I love these lists. I love to see which album comes out in front, like they are all competing for my aural affections or something. But it is a nice diary entry as to the sountrack of my 2011, so for that reason if no other, I put it down here.
1. Holly Throsby - Team (2011). 29 plays.
Another amazing album from my favourite of the chick/acoustic/singer/songwriter thang. This one grew on me more slowly than 2008's 'A Loud Call', but I found myself putting it on time and time and time again. Love the album cover, the mournful, sad, depressing lyrics and the way she writes, sings and records songs. Otherworldly, yet completely homely.
2. Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See (2011). 24 plays.
I'd kinda written them off after 'Humbug' because I never managed to get into it properly, despite it supposedly being some kind of masterpiece. In fact, I'd kinda written them off earlier than that after 'Favourite Worst Nightmare', because I wanted another 'Whatever People Say I Am...'. So for old times sake, I listened to 'Suck It And See' a few times to see what it was like, and very slowly, accidentally, song by song, one by one, I became completely hooked. It's got the lyrical wit, it's got the catchy songs, it's got the riffs, and it's got the cool vocal delivery. It's a grown up version of their debut, and it is killer.
2. Radiohead - The King Of Limbs (2011). 24 plays.
So fucking fascinating. Seriously, this is not so much an album of songs as an album of bleeps and blips and soundscapes. It's like some musical dream that you don't want to wake up from. Every listen reveals something new, and you know that you're being challenged to find it all. I love them so much. They can do no wrong.
4. Rolling Stones - Between The Buttons (1967). 23 plays.
This year I read a couple of books about the Stones - Keef's autobiography plus Bill Wyman's 'Rolling With The Stones'. Both fantastic books, and they got me heavily stuck on the Stones for quite some time. In this hazy Stones free-for-all I kept coming back to this album that had previously not done very much for me. The books told me that the Stones don't really like it and, as far as critics' opinion, it's got a bit lost in the mists of time. Turns out it is an absolute classic that embodies all that was good about 1967 Rolling Stones. It plays the matured songwriting off against the deep blues influences but, most importantly, portrays the influences through a 1967 lens rather than just imitating them like 1968's 'Beggars Banquet' (very successfully) did. A beautiful album cover by Gerard Mankowitz completes this unmissable time capsule of an album.
4. Magazine - Secondhand Daylight (1979). 23 plays.
My Gang Of Four obsession earlier in the year segued seamlessly into a Magazine one, and I'm not sure who I like better. These guys epitomise all that was good about post-punk - a DIY attitude, nasty, snarling riffs and vocals, plus musical experimentation that took their songs to amazing uncharted places. 'Secondhand Daylight' has an extra layer of weirdness and experimentation compared to their debut, and for this, it is my favourite.
6. Magazine - Real Life (1978). 22 plays.
Their debut is instant and uncompromising, every song is a masterpiece. The latter half of the album hints at the more complex and strange turn their second album would take, with songs like 'Motorcade' and 'Great Beautician In The Sky', but the rest is the logical progression out of the simplicity of punk into something a bit more cerebral.
7. Gang Of Four - Songs Of The Free (1982). 21 plays.
I was introduced to these guys last year and got heavily into their debut album. I then saw them live at Soundwave and was so absolutely impressed with their performance that I sank deeply into a single-minded Gang Of Four obsession. I listened to all their stuff as often as possible, with only the Stones beating them with regards to overall plays this year. This, their third album, is masked in a bit of an 80's sheen and is often overlooked by critics, but the songs are as important as anything they ever released. If amazing guitar, bass and drums wrapped in political/social commentary is your thing, then Gang Of Four should be your next purchase/steal.
8. Opeth - Heritage (2011). 20 plays.
'Hertiage' received more press for its lack of death growl vocals than for its actual content. Granted, it's a different Opeth affair, being much more overtly steeped in their 70's influences like King Crimson and Camel. Previous releases used 70's prog as a reference point, whereas this album may as well have been made in 1974. Much like a classic Pink Floyd album, it can wash over you without leaving a mark unless you give it your full attention. But doing so yields fabulous rewards and allows you to appreciate what a band can do when they pay no heed to their supposed genre.
8. Machine Head - Unto The Locust (2011). 20 plays.
Next, a band that pays absolute heed to their genre, but are among their genre's very best. Machine Head had an incredible task to surpass 2008's masterpiece 'The Blackening', fittingly described by one reviewer as this generation's 'Master Of Puppets'. They didn't succeed with 'Unto The Locust' but they got close. They have perfected the aggressive, melodic, groove metal thang and even pushed the boundaries a bit with the epic Zeppelin-light-n-shade of 'Darkness Within'. Can't wait to see them at next year's Soundwave, they are my do-not-miss.
10. Lou Reed & Metallica - Lulu (2011). 19 plays.
OK, so everyone hates it, most so vehemently that they throw around words like "failure" and latch onto certain lyrics without context and start internet movements to mock them. I can only assume that they A) never listened to it more than once and B) have never listened to any of Lou Reed's work. If they had, then 'Lulu' must surely be precisely what could be expected to come from a Lou Reed/Metallica collaboration, give or take. Like the best albums, it takes several listens to appreciate, relying on intrigue to push you beyond the I'm-not-sure-I-like-this stage. It reveals itself to be a multi-layered, multi-faceted beast that is both unlike anything the individual artists have done before, yet rooted in their previous works. It's not perfect, it was written and recorded quickly and at times the songs could have done with a bit more exploration. As an artistic statement, though, it's unique and therefore important. It demands your attention, and perhaps you may never like it, but it is not the failure that most critics claim, nor is it the joke that 100% of metal sites dismiss it to be.
And to complete the picture, let's go top 20:
11. Mastodon - The Hunter (2011). 18 plays.
11. Gang Of Four - Solid Gold (1981). 18 plays.
11. Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will (2011). 18 plays.
11. Jurojin - The Living Measure Of Time (2010). 18 plays.
15. Seeker Lover Keeper (2011). 17 plays.
15. Arch Enemy - Burning Bridges (1999). 17 plays.
17. Gang Of Four - Entertainment! (1979) 16 plays.
17. Spiritual Beggars - Return To Zero (2010). 16 plays.
17. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (2011). 16 plays.
20. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light (2011). 15 plays.
20. David Bowie - Hunky Dory (1971). 15 plays.
20. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Tao of the Dead (2011). 15 plays
20. Gang Of Four - Content (2010). 15 plays.
20. The Runaways (1976). 15 plays.
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