11 Best Albums of the Year: 2011

I turned 22 this year, and while on a larger scale that seems like a small number, it means that I have actively followed music for the last 8 years of my life, and the choices I made this year reflect that fact. When I first really started paying attention to music was around when Arcade Fire's Funeral came out, and that's what I listened to. My iPod nano first generation was filled with Arcade Fire, Shins, Death Cab, Modest Mouse, Decemberists, and Sufjan Stevens. And honestly since then I haven't changed very much. Sure I went through a hardcore phase (who hasn't) but I've never stopped listening to those icons that changed my life. So we come to 2011 and the music world makes me the happiest I've been with releases well...maybe ever? The Strokes, Cold War Kids, Death Cab, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Black Keys, My Morning Jacket, Decemberists; These are all bands I've listened to for more than just this year; bands that my faith is firmly cemented in, and they all came out with an album this year. So there was not much room for the new comers, and you know what? That's okay. The older I get the more I realize I don't really care about the "new" music. If my old friends keep making good music, I don't need anything else. Does that mean I think their music is the "best" music? No, I'm sure technically someone out there has far surpassed the expertise that some of my bands have. Do I really think that Angles was musically the second best album out of the thousands of albums released this year? No, but the Strokes are like my brothers, and their music makes me happy. So maybe this should really be called "11 Albums That Made Jacob Happy This Year: 2011." And I'm okay with that.


11. Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch The Throne

10. My Morning Jacket - Circuital

9. Real Estate - Days

8. The Decemberists - The King is Dead

7. Washed Out - Within and Without

6. Cold War Kids - Mine is Yours

5. The Black Keys - El Camino

4. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

3. Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys

2. The Strokes - Angles

1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver

Since I've already mentioned how strong by biases were this year, I thought it only appropriate to include a rather lengthy list of  honorable mentions. (In alphabetical order)


Beirut - The Rip Tide
Beyonce - 4
Blind Pilot - We Are the Tide
Childish Gambino - Camp
The Cool Kids - When Fish Ride Bicycles
Cut Copy - Zonoscope
The Drums - Portamento
Explosions In the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
The Fling - When the Madhouse Appear
Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra
Justice - Audio, Video, Disco
Radiohead - King of Limbs
The Roots - undun
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Tape Club
TV On the Radio - Nine Types of Light
Tycho - Dive
The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From the Vaccines?
The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient
The Weeknd - House of Balloons
The Weeknd - Thursday
The Weeknd - Echoes of Silence
Wilco - The Whole Love