My 2011 list on RYM looked a little slim so I’m revisiting everything I’ve cataloged from the year. Far too many 7/10 albums I’m tossing in but have difficulty putting in any kind of order as I hardly remember most of them. Easily tripling the length of my list, which is annoying, but gives me plenty to revisit in the next few weeks.
Big 2011 earworm.
Gucci Gucci, Louis Louis, Fendi Fendi, Prada. Them basic bitches wear that shit so I don’t even bother
5 Likes
Looking through my lastfm for reminders, seems I was fairly psych-aligned at the time:
Metal Mountains
Psychic Paramount
Ignatz
Motion Sickness of Time Travel
Maria Minerva
Rene Hell
James Pants
The Feelies
The Bats
And a bunch of 70s jazz and afrobeat, and old Eno.
I genuinely think this is my favourite year from the 2010s. I’m a bit torn about my album nomination (I’ll put my decision below in bold). One the one hand, I think my personal No.1 is Ravedeath, 1972 by Tim Hecker. It marks a turning point for me where I started to appreciate harsher sounds in music, not just within ambient/drone but eventually rock and metal too. However, I’m really shocked that Kaputt by Destroyer hasn’t been mentioned yet. I think it’s probably the highest quality release from the year overall…do I rely on someone else putting it forward (slightly higher likelihood than Hecker getting nominated)? I’ll go with:
Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
I can’t even really compromise and go for Destroyer’s Bay of Pigs as best song…because really that was first released in 2009. Instead it’s:
Tune-Yards - Bizness
6 Likes
Damn it, I forgot that ‘Free All Monsters’ came out in 2011.
Literally just listened to this. Absolute banger.
1 Like
Nominate album Panda Bear ‘Tomboy’
4 Likes
Played this a lot back then. First memory that comes to mind when I hear it is of being on a bus home from work in the winter, snow on the ground, chains on the tires, climbing a hill. Several RWD cars stranded in the middle of the road, bus also unable to continue. Driver allowed folks to hop off so I hoofed it home. Didn’t mind, I like snow and I had this on the headphones.
1 Like
nominate album : Roc Marciano - Marcberg
kicked off a whole wave and probably the one i listen to most from this year
2 Likes
song nom: Shabazz Palaces - Are You… Can You… Were You?
It’s a feeling.
It’s a feeling.
It’s a feeling.
It’s a feeling.
It’s a feeling.
It’s a feeling.
It’s a feeling.
It’s a feeling.
It’s a feeling.
It’s a feeling.
2 Likes
I’m not sure what song or album to nominate yet but I will say that Burst Apart was the best album of last decade.
2 Likes
Our Color Green and Coloring Book by Glassjaw combined would be my pick. Shame they’re separate EPs
1 Like
Nominate album
Arctic Monkeys - Suck It and See
It’s my favourite of theirs by an absolute mile, and tbh I think it’s probably just a vibe favourite rather than objectively their best - going to uni in Sheffield, this coming out at the end of second year and seeing them play Don Valley Stadium and closing with this was just magic
Stuck it on a great pair of cans as soon as it got hot and it still sounds amazing, love it so much
4 Likes
So frustrating to see how broken the DiS archive is 
Was this one of the lowest points for popular music in history?
I had a skim through this as a refresher to what was in the charts at the time, and wow, this was a bleak time. I checked the equivalent lists for a couple of years either side and could see at least a few songs that held up ok, but I genuinely think 2011 might have been the nadir for pop:
Please do point out anything there (or other pop from the year) that was actually good.
Great band this, wish I’d known about them at the time. I still listen to II pretty frequently; not sure how many psych bands still going can match their relentlessness
These were my top five albums at the time:
- Old Amica – For A Second
- Dillon – This Silence Kills
- The Real Tuesday Weld – The Last Werewolf
- 13 & God – Own Your Ghost
- Fredrik – Flora
Maybe 13 & God would pip into third place now.
Also:
The Dø – Both Ways Open Jaws
Old Amica - Debris
Oh Land – Oh Land
Epic45 – Weathering
Braids – Native Speaker
Point Juncture, WA – Handsome Orders
Beirut – Rip Tide
Team Me – To The Treetops!
Bodies Of Water – Twist Again
I love the Dillon album so much, and any other year it would probably be that album and the Thirteen Thirty-Five song with the Jens Lekman mini-cover inside it. But this year was my introduction to Old Amica, who I still adore to pieces, and I think it’s still my favourite record by anyone - just love that sad dreamy melancholia.
Nominate album (even though it’s technically an EP, but it’s over half an hour/7 tracks):
Old Amica - For A Second
Nominate song:
Old Amica - Moon
3 Likes
I think in a commercial sense you could make a case for it being a pop high point, or maybe oil tanker-like turning point - 21, Ed Sheeran’s +, One Direction’s debut album, Born This Way, We Found Love, Moves Like Jagger, Beyonce’s 4 (and Glastonbury), Watch The Throne, Take Care, I suppose Rizzle Kicks…
2010, although it’s so good it should win both years imo
surprisingly weak rap year though, looking back
1 Like
good year - those top 9 are really solid for me.
Album wise I’ll nominate the best (there’s not many) Vocoder band around -
When Saints go Machine - Konkylie
I’ll give the song more thought - quite a slow dark moody electronica year for me, these are up there
apparat - black water
active child - johnny belinda
freddy rupert - snakez
htrk - body double
or you’ve got -
young fathers - rumbling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXZ2whuVXLs&ab_channel=anticon.
some celebratory post rock - years of rice and salt - portarlington
best midwest emo band of the noughties
algernon cadwallader - springing leaks
always had a soft spot for that gem club album - red arrows
or lots of beautiful ambient from the likes of
Scissors & Sellotape
and field rotation
4 Likes