Top 10 Albums of 2011

So, this seems to be the time for top 10 lists. all of the "end of the year" reflective nonsense. So I'll conform. Today, I bring you my top 10 albums of 2011, and the top 10 I've never heard from 2011. 

This year has been odd for me. I usually like to keep on the edge of the music I like to listen to. I like to keep up with the bands I like, and be aware of the new releases on a weekly basis. This year has not been kind to that tendency. I love the things I've been fortunate enough to listen to, and can't wait to one day catch up on the things I've missed.

So, without further ado:

Cory's top 10 albums of 2011

10. Travis Barker - Give the Drummer Some

This album was incredibly ambitious, and also a little awful. Travis Barker, of Blink-182 fame, decided he was going to produce a bunch of drum tracks, then call in a who's who list of rappers to fill out the tracks with vocals.

The reason it makes the top 10 is that when it's done right, it's done right. The beats are insanely catchy, and some of the artists really show their strengths in this slightly different presentation of their talents.

Favorite track: Let's Go (feat. Busta Rhymes, Twista, Lil Jon, and Yelawolf)

9. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

This album was probably one of the hardest to place for me. It's got that same Foo feel, that grips you from the get go and makes you want to stomp your feet and bang your head. Dave Grohl, in my opinion, is one of the great examples of rock music gone right. Raw, emotional vocals, musicality that matches the tone and subject matter, and an overall album that acts as another view inside his mind. Well done all around. the only reason it's 9 is because while that's all great, it doesn't necessarily create a new product to enjoy.  

 Favorite track: Walk

8. The Boxer Rebellion - The Cold Still

I've thoroughly enjoyed The Boxer Rebellion since I first heard them in the movie Going the Distance. Their album this year brings a very ambient experience, much like their first album. It's an album I generally pull out at night, with the interior lights in the car dimmed, and the windows down. The entire album makes you relax, and you can drift away on the songs the band brings together. A truly solid album, that I'm sure will grace my ears for the next year or so undoubtedly.

Favorite track: Organ Song

7. Jay Z and Kanye West - Watch the Throne

 This was the album that made the summer exciting. At least, until it came out. Hearing that Kanye and Jay Z were putting an album together was the kind of news that causes everyone to pause, and then wonder why it had never been done before.

Don't get me wrong. Watch the Throne was GOOD. There are songs on that album that are going to be playlist staples for a long time for me. But out of two artists so adept at what they do, I had hoped for an entire album of playlist flooding material. 

Favorite track: Illest Mother****er Alive

 6. Cage the Elephant - Thank You, Happy Birthday

I'll admit this up front. I LOVED CtE's first album. It didn't leave my radio for a solid month after I got it. Which is why, when I first heard this album, I was a little put off. It wasn't the same band that had left me stereo last year. They had grown. Developed. And you know what? It was a great thing. Thank You, happy Birthday, is one of the best examples I can think of for a band that's put out a solid first step, and followed it up with not only some of the same, but with real growth, and music that benefits from it. Here's hoping they continue to do so.

Favorite track: Aberdeen

 5. Taking Back Sunday - Taking Back Sunday

I was worried that after Fred Mascherino left the group, Taking Back Sunday would fall into bands that I used to enjoy. I was not a fan of New Again. But this year's self-titled reminded me why I still have a poster of Adam Lazzara hanging in my room. (Don't judge me, okay?) 

Taking Back Sunday is a return to the band's original line up, and shows just how far they've come since Cute Without the E. And also, how far they haven't. My emo-alternative guilty pleasure, Taking Back Sunday gets my #5 pick.

Favorite track: Sad Savior 

 4. Eisley - The Valley
2011 was the year I first sat down and really listened to Eisley. And I'm so happy I did. The band presents this wonderful solidarity that pervades all of their music, and makes it truly enjoyable to listen to. Some of the earworms on this album have been permanently stuck, and I, for one, don't mind. The musicality of the band is varied, and The Valley is only just barely out of my top 3 for the year.
Favorite track: Oxygen Mask

3. Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver

This year was quite possibly the "breakout year" for Bon Iver. The special blend of soothing acoustics and beautiful melodies was finally realized for the wonderfulness that it is, and that's a good thing. I remember listening to bits and pieces, and then one night having my buddy tell me to listen, straight through, to the entire album. So, leaving a Waffle House at 12:00 AM, I rolled down the windows, started from track 1, and let myself sink into what is easily one of the best albums of 2011. Bon Iver has crafted an album that can pull your emotions and make you feel for the content of the music. If you haven't heard it, please do yourself a favor and listen.

Favorite track: Holocene

2. Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials

After many conversations about Flo and the music she makes, the consensus is this - it takes a special person to like Florence + the Machine. Be that as it may, Ceremonials marks one of the most beautiful albums of 2011, both lyrically and musically. If you've never heard a F+tM song, go listen to one right now, so you know exactly what I'm talking about. The music that the band puts together is very beat driven, but at the same time the melodies and rhythyms almost feel airy, as if they aren't solid at all, and merely there to provide a backdrop for Florence Welch's amazing vocals. Ceremonials is the kind of album that shows what a band is really capable of, and Florence + the Machine is a group capable of many great things.

Favorite track: Shake it Out (Acoustic)

1. Childish Gambino - Camp
This was a tough call for number one. I'm relatively new to the Childish Gambino music scene, but I can't imagine what would happen if I had missed him completely. CG is the pen name for Donald Glover, who is a star on the show Community. (He got his name from a Wu-Tang Clan name generator). The beats for these songs are amazingly catchy, and the lyrics that CG weaves are both entertaining and complex. There are songs that will have you laughing at loud simply at the clever way he's managed to put a line together, and other songs that will have you blown away for the sheer emotional content that you wouldn't normally expect out of this kind of album. This truly is the definition of good hip hop. Here's hoping that Camp picks up speed, and there will be more Childish Gambino in the future.
Favorite track: Kids

That's it. My persona; top 10 for 2011. Sorry about the post length, but I wanted to really present why I like what's here. I'd love to hear your thoughts. What music has defined 2011 for you? Let me know in the comments section, or my email, or my twitter. I'm pretty easy to contact. 
Until next time, 


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