Best Albums Of 2011

15. What Did You Expect From The Vaccines by The Vaccines 

14. Codes & Keys by Death Cab For Cutie 

13. Belong by The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart 

12. Last Night On Earth by Noah & The Whale 

11. Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me by Touché Amoré 

10. Suburbia, I've Given You All And Now I Am Nothing by The Wonder Years  

Probably one of the few pop punk bands from the last few years that have made a major splash, The Wonder Years put out Suburbia, I Have Given You All And Now I Am Nothing a mere year after surprise hit, The Upsides. Continuing the story of Soupy's life from where its predecessor left off, Suburbia is another slab of impossibly catchy pop punk. I dare you to not relate. 

9. Hurry Up, We're Dreaming by M83 

The only album on this list that could be considered as dance, M83's Hurry Up, We're Dreaming is, simply put, massive. Every song could fill a stadium and the production is beautiful. 'Midnight City' may be the instantly recognized song, but this 22 track album is packed with life-affirming indie/dance songs. You may think you don't like this sort of music, well, you're wrong. 

8. Empty Days And Sleepless Nights by Defeater 

Defeater are the heaviest thing in the world. Ever. Whilst they may not promise to 'shred yr face' like other bands, Defeater are the scariest band you shall listen to (sorry Cradle Of Filth, you're just not scary). Empty Days And Sleepless Nights is a concept album with fraternal murder, suicide, and bags of anger. Their sound is reminiscent of their peers La Dispute, but they take the whole story telling thing to an extreme. Post-hardcore for the not easily frightened. 

7. Listen & Forgive by Transit

With 2011 being one of the biggest years in a very long time for pop punk and post-hardcore, it was hard for bands to stand out from the crowd, especially with comebacks from Blink 182 and Yellowcard, and releases from The Wonder Years and New Found Glory, however, Transit's Listen & Forgive trumps all of these releases with eleven tracks of 90's emo tinged pop punk from the heart. Songs such as 'Long Lost Friends' and 'You Can't Miss It (It's Everywhere)' are how pop punk is meant to be, no gratuitous breakdowns, no neon, no autotune, just catchy songs about you and your friends and bags of passion. 

6. Bon Iver, Bon Iver by Bon Iver

You probably need no introduction to Bon Iver's music, and for once that's the way it should be. Bon Iver, Bon Iver displays exactly why Bon Iver is as popular as he is, heartbreaking lyrics set upon a background of very developed folk music, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon is responsible for some of the saddest songs ever written. Whilst I may be in minority with my preference for For Emma, Forever Ago,  Bon Iver, Bon Iver is a truly beautiful album.

5. Live The Dream by Ramshackle Glory

Ramshackle Glory are basically what would happen if you put Beirut, Dead Kennedys and The Waltons in a  blender and recorded the results. Live The Dream is their debut album, and is folk-punk at it's finest. Led by Pat The Bunny, Ramshackle Glory make their way through topics such as Pat The Bunny's heroin addiction, their dislike of the police and trying to make the world. Managing be both wise and brilliantly puerile at the same time, Live The Dream is the best album you've never heard, and tracks such as 'Your Heart Is A Muscle The Size Of Your Fist' and 'First Song (Parts I & II) will leave you happy with life (despite the fact that they're about heroin addiction). Also, fun fact, this album holds my personal favourite lyric of all time; 'Maybe God isn't the right word, but I believe in you'. 

4. Wildlife by La Dispute

Certainly one of the heavier bands on this list, La Dispute are basically the Radiohead of punk music, their sound changes with every release. Wildlife showcases La Dispute at their most desperate, most panicky, most poetic, most irresistible. The most attractive heavy album you'll hear anywhere, Wildlife sets a bar for post-hardcore that very few bands will come close to. Every lyric is intelligent, every song tells a story, and Dreyer's vocals are shiver-inducing. Wildlife is not just post-hardcore's album of 2011, but the essential post-hardcore album. 

 

3. The Rip Tide by Beirut   

Continuing on the 'everything, including the kitchen sink' sound of The Flying Club Cup, The Rip Tide refines Beirut's signature sound and is the most professional release from Zach Condin and his merry men. While, at points, The Flying Club Cup may lose focus, The Rip Tide irons out the creases wioth every moment of the album being essential listening. Condin's vocals are at their best, and tracks like 'A Candle's Fire' and 'Santa Fe' display what Beirut does best, poetic lyrics, exotic instrumentation being used as most bands would use guitars, and a touch of sophistication.   

2. Days by Real Estate 

Do you know what would be the most played song on every radio station, if the world was awesome? Real Estate's Real. Do you know what pop music would sound like, if the world was awesome? Real Estate. Days is the sound of summer, relaxation and bloody brilliant songwriting. Days and it's sixties' tinged surf-pop establishes Real Estate as one of the best indie bands around today, with every song feeding off each other and just making the listener feel so deliriously happy that it is impossible to listen to only one track and move on to a different band. Also, Real is the catchiest song of all time. Fact.

1. The People's Key by Bright Eyes

  Whilst, admittedly, The People's Key certainly isn't Bright Eyes' best release, it somewhere near the top of that hefty pile. Leaving behind the country of it's predecessor, Cassadaga, and the broken folk/emo of earlier releases, The People's Key sends Conor Oberst and his merry men into a somewhat strange world of sonic indie rock. Pretty much every track is tinged by synthesizers and filled with indie rock pomp. Oberst's vocals have drastically improved from previous releases, and his lyrics are just as intelligent and poetic as ever. Above all, The People's Key features the beautiful, piano led, Ladder Song, arguably one of Bright Eyes' best tracks. If The People's Key is indeed Oberst's last outing with the Bright Eyes moniker, it is certainly a fitting epitaph to a fantastic discography.

Honorable mentions: Woods' Sun And Shade/ Tame Impala's Innerspeaker /  Title Fight's Shed /  TuneYards' W H O K I LL / Emmy The Great's Virtue/ Fireworks' Gospel / Kevin Devine's Between Concrete Clouds / Fionn Regan's 100 Acres Of Sycamore / Manchester Orchestra's Simple Math / Moving Mountains' Waves

Disappointments: Blink 182's Neighborhoods / New found Glory's Radiosurgery / Taking Back Sunday's Taking Back Sunday / Set Your Goals' Burning At Both Ends / The Strokes' Angles / Radioheads' The King Of Limbs / Four Year Strong's In Some Way, Shape Or Form / Florence And The Machine's Ceremonials