Traxan

Since no one has mentioned it:

Anthrax -- "Worship Music."

dvdjunkie32

Damn, Amazon has it for 40 bucks. No way I'm paying that.

FatTony

Thanks! Yeah, those are all great albums. Haha, anytime I post about music around here, I always think that nobody's going to recognize any of the artists in my lists. Glad to see that's not true!


I own exactly one of those albums, and it was one of my favorites of the year: Portugal. The Man - In the Mountain, In the Clouds

Michael Corvin

You just missed the pre-order deal on the band's site. It came with an autographed lithograph, t-shirt, double cd, bonus tracks and a digital copy of the album early.

They sent out a link to download the album yesterday, while the rest of the goodies still arrives for the US release date 1/10.

B5Erik

My two favorites...

Uriah Heep - Into The Wild




Black Country Communion - 2

cactusoly

ummmm.....

Mr. Salty

It's $14 if you order it from Amazon.co.uk.

MooMooMooMoo

Weak year for me (though I bought a ton of pre 2011 releases this year!)

New Releases
1. Juliana Hatfield There’s Always Another Girl
2. Lucinda Williams Blessed
3. Jeff Beck Rock 'N' Roll Party: Honoring Les Paul
4. Adele Live At Royal Albert Hall
5. Bruce Cockburn Small Source Of Comfort
6. Keren Ann 101
7. Adele 21

Vault Releases
1. Grateful Dead Europe '72 Complete
2. Pink Floyd Wish You Were here 2 Disc
3. Jethro Tull Aqualung 2 Disc
4. Chicago Tanglewood 1970 (official Wolfgang's Vault download)
5. Thin Lizzy BBC 2 Disc (I haven't heard the 6 disc)
6. Hendrix Winterland Box
7. Paul Kantner & Marty Balin - Live At The Great American Music Hall 2000
8. Duke Ellington Crystal Gardens 1952
9. Rolling Stones Brussells (official download)
10.Yes Union Live

Traxan

Roadrunner were still stupid to delay the US release until January.

"Imaginaerum" went double platinum in its first week in Finland. Platinum is 25k units in Finland and they did 50k units in one week in a nation of 5 million. If it's sales were adjusted to American proportions, that would be like an American band selling 3 million copies in week 1 (which is technically triple platinum).

So all the haters who can't get over Tarja's firing can blow it out their ass.

Michael Corvin

Not very eloquent, but yeah... I'm loving the new direction. They were a great "singles" band with Tarja, but I much prefer this epic/concept direction they are taking with Anette.

The Antipodean

Beirut, The Rip Tide
Ben Folds, Best Imitation Of Myself: A Retrospective
Fabulous/Arabia, Unlimited Buffet
Kanye West & Jay-Z, Watch The Throne
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Soul Time!
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, Mirror Traffic
My Morning Jacket, Circuital
Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Tom Waits, Bad As Me
Wilco, The Whole Love

Jam Master Jay

These aren't really in any particular order but were just some of my favorites this year.

Foster the People - Torches
Wombats - This Modern Glitch
Young the Giant - Young the Giant
Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2
Jay Z & Kanye West - Watch the Throne
Adele - 21
Bad Meets Evil - Hell the Sequel
Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials
The Black Keys - EL Camino
The Strokes - Angles

Rocketdog2000

In no specific order - with the exception of the first one on the list, which was very much my Top album of the year - these were my favorite albums of 2011. I decided I'm just too damn lazy right now to put them in an "official" order, so instead I'll at least go alphabetical. Not all of them were "artistic masterpieces", but I enjoyed listening to them for a variety of reasons, and will back up any of these picks with further detail if necessary. But again, just too lazy right now to do so.

Sloan - The Double Cross

Adele - 21
The Black Keys - El Camino
Bon Iver - Bon Iver
Buffalo Tom - Skins
Bush - Sea Of Memories
The Cars - Move Like This
Chickenfoot - III
Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto
Alice Cooper - Welcome 2 My Nightmare
Death Cab For Cutie - Codes And Keys
Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
Foster The People - Torches
Fountains Of Wayne - Sky Full of Holes
The Get Up Kids - There Are Rules
Gomez - Whatever's On Your Mind
The Horrible Crowes - Elise
Ivy - All Hours
The Kooks - Junk Of The Heart
Lenny Kravitz - Black And White America
Mr. Big - What If...
Mutemath - Odd Soul
My Morning Jacket - Circuital
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Belong
Panic At The Disco! - Vices & Virtues
R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now
Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You
Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin'
Violet Sedan Chair - Seven Suns
Whitesnake - Forevermore
Wilco - The Whole Love
Yes - Fly From Here


I'm sure there are a few I've forgotten, and some I just plain missed out on, or didn't listen to to begin with.

Supermallet

These were the albums that left the biggest impression on me in 2011:

PJ Harvey - "Let England Shake"
Bjork - "Biophilia"
Florence + The Machine - "Ceremonials"
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - "Tao of the Dead"
Tom Waits - "Bad As Me"
The War on Drugs - "Slave Ambient"
Erasure - "Tomorrow's World"
Lindsey Buckingham - "Seeds We Sow"

TripWire

I never miss the good ole DVD Talk end of year list. Here's mine.

1. Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
This is one huge album concept wise and sound wise. This kinda brought me back to the good ole 90's alt-rock days when people believed in guitar overdubs. It's one of those studio wet dream albums that pushes the sonic limits and swims in verb. All the songs are comprised of many transitions and melodies that are all very memorable that includes synth, guitar, and bass lines. Granted some of their intros and outros run pretty long, but it makes more sense in context when you see them live because this is where they definitely show their promise. "The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie" vocal melody is probably one of my favorites that I've heard in a while. "A Heavy Abacus" is radio friendly without being shitty. And "Whirring" is an epic tour de force of guitar, wait for the double kick at the end to melt your face. Power chords from a cute north wales chick with a floaty voice wins this year.

2. Yuck - Yuck
What a phenomenal album, every song is awesome and none are skippable. The band takes from Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth, Pavement, Built to Spill, Weezer and repackages it as their own. It's pure greatness.

3. Cage the Elephant - Thank You Happy Birthday
I was first introduced to them by seeing them play Shake Me Down on some talk show randomly. Immediately I felt like this was awesome and I could relate to it. So I pick up the album and it kicks so much ass. It pretty much gives props to so many styles of altrock ranging from bands like nirvana, modest mouse, pixies and then kinda throwing it all in a meth bowl. The singer is what makes this band, and I want to see them live so bad but keep missing them, their shows look erratic and awesome. I love every single song on this album, I don't skip and I've listened to this album hundreds of times this year. Sure it's not totally original, but it's catchy as hell and can be listened to it over and over again. Most rememberable is the singer with his great lyrics and ramble rants but the guitars are pretty damn thoughtful also and they love using kinda weird effects. "Sabertooth Tiger" is my drug.

4. Ume - Phantoms
They are known as the poor man's Joy Formidable. This is another band I've yet to see live but always wanted to since their EP came out years ago. I feel like this band will never get noticed and it is a damn shame because they have a lot to offer. The lead is a great guitarist, has a great voice, and she isn't bad on the eyes either. In Austin these guys are definitely known for kicking ass live, she rocks out hardcore. As for the album it is pretty produced and ambitious. This was a slow burner for me but I found myself going back to this album over and over again, the melodies really stick with you. From the opening riff to "Rubicon" to the slow build of "Hurricane II" to the rockin awesomness of "Run Wild" this is great album to have in your arsenal. It ends on the lovely closure "The Task" which is great at settling you down after you had your ass rocked for so long. The only thing I would like her to do vocally is just let go more and really scream, I feel like she holds back a bit. But her voice is super sexy and sultry in a way that's totally different from what the Joy Formidable offers. Hopefully these guys get noticed outside of just Austin.

5. The Raveonettes - Raven in the Grave
I really didn't think much of this album when it came out. Then I kept listening to it cause there were a lot of holy shit moments. The biggest holy shit moment for me was 1:40 into "My Time's Up" the ending track. When the delay buildup guitar effect comes out of nowhere for the ethereal outro. This track is what I would want playing if I was having a heroin overdose and just kinda fading away into nothingness. Deep right. But that's not all this album offers, a lot of the songs remind me of The Cure and Joy Division, you know the good time bands. All the little guitar and synth lines are very thoughtful and the vocals are just baked in verb. It's all very simplistic but the presentation is comfy, sad, and dark. I've grown to love all the songs on here, granted it's not their most original album but I think it's their best. "Apparitions", "War in Heaven", "Evil Seeds" are all very nice. Good job Raveonettes.


6. The Antlers - Burst Apart
I was a huge fan of "Hospice", though I don't find this album as accessible as that I am pretty fond of it. I can't say this album blows me away, but it's all very tender and calculated and I appreciate that a lot. The biggest track is of course "Every Night My Teeth are Falling Out", it may borrow a lot from Radiohead but it definitely stands on its own. I think "No Windows" would be my next favorite track. "Putting the Dog to Sleep" is a nice depressing closer also. I think I would appreciate this album even more if I have seen it performed live, but I just didn't take the venture to see them. The guy's voice is unmistakable though, it offers something no other band has and that is very important. It does help they come up with some brilliant backing tracks of course though.

7. Rival Schools - Pedals
I love Quicksand, and I like Rival Schools. I've been waiting on this album for a long time now, cause United by Fate was such a great album. Walter has such an amazing rock voice and it's nice to hear it rocking out to guitars again. These songs are a bit radio friendly, but I still like what is going on as a whole though I think it might a bit overproduced. "Wring it Out" is a good opener and it pretty much states what the album has to offer. "Eyes Wide Open" is a nod back to United by Fate and that sound and it rocks. My favorite is "Big Waves" it has a nice climax and grab your ears chorus. "Small Doses" is kinda a nice quiet surprise, I go back to one frequently. I saw them finally live for the first time this year, I came out with a sprained ankle and a bruised rib. One was caused by falling at the concert, another cause by an accident with a dumpster. I think energy wise it was the best show I went to this year, though all the beer helped of course.

8. The Kills - Blood Pressure
She has one of the best voices in the biz. The Kills give good sexy simplistic blues rock and that's what they stick to on this album. There is no mistaking that "Satellite" is great and it's kinda the trophy of the album. I smile when any song comes on randomly from this album, cause I know I won't skip it. "Future Starts Slow" is probably my favorite, it just hits in all the right places. "Heart Is A Beating Drum", "Nail in my Coffin", "Baby Says" just are some tracks that stand out for me. But like I said, this album is damn good and I hope they keep churning them out.

9. The Dodos - No Color
I didn't expect much from The Dodos, I liked their first album enough but figured they would sophomore slump on this. But it's a good thing I was wrong. This guy has one of those voices that just sticks with you and he's great at coming up with some flowing melodies. I always liked the organic drumming sound with the dodos and for being acoustic based, they drive pretty well. "Black Night" is my favorite, it's just kinda on those songs you sing in your head. "Going Under" has a great vocal melody, "Good", "Don't Try and Hide It" are standouts also. Hell there are actually a lot of good songs on this album. Maybe should of been higher on my list...

10. We Were Promised Jetpacks - In the Pit of the Stomach
I've seen these guys live and they suck, but that being said no sophomore slump here either because I think this album is better than the first. Granted it doesn't have those obvious catchy radio singles but it's definitely more ambitious. Songs go in a direction that are less predictable than before and I think the drumming has stepped up a notch. They definitely turned up the guitars more and got past the whole 2 string picking thing. "Circles and Squares" leads into the album nicely and "Sore Thumb" is my favorite. It's probably their most epic sounding song and the ending outro kind reminds of Mineral's Slower which is nice nostalgia. "Boy in the Backseat" is my second favorite, that's a great driving build song that definitely has snuck into my listening habits. I'm liking what they did altogether here, though I don't see where they can go with this in trying for a third album but maybe I will be a surprised. The most definite thing is they need to stop sucking live.

Honorable Mentions:
The Twilight Singers, Russian Circles, Mister Heavenly, Los Campesinos!, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Explosions in the Sky, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, M83

Biggest disappointments:
Radiohead (safe, pretentious, boring)
Bush (I mean it's not like it surprised me, but it would of been kinda cool if Gavin Rossdale pulled a not shitty album out of his ass)

Metrodub

Here are my top 25 of 2011:

25. Jayhawks - Mockingbird Time
24. The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient
23. We Were Promised Jetpacks - In the Pit of the Stomach
22. Yuck - Yuck
21. Chad Vangaalen - Diaper Island
20. Wild Flag - Wild Flag
19. Atlas Sound - Parallax
18. Wilco - The Whole Love
17. The Horrors - Skying
16. Obits - Moody, Standard, and Poor
15. Tammar - Visits
14. The Decemberists - The King is Dead
13. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
12. Frank Ocean - Nostalgia/Ultra
11. Black Lips - Arabia Mountain
10. The Weeknd - House of Balloons
09. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
08. Real Estate - Days
07. Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation
06. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
05. Beirut - The Rip Tide
04. The Roots - Undun
03. The Black Keys - El Camino
02. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
01. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing

2011's It's Great to See You Again, What's New? Award:
The Cars
Jayhawks

2011's Seriously, No Need to Come Back Award:
Jane's Addiction

Hiro11

Final List of Favorite Albums (in no order):

The War on Drugs: Slave Ambient
Fucked Up: David Comes to Life
The Weeknd: House of Balloons
Mastodon: The Hunter
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks: Mirror Traffic
Wye Oak: Civilian
Florence and the Machine: Ceremonials
Architecture in Helsinki: Moment Bends
Male Bonding: Endless Now
Van Hunt: What Were You Hoping For?
The Joy Formidable: The Big Roar
Wilco: The Whole Love
All Pigs Must Die: God is War

My favorite album of the year: Wild Flag: S/T

FatTony

I really enjoyed the first album and didn't know they had a second one out. I'll have to check it out. Bummer that they aren't good live though. Now I don't feel so bad about missing their Seattle stop a few months ago.

Duh Vuh Duh

I have very similar tastes to both of you, I think your lists cover most of them. I would also add:

Matt Nathanson - Modern Love
Mat Kearney - Young Love
City & Colour - Little Hell
Amos Lee - Mission Bell
Parachute - The Way it Was
Superheavy - Superheavy

CRM114

I just bought the Bon Iver album. I had their first album and somewhat enjoyed it. It's my kind of music. But Justin Vernon's voice? Irritating. I tried to like them but failed. Oh well.

Dan1boy

So, I gave in. Wasn't a stellar year but there were some excellent new acts discovered. Next year's expected crop from favorites is sure to surpass. With that being said, I'll keep this quick and dirty:

1.) VNV Nation - Automatic - Song for song, this is Ronan's masterpiece. Listened to this more than any other in '11. "Nova" is so gorgeous, it hurts.
2.) Noel Gallagher - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Never much of an Oasis fan. This solo debut from the "cool brother" is 10x better.
3.) The Airborne Toxic Event - All At Once - Underappreciated and criminally overlooked sophomore album. On par with their debut in terms of quality.
4.) Jon Fratelli - Psycho Jukebox - Solo debut from frontman Fratelli didn't disappoint. It astonished.
5.) Blue Stahli -S/T - Hands down, the best industrial rock album in years.
6.) The Whip - Wired Together - The best electropop record of the year. Amazing.
7.) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong - The closest to emo hipster pop/rock I'll ever listen to. So catchy, so beautiful.
8.) The Prodigy - Live at Warriors Dance Festival - Best live album of the year. The energy is utterly contagious. Especially during Smack My Bitch Up.
9.) The Dreaming - Puppet - Favorite new discovery. Vocalist for Stabbing Westward. Every single track is such a gem. Love.
10.) Bad Meets Evil - Hell: the Sequel - Eminem and Royce Da 5'9"...it should't have worked but it did. Em rarely disappoints. Bruno Mars on "Lighters" is one of my favorite songs of the year.

marginal

I'd agree with many of the ones already mentioned multiple times, but since I didn't see this one mentioned anywhere:

Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones

Here are two tracks from it for the curious but lazy:

"Eulogy," possibly my favorite song of the year
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VXJoexZBMcA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

And "I Still Believe"
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sZ-D4jmkUiQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The album also features a downright rollicking anthem to atheism called "Glory Hallelujah," and probably the only a capella song about William the Conqueror to come out this year (though I'm not certain).

FatTony

I love Frank Turner, but honestly, this album suffers from the same problem as all his other albums: There's a handful of really amazing songs and the rest is either totally forgettable or outright bad (that a capella song being the worst thing he's ever put out). I want to like this album more than I do, but it just isn't enough to even crack my 20 favorites of the year.

I did get to see him twice in 2011 though, once solo acoustic and the other with a full band. Both shows were among the best I saw last year.

JHosk

Here's my top 10:

Freedom Hawk - Holding On
Russian Circles - Empros
Mastodon - The hunter
Puscifer - Conditions of my parole
Action Bronson & Statik Selekta - Well Done
Black Keys - El Camino
Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Commitee Pt II
Raekwon - Shaolin vs Wu-Tang
The Roots - Undun
Ed Vedder - Ukelele Songs

islandclaws

Need to add one to my list here (not that anyone will care). I only recently found out this came out last year, and it would've easily made my top 5.

<img src=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gwvY6edcVA4/TqCdkn5mMBI/AAAAAAAAE6E/rYbJVMYLgUM/s1600/TLD-otwatm.jpg alt=otwatm