Music ► KHI's Best Albums of 2011

[Efflictim]

With the final big releases of 2011 out of the way now, let's list what we think are the albums of this past year, a big year for music and media itself. From what I listened to...

Arctic Monkeys - Suck It and See
Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part II
Beirut - The Rip Tide
The Black Keys - El Camino
Black Lips - Arabia Mountain
Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Common - The Dreamer/The Believer
Cults - Cults
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - It's a Corporate World
Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys
The Decemberists - The King is Dead
Domo Genesis - undertheinfluence
Feist - Metals
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Foster the People - Torches
Holy Ghost! - Holy Ghost!
The Internet - Purple Naked Ladies
Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean
The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
Kendrick Lamar - Section.80
M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Mates of State - Mountaintops
MellowHype - BLACKENEDWHITE [Re-Release]
Mister Heavenly - Out of Love
My Morning Jacket - Circuital
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Portugal. the Man - In the Mountain in the Cloud
Radiohead - The King of Limbs
Real Estate - Days
The Roots - undun
St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines
Theophilus London - Timez Are Weird These Days
The Throne - Watch the Throne
tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l
TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light
Tyler, the Creator - GOBLIN
The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient
Wilco - The Whole Love
Wye Oak - Civilian
Yuck - Yuck

 

[KaiSparda1018]

Definitely 100% agree with El Camino, The King of Limbs, and many others on your list. I'm gonna have to add

Chevelle - Hats Off to the Bull

And as a guilty pleasure...

Beyonce - 4

 

[Mythological Omega]

Dream Theater, A Dramatic Turn of Events.

 

[Death]

You gotta add Watch the Throne by Jay-Z and Bon Iver by Bon Iver.

Also Cole World: The Sideline Story. By J.Cole
Drake- Take Care
Big Sean- Finally Famous

And thank you for not adding The Carter 4.

 

[King Sora X]

Dream Theater, A Dramatic Turn of Events
Machine Head, Unto The Locust
Iced Earth. Dystopia
A Skylit Drive, Identity on Fire
Various Artists, Punk Goes Pop 4
Breathe Carolina, Hell is What You Make it
Hollywood Undead, American Tragedy
Death Cab For Cutie, Codes And Keys
Rhapsody of Fire, From Chaos to Eternity
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Am I The Enemy
BlessTheFall, Awakening
Chevelle, Hats Off To The Bull

 

[Efflictim]

You gotta add Watch the Throne by Jay-Z and Bon Iver by Bon Iver.

They're up there.

Look closely in the Bs for Bon Iver. Put WTT under the Ts because those two have called theirselves The Throne.

 

[XIII Heartless]

When you add Cole World, you're straight.

I was also very pleasantly surprised by Frank Oceans "Nostalgia" and Yelawolf's "Radioactive".

 

[The Lionheart]

You've got a bunch of good stuff up there, for sure. Surprised that:

Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

wasn't on the list. I think a lot of people give this album a bad rap because it doesn't have anything like "Yellow" or "Clocks" on there, but they're basing it on a single piece of art that's as upbeat as the one they chose...

Anywho,

Ha Ha Tonka - Death of a Decade

is also a big one for me, saw them live at ACL this year and thought they played a phenomenal show. Other honorable mentions:

Adele - 21
In the Mountain in the Cloud - Portugal the Man

That's all I can think of for now, it's tough when I don't have my iTunes library staring me in the face. It's also a bit painful that most of the music I started listening to this year was released prior to 2011

Ah, how could I forget!

ATB - Distant Earth

I love that guy.

 

[Nyangoro]

I hate choosing. It's so difficult ;-;

Commercial Albums

9mm Parabellum Bullet - "Movement"
amazarashi - "Sennen Koufukuron"
ANTHEM - "Heraldic Device"
Blood Stain Child - "Epsilon"
D - "Vampire Saga"
DJ Okawari - "Kaleidoscope"
Galneryus - "Phoenix Rising"
GRANRODEO - "Supernova"
KOKIA - "pieces"
Kuroyume - "Headache and Dub Reel Inch"
LAMA - "New!"
Merry - "Beautiful Freaks"
MISIA - "Soul Quest"
NICO Touches the Walls - "Humania"
The NOVEMBERS - "To (melt into)"
Nujabes - "Spiritual State"
One OK Rock - "Zankyo Reference"
The Qiwu Selftet - "Travelling Arrière"
RADWIMPS - "Zettai Zetsumei"
Sakanaction - "DocumentaLy"
School Food Punishment - "Prog-Roid"
Serph - "Heartstrings"
Versailles - "Holy Grail"
XA-VAT - "Tsuyado"
Yuki Kajiura - "Fiction II"


Doujin Albums

5150 - "Touhou Gattai Gennou Nishiki"
As/Hi Soundworks - "Piano no Tame no Touhou Shouhinshuu Op.2"
Asriel - "Oratorium"
FullMooN.13 - "Touhou Mangetsu Keikaku"
GEOGRAPHIC - "Visibility"
Klangsynthese Label - "Completely made with iPhone"
Lunetia - "ECILA"
Sakura blossom - "Symphonic Orchestra"
schwarzwald - "per speculum in aenigmate"
Secret Messenger - "Gensou no Kyoukai ~the Garden of phantasmagoria~"
Setsugetsu - "ise rala"
TAMUSIC - "Touhou Shijuusou 5"
Touhou Jazz Messengers - "girls apartment 2"
Tutti Sound - "Touhou Eiga Ongaku Sen ~Touhou Film Music Selection~"
Unlucky Morpheus - "Heavy Metal Be-Bop"
WAVE - "Sekigan no Eden ~A.D.2109~ 'Eden', the One-eyed"


Soundtracks

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai.
Ao no Exorcist
Bastion
Black Mirror
Bleach: Jigoku Hen
Catherine
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Fractale
Grand Knights History
Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo
Kamisama no Memochou
Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam
Mawaru Penguindrum
Myth: The Xenogears Orchestral Album
Ni no Kuni
Nichijou
NieR Tribute Album ~echo~
Portal 2
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Shiki
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
Tiger & Bunny
Usagi Drop

 

[Iwrestledabearonce]

Animals as Leaders - Weightless
Tyler, the Creator - Goblin
BadBadNotGood - BBNG
Battles - Gloss Drop
Bon Iver - Bon Iver
Childish Gambino - Camp
††† (Crosses) - EP †
Cunninlynguists - Oneirology
Death Grips - Exmilitary
Elzhi - Elmatic
Evan Brewer - Alone
Kendrick Lamar - Section.80
La Dispute - Wildlife
Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
Nujabes - Spiritual State
Protest the Hero - Scurrilous
Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You
Shag - Flyrule
Touche Amore - Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me
Tycho - Dive
Washed Out - Within and Without


It's been a good year for music. :'D

 

[Nov]

From what I listened to...

Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events
Friendly Fires - Pala
IAMX - Volatile Times
Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Machine Head - Unto the Locust
Mastodon - The Hunter

 

[Alexxx]

Find Me - Christina Grimmie
Mortuus Machina - Universum
Descent into Chaos - Legion of the Damned
Beast - Devil Driver
When the Sun Goes Down - Selena Gomez
Together/Apart - Grieves
Take Care, Take Care, Take Care - Explosions in the Sky
The Family Sign - Atmosphere
Cults - Cults
Goodbye Lullaby - Avril Lavigne

 

[Theart]

Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events
Iced Earth - Dystopia
Machine Head - Unto The Locusts
Journey - Eclipse

 

[Luap]

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
Family Force 5 - III

 

[Lycanthrope]

With the final big releases of 2011 out of the way now, let's list what we think are the albums of this past year, a big year for music and media itself. From what I listened to...

Arctic Monkeys - Suck It and See
Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part II
Beirut - The Rip Tide
The Black Keys - El Camino
Black Lips - Arabia Mountain
Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Common - The Dreamer/The Believer
Cults - Cults
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - It's a Corporate World
Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys
The Decemberists - The King is Dead
Domo Genesis - undertheinfluence
Feist - Metals
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Foster the People - Torches
Holy Ghost! - Holy Ghost!
The Internet - Purple Naked Ladies *
Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean
The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
Kendrick Lamar - Section.80
M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Mates of State - Mountaintops
MellowHype - BLACKENEDWHITE [Re-Release]
Mister Heavenly - Out of Love
My Morning Jacket - Circuital
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Portugal. the Man - In the Mountain in the Cloud
Radiohead - The King of Limbs
Real Estate - Days
The Roots - undun
St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines
Theophilus London - Timez Are Weird These Days
The Throne - Watch the Throne
tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l
TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light
Tyler, the Creator - GOBLIN
The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient
Wilco - The Whole Love
Wye Oak - Civilian
Yuck - Yuck

Bolds I agree with. *'s I haven't listened to yet.

To add:

Active Child - You Are All I See
The Airborne Toxic Event - All At Once
The Antlers - Burst Apart
Atlas Sound - Parallax
Björk - Biophilia
Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind of Fix
City & Colour - Little Hell
The Cool Kids - When Fish Ride Bicycles
Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
Grouplove - Never Trust a Happy Song
Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo
James Blake - James Blake
Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
Panda Bear - Tomboy
The Rosebuds - Loud Planes Fly Low
Sleeper Agent - Celebrasion
States - Room to Run
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Unknown Mortal Orchestra
The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
Washed Out - Within and Without
Wild Flag - Wild Flag
WU LYF - Go Tell Fire to the Mountain
Young the Giant - Young the Giant



Might be missing some but who knows

 

[Crimson Jazz]

Adele - 21
Beyonce - 4 (Yeah, I said it)
Common - The Dreamer/The Believer
Drake - Take Care
Jay-Z and Kanye West - Watch the Throne
J. Cole - Cole World: The Sideline Story
Frank Ocean - nostalgia, Ultra
Tyler, The Creator - Goblin

 

[Informal Gluttony]

preliminary at this point. i haven't kept up too well with many major releases this year, but these are a few of the ones that have caught my eye.

Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver (not as good as for emma, but close. evokes totally different feelings)
Deer Leap/The World is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die - Deer Leap + The World is a Beautiful Place are Here to Help (best split)
Pianos Become the Teeth - The Lack Long After ( <3 )
Title Fight - Shed (why do i like this so much)
Touché Amoré - Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me (doesn't hit as hard as to the beat, but it's close)
Trophy Scars - Never Born, Never Dead (best ep. people need to here this)
WU LYF - Go Tell Fire to the Mountain (vocals were pretty instant for me, honestly. fits so, so well together)

 

[Macabre]

Animals As Leaders - Weightless
Born of Osiris - The Discovery
Between The Buried and Me - The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues(extended play)
Corelia - Nostalgia(extended play)
Friend For A Foe - Source of Isolation(extended play)
Insomnium - One for Sorrow
Machine Head - Unto The Locust
Opeth - Heritage
Protest The Hero - Scurrilious
Scale The Summit-The Collective
Sylosis - Edge of The Earth
TesseracT - One
Textures - Dualism
The Black Dahlia Murder - Ritual
The Human Abstract - Digital Veil
Uneven Structure - Februus
Volumes - Via

 

[Bobjam]

Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto
Drake – Take Care
Blessthefall – Awakenings
Daft Punk - Tron Legacy Soundtrack
MuteMath – Odd Soul
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Self Titled

Oh and Bbs/days/re:coded Soundtrack =).

 

[Turn]

I won't bother repeating the OP (I don't entirely agree, but nevertheless). Otherwise:

Adele - 21
Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi
Björk - Biophilia
Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind of Fix
The Chemical Brothers - Hanna (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials
Jenny Wilson - Blazing I & II
The Kills - Blood Pressures
My Brightest Diamond - All Things Will Unwind
New Look - New Look
The Pica Beats - Better in Color
Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers - Teenage & Torture
Summer Camp - Welcome to Condale
Various Artists - Rave On Buddy Holly
Various Artists - Sucker Punch (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)