If you don't know, NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States
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Given that it was compiled by a score of NPR Music staffers and public radio DJs, and that it spans more than a dozen genres and embraces artists both well-known and brand-new, one might reasonably wonder what principle ties together this list of our favorite albums of 2011. How about this: They’re the albums that opened our ears to something new, ones that we enjoyed from beginning to end, ones that challenged us, ones we fought over and treasured quietly. Most of all, they’re the albums that made us hand our headphones over a cubicle wall and say, “You have to listen to this.” We’re thrilled now to be able to hand them to you with the hope that you fall just as deeply for something you discover on these pages
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Here is the full list. They are ordered alphabetically.
Adele, 21
Alexandre Tharaud, Scarlatti: Sonatas
Antlers, Burst Apart
Ashton Shepherd, Where Country Grows
Ballake Sissoko & Vincent Segal, Chamber Music
Beirut, The Rip Tide
Beyonce, 4
Bombino, Agadez
Bon Iver, Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Book Of Mormon, Cast Recording
Bright Eyes, The People's Key
Brooklyn Rider Brooklyn Rider Plays Philip Glass
Captain Black Big Band, Captain Black Big Band
Civil Wars, Barton Hallow
Colin Stetson, New History Warfare, Vol. 2: Judges
Cormorant, Dwellings
Davila 666, Tan Bajo
Demdike Stare, Tryptych
Donnacha Dennehy, Gra Agus Bas
Ebene Quartet, Fiction
Eric Church, Chief
Frank Ocean, Nostalgia, Ultra
****ed Up, David Comes To Life
Girl In A Coma, Exits And All The Rest
Glenn Jones, The Wanting
Gretchen Parlato, The Lost And Found
James Blake, James Blake
Joseph Calleja, The Maltese Tenor (Decca)
Julianna Barwick, The Magic Place
June Tabor, Ashore
Kendrick Lamar, Section.80
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins, Diamond Mine
La Vida Boheme, Nuestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony 2 (Mahler, Jurowski)
Los Rakas, Chancletas Y Camiseta Bordada
Miguel Zenon, Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook
PJ Harvey, Let England Shake
Radiohead, King Of Limbs
Roots, undun
Shabazz Palaces, Black Up
Sonny Rollins, Road Shows Vol 2
St. Vincent, Strange Mercy
STS, The Illustrious
Tim Hecker, Ravedeath, 1972
Tom Waits, Bad As Me
Tommy Guerrero, Lifeboats & Follies
tUnE-yArDs, w h o k i l l
Wilco, The Whole Love
Wye Oak, Civilian
And now, let's see what NPR wrote about 4:
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Beyoncé has given us many important questions to ponder. Just how does her hair stay consistently windblown? What is "swagu," and can I have some? And of exactly what relation is your "boof"? All of which is to say, no pop album this year was more fun and self-aware than hers. Sure, 4 has moments of schmaltz and overblown theatricality, but it's hard to turn a cynical eye to a record that contains, unequivocally, the song of the year. "Countdown" commands sing-alongs — preferably with the wrong words; "grind a'pony girl"? — and fevered discussions with theory nerds over its irregular song structure. A record made up of amazing singles, 4 leaps beyond the restraints of its Top 40 cultural signifier to cultural significance, as Beyoncé celebrates her lasting, loving relationship with her man, as well as her fluidity as an artist who refuses to be thrust into any single box. The year belongs to her. (Eleanor Kagan)
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There are some great pop albums there - like 4 & 21.