CHRSWLKRVS’ TEN FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2011

2 months ago

CHRSWLKRVS’ TEN FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2011

10. JUSTICE | AUDIO VIDEO DISCO

The key to enjoying this album: Stop comparing it to †. It isn’t †. If anything it’s the anti-† and if you expected another †, well, why? That no one found this album as game-changing or as fun or as listenable as I did baffles me. Audio Video Disco is not like a MGMT-esque Congratulations what-the-fuck moment, it’s a perfect progression for a couple of guys who aspired for more (or maybe less) than bleeding synth and Daft Punk comparisons.

Favorite Tracks: “Horsepower”, “Canon”, “Audio, Video, Disco”

Watch “Audio, Video, Disco”

09. ARCTIC MONKEYS | SUCK IT + SEE

I didn’t like this album until I met a girl I could associate lyrics like “Makes me want to blow the candles out just to see if you glow in the dark,” and “That’s not a skirt, girl, that’s a sawn-off shotgun / and I can only hope you’ve got it aimed at me,” with. Our tryst may not’ve lasted long but my enjoyment of the songs remained.

Favorite Tracks: “The Hellcat Spangled Shalala”, “All My Own Stunts”, “Suck It + See”.

Watch “The Hellcat Spangled Shalala”

08. SBTRKT | SBTRKT

People went ape over “Wildfire”, Drake dropped a verse on the remix, but did you hear “Pharaohs”? That was the jam. Or how about “Ready Set Loop”? It sounded good with the BPM slowed down on a Rinse.FM set by SBTRKT, but at it’s proper 143 BPM it’s absolutely massive. I’ve always had a soft spot for UK Garage / 2-Step / Whatever you want to call it, and SBTRKT’s self-titled debut perfectly filled the niche.

Favorite Tracks: “Pharaohs”, “Ready Set Loop”, “Hold On”.

Watch “Wildfire”

07. WASHED OUT | WITHIN + WITHOUT

Evidently, Ernest Green legitimized or took “chillwave” to the next level with this album. Sure, why not? All I know is front-to-back Within + Without is great make out music, great breakup music, great morning drive music. There’s a reason the album cover is two people getting it on.

Favorite Tracks: “Soft”, “Far Away”, “You + I (Feat. Caroline Polachek)”.

Watch “Amor Fati”

06. HOLY GHOST! | HOLY GHOST!

This album took forever. “Hold On” dates back to 2007. “Say My Name” and “Static On The Wire” were on an EP almost a year-old when the self-titled debut finally hit shelves. And it’s not as if this album was highly anticipated but boy was it fun. Holy Ghost! just bopped and rolled throughout, nothing too serious (even when it got serious like on “Jam For Jerry”), just a good time. Tracks like “Wait + See”, “Hold My Breath”, and “Slow Motion” all got better with time. And how great is that Michael McDonald guest appearance? It’ll still be played at parties in the coming new year and, as demonstrated by “Hold On”, some of these tracks will stand the test of time.

Favorite Tracks: “Wait + See” “Hold On”, “It’s Not Over”.

Watch “Wait + See”

05. JAMES BLAKE | JAMES BLAKE

Often after an album leaks the artist says something like, “It’s a shame because you’re not hearing the full experience.” In the past, I’ve thought, “Bullshit.” I’ve never heard a ripped copy of a Red Hot Chili Peppers album (post By The Way), compared it to the official release, and been like, “Whoa, I really was missing out.” Blake’s self-titled debut was an exception. The moment the sub-bass of “Unluck” shook my rental car on a trip through the rural farmlands of Idaho, I knew I was in for an experience I would’ve missed had I just listened to a low-bitrate rip on my laptop speakers. There’s so much going on under the surface. The sparsity, while perhaps initially boring, becomes necessary, kind of like it was on the xx’s debut. The breathing room takes on it’s own life and the magic comes from the carefully constructed sounds in-between. Not to mention, Blake did something Feist was unable to this year: make one of her songs exciting and listenable with his room-shaking rendition of “Limit To Your Love”.

Favorite Tracks: “Unluck”, “Lindisfarne I + II”, “Limit To Your Love”.

Watch “Limit To Your Love”

04. THE BLACK KEYS | EL CAMINO

The Black Keys and Dangermouse do it again. No one makes rock and roll anymore except for these guys.

Favorite Tracks: “Gold On The Ceiling”, “Little Black Submarines”, “Run Right Back”.

Watch “Lonely Boy”

03. REAL ESTATE | DAYS

“All those wasted miles / All those aimless drives through green aisles / Our careless life style / It was not so unwise / No.” That pretty much sums it up. Days wasn’t dynamic or a leap forward by any means but in similar fashion to Beach House, Real Estate took a solid formula and refined it. Real Estate, in their element, are flawless. Sometimes that’s enough.

Favorite Tracks: “Green Aisles”, “Out Of Tune”, “All The Same”.

Watch “It’s Real”

02. DRAKE | TAKE CARE

At seventeen tracks (not including bonus ones) and a play time of one-hour, nineteen-minutes, and forty-seconds, Take Care is way too long. But looking through the songs there’s not much to remove (“Practice” is a dud). Everything from “Over My Dead Body” to “The Ride” is remarkably solid. Sure, you could lose the terrible Birdman cameo but that’s about it. Unless you’re a “gangsta rap purist” (do those still exist?) you have to appreciate Drake’s multitude of influences and willingness to experiment. Aside from usual collaborator Noah “40” Shebib he worked with Jamie from the xx, The Weeknd, and someone I haven’t heard anyone mention: Chilly Gonzales (most often associated with Feist), who plays piano at the end of “Marvin’s Room”. I could get into Drake’s heart-on-his-diamond-encrusted-sleeve persona but that’s been covered a million times. Matter of fact is there’s no denying Take Care was one of the very best albums of the year. Not to mention, it boasts my favorite lyrics of all time: “I’m not conscious of making monsters out of the women I sponsor ‘til it all goes bad / But shit it’s all good.”

Favorite Tracks: “Take Care”, “Underground Kings”, “Marvin’s Room”.

Watch “Headlines”

01. NERO | WELCOME REALITY

These guys took a Hall + Oats’ sample and turned it into a post-dubstep torch song. They took The Jets’ “Crush On You” and turned into a dubstep anthem. Nearly all of the album’s fourteen tracks have been or could be hit singles. Girls in my office listen to “Promises” on their iPhones. Best Buy used “Me + You” in their multi-colored Beats By Dre commercial. Nero were able to crossover into pop territory and transcend genres while retaining a dark, menacing aesthetic that never sounded kitschy. Electronic music or otherwise, there was no better album this year.

Favorite Tracks: “My Eyes”, “Reaching Out”, “Promises”.

Watch “Reaching Out”

RECAP:
10. Justice | Audio Video Disco
09. Arctic Monkeys | Suck It + See
08. SBTRKT | SBTRKT
07. Washed Out | Within + Without
06. Holy Ghost! | Holy Ghost!
05. James Blake | James Blake
04. The Black Keys | El Camino
03. Real Estate | Days
02. Drake | Take Care
01. Nero | Welcome Reality

ADDITIONAL LISTS:
Ten Favorite Mixes of 2011
Ten Favorite EPs of 2011
Twenty Favorite Singles of 2011