It's that time of year again! Just like the years in the past, I will countdown my favorite songs and albums of the past 12 months. The only difference is, this year, I will include 100 songs and 50 albums! That's right: it's been a wonderful year of music, good enough to warrant such an extended list. I'm not expecting anyone to know all these albums or songs, so I hope that with this list you will stumble upon new favorites or rediscover artists you had forgotten about.
Before I start the countdown, here's a look back at last year's Top 10 Albums and Songs:
TOP 10 ALBUMS
10 Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
9 Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
8 Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
7 Beach House - Teen Dream
6 Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
5 LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
4 Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
3 Robert Plant - Band of Joy
2 Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
1 Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
TOP 10 SONGS
10 Mark Ronson & the Business Intl featuring Boy George & Andrew Wyatt "Somebody to Love Me"
9 LCD Soundsystem "All I Want"
8 Arcade Fire "Ready to Start"
7 Cee Lo Green "**** You"
6 Big Boi featuring Cutty "Shutterbugg"
5 Kanye West "Power"
4 Kelis "4th of July (Fireworks)"
3 Arcade Fire "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
2 Janelle Monae featuring Big Boi "Tightrope"
1 Kanye West featuring Justin Vernon, Rick Ross, Jay-Z & Nicki Minaj "Monster"
I'll begin my countdown today and here's the schedule for the upcoming lists:
TOP 100 SONGS
100 The Strokes "Machu Piccu"
99 Ganglians "Things To Know"
98 Dreamers Of The Ghetto "Connection"
97 Active Child "Hanging On"
96 Real Estate "Out Of Tune"
95 Matthew Herbert "December"
94 Frank Ocean "Novacane"
93 Unknown Mortal Orchestra "FFunny FFriends"
92 Butcher Boy "Imperial"
91 The Kills "Future Starts Slow"
90 Cults "Rave On"
89 Release The Sunbird "No Light"
88 Penguin Prison "Don't **** With My Money"
87 Forest Fire "They Pray Execution Style"
86 Waters "San Francisco"
85 Little Dragon "Ritual Union"
84 Future Islands "Balance"
83 Radiohead "Bloom"
82 Jay-Z & Kanye West "Gotta Have It"
81 Blood Orange "Sutphin Boulevard"
80 Lady GaGa "Born This Way"
79 Adele "Set Fire To The Rain"
78 Mara Carlyle "Weird Girl"
77 Nerves Junior "Swimmer's Ear"
76 The Black Keys "Little Black Submarine"
75 Atlas Sound "Flagstaff"
74 Wild Beasts "Bed Of Nails"
73 Cant "The Edge"
72 Neon Indian "Future Sick"
71 Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi featuring Norah Jones "Problem Queen"
70 M83 "Wait"
69 The Weeknd "Life Of The Party"
68 I Break Horses "Pulse"
67 High Places "Sonora"
66 Britney Spears "Till The World Ends"
65 Beyoncé featuring André 3000 "Party"
64 New Look "The Ballad"
63 Class Actress "Weekend"
62 Florence + The Machine "Shake It Out"
61 Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks "Tigers"
60 King Creosote & Jon Hopkins "John Taylor's Month Away"
59 St. Vincent "Surgeon"
58 Kreayshawn "Gucci Gucci"
57 Foster The People "Helena Beat"
56 The Roots featuring Big K.R.I.T. & Dice Raw "Make My"
55 Other Lives "As I Lay My Head Down"
54 Milagres "Glowing Mouth"
53 Drake featuring Stevie Wonder "Doing It Wrong"
52 Wild Beasts "Plaything"
51 A$AP Rocky featuring Schoolboy Q "Brand New Guy"
50 Sepalcure "Breezin'"
49 Widowspeak "Gun Shy"
48 Rihanna "Where Have You Been"
47 Lykke Li "I Follow Rivers"
46 Okkervil River "We Need A Myth"
45 My Brightest Diamond "Be Brave"
44 Drake "Marvin's Room"
43 Real Estate "All The Same"
42 The Antlers "No Widows"
41 The Horrors "I Can See Through You"
40 Ellie Goulding "Lights" (Bassnectar Remix)
39 Youth Lagoon "17"
38 Nicolas Jaar "Space Is Only Noise If You Can See"
37 Adele "Rolling In The Deep"
36 My Morning Jacket "Holdin On To Black Metal"
35 Feist "Graveyard"
34 Tinariwen "Tamiditin Tan Ufrawen"
33 Björk "Crystalline"
32 Kate Bush "Snowed In At Wheeler Street"
31 The War On Drugs "Brothers"
30 The Rapture "In The Grace Of Your Love"
29 Tim Hecker "In The Fog II"
28 Lady GaGa "Heavy Metal Lover"
27 Fleet Foxes "Helplessness Blues"
26 St. Vincent "Cheerleader"
25 Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi featuring Jack White "Two Against One"
24 Bobby "Tomb Bloom"
23 Zola Jesus "Seekir"
22 A$AP Rocky "Houston Old Head"
21 tUnE-yArDs "Gangsta"
20 Bon Iver "Holocene"
19 Hooray For Earth "No Love"
18 Elbow "lippy kids"
17 Drake featuring Rihanna "Take Care"
16 Radiohead "Lotus Flower"
15 Beyoncé "1+1"
14 Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks "No One Is (As I Are Be)"
13 PJ Harvey "All & Everyone"
12 Adele "Someone Like You"
11 Girls "Vomit"
10 Cults "Go Outside"
9 Azealia Banks featuring Lazy Jay "212"
8 Wilco "Art Of Almost"
7 Metronomy "Everything Goes My Way"
6 Fleet Foxes "The Shrine / An Argument"
5 Jay-Z & Kanye West "*****s In Paris"
4 Lana Del Rey "Video Games"
3 M83 "Midnight City"
2 tUnE-yArDs "Powa"
1 The Weeknd "Wicked Games"
50. Blood Pressures, The Kills
49. In The Mountain In The Cloud, Portugal. The Man
48. Rapprocher, Class Actress
47. Born This Way, Lady GaGa
46. Pickin' Up The Pieces, Fitz and the Tantrums
45. Anna Calvi, Anna Calvi
44. El Camino, The Black Keys
43. undun, The Roots
42. Strange Mercy, St. Vincent
41. Bon Iver, Bon Iver
40. Metals, Feist
39. The Whole Love, Wilco
38. Days, Real Estate
37. Rome, Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi
36. Camp, Childish Gambino
35. Wounded Rhymes, Lykke Li
34. In The Grave Of Your Love, The Rapture
33. The King Of Limbs, Radiohead
32. Biophilia, Bjork
31. Coastal Grooves, Blood Orange
30. Mirror Traffic, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
29. The Year Of Hibernation, Youth Lagoon
28. 21, Adele
27. Lights, Ellie Goulding
26. Watch The Throne, Jay-Z & Kanye West
25. Space Is Only Noise, Nicolas Jaar
24. 4, Beyoncé
23. 50 Words For Snow, Kate Bush
22. Ravedeath, 1972, Tim Hecker
21. Conatus, Zola Jesus
20. Burst Apart, The Antlers
19. Tomboy, Panda Bear
18. Circuital, My Morning Jacket
17. Smother, Wild Beasts
16. True Loves, Hooray For Earth
15. The English Riviera, Metronomy
14. Parallax, Atlas Sound
13. Take Care, Drake
12. Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, M83
11. Live.Love.A$AP, A$AP Rocky
10. Let England Shake, PJ Harvey
9. House Of Balloons, The Weeknd
8. Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes
7. Skying, The Horrors
6. Father, Son, Holy Ghost, Girls
5. build a rocket boys!, Elbow
4. Cults, Cults
3. Slave Ambient, The War On Drugs
2. BOBBY, Bobby
1. W H O K I L L, tUnE-yArDs
(Clockwise from top left: Drake, Kate Bush, Adele, Girls, tUnE-yArDs, Thom Yorke)
2011 has been an amazing year in music. From the return of The Strokes to the reign of Adele, Bey's VMA announcement to GaGa being reborn at the GRAMMYs, 2011 has had its share of great musical moments. Today I bring you songs 100-91 of the Top 100 Songs of 2011.
An otherwise disappointing return, "Machu Piccu" is the clear standout track from The Strokes 2011 return, Angels. The slinky groove and Casablancas undeniable vocals remind us all of why we fell in love with The Strokes way back when.
99. Ganglians "Things To Know"
This funky song recalls My Morning Jacket at their weirdest ("Highly Suspicious" off of Evil Urges). There is so much going on in the song, from the airy synths to the driving bass line to the baritone-voice singing "ba-dum-ba-dum" throughout. Add in some soulful vocals and you have one of the best songs of 2011.
98. Dreamers Of The Ghetto "Connection" Soundcloud Stream
This ballad helped launch their debut album, Enemy/Lover, into the blogosphere, and for good reason. The vocals offer a hint of raspiness, and when he sings "when you're gone I know you're with me" he seems so assured of himself it's comforting. A true stadium anthem for this generation.
97. Active Child "Hanging On"
Expect big things from this guy in 2012. Imagine Bon Iver with an R&B lean, and you get Active Child. This song is his best off the album You Are All I See, featuring some of that R&B influence along with some amazing vocals and atmospherics. As he sings "I don't know what's wrong with you and me," it's almost as if he's expecting that with him asking aloud, a voice from the sky will bring forth an answer.
96. Real Estate "Out Of Tune"
This band arguably uses the best use out of their guitars in 2011. Featuring an infectious melody, this laid back jam was perfect for those late summer night drives.
95. Matthew Herbert "December"
One of the more unusual songs on this list, electronic musician Matthew Herbert tells the life story of a pig, from birth to slaughterhouse on the album One Pig. This track, an instrumental piece, features all sorts of sounds unfamiliar to many listeners (this one included) but when the beat drops halfway through, the song starts to resemble something more familiar. A true artistic achievement.
94. Frank Ocean "Novacane"
R&B crooner Frank Ocean made a huge name for himself in 2011, being featured on Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch The Throne and even penning a track off of 4. This solo joint tells the story of a female going to dental school who just happens to be addicted to novacane. And oh yeah, it's one of the catchiest songs of the year.
93. Unknown Mortal Orchestra "FFunny FFriends"
This lo-fi garage rock tune is one of the catchiest of the genre to be released this calendar year. The "la la la" refrain, the chiming of the guitars and the crunch of the drums all lead to a perfect indie recording.
92. Butcher Boy "Imperial" Souncloud Stream
This straight up pop joint will have you bobbing your head in no time. The violin and harmonica are excellent additions to the song, and the layered vocals also add to the mood of the tune. It's a slow building a song but the melody is one of the most infectious of 2011.
91. The Kills "Future Starts Slow"
Alison Mosshart has always been an intriguing musician, but it wasn't until Jack White called on her to join him in The Dead Weather that more people started to take notice. And thankfully Mosshart went back to her day job with The Kills to record an amazing album featuring this track. Mosshart and guitarist Jamie Hince sound so in sync with each other on the song, and when they both sing and play together, magic always seems to happen.
Wow, one of the rare lists where I actually don't know too many of the songs so far. That's a good thing, because it gives me a list of songs to seek out later. That said, I DO know that song by The Strokes (thanks, FIFA 12!), and it is quite good. And everyone should know that Frank Ocean song.
Yesterday I began my Best of 2011 with songs 100-91. Today I will bring you the next installment, but before I do that, here's a recap of yesterday's events:
100 The Strokes "Machu PIccu"
99 Ganglians "Things To Know"
98 Dreamers Of The Ghetto "Connection"
97 Active Child "Hanging On"
96 Real Estate "Out Of Tune"
95 Matthew Herbert "December"
94 Frank Ocean "Novacane"
93 Unknown Mortal Orchestra "FFunny FFriends"
92 Butcher Boy "Imperial"
91 The Kills "Future Starts Slow"
90 The Cults "Rave On"
One of the greatest discoveries in music in 2011 for me would have to be Cults. And this track, the closing number on their self-titled debut, is one of their best.
89 Release The Sunbird "No Light"
An acoustic pop gem that would make James Mercer jealous, Release The Sunbird released a beautiful album this year, and "No Light" is the standout off that disc (Come Back To Us). I dare you to not tap your foot to this song.
88 Penguin Prison "Don't **** With My Money"
Penguin Prison was sent to this earth to make people dance. After the Michael Jackson inspired "Golden Train" got some buzz for his self-titled debut, he sealed the deal with this first official single off the album. The funky dance jam was perfect for the Occupy Wall Street movement (where the video is centered). Recession-era dance music has never sounded so good.
87 Forest Fire "They Pray Execution Style"
This 6:30 epic features wonderful vocals from Natalie Stormann amidst the droning synths and and grunge guitars. If you stick with the song, the sheer sonic depth of the recording becomes more and more evident.
86 Waters "San Francisco"
Port O'Brien frontman Vans Pierszalowski went solo in 2011 under the monicker Waters. The album is indeed a departure from the folk music performed by his band. As Waters, Pierszalowski pulls out his electric guitar and makes some of the best guitar pop music of 2011.
85 Little Dragon "Ritual Union"
Little Dragon has been around for some time now, but it wasn't until two features on Gorillaz' Plastic Beach that more of the world started to take notice. And with our undivided attention Little Dragon released this gem, the title track off their 2011 album. And yes, we're still intrigued.
84 Future Islands "Balance"
This song is indebted fully to the 80's, and I love it for that. It's a wonderful love story about the patience it takes to maintain a relationship.
83 Radiohead "Bloom"
The King Of Limbs puzzled people upon its release, that's for sure. In fact, it wasn't until they released their Live From The Basement concert, as well as performed the songs on shows like SNL and The Colbert Report, that the music really came to life. "Bloom" was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the live recordings. Hearing Thom Yorke cry out "Open your mouth wide" still sends shivers down my spine.
82 Jay-Z & Kanye West "Gotta Have It"
We watched The Throne, and they did not disappoint. Album highlight "Gotta Have It" features it all: a great instrumental, Jay and Ye trading verses, and of course, the "racks on racks on racks/oh **** it's just blacks on blacks on blacks" is one of the greatest moments in rap this year.
81 Blood Orange "Sutphin Boulevard"
Recalling Twin Shadow's 2010 album Forget, Blood Orange seems equally inspired by the 80s, but his main choice of instrument seems to be his guitar instead of 80s synth pads. The first single off the album by the same name, "Sutphin Boulevard" would no doubt sound great while walking down the streets of Las Vegas, or in 1980s New York City.
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Thanks for all the comments, guys! I'll be checking out your countdowns soon I'll be back tomorrow with more of the Top 100 Songs of 2011.
Real Estate? I debuted one of their songs in my countdown on November (Green Aisles)
Great comments. Also, I like the care you show to us by providing us links to listen to your songs. Good job!
I love that song, too! Chances are you'll be seeing more of them later on in the countdown. And thank you! I try to get links for all the songs, but some in 100-91 (Ganglians, Dreamers Of The Ghetto, Matthew Herbert, and Butcher Boy) aren't on YouTube. I haven't tried looking at Soundcloud yet. Maybe I should look into that.