You,” entered the Hottest 100 at number 8, and the following week, it rose to number 2 on the iTunes singles chart and number 3 on the ARIA singles chart. A similar movement included Matt Corby’s “Brother”-number 3 in the 2011 Hottest 100 countdown-also rising to number three on the ARIA charts. Here are all of the 2011 albums ranked.
Relive the music of one of the most notable years of rock and roll. Click below and listen to the songs of the year 2011!
10. 21 (Adele)
“A complete change of pace but I just love her vocals and the tunes are excellent as well – good enough to forgive her for going on about that ex-boyfriend in nearly every song! Someone Like You is absolutely beautiful, whilst other top tracks include the infectious Rumour Has It, Rolling In The Deep, and Set Fire To The Sun”
9. Wasting Light (Foo Fighters)
“With the return of Pat Smear, the band is flourishing again. On this album, the Foo Fighters make a good combination of the three guitars. Furthermore, the songwriting is very strong and the production is also very successful.”
8. Kaputt (Destroyer)
“Smooth, jazzy, and easy listening. This is the first album I’ve listened to by Destroyer and was blown away by its excellence. My girlfriend uses this record to calm her nerves during long flights, which is saying something.”
See more: Foo Fighters Albums Ranked
7. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (M83)
“The absolute joy this album delivers me, I’m just grateful. Everything I listened to after this album became less important just by its existence. I don’t play this album often, as if fragile to touch, but I remember every single time I listened to this album.”
6. El Camino (The Black Keys)
“El Camino is a great and fun album. It’s what you expect to hear from the band after Attack & Release and Brothers, however, I don’t think that it’s as good as those other two mainly because I feel most of the songs here sound the same and the band doesn’t expand to new ground, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing… but it isn’t a great thing either.”
5. The King Of Limbs (Radiohead)
“This is the definition of a grower. I don’t care all that much about feral, the rest of the songs are really solid IMO. Give Up The Ghost, Codex, Lotus Flower, and Separator are amazing pieces of music, and I find the rhythmically driven progression of bloom, little by little, and morning Mr magpie kind of cool.”
4. Let England Shake (PJ Harvey)
“I gave it a high rating based on originality, musicianship, and cause it’s PJ Harvey who I madly respect, not because I actually love it. But I’m 100% certain that at one moment in my life it will just click with me, as so many albums that I had similar experiences with did.”
See more: Radiohead Albums Ranked
3. The Smile Sessions (The Beach Boys)
“This has to be the Beach Boys’ strongest collection of songs outside of ‘Pet Sounds’ and is arguably a far more interesting piece as a whole. Obvious centerpieces’ Heroes and Villians’, ‘Cabin Essense’, ‘Surfs Up’ and ‘Good Vibrations’ are of course instant classics, but a few of the deeper, stranger cuts nestled within this album (e.g. Vegetables, Do You Like Worms?, Wind Chimes and Wonderful) are serious growers with Brian Wilson’s endearingly naïve lyrics and his disjointed, proto-cut-and-paste approach forming the core of the album as a whole.”
2. Helplessness Blues (Fleet Foxes)
“Great Record, and so far it is Fleet Fox’s greatest record. The lyrics are so deep and reflect on a lot of issues that our generation face with mortality, depression, anxiety, and hopelessness. It is a sad record, but in a happy way.”
1. Bon Iver (Bon Iver)
“Bon Iver’s new album comes with a different sound than did the first album. But, I am intrigued by the new direction and the ability of Justin and Bon Iver to re-invent themselves and their sound, and yet still be so completely unique. To me, it’s the mark of genius. This is a great album. Holocene is haunting, but Perth and Calgary are my other faves on this album.”