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[talisayNon]

Either Katy Perry or Adele i can't decide.

 

[blahblah...blah]

I didn't say that it was bad.

True, but there was certainly an implication that, at the very least, they weren't that original

::cringe::

The good taste in music thing is always like nails on a chalkboard to me. Must be a pet peeve.

I was tempted to agree with you, but then I realised that I actually firmly believe that, with pretty much all art forms, there are good and bad outputs, and thus good and bad tastes.

 

[stuminus3]

I'm not particularly big on aggressive music in my old age, but this one just blows me away. It's a cliche to say it, but every time I play it I hear things I didn't notice before. A genuine masterpiece.

 

[Ravager61]

I like Devin Townsend but good god, that cover is stupid looking.

 

[stuminus3]

I like Devin Townsend but good god, that cover is stupid looking.

I suspect that was deliberate. But I agree. The slipcase cover is cooler:

 

[TheLastCandle]

I was tempted to agree with you, but then I realised that I actually firmly believe that, with pretty much all art forms, there are good and bad outputs, and thus good and bad tastes.

To each his own, I suppose.

Even as opinionated as I am with music, I have a hard time with that.

 

[Smithy C]

Hello Sadness by Los Campesinos!
I've listened to this album so many times since it came out, and every time I do I'm always so impressed with how much they've changed from their first album. Fantastic album.

 

[Sullichin]

EDIT: How did I forget Siriusmo! Mosaik, DEFINITELY!
Radiohead King of Limbs
Bassnectar Divergent Spectrum
Modeselektor MonkeyTown

 

[Andrew.]

Red Hot Chilli Peppers: Im with you
Incubus: If not now, when?
Owl City: All things bright and beautiful

 

[Acid08]

man common. it was just a bunch songs blu found on his harddrive. it was good. but not AOTY good. =/

Blu stan. Made me happier than any other album this year.

 

[Subliminal]

The Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck

Damn these vampires
High Hawk Season
Never Quite Free

Herman Dune - Strange Moosic

Tell me something I don't know
Be a doll and take my heart
Monument Park

Jeffrey Lewis - A turn in the dream songs

How can it be
Cult Boyfriend
Time Trades

 

[Invisible_Insane]

Red Hot Chilli Peppers: Im with you
Incubus: If not now, when?
Owl City: All things bright and beautiful

I found that pretty disappointing, to be honest.

I didn't get a ton of new music this year, but for me it's El Camino by the Black Keys, hands down.

 

[JumpingTheGun]

Hands down. No question about it.

 

[Mileena]

runners up:
Megadeth - Thirteen
Protest the Hero - Scurrilous
Insomnium - One for Sorrow

 

[HiResDes]

Gremlin has some good taste, but I have to say I disagree with this "new rule" and am wondering if there will be an official thread of sorts for this?

 

[sparky2112]

Just a heads up for anyone interested: Amazon (US) has this on MP3 right now for $4.99. Quite the deal...

 

[faridmon]

2011 ended up being pretty solid for music to me, I'm sure I'll have a concrete list by the year's end. Delicious, delicous metal.

Aye. Insomnium and Omnium Gathreum with two amzing albums album this year. I could not be happier about Metal. Hopefully we will get a new Dark Tranquility album next year.

 

[Futureman]

Pretty sure this is the only 2011 album I bought. Ha. So it wins by default.

Devon Williams "Euphoria"

two songs here...

http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Devon_Williams/

Sufferer is my favorite. (you don't have to register and download the MP3, there's a box to stream it on the right side).

 

[jorgeton]

I've found a lot of great music this year that wasn't released in 2011 (Dirty Three's entire back catalogue, FTW)

But some faves released in 2011:

Gus Gus - Arabian Horse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgvlipp54RU

Vladislav Delay - Vantaa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umKh5aX7wBg

Boris - New Album
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa2y0ms8GTY

Jesu - Ascension
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLASX8n1Hlw

Battles - Gloss Drop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CelC-JCcWQI

Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqZnui3hjz0

 

[Menelaus]

Call me crazy...

 

[truly101]

I always come out of this thread with a couple of bands to check out based on recommendations. Looks like this year it will be The Weekend and SBTRKT

A lot of the ones I enjoyed this year have been mentioned several times. Here are a couple that haven't been mentioned.

Ok, first off, TOD is one of those "can't do wrong" bands for me, I even found stuff to like in Worlds Apart and So Divided, which are....not great to be honest. I really liked The Century of Self despite the tepid ending, so I was surprised I didn't like this one much at all in the first couple of listens. Then one day it clicked. I liked hearing how the songs all seagued into each other musically and thematically. its funny that an obvious "prog rock record" would be their most concise recording in almost 10 years. Its only 35 minutes long so it can still have that bombast they love, without the overbloatedness that have dragged down the last few records.

Do you miss bands like Jawbox and other 90's era Dischord bands? If so than this record is for you. I saw them open for Archers of Loaf this year and I really enjoyed them. They obviously borrow a bit from Jawbox and Faraquet, but I don't hear that much anymore so it works for me.

 

[base shagohod]

For me, it's a toss-up between

Machinedrum's Room(s)

Gil Scott-Heron/Jamie xx's We're New Here

and Siriusmo's Mosaik

These three got the most play in my car/house, and were all amazing albums. Feels like I've had 'em for more than a year.

Great year for music, definitely. Radiohead's King of Limbs was pretty good, and Memory Tapes put out an okay album, but I was kinda disappointed in both. Of course there are others that I loved but none as much as the ones up there.

 

[Witchfinder General]

Album of the year:

Morbid Angel - Illud Divinum Insanus

My album of the year is probably the most controversial Metal album released in a long time. Eight years since their last album and double that time since returning vocalist David Vincent was last in the band, Morbid Angel return with an album that is as varied in its approach as it is shocking to many long time fans. The most notable change in Morbid Angel's musical approach is the heavy Industrial influences that permeate many of the songs on the album. Whilst it is at first jarring these elements are not thrown in haphazardly and serve to reinforce the album as a whole. Long time drummer Pete "Commando" Sandoval didn't play on this album due to back surgery and the session drummer Tim Yeung does an admirable job filling in Pete's shoes. Despite the 90 degree turn Illud is stil unabashedly a Morbid Angel album through and through. Trey's solos still sound like a star trying to escape a black hole and Dave Vincent still knows how to pin you to your seat with his powerful, sardonic vocals. More importantly, the band sounds like they're having fun again, something sorely missing on their last album, Heretic. Welcome back, guys.

Runner ups

Vallenfyre - A Fragile King

Mastodon - The Hunter

The Devil's Blood - The Thousandfold Epicentre

Anthrax - Worship Music

Machine Head - Unto the Locust

Skeletonwitch - Forever Abomination

Devin Townsend - Ghost

Regurgitator - Superhappyfuntimesfriends

Tombs - Path of Totality

Absu - Abzu

Debut Album of the Year

Djerv - Djerv

This female-fronted Norwegian three-piece play a style of Blackened Pop 'N' Roll. Think Die So Fluid but with a slight Black metal leaning. The riffs are chunky and infectious but it's the vocals of Agnete Kjølsrud that are star of the show. Amazingly powerful, Kjølsrud's vocals flitter between the crystal clean harmony of an angel and the dirty impishness of a demented jester. With songs that get lodged in your brain for weeks, Djerv are a band to watch out for.

Runner up

Vyrion - Vyrion

Song of the Year

Djerv - Madman

Runner ups

Morbid Angel - I Am Morbid

Machine Head - Darkness Within

Anthrax - In the End

Devin Townsend - Blackberry

Regurgitator - All Fake Everything

 

[astroturfing]

i've decided:

1. This Will Destroy You - Tunnel Blanket

such a powerful fucking album, totally kicked my ass. and to think i had always dismissed these guys as just another generic post-rock/instrumental band trying too hard to be EITS/GYBE. but wow, this album is just incredible. i'll be listening to this 50 years from now. "Powdered Hand" is one of my favorite tracks ever. so simple yet so effective.

2. Pygmy Lush - Old Friends

dirty hardcore/punk dudes playing some sort of ethereal sounding indie rock. haunting and awesome. love these guys. they're getting better with every release which is rare.

3. Blue Sky Black Death - Noir

perfect music to chill out to. especially the first half of the album, so good. loved listening to this on the beach on my vacation in Crete.... ahh i wish i could go back.

4. Deftones - Diamond Eyes

i can't believe i still love Deftones. can't help it, just do. feel like 15 again listening to this. "Prince" is pure kickass. edit: LOL this is 2010 right? well fuck it, for me it was released this year.

5. Maritime - Human Hearts

album filled with catchy songs. what more can i ask for? if i want to listen to something poppy Maritime it is. total feel good music. listen to "Apple of My Irony" and tell me it doesn't cheer you up.

what else did i like.... Cave In's new album had some epic moments (mainly "Sing My Loves", jeeeeeesus what a track). ohh yeah and the new Roots album really is fantastic. new Mobb Deep ep and Prodigy (of Mobb Deep) solo ep were also great. completely ignored all other hiphop because Liquid Swords II still isn't out

Do you miss bands like Jawbox and other 90's era Dischord bands? If so than this record is for you. I saw them open for Archers of Loaf this year and I really enjoyed them. They obviously borrow a bit from Jawbox and Faraquet, but I don't hear that much anymore so it works for me.

umm.. HELL YES! i absolutely love Jawbox, even their underappreciated major label debut, which is IMO on par with their Dischord stuff. i almost get a bit too nostalgic listening to them so i haven't done it in a while heh.

but anyway what the hell is that band? Hammer No More The Fingers? hilarious name hahah. i guess i will have to check them out, thanks. i will also give that Trail of Dead album another chance because of you

 

[indigo-cyclops]

I've got one, and one only (now two()). Not a full LP, but I'll be damned if it doesn't top my list and anything that may have been on it in the past few years.

Burial - Street Halo EP. The feeling I get when I play it all the way through is indescribable.

Best music, Four Walls by Burial.

This one as well. Dear god.

 

[terminallyChill]

This one as well. Dear god.

Massive Attack and Burial is such a beautiful combination for me. Did you ever hear the Burial / Four Tet 12" ? That's pretty awesome too. Moth

 

[Dan]

Massive Attack and Burial is such a beautiful combination for me. Did you ever hear the Burial / Four Tet 12" ? That's pretty awesome too. Wolf

Massive Attack + Burial was like a dream come true. We ultimately got a decent amount of Burial stuff in 2011 even without an LP, that was nice. And we've got a new EP to kick off 2012 too.

 

[Bauer91]

If I had to pick one:

My favorite band and this year they had their first headlining tour in Europe so I finally got to see them live. They played two songs from this EP, awesome stuff.

Other albums from this year that I really, really enjoyed:

Honorable mentions:

Leprous- Bilateral
Fair To Midland- Arrows & Anchors
Animals as Leaders- Weightless
Dream Theater- A Dramatic Turn Of Events
Megadeth- TH1RT3EN

 

[Lv99 Slacker]

What do people use to generate these images? http://i.imgur.com/BFYpf.png

*pleasedontsayitunespleasedontsayitunes*

 

[Nappuccino]

So... I regret not listening to that SBTRKT album sooner. It is damn good.

 

[Uno Venova]

What do people use to generate these images? http://i.imgur.com/BFYpf.png

*pleasedontsayitunespleasedontsayitunes*

Yup, itunes.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Massive Attack and Burial is such a beautiful combination for me. Did you ever hear the Burial / Four Tet 12" ? That's pretty awesome too. Moth

Burial, Four Tet & Thom Yorke is pretty sweet, too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWEMkE4NNF8


I think it came out this year, too.

 

[HiResDes]

Gremlin has some good taste, but I have to say I disagree with this "new rule" and am wondering if there will be an official thread of sorts for this?

Edit: Nevermind

 

[Hatredcopter]

I'm not particularly big on aggressive music in my old age, but this one just blows me away. It's a cliche to say it, but every time I play it I hear things I didn't notice before. A genuine masterpiece.

Favorite album of the year for me by a long shot. Listening with headphones is amazing.

 

[Hatredcopter]

Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction
Devin Townsend Project - Ghost
Revocation - Chaos Of Forms
Mastodon - The Hunter
Eddie Vedder - Ukulele Songs
Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
Hooray For Earth - True Loves
Primus - Green Naugahyde
Red Fang - Murder The Mountains
Stephen Malkmus - Mirror Traffic

My Amazon list - http://www.amazon.com/lm/RIXMNAROO6TRG

 

[Despera]

I haven't been keeping up with new music as much as I have in previous years, but my AOTY is Snowman - Absence

I've never been really eloquent when it comes to discussing my favorite music, so I'll try and keep it brief. This album is dark, unsettling, but also quite pretty at times; similar to the Liars' Drums Not Dead, except more ethereal and less revolved around percussion specifically.

Tracks:
Hyena
White Wall
Absence
Full Album Stream (Soundcloud)

Reviews:
Pitchfork
130 BPM

White Wall and Absence are really good. Sad to hear they disbanded upon releasing this album.

 

[FiendAngel]

Destroyer - Kaputt

It's perfect. It's mesmerizing and captivating at every listen. Such a great voice and good use of variety of instruments.