Justin's Favorites Albums of 2011

While 2010 was a tremendous year for music, 2011 had quite a few spectacular moments for me as well. My list this year is just 10 albums, and that's not to say there were only 10 good albums to come out this year, but each of these artists created something truly unique and special that captivated and entertained me throughout the past 12 months. Notable favorites that have been excluded include: Radiohead, TV on the Radio, My Morning Jacket and 9th Wonder; I write that to show that just because you are one of my favorite artists it doesn't give you an automatic lock for my favorites of the year. Take a moment to explore these artists and share any thoughts you have, cheers.


10. Smoovth - Red Dot Plot

The hip hop underground really bubbled this year with EP's and mixtapes from up-and-comers like Kung Foo Grip, Action Bronson and Shabazz Palaces. While there were shining moments on all of those efforts, none of them hooked me in like Smoovth's Red Dot Plot. This NY native is a torchbearer of the East Coast boom bap sound from the golden era 90's. Crisp production keeps a rigid street vibe yet doesn't feel out of place at a house party, in the vein of Black Moon's Enta Da Stage or Mobb Deep's The Infamous. Like one of my favorites from last year Roc Marciano's Marcberg, there is a hustler vibe but there are moments like the dusty piano driven "Phonograph" that give this project real heart.

Listen to: Speed Kills



9. Crystal Antlers - Two-Way Mirror

Sophisticated melodic punk music. Fun, fun, fun album! Perfect for any occasion and any season.

Listen to: Summer Solstice

8. WU LYF - Go Tell Fire On the Mountain

What would happen if you could somehow record cavemen playing electrified instruments? I believe the end result would be something close to this album. There is a current of animalistic thumping and gesturing throughout the entire album that feels dangerous and exciting. You want to keep listening to the album just to see what they do next. Although the lyrics are mostly indecipherable, they are undeniably celebratory and evoke Irish sing-a-longs and even battle cries. Undeniably unique, this album is an unrefined beauty.

Listen to: We Bros



7. BADBADNOTGOOD - BBNG

I love hip hop. I love jazz. Therefore, I love BADBADNOTGOOD. I discovered them on bandcamp.com and found out that they're 3 college students from Toronto who are trained classically in jazz but also happen to have an affinity for Odd Future, Gang Starr and J Dilla. On this album, which can be downloaded absolutley for free, they give their own renditions of hip hop classics like "Mass Appeal" and ODB's (begging to be made a jazz standard) "Brooklyn Zoo". But they are not just some generic jazz covers, the trio give these tracks room to breathe and grow. There are original compositions mixed in with the hip hop reworkings that display a playfulness and proficiency that leads me to believe they will have a say in the way jazz moves forward throughout this millennium. They are the perfect mix of talent and desire.

Listen to: Title Theme/Saria's Theme/Song of Storms


6. The Roots - undun

When your bandleader is an audiophile who can DJ a birthday party for Prince one week and a BBQ in Brooklyn the next, you have something special. The Roots are special. Inspiration is the catalyst for creativity, and drummer ?uestlove derives inspiration for those who came before him; from David Bowie and Brian Eno to Eric B & Rakim. His expansive vinyl cache is filled with pioneers of sound who weren't afraid to alienate their fanbase in order to create something personal or original. He and The Roots aren't interested in high-profile rappers guesting on their albums or remixing their songs. They are motivated by making music that has a purpose, that will be relevant for generations and not just a few weeks on the Billboard charts. With undun, they've tackled their first concept album; a story of a troubled youth that unfolds from his death backwards. They managed to dodge the cliche interludes that can bog a record down and created a taught timeline of soulful and funky reality. Can we please acknowledge them as one of the most important artists of this generation?!

Listen to: Make My



5. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo

I fell in love with this album. I listened to it for over 2 weeks straight in my car. Kurt's voice curls around you like a snake but has a warmth like a few stiff shots of Jim Beam. There's a slacker, everyman vibe that Kurt has nailed down perfectly; he's like a less loveable Tom Petty. The duration of the album is Kurt exploring his disdain with everyday life, but like all good stoner-rock, a healthy dose of guitars helps him get through it. He doesn't hold any punches and calls everyone out, including himself; he copes by making excuses like we all do. Smoke Ring For My Halo personifies an apathetic nation; there are a few sunbeams poking throughout the dark clouds here but not many. It might take a few listens, but stay with this album and it will really grow on you.

Listen to: Baby's Arms



4. James Blake - self titled

Raw emotion. This music is so naked and exposed, you might get a little embarrassed the first time you listen to it. On the Feist cover "Limit to Your Love" the seconds of silence in-between the word "care" and the thunderous bass drop seem to carry the weight of the universe. Blake's knowledge of music and its history come through in the way he blurs the genre lines of soul, r&b, and dubstep. This album is sexy, heart-wrenching and engulfing in the way its sonic's will swallow you up and spit you out only to repeat the process on the next track. James lyrics and timbre create this candid masterpiece that makes it hard not to look introspectively into our own lives. If only we could express our thoughts as gorgeously as James, who is a future superstar.

Listen to: I Never Learnt to Share



3. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

Ever since 2008's Saturdays = Youth album, I've been waiting eagerly to see what Anthony Gonzalez would do next. His flawless execution of 80's dream-pop on Saturdays had a joyous and familiar feel but seemed to lack something. That something else, was a confidence in his voice that he clearly has found on this triumph of an album. At times it's hard not to believe you're listening to Peter Gabriel sing when you hear Anthony's ethereal vocals. A movie score is obviously what he had in mind when making this adventurous recording, there seem to be sounds coming from every direction, at times, putting us right in the middle of the action denying us escape, but who would want to leave this incredible ride?! Anthony serves as the conductor to this orchestra who produces euphoric highs and maintains a heady buzz of synthy, dream-like bliss. It certainly feels like he pushed all of his chips in the middle on this double-album; it's evident this was a labor of love and it couldn't be more rewarding.

Listen to: Wait


2. Drake - Take Care

When I first heard Drake on his mixtape So Far Gone a few years ago, I couldn't help but think this guy could be the next Kanye. The way he was candid about his shortcomings and insecurities but at the same time had a (pardon the term) swagger, it was easy to connect the dots. His versatility to both sing and flow makes him special; with his last album Thank Me Later, he couldn't find a comfortable balance of the 2 and the project disappointed us who knew he could bring more to the table. Take Care is an album that showed me Drake is not just a singer/rapper but an artist. Each track feels like paint being brushed onto a canvas that, at the end, reveals a picture of a superstar that isn't comfortable with his fame. The party tracks are great: the Gil Scott-Heron sample on the albums title track is what dance floors are made for, and "HYFR" could have easily been on Wayne's (surprisingly) underrated Carter IV. For me, the meat of this album is in the slow burners like the Stevie Wonder assisted "Doing It Wrong". Relationships are tough for everybody, compound that with the fact that Drake's been a successful child actor and now music star, it can only make things more awkward and alienating. That Stevie harmonica breakdown at the end of "Doing It Wrong" is so beautiful and painful at the same time; I rewound that part too many times to count. "Look What You've Done" is such a genuine homage to his immediate family that has supported him through everything; it's those moments that makes this album resonate for me. Impressive work from an artist that is living up to his talent.

Listen to: Look What You've Done



1. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

Music can be transcendent. It can make us feel ways we've never felt before. When I listen to Fleet Foxes I am taken to a space that is not of this world. Maybe it's "folk-bliss" (which is a term I've never heard of, but it definitely applies here) that comes over me. I'm taken away from a world that is strangled by technology and placed in this area that is sustained only by the harmonizing and playing of Robin Peckinold and his band. Nobody writes lyrics like Robin, who authors tales of devotion and questioning of his own fate all while building these set pieces that involve lush countryside and the creatures that inhabit them. My niece and nephew are also closely related to the music as both of the Foxes LP's have been released around the time of their births. I can't say enough wonderful things about a band that has given me so much joy in my life; watching them perform on a cool evening in the park earlier this year was pure serenity.

Listen to: The Shrine/An Argument