Brian LaBenne’s Favorite Albums of 2011:

25. Thurston Moore - Demolished Thoughts

I’ve been a fan of Thurston Moore’s solo work (as well as his work in Sonic Youth) for a while now, and, I must say, this is one of the best releases he’s been a part of. It’s a very engaging, slow paced, beautiful album, with interesting subtleties on every track. This is a great album for fans of mellow, engaging and inventive folky acoustic music.

Track to check out: ‘Benediction’



24. Saigon - The Greatest Story Never Told
So, yeah, this totally sounds like Jay-Z. But, not like, “Watch the Throne”, rap about having awesome credit, recent Jay-Z. Like, incredible, 1990’s, best-in-the-game Jay-Z. The album is a huge undertaking, and, it unfortunately loses points for being heavy handed at points. However, overall, it’s an album filled with some of the best rapping around these days. This is a great album for fans of 90’s era hip-hop.

Track to check out: ‘Greatest Story Never Told’



23. Smith Westerns - Dye it Blonde
This album came out in January, and, at that time, I was convinced that it would be in the Top 10 of my list. I love the T-Rex influences that come through in this album. It’s truly a great old style rockin’ album. However, as you can tell, it did not make the Top 10. There are a couple reasons for this. First of all, 2011 has been such a great music year. Each of these albums I feel very strongly about, and, am very happy to have encountered them this year. Also, I think it kind of wore its charm off a little bit over the year. Maybe all these albums will do that at some point, and this just had the unfortunate early release date. I don’t know. But, this is a truly awesome album, and is great for fans of old style, T-Rex like rock music.

Track to check out: ‘Imagine pt. 3’



22. Starfucker - Reptilians
Yeah, probably the worst band name around. Also, after watching the video that I’m posting with this album, apparently the guys look like really annoying hipster dudes. But, whatever, this is a really enjoyable album. Reminiscent of the Flaming Lips at points. Really great synth-pop. They remind me of MGMT. However, where MGMT likes to mix it up a little bit and be unpredictable, Starfucker decided to do an album of all hard hitting awesome pop songs. This is a great album for fans of Flaming Lips, MGMT, or great synth-pop songs.

Track to check out: ‘Julius’




21. The Antlers - Burst Apart
The Antlers last release, ‘Hospice’, was a pretty dire affair, but, overall, it was an interesting album about loss. This time around, they have an album with “better” production, more electronic influence, and a slightly more uplifting dire sound. What has drawn me into this album are the electronic touches alongside the falsetto vocals, which may turn a lot of people off. This is a good album for people who enjoy bleak electronic pop music.

Track to check out: ‘I Don’t Want Love’




20. Richard Buckner - Our Blood
This was definitely one of the few surprise albums of the year. I have never listened to Richard Buckner before, and, shame on me! AND, shame on you if you haven’t either! ‘Our Blood’ sounds almost like an album of demos, in the vein of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’, and there is good reason for it. Apparently, his laptop was stolen from his apartment when he was about 90% done with the album as it was intended. After that, he just recorded stripped down versions of the songs with very minimal instrumentation for the most part. The end result is a fantastic mellow folk album. Buckner’s voice is the main draw here, and, it’s nice that the album showcases it so well with the minimal arrangements. Even if it happened on accident. This is a good album for fans of mellow folk rock albums like ‘Nebraska’.

Track to check out: ‘Traitor’



19. Cults - Cults
This may have been THE hype album of 2011, and I really didn’t want to like it that much. But, man it is pretty great. I’m a sucker for sweet girl melodies, and this is filled with ‘em. However, what really stands out on the album to me is the production. The drums and bass, for the most part, are huge and sound incredible. The vocals have a really nice reverb sound to them. And, the keyboards provide a great swirling that kind of throws things askew, in a good way. This is a great album for people who like good indie-pop rock groups with girl singers.

Track to check out: ‘Most Wanted’




18. Drake - Take Care
Drake is weird! A couple years ago he released a great mix tape and a good album and then he hit the radio circuit. It seemed like every other song on the radio featured Drake and they were TERRIBLE. Not only were the songs TERRIBLE but HE was TERRIBLE on those songs. He seemed like he was turning into a caricature of himself, and it was distressing. So, along comes ‘Take Care’ and it starts getting really good reviews. I see Pitchfork’s review and immediately think: “yea, but, remember their great review for ‘Watch the Throne’ Brian?”, so I didn’t give it much credence. However, after seeing The AV Club’s review, I finally yielded and gave into listening to it. Surprise Surprise, it’s GREAT! And, it’s a popular RnB album that is a grower. The music is very very beautiful throughout, and, his lyrics are engaging and uncomfortably authentic, in a good way. Overall, this is a great album for fans of RnB, or people interested in beautiful music and interesting lyrics.

Song to check out: ‘Take Care’




17. Panda Bear - Tomboy
Another great output from Panda Bear of Animal Collective fame. It’s like Beach Boys mixed with electronic music, which is a fantastic combination. If you’re not really that into strange electronic music, don’t bother with it. But, if you are, this is a great album full of haunting melodies and thumping, driving music. This is a great album for people interested in Beach Boys by way of electronic music.

Song to check out: ‘Last Night at the Jetty’




16. Beyonce - 4
It’s interesting how Beyonce keeps on getting better and better, while her soul mate, Jay-Z keeps on getting worse and worse (have I mentioned ‘Watch the Throne’ yet?). ‘4’ is Beyonce’s best album, hands down. So much of the album owes to early 90’s RnB music, but, it never comes across as dated. Musically it’s fantastically executed. And, does anyone really question if Beyonce can sing incredibly at this point? This is a great album for anyone who enjoys pop music, or Beyonce, or wants themselves to be happy.

Song to check out: ‘Countdown’




15. Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What
Paul Simon is possibly the best songwriter of all time. He’s up there at least. He’s been writing songs for, what, close to 50 years? And, instead of losing steam *cough* Bob *cough* Dylan *cough*, he releases one of his most interesting and best albums to date. If you’re a fan of Paul Simon, this is definitely something to check out.

Song to check out: ‘Getting Ready for Christmas Day”




14. Boris - New Album
Boris continues to impress and surprise, and this year was no different. There are actually three different Boris releases that came out this year. “Attention Please” and “Heavy Rocks” came out on the same day in May, but for some reason I connected most with “New Album”, which was released only in Japan. A little over half the album contains slightly revised tracks from the other two releases from this year, plus a few new songs. This is the closest they will ever come to a ‘pop’ album, and they do it masterfully. Yet, it never loses the noise that has defined them over their career. If you’re a fan of noisy poppy rock this album is for you.

Song to check out: Spoon




13. Wye Oak - Civilian
I first got to know Wye Oak last year when they perfectly covered a song by The Kinks for The AV Club. I was drawn in by Jenn Wasner’s voice and her guitar playing, which is reminiscent Neil Young’s noisy guitar solos at times. This year, they also covered a song by Danzig for The AV Club, and it was perfection again. So, I was excited to listen to their album, and it did not disappoint. Wasner’s voice and songwriting are top notch, and the juxtaposition of the soft and heavy throughout is a great contrast. Overall, a great album for fans of Neil Young, loud folky music, or beautiful female vocals.

Song to check out: Holy Holy




12. The Weeknd - House of Balloons
This is definitely the darkest RnB album I’ve ever heard. Its filled with songs about the consequences of drugs, having flings with women, and not knowing what you’re capable of. Yeah, it’s a really heavy album, and if it weren’t for the incredible vocals and engaging, yet dark, music, it could have been a train wreck. This is a great album for fans of RnB music. Also, the music video posted below is insane, it’s worth checking out.

Song to check out: ‘The Knowing’





11. Big K.R.I.T. - Return of 4eva
What a fantastic mixtape from an up and coming rapper in the vein of T.I. and Big Boi. Its filled with great, very chill rap tracks that aren’t about objectifying women or killing people. The beats are great and the rapping is top notch as well. This is a great album for fans of rap, or, more specifically, southern rap.

Song to check out: ‘Rotation’




10. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
These guys are by far the best of the “new folk” generation. A lot of new folk can be quite boring and derivative, but I really feel like Fleet Foxes are paving their own sound, and this album is further evidence that they are going to continue making beautiful music with transcendent harmonies and interesting structures. This is honestly a great album for anybody who enjoys listening to music, you may not like it, but its worth trying!

Song to check out: ‘Grown Ocean’




9. Atlas Sound - Parallax
Bradford Cox (Deerhunter) has been making some of my favorite music over the past couple years, and he doesn’t disappoint here with his solo project Atlas Sound. Parallax is a very subtle album, so subtle I wouldn’t fault anyone for saying its boring, because it kind of is. But, I tend to like slow moving and evolving things, so, it’s great for me. Its mostly just a nice bedroom pop album with electronic flourishes thrown in. It’s a great album for people who like electronic sounds with slow pop structures.

Song to check out: ‘Mona Lisa’





8. Mikal Cronin - Mikal Cronin
Up next is another bedroom poppy album, but this one is much louder and heavier. I’m so happy that I encountered this album, and will be looking forward to what he releases in the future. Its filled with loud in your face guitar and vocals that sometimes drift into Beach Boys territory. His debut album shows a lot of promise and puts out 10 rockin’ tracks with interesting instrumental turns. This is a great album for people who like the sound of garage rock by way of the Beach Boys.

Song to check out: ‘Apathy’




7. Real Estate - Days
What a fantastic guitar album! It’s so chill and filled with great layers of guitar that its beautiful. Very nice songwriting and singing on the album as well, but, honestly, the guitars are the true star here. This is a great album for fans of hazy guitar driven music.

Song to check out: ‘Green Aisles’




6. Destroyer - Kaputt
Who knew an album that sounds like adult contemporary music from the 80’s would be such a smash hit? Dan Bejar, that’s who. He’s such a great songwriter with a distinct voice and song structure, and on Kaputt he doesn’t disappoint. AND, he adds saxophone! AND lots of it! And, it sounds incredible. This is definitely a great album for fans of Destroyer (duh), or adult contemporary music from the 80’s with lots of SAXOPHONE! (side note: the music video below is crazy awesome)

Song to check out: ‘Kaputt’




5. John Maus - We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
Pretentious title eh? Yeah, this guy seems pretty pretentious. Dropping little known philosophers as the inspiration for the structure of his songs. Oh well, it’s a great album filled with crazy weird synth sounds and great song structures that really evoke Leibniz’s theories on rationalism. Maus’ voice is strange in the best way possible and filled to the brim with reverb. This is a great album for those who like strange synth pop.

Song to check out: ‘Hey Moon’




4. Cut Copy - Zonoscope
I love albums that have songs bleed together throughout to create the feeling that you need to listen to it as a whole and not just your favorite tracks. Cut Copy have created a true indie electronic album with Zonoscope. The vocals are front and center, swimming in a sea of warm, dancey synths, guitar and drums. This is a great album for those who like dancey indie electronic music with touches of New Order.

Song to check out: ‘Need You Now”




3. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
Its very rare for a truly inventive hip hop album to come along these days, and whenever one does my ears perk up. At first, I wasn’t sure about this album. I really liked the EPs that Shabazz Palaces put out last year. This album is difficult to get into at first. The first couple tracks are very strange musically. However, this album was really a grower for me. Each time I listen to it I like it more and more. The rapping (from a Digable Planets alum) is top notch throughout. This is a great album for fans of inventive hip hop.

Song to check out: ‘Swerve’




2. Tom Waits - Bad as Me
I became a huge fan after his last new release came out, so, this was the first time that I was able to anticipate an album from Tom Waits, possibly my favorite musical artist of all time. I was worried that, for some reason I wouldn’t like the album because I hyped it up too much in my mind. I should have known better. Waits comes back with one of his best, and most engaging albums ever. It has a nice short run time for Waits, and the music is just beautiful. This is a great album for fans of incredible songwriting, beautiful music, and strange vocals.

Song to check out: ‘Back in the Crowd’




1. Fucked Up - David Comes to Life
I’ve been a fan of Fucked Up for a long time now, and have stuck with them as they have polished their sound more and more with each album. This seems like the album they’ve been leading up to for all the years I’ve been a fan, and they execute it perfectly. Normally I’m not a big fan of concept albums, but, I’m happy they went with the idea for one here. The screaming vocals are, of course, great and mix well when they occasionally harmonize with pretty female vocals. There are nice repeating musical themes that pop up in different songs, which definitely tie the album together well. However, the real star of the album is the guitars. Layer upon layer of fantastic rock guitars are on every song, and it’s just a joy to listen to. This is a great album for fans of melodic hardcore with incredible layers of guitars.

Song to check out: uhhhh, all of them! …. but, here is a fun video for ‘The Other Shoe’