What a year 2011 was for music.
We had a burst of female songwriting talent,comebacks,new artists who wanted to stake their claim on the music scene as well as old bands who came back in another shape or form to intrigue us once again
Of course there was a huge amount of albums released this year which no doubt are on many end of year lists,but you can't have them all so here are the releases that really stood out for me this year.
I'm sure there will be a difference of opinion for some of them so feel free to comment (keep it clean though)
Happy new year from JUICED - Bring on 2012!! :)
20 Katy B - On a Mission
This was the first lady of dubstep's foray into stardom with a dance.This first taste of this brit school graduate came in the shape of ‘On a Mission’ a bass heavy dance track which set dancefloors everywhere.The album that followed contained more of the same but showcased her love of R&B urban flavours and dance with the excellent ‘Perfect Stranger’ which was a prime cut on the the dubstep supergroup’s debut ‘ Magnetic Man’ previously and ‘ Broken Record’ which showed a sensitive side to the artist.Even Ms Dynamite wanted in on the act with ‘Lights On’.
On a
19 Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Is there no stopping Gaga?Like a one stop shop for pop hits the Gaga train keeps rolling on and on and the great thing about this is her endless inventiveness. There was probably a question of where would she go after ‘The Fame’. The answer, High energy dance pop numbers with hooks a plenty. Check ‘Born this Way’ and ‘Marry the Night’. It borders on the ridiculous at times but you wouldn't have wanted her to come out with a boring acoustic album would you?
18 The Naked & Famous - Passive Me,Aggressive You
This was a band that showed why the Datsun’s weren't the only great band to come from
17 Washed Out - Within and Without
Was it chillwave, or
was it Balearic dance pop? Whatever it was,Ernest Greene produced an album which
was all at once familiar with its shoegazey textures and lo fi sensibility
which provided the perfect soundtrack for those mid-summer afternoons.’Eyes Be
Closed’ warm electronic was enough to suggest this was an album of pure beauty.
16 Yuck - S/T
So it seems the perky
indie collective that was Cajun Dance Party is no more but fear not because
like a phoenix from the ashes a new group formed in their wake. The fuzzy ‘Get
Away’ was perfectly placed on an album with acoustic led ‘Shook Down’. Taking
the youthful exhuberance of dance and channelling it into a mix of scuzzy
guitars, pretty vocals and frenetic drums, this was one for the slackers and a
reminder of how good those lost 90s summers were.
15 Jamie Woon - Mirrorwriting
Unfortunately coming
around at a time when another James was making his name (Blake). Woon’s release
was a more captivating affair with the post dub ‘Night Air’ the velvety soul of
‘Lady Luck’ and the beautiful ‘ Shoulda’. Woon bared his soul to dazzling
effect and showed he wasn’t such a bad songwriter and producer in the process. The
fact that Ed Sheeran covered one of his songs in Dot to Dot was enough to show
Woon’s credibility.
Blake who?
14 Little Dragon - Ritual Union
Whoever said
appearing on a Gorillaz record doesn’t have its perks?
Plucked from
obscurity this Swedish electronic pop band came into their own on Ritual Union this year whose title track has to be one of the
tracks of the year for its inventivenss. This was an album that was unafraid to
be lo fi. Its genius might not be there on first listen but repeated listens
reveal this to be a great pop album.
13 Cults - S/T
12 Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind of Fix
Winning the Road to V competition in 2006 must now be a distant memory for this London indie folk band. From the start it was evident that this was a special band. NME even branded them ‘
Who knows what they
will do next?
11 TV On the Radio - Nine Types of Light
Although less
expansive than their other albums the Brooklyn art rock band still managed to
show why are one of the best bands around. The 10 tracks showcased their prodigious
talent at creating forward thinking music and a new found optimism. With the
beautiful ‘Will Do’ and the heartbreaking ‘Keep Your Heart’ amongst other
treasures. Although there was a more downbeat tone all round the results were
no less captivating.
10 Austra - Feel It Break
What was it about
female artists this year.We had Adele, Florence and Anna Calvi and here we had
an album by a Canadian rock band fronted by a female that combined operatic
vocals with a dark gothic electro synth backing. The first fruit of this
release was the brilliant ‘Lose It’ and then we had the shuddering bassline of
‘Beat and the Pulse’. This album showcased a great female vocalist in Katie
Stelmanis as well as a reminder of music’s dark electronic past.
9 SBTRKT - S/T
The Masked South London producer’s squelchy beats and electronic
textures were all over the blogosphere this year. Appearing on stage with his
tribal mask he preferred to let his music talk. With help from Yukimi from
Swedish pop band Little Dragon (them again) on ‘Wildfire’ and guest vocalist
Sampha in tow this was the sound of the future of garage and was hands down one
of the most boldly inventive releases of the year.
8 Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam
The first time the
general public probably heard of Ghostpoet was when he was nominated for the
Mercury Prize this year. Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam was a
masterclass in understated rap music with his spoken word and trip hop
production this gave an idea to where rap was heading and the results were no
less engrossing with the brilliant ‘Survive it’ and the epic ‘Liines’. Top that
with one of the most genuinely captivating live performances on Later and this
was the rap album of the year without a doubt.
7 Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know
Amazing to think that
Ms Marling is on her third album and from the start her mature songwriting was
evident but she just seems to get better with every release. This could easily
be her defining statement. That Joni Mitchell type vocal and dark imagery in
her lyrics is all present but there was a more accomplished structure to her
songs with ‘Sophia’ starting folky evolving into widescreen county and ‘Don’t
Ask Me Why’ with its swooning strings.
6 Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
Another female artist in the countdown.Leaving behind the more upbeat sounding Youth Novels Swedish Indie pop starlet plunged deeper
to reveal the darkness of her soul where the results were no less than stunning with the
delicate ‘Sadness is a Blessing’ and the cinematic ‘Rich Kids Blues’ and of
course that sweet sultry vocal which all made Wounded Rhymes an intoxicatingly
beautiful album.
5 Adele - 21
Naturally at the top
of every end of year list, the lady from North landan done well, very well in
fact winning award after award even outselling Back to Black by the late (bless
her soul) Amy Winehouse to become the highest selling record of the century. If
19 was her spreading her wings then 21 if it is only two years after her first
album is where she really shows off her talent. These songs are bolder, better
and more personal. The quality of songs like the bluesy soul of ‘Rolling in the
Deep’ cannot be underestimated and of course who can forget ‘Someone Like You’ the
countries no.1 break up song however this album has been inescapable this year,which is its main issue.
Despite this,21
is an incredible statement from one of Britains finest female artists.
4 Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Despite its morose title
Seattle’s finest indie folk band offered more of their brand of pastoral
loveliness that was found on their debut release but this album had better
songwriting and a more widescreen nature to it. The title track was a stunning
exercise in how to incorporate different song structures but still captivate
the listener and Lorelei was a magical to addition to an album that showcased
why they are still one of the best bands going.
3 The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From the Vaccines?
OK.. lets get one thing
out of the way, this album won’t change your life but its 33 mins might just
give you that fix that you need to forget your troubles and revel in its short.
sharp bursts of indie-pop. Too many good songs on this release to mention, ‘If
You Wanna’ ‘All in White’ ‘Blow It Up’.All provide quality responses to the
album’s title.
Its not big its not
clever but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.
2 Bon Iver - S/T
Leaving the stark
acoustics behind of ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ Justin Vernon opted for songs on a
grander scale. With the aid of his falsetto vocals and an orchestra backing, he
managed to keep his signature vocal whilst creating a more ambitious palette
for his music’ Calgary’ was just one of the sumptuous delights on this album.
1 Anna Calvi - S/T
Murder ballads backed
with a filmic score made this one of the most hauntingly beautiful releases of
the year. ‘Blackout’ and ‘First We Kiss’ were just a couple of treasures on an
album that was full of them. The album provided the perfect platform for her
operatic vocals and meticulous guitar playing. The fact that offstage Calvi had
a gentle disposition made this album a revelation.Its the mixture of romance and darkness that makes this album so intoxicating on every listen
Surely a shue in for Mercury Prize had it not gone to PJ Harvey and that's why its my number 1 album of 2011.
Congrats Anna!
