Best Of 2011
Folk-rock, indie pop, strong debuts, and sophmore explosions. 2011′s a crazy year for music and the quality is outstanding. Here’s our list of the top albums of 2011. We’re constantly updating this list so please check back often. For those who want to sample the album before grabbing the whole thing, we have included the top track off of each album to download for free under each description. Spread the word!
- Bon Iver – Bon Iver
- What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? – The Vaccines
- 21 – Adele
- I’m With You – Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Torches – Foster The People
- Death Of A Decade – Ha Ha Tonka
- The King Is Dead – The Decemberists
- Wasting Light – Foo Fighters
- The Whole Love – Wilco
- Cults – Cults
- The King Of Limbs – Radiohead
- The Head And The Heart – The Head And The Heart
- Barton Hollow – The Civil Wars
- Strange Mercy – St. Vincent
- Helplessness Blues – Fleet Foxes
- Psycho Jukebox – Jon Fratelli
- All At Once – The Airborne Toxic Event
- The Big Roar – The Joy Formidable
- Let England Shake – PJ Harvey
- Codes & Keys – Death Cab For Cutie
- Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes – Social Distortion
- Turtleneck & Chain – The Lonely Island
- Kiss Each Other Clean – Iron & Wine
- Angles – The Strokes
- Thank You, Happy Birthday – Cage the Elephant
- Showroom Of Compassion – Cake
- Red Barked Tree – Wire
- Valhalla Dancehall – British Sea Power
Beautifully etheral, texturally beautiful, hauntingly introspective, utterly captivating, simply amazing. What more can be said about this album really?
Key Track To Download: Beth / Rest
The hottest new act in England lives up to all the hype with a stunning debut of indie, punk, rock, or any other genre you want to label it.
Key Track To Download: If You Wanna
The British soul singer rightfully steps into the shoes as the top female singer around with a spectacular album that bellows from the bottom of her soul to reach yours.
Key Track To Download: Set Fire To The Rain
Onto their their ninth guitarist, the aging funk-rockers proves their relevance with a new twist on old sounds by merging the best of By The Way & Blood Sugar Sex Magik.
Key Track To Download: Police Station
The merger of pop, electronica, indie, & alternative comes to a head on the LA outfit’s debut album that might be the most unlikely hit of the past couple of years.
Key Track To Download: Houdini
The Missouri quartet puts down what might be their best offering of pure Ozark folk with some of the best harmonies around & some of the best lyrics year-round.
Key Track To Download: Jesusita
Coming off their take on rock opera, the band simplify things with a pure slice of Americana for any fan of folk, country, or just plain good music.
Key Track To Download: This Is Why We Fight
Dave Grohl lives up to his all of his recent titles & awards by delivering an abrasive yet poigiantly sensitive hard rock collection that’s straight out of any garage.
Key Track To Download: Walk
Truly one of rock’s most consistently great acts back it up by becoming as ambitious as ever by pushing their boundaries in both conventional & unique ways.
Key Track To Download: One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend)
Madeline Follon’s angelic voice praying haunting themes over Brian Oblivion’s eclectic rhythms & melodies equals one of the best debuts of the year.
Key Track To Download: Abducted
Rock’s most acclaimed band combines rock & electronic again in an unbelievably calm setting that’s as bold & ambitious as any of their past work.
Key Track To Download: Give Up The Ghost
The incredulous word-of-mouth story out of Seattle turns out to be completely justified with another great Northwest folk offering, just as poiginant as the rest.
Key Track To Download: Sounds Like Hallelujah
Joy Williams & John Paul White merge country & folk music into a perfect slice of Americana served with hauntingly gorgeous arrangements & duets.
Key Track To Download: Barton Hollow
The reigning Guitar Queen returns with more textural arrangements backdropping haunting lyrics of vanity, mortality, & human nature.
Key Track To Download: Surgeon
Perhaps the center of the folk-rock boom of 2011, the aptly-titled album asks questions almost in vain set to grandoise arrangements that pay off just right.
Key Track To Download: Lorelai
Borrowing the best elements from his former band & adding an infusion of the new Brit-rock scene, Glasgow’s own comes out swinging hard in his debut solo effort.
Key Track To Download: Santo Domingo
Taking criticism in stride (though not on the band name), Mikel Jollett & company return with a more refined sound in the backdrop of vastly developed songwriting.
Key Track To Download: Changing
The Welsh band achieves a lofty goal with their debut album: mixing the huge sound & raw attitude of Rock with the intimate lyrics & complex compositions of Indie.
Key Track To Download: The Everchanging Spectrum Of A Lie
Equipped with a new voice & new sound, the reigning Queen of Eccentricity tackles the English take on World War I and the aftermath in a stunning manner.
Key Track To Download: Let England Shake
One of the biggest flag-bearers for indie rock returns with a turn from guitar-driven melodies and creates sonically stunning arrangements full of hope & wonder.
Key Track To Download: St. Peter’s Cathedral
After six long years, Mike Ness & Co. finally give us their long awaited seventh album that comes up big unlike other over-delayed rock albums in the past.
Key Track To Download: Machine Gun Blues
Stepping out of Saturday Night Live once more, the three best “fake rappers” in the game continue to one-up hip-hop with hilarious lyrics set to impeccable beats.
Key Track To Download: Jack Sparrow
Sam Beam pushes his ambitions even higher with a big attempt at his “70s FM Radio” sound that pulls his arrangements & melodies perhaps tighter than ever.
Key Track To Download: Half Moon
The New York group returns after a stressfull recording session with an album capturing their garage spirit with the experimental rock of the past few years.
Key Track To Download: Two Kinds Of Happiness
Alt Rock’s newest heroes come out from the garage full of rowdy rage interlaced with subtle graces of maturity for a strong sophmore showing.
Key Track To Download: Right Before My Eyes
The peculiar but always fun band score big with their first new effort in seven years showing that the world still has room for quirky rock hooks.
Key Track To Download: Long Time
Surprise! The post-punk standard proves that they still have as much life & relevance as they had with their landmark debut in 1976.
Key Track To Download: Red Barked Tree
Still trying to capture the essence of 2008′s Do You Like Rock Music?, the British group returns with an offering full of strong hits & big soundscapes.
Key Track To Download: Living Is So Easy
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