Magazine/website/record store BEST OF 2011 end-of-year list pile-up

its quite a small sized magazine even though it has plenty of pages. But it seems theres a few more articles i fancy so i just ordered it for £3.75. It wasn't in Smiths today when I picked up The Wire.
I think Kerrang's albums of the year issue might be out tomorrow. Last years was surprisingly ok iirc.
Terrorizers will be january i think?

Kerrang Top 101 albums of 2011

101 Black Veil Brides - Set The World On Fire
100 Rise To Remain - City Of Vultures
99 The Treatment - This Might Hurt
98 Dropkick Murphys - Going Out In Style
97 Young Legionnaire - Crisis Works
96 RAMESSES - Possessed By The Rise Of Magik
95 Loutallica - Lulu
94 Cave In - White Silence
93 Bastions - Hospital Corners
92 All Time Low - Dirty Work
91 Death Cab For Cutie - Codes And Keys
90 The Subways - Money And Celebrity
89 Scale The Summit - The Collective
88 Trivium - In Waves
87 Iceage - New Brigade
86 OPETH - Heritage
85 Asking Alexandria - Reckless & Relentless
84 Arbouretum - The Gathering
83 Yellowcard - When You're Through Thinking Say Yes
82 This Is Hell - Black Mass
81 Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You
80 Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
79 Mike Patton - The Solitude Of Prime Numbers
78 Kids In Glass Houses - In Gold Blood
77 I Am The Avalanche - Avalanche United
76 Goes Cube - In Tides And Drifts
75 OFF! - First Four EP's
74 The Icarus Line - Wildlife
73 Rival Sons - Pressure And Time
72 Retox - Ugly Animals
71 Procession - Destroyers Of The Faith
70 My Ruin - A Southern Revelation
69 FEN - EPOCH
68 Animals As Leaders - Weightless
67 ALTAR OF PLAGUES - MAMMAL
66 The Blackout - hope
65 unearth - Darkness In The Light
64 Sucioperro - The Heart String And How To Pull It
63 IN SOLITUDE - THE WORLD, THE FLESH, THE DEVIL
62 SKELETONWITCH - Forever Abomination
61 Chuck Ragan - Covering Ground
60 Times Of Grace - Hymn Of A Broken Man
59 Black Spiders - Sons Of The North
58 Thursday - No Devolucion
57 *Shels - Plains Of The Purple Buffalo
56 The Black Keys - El Camino
55 We Are The Ocean - Go Now And Live
54 Slaves To Gravity - Underwater Outerspace
53 PRIMORDIAL - REDEMPTION AT THE PURITANS HAND
52 Funeral For A Friend - Welcome Home Armageddon
51 EARTH - ANGELS OF DARKNESS, DEMONS OF LIGHT 1
50 Heights - Dead Ends
49 Bury Your Dead - Mosh N' Roll
48 Deaf Havana - Fools And Worthless Liars
47 BLOOD CEREMONY - LIVING WITH THE ANCIENTS
46 The Swellers - Good For Me
45 Social Distortion - Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes
44 The Computers - This Is The Computers
43 Hell - Human Remains
42 Japanese Voyeurs - Yolk
41 The Answer - Revival
40 Rival Schools - Pedals
39 Blink-182 - Neighborhoods
38 Tellison - The Wages Of Fear
37 Hyro Da Hero - Birth, School,Work,Death
36 Cerebral Ballzy - S/t
35 Exit Ten - Give Me Infinity
34 Evile - Five Serpent's Teeth
33 J Mascis - Several Shades Of Why
32 Evanescence - Eveanescence
31 Touche Amore - Parting The Sea between Brightness And Me
30 Puscifer - Conditions Of My Parole
29 City And Colour - Little Hell
28 WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM - CELESTIAL LINEAGE
27 Arcane Roots - Left Fire
26 Jane's Addiction - The Great Escape Artist
25 Fucked Up - David Comes To Life
24 Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows - D.R.U.G.S.
23 La Dispute - Wildlife
22 TRAP THEM - DARKER HANDCRAFT
21 Taking Back Sunday - S/t
20 Twin Atlantic - Free
19 New Found Glory - Radiosurgery
18 Defeater - Empty Days And Sleepless Nights
17 Cage The Elephant - Thank You, Happy Birthday
16 Thrice - Major/Minor
15 The King Blues - Punk & Poetry
14 Mariachi El Bronx - II
13 Korn - The Path Of Totality
12 Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones
11 Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part 2
10 Will Haven - Voir Dire
9 The James Cleaver Quintet - That Was Then, This Is Now
8 The Horrible Crowes - Elsie
7 The Wonder Years - Suburbia
6 You Me At Six - Sinners Never Sleep
5 Rise Against - Endgame
4 Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
3 Machine Head - Unto The Locust
2 Letlive - Fake History
1 MASTODON - THE HUNTER

Don't know if we're extending attention to popular blogs, but here's

GORILLA VS. BEAR | Albums of 2011

30 Nicolas Jaar | Space Is Only Noise
29 Andy Stott | Passed Me By
28 The Weeknd | House of Balloons
27 Clams Casino | Instrumentals
26 Schoolboy Q | Setbacks
25 Elite Gymnastics | Ruin 1 + 2
24 Run DMT | Dreaming
23 Burial | Street Halo
22 Mina Tindle | Mina Tindle
21 Young Galaxy | Shapeshifting
20 Toro y Moi | Freaking Out
19 Pure X | Pleasure
18 Ford & Lopatin | Channel Pressure
17 Washed Out | Within and Without
16 Darkside | Darkside
15 Holy Other | With U
14 The Caretaker | An Empty Bliss Beyond This World
13 Grouper | A I A
12 Sleep ∞ Over | Forever
11 The Sandwitches | Mrs. Jones’ Cookies
10 Puro Instinct | Headbangers in Ecstasy
09 Julianna Barwick | The Magic Place
08 Real Estate | Days
07 araabMUZIK | Electronic Dream
06 Korallreven | An Album By Korallreven
05 A$AP Rocky | LIVELOVEA$AP
04 White Denim | D
03 Panda Bear | Tomboy
02 Peaking Lights | 936
01 Shabazz Palaces | Black Up

GORILLA vs. BEAR’s SONGS of 2011
50 John Maus + Molly Nilsson – Hey Moon
49 Pure X – Dry Ice
48 Joe Goddard – Gabriel feat. Valentina
47 Twin Sister – Kimmi in a Ricefield
46 Smith Westerns – All Die Young
45 Azealia Banks – 212
44 Neon Indian – The Blindside Kiss
43 Puro Instinct – Vapor Girls
42 Big K.R.I.T. – Dreamin
41 Bleached – Think of You
40 White Denim – No Real Reason
39 Kindness – Cyan
38 RUN DMT – Dreaming / Romantic
37 Dum Dum Girls – Coming Down
36 Massive Attack vs. Burial – Paradise Circus
35 Gang Gang Dance – Mindkilla
34 Tyler, the Creator – Yonkers
33 The Sandwitches – Joe Says
32 Beyonce – Countdown
31 Freddie Gibbs + Madlib – Thuggin’
30 Darkside – A1
29 James Blake – The Wilhelm Scream
28 Grouper – Moving Machine
27 M83 – Midnight City
26 Toro y Moi – How I Know
25 Jamie xx – Far Nearer
24 Diplo / Busta / Weezy, etc. – Look at Me Now
23 Korallreven – As Young As Yesterday
22 Jhene Aiko – Stranger
21 araabMUZIK – Streetz Tonight
20 Clams Casino – I’m God (instrumental)
19 Ford & Lopatin – Too Much MIDI (Please Forgive Me)
18 John Maus – Believer
17 The Weeknd – House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls
16 Grimes – Oblivion
15 Cass McCombs – County Line
14 Kurt Vile – Baby’s Arms
13 Julianna Barwick – Prizewinning
12 Real Estate – Green Aisles
11 Charli XCX – Stay Away / Nuclear Seasons
10 Girls – Vomit
09 Glass Candy – Warm in the Winter
08 A$AP Rocky – Peso
07 Purity Ring – Lofticries
06 Girls – Honey Bunny
05 Shabazz Palaces – Are you… Can you… Were you? (Felt)
04 Peaking Lights – All The Sun That Shines
03 Lana Del Rey – Video Games
02 White Denim – Street Joy
01 Panda Bear – Alsatian Darn

Kerrang proving they really will put any old shite by metallica in their list.

They probably decided on the jump from the traditional top 20 to 101 just to include Loutallica

Resident Advisor Albums EOY 2011

http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1423

01. Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise [Circus Company]
02. Machinedrum - Room(s) [Planet Mu]
03. Roman Flügel - Fatty Folders [Dial]
04. Morphosis - What Have We Learned [Delsin]
05. Zomby - Dedication [4AD]
06. Omar-S - It Can Be Done But Only I Can Do It [FXHE]
07. Clams Casino - Instrumentals [Type]
08. Kuedo - Severant [Planet Mu]
09. Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica [Software]
10. Pinch & Shackleton - Pinch & Shackleton [Honest Jon's]
11. Andy Stott - Passed Me By [Modern Love]
12. Moomin - The Story About You [Smallville]
13. Steffi - Yours & Mine [Ostgut Ton]
14. James Blake - James Blake [Atlas]
15. Tiger & Woods - Through the Green [Running Back]
16. The Weeknd - House Of Balloons [Self-Released]
17. Tim Hecker - Ravedeath 1972 [Kranky]
18. BNJMN - Black Square [Rush Hour]
19. Instra:mental - Resolution 653 [NonPlus+]
20. John Maus - We Must Become The Pitiless Censors of Ourselves [Upset The Rhythm]

i really need to check out that machinedrum album. is it along the same lines as his work 3-4 years ago? that's the last time i heard his stuff.

I don't know his previous stuff, but the lazy comparison for Room(s) is a less murky Burial.

I don't see that comparison at all

Ok maybe I'm completely wrong, but it makes sense in my head (I've only listened to Room(s) twice so it was a snap judgement)...they're coming from different genres obv but the use of vocal samples seems notably similar (though maybe not uniquely so) and the overall ambience of emotive background music is functionally very close.

I'm just listening to Room(s) now and there are more similarities than i remembered. Machinedrum's music a is a lot busier though. It feels pretty cluttered at times, which isn't something you can say about Burial

i didn't dig that room(s) album, and i love burial's music.

i am following some dude's list via twitter and would like to give him props for including the craig wedren album "WAND" which is really good and is not getting a lot of press.

thanks! i am still rolling out my list but it'll all be here by friday morning:

http://narrowcast.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-top-50-albums-of-2011.html

also my paper did top 10 albums of the year and top 10 local (Baltimore) albums:

http://citypaper.com/special/topten/the-year-in-music-1.1244503
http://citypaper.com/special/topten/the-year-in-local-music-1.1244501

new machinedrum is definitely way moodier than his early stuff, the burial comparison is not that far off.

guess i'll have to give it another listen.

i mean this sounds like burial to me idk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS02KaxBvg0

I've just noticed how conspiciously absent the Jamie Woon album is from these lists, I thought that would have fared a lot better.

Kind of surprised at just how much love the Nicolas Jaar album is getting on some of these lists. Maybe I need to revisit, but it didn't seem all that amazing to me.

AllMusic’s Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Albums of 2011
http://blog.allmusic.com/2011/12/14/allmusics-favorite-raphip-hop-albums-of-2011/

Ace Hood – Blood Sweat & Tears
Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2
Danny Brown – XXX
Childish Gambino – Camp
The Cool Kids – When Fish Ride Bicycles
Das Racist – Relax
DJ Quik – The Book of David
Drake – Take Care
J. Cole – Cole World: The Sideline Story
Killer Mike – PL3DGE
Lil Wayne – Tha Carter IV
Pharoahe Monch – W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)
9th Wonder – The Wonder Years
Phonte – Charity Starts at Home
Pusha T – Fear of God II: Let Us Pray
Random Axe – Random Axe
The Roots – Undun
Saigon – The Greatest Story Never Told
ScHoolboy Q – Setbacks
Shabazz Palaces – Black Up
Tech N9ne – All 6’s and 7’s
Tyler, the Creator – Goblin
Wale – Ambition
Jay-Z/Kanye West – Watch the Throne
Wiz Khalifa – Rolling Papers

I wasn't feeling the Jaar album much, but I do like a lot of the singles. I think I need to hear the album on a real stereo.

A lot of his singles, I mean. Seems like there's at least an album's worth of nonlp stuff.

AllMusic’s Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Albums of 2011

embarassing

i think it's kind of adorable that someone besides Mountain Dew still remembers that The Cool Kids exist

Pitchfork Top 50 Albums of 2011: 50-21

50. Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation
49. Wild Flag – Wild Flag
48. Toro Y Moi – Underneath the Pine
47. Sepalcure – Sepalcure
46. Cults – Cults
45. Kendrick Lamar – Section.80
44. Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Vol.2: Judges
43. Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes
42. SBTRKT – SBTRKT
41. Liturgy – Aesthethica
40. AraabMuzik – Electonic Dream
39. The War on Drugs – Slave Ambient
38. Sandro Perri – Impossible Spaces
37. Iceage – New Brigade
36. Kate Bush – 50 Words For Snow
35. Frank Ocean – Nostalgia, Ultra.
34. Katy B – On a Mission
33. Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
32. Panda Bear – Tomboy
31. Ty Segall – Goodbye Bread
30. Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972
29. DJ Quik – The Book of David
28. Cut Copy – Zonoscope
27. Beyonce – 4
26. The Field – Looping State of Mind
25. Gang Gang Dance – Eye Contact
24. Julianna Barwick – The Magic Place
23. Bill Callahan – Apocalypse
22. The Caretaker – An Empty Bliss Beyond This World
21. Jay-Z / Kanye West – Watch the Throne

how do you get these up so early?

it's on the site already. they usually post these things late at night. it's the same with their reviews

that machinedrum album is hella boring. dj diamond album is way better as things in that vein go.

LWE 30-21

30. EQD, Equalized#005-B
29. RNDM, Hideaway (Dub)
28. Tin Man, Nonneo (Donato Dozzy Remix)
27. Protect-U, World Music
26. Roman Flügel, Iron Curtain
25. Crystal Maze, Crystal Maze (Chicago Skyway Remix)
24. Martyn, Masks
23. Burial, Stolen Dog
22. The Citizen’s Band, West 42nd
21. Machinedrum, Come1

― april wowak, Monday, December 12, 2011

just heard the citizens band track from this - really good, wooozy!

Interesting to see Frank Ocean at no.3 in the Guardian. I suspected there'd be an Odd-Future-related one in the top five. I'd imagine Katy B and PJ Harvey would be no.2 and no.1.

Quite surprised at how badly the Sandwell District album has done - possibly in part due to the small release at the end of 2010, but at least RA clearly considered it, but it didn't get into their top 20.

i can't put sandwell district on any of my ballots. discogs says very clearly the version i've been loving is a 2010 thing. if i disregard that then i open the floodgates to every other dec 2010 album.

i was surprised at frank ocean on the guardian list. i'm kind of perplexed by frank ocean love in general. he is just not very special and he CAN'T SING!!!!!!!!!! is it that he's "sensitive"? critics : frank ocean :: x factor voters : matt cardle?

Yeah the Sandwell thing of only putting out 300 (?) copies one week before the end of 2010 and then releasing a less good version on CD in 2011 almost seems calculated to avoid appearing on year-end lists. That said, I don't know how many people actually heard it in 2010.

LWE 10-6

10. Todd Terje, “Snooze 4 Love"
09. Ital, “Ital’s Theme”
08. Spekter, “Pipe Bomb”
07. Gesloten Cirkel, “Yamagic”
06. D’Marc Cantu, “Set Free”

re:Pipe Bomb - I know its the way things work but feels like this was a shoe-in only because it was a one sided 12 and on theo's label (and a bit because specter's records were so overlooked in previous years)

i was surprised at frank ocean on the guardian list. i'm kind of perplexed by frank ocean love in general. he is just not very special and he CAN'T SING!!!!!!!!!! is it that he's "sensitive"? critics : frank ocean :: x factor voters : matt cardle?

― degas-dirty monet (lex pretend), Thursday, 15 December 2011 08:58 (1 hour ago) Bookmark Permalink

Err... You're not gonna like this, but I don't think it's so much to do with his music as the fact his whole angle makes him more saleable to more rock-oriented audiences - i.e. the OFWGKTA association, lyrics about Coachella, how he calls himself a "singer-songwriter" rather than an R'n'B artist (which is what he is, really), sampling Radiohead and the Eagles, the "homegrown" element of the music. It's R'n'B for hipsters, not popheads and sadly that's what gets props on non-specialist lists like the Guardian's.

i kind of knew that but it's nice to have someone else spell it out so i don't get "lex whingeing about the same things again" thrown back at me

i'm listening to the goapele album and it's just so gorgeous, light and crisp and melodies for days and her voice is, like, right up in the sky. and yet critics prefer to hole up in frank ocean's horrible bedroom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRn2DAggPEE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C8br28So7U

i got sent this the other day. i'll check it out.

Frank Ocean easily my favourite album of the year. I am not a hipster, but then again I'm also not really a true r'n'b fan either.

Well, that's the point really. I was using "hipster" in its widest sense. The Lex is obviously truly invested in r'n'b and gets frustrated with critics fawning over this spruced up, watered down, crossover stuff when in his experience there's much better stuff out there that doesn't have to pander to rock audiences. And he's right - there are probably dozens of great r'n'b albums out this year that are better than Frank Ocean. But for the average rock fan, only really dipping their toe into the r'n'b ahem, "ocean", it's stuff like The Weeknd/F.O. etc that will act as a gateway to greater things. I think there are now plenty of indie/rock kids out there who are ready and willing to diversify and explore other styles, but for whom diving straight into the deep end of r'n'b is just a little outside their comfort zones. When an artist is presented in the way of Frank Ocean, it doesn't feel like such a leap and hopefully this will lead to further exploration: "Well I can deal with Frank Ocean, how about The-Dream" and onwards...

Funny you should end on that note cos, mainly thanks to ILX/Lex, I really love The-Dream also. V much liked the new Anthony Hamilton as well. I think that so far I've had a much harder time connecting with some of the female led acts he has recommended and I think I'll try harder on that front next year. Not keen on the Weeknd tho (I've only heard the 'happy house' one tbf)

Diddy-Dirty Money was my favourite album of last year as well, by far. Not sure if that counts as hip hop or r'n'b. Well both I guess.

I'm no r'n'b exponent either to be honest. I generally try to get as much as I can from as many styles as possible, but I admit I'm one of those people who finds a lot of r'n'b a barrier, so yeah I did like the Frank Ocean album, and admittedly the Weeknd album - but I kind of know that these are a bit boring and probably not the "right" things to listen to. I'm the equivalent of the punk rock kid who only listens to Sum 41 and Green Day I guess. It's why it's good to have huge advocates like the Lex around on ILM, because even though his tone can come of as maybe a bit gripey, even scolding, it galvanises people like me into checking out things that don't necessarily pander to my preconceived values.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
I often feel like my musical tastes would v often make the Lex roll his damn eyes or kiss his teeth, but there is also so much stuff that he broadly approves of that I now unabashedly love thanks to his championing of it.

I really believe that one of the best things about music in 2011 is the fact there are no longer these big tribal barriers between styles, and you will happily see e.g. screamo kids getting into dubstep, or indie kids getting into r'n'b, and that this isn't even an exception to the rule anymore. If you have access to an iPod and an internet connection, there's no reason you can't listen to any style of music, and that's why it's largely crossover artists - ones who bridge the gap between pop/rock/dance or commercial/underground: Katy B, Odd Future, Skrillex etc who are making an impression on people. And I know people bitch about many of these - Skrillex not being "proper dubstep" or whatever, but think about how many people are being introduced to dance music via his records and what this means for the future of music. Big tings for the rest of the decade, I guess.

I'm not all that convinced about the concept of gateway records/artists but have no problem with a thing not being a "proper version" of a thing

I suppose it does in a way explain the rapid rise and subsequent fall of certain kinds of artists though - once people either go through a door, or retreat from whence they came, leaving the artist in a limbo area

Yeah, the gateway thing doesn't really ring true for me either. Especially when a lot of fans of, say, The Weeknd frame their enjoyment of them in terms of their opposition to mainstream R&B

xpost what kinds of artists do you mean?