I suppose many people will think that this is a list of the best albums of the year but they’d be mistaken. I haven’t heard nearly as many albums to judge on ‘the best albums of the year’. Instead this is simply my favourite albums of the year. There may be albums missing that are technically better, such as the critically acclaimed efforts by the likes of PJ Harvey and The Horrors, but the list below represents the albums that have kept me coming back to them throughout the year.
10: Metronomy – The English Riviera
Metronomy’s third LP found them throwing off the shackles of the electro-pop that encapsulated their first two offerings in order to make something more laid back and, as it turns out, more suited to them. On The English Riviera Metronomy have fully found their voice, an opportunity not afforded to many in the current climate where instant success is prized above potential. They have crafted an album that has wedged itself in to the public consciousness and it’s featured in the top ten of just about every albums of 2011 poll out there; something that the quartet can be very proud of.
9. The Pierces – You & I
The Pierces released their fourth album You & I back in May and I was immediately taken by it. Every song is rich with beautiful melodies over delicate guitar lines that all combine to ensure an album that stands up to repeated listenings in its entirety. They have produced a fantastic summer album that has had me finding new things to love about it on every listen. They are also one of the few acts on this list that I managed to see live this year and the fact that these girls can really sing and really care about the songs and their harmonies means that the album transfers to the stage effortlessly.
8. Dan Mangan – Oh Fortune
The most recent album on this list, Dan Mangan’s Oh Fortune was only released at the start of the month and arrived too late for many end of the years lists, which is a real shame. While we may be idolising the likes of Mumford and Sons and Bon Iver, Mangan has been working away for nearly a decade and it’s about time that he started to receive the kind of recognition that he deserves. Oh Fortune is a fantastic album, whether Mangan’s taking things up a notch or two with the likes of ‘Post War Blues’ or ‘Row of Houses’ or creating beautiful balladry such as ‘I Am Dead’ and ‘Leaves, Trees, Forests’. This is an album that can be revisited again and again.
7. WATERS – Out In The Light
Perhaps the most low-key album on the list, Out In The Light is the debut solo album by Van Pierszalowski, formerly of Port O’Brien. It’s a great album full of scuzzy guitars and with a real old school flavour to it. Well, maybe old school is a bit much, it’s more of a 90′s feel really but there are some cracking tracks on there like ‘For The One’ and ‘If I Run’. Hopefully we’ll get to see a lot more of this band in the future as I don’t think this album really got the attention that it deserved this year.
6. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart – Belong
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s self titled debut album was one of the releases of 2009 so it’s no surprise to find their followup LP riding high in this list. Belong is an album that seems to have had no problem in following up such a well loved debut, in fact it manages to improve upon it. The title track is one of the finest songs that I’ve heard this year and ‘Heart In Your Heartbreak’ gained them some more exposure when it was used on Skins earlier this year. It’s one of those albums that you want to ignore for a while just so you have the pleasure of rediscovering it again.
5. Arctic Monkeys – Suck It And See
Arctic Monkeys last album was met with a fairly mixed reception with many not keen to embrace the heavier direction that they were heading in. Fortunately for us their fourth album, Suck It And See, gave us the best of both worlds building upon the more polished songs of Humbug and adding a poppier side. Many people have lamented the disappearance of Turner’s more natural, observational lyrics, which have provided some of the high points on their earlier albums. It is to Arctic Monkeys’ credit though that they have produced an album that strives to drag listeners in simply with the quality of the songs on show rather than the promise of some fantastical wordplay.
4. Smith and Burrows – Funny Looking Angels
One of the more surprising albums here. I wouldn’t have expected a Christmas album to be making the list, they’re just a bit naff aren’t they? Not this one. The vocal combination of Smith and Burrows works really well. Smith’s deep voice is perfectly suited to a Christmas album, you can just picture him singing in front of a roaring fire in an old pub, and the quality of the original songs really is remarkable. There surely will be another album from these two at some point in the future and it could well be a cracker.
3. Florence and the Machine – Ceremonials
Florence just misses out on a spot in my top two but it was a close run battle. Ceremonials builds on the formula laid out by Lungs and makes everything bigger, brighter and more polished. Whilst there aren’t really any of the quirky tracks like ‘Dog Days…’ or ‘Kiss With A Fist’ that gave Lungs its charm its hard to argue that this isn’t a technically more proficient album. Songs such as ‘What The Water Gave Me’, ‘Shake It Out’ and the sublime ‘Never Let Me Go’ have ensured that this is one of my most listened to albums this year.
2. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
With little brother Liam’s new project Beady Eye already hitting the shelves all eyes were on Noel’s effort and it didn’t disappoint. Some people bemoaned the fact that it sounded too much like Oasis but for me that was a good thing and it’s certainly a better collection of songs than anything Oasis put out in the last five years, or ten years if we’re being really honest. There are songs on there that are noticeably different to Oasis, namely ‘Everybody On The Run’ and ‘AKA…What A Life’ and these are offset by other great tracks like ‘If I Had A Gun’ and ‘AKA…Broken Arrow’. A must listen.
1. Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto
A controversial choice for number one here I imagine, especially with the indie purists who see any album landing in the top ten in the charts as some form of failure and not worthy of their time. However, there is no denying that Coldplay have served up one of their finest albums to date, albeit with the slightly absurd name Mylo Xyloto. They created a concept album to show off their evolving sound and, whilst the band admitted that a lot of the story between the two characters Mylo and Xyloto has been lost during the recording, you can still see links between a lot of the songs as well as recurring lyrical motifs. The changing sound, produced once again by Brian Eno, sees a departure from the norm enough to make this album sound fresh compared to their previous work but retains enough recognisable Coldplay to ensure that we are never left behind. Deserving of the top spot here.
