This isn't your parents' list of the best indie/alternative albums of 2011. This isn't your local record store dweeb's list. It certainly isn't your average snobby pretentious online music critic's list. Why? Because unlike those overpaid blowhards, we actually (gasp!) LISTEN to music here at Ology. When we pick the best albums of the year, that means we pick the BEST ones-- not the coolest ones... not the most popular ones... and not (necessarily) the most obscure ones that you probably haven't heard of, heavy sigh. We pick the ones we loved, the ones we tortured our co-workers and loved ones with for months on end, the ones nearest and dearest to our hearts... and then we talk about them on the internet for the viewing and listening pleasure (hopefully) of you fine and lovely people.
The (Best?) Songs Of 2011 (Archive)
Without further ado, here are albums 10 through 6:
No. 10
Thurston Moore
Demolished Thoughts
(Matador Records)
Brilliantly produced by Beck, Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore's latest solo album is a gorgeously lush, emotionally harrowing chamber pop treasure. Performed largely on acoustic guitar, harp, and violin, the album is miles away from the no-wave chaos of Sonic Youth's music—the songs here are heartbreaking in minimal, unexpected ways. Thurston's divorce from longtime partner and bandmate Kim Gordon lends even more emotional weight to the already devastating arrangements. (Ology's Review)
Best Songs: "Benediction," "Space," "Mina Loy," and "Orchard Street".
No. 9
Beastie Boys
Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
(Capital Records)
Delayed by MCA's invasive throat cancer treatment, the Beasties' long-awaited eighth album was an unexpected return to the lo-fi alternative rock grit of their early '90s Check Your Head/Ill Communication period. Lyrically, the trio sounded tighter than ever, rhyming effortlessly over disjointed, adventurous sonic experiments that evoked the past while still sounding fresh and current. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees even found time to produce two of the year's best music videos in 2011! They may have "been rappin' since '83," but the Beastie Boys show no sign of letting up creatively. (Ology's Review)
Best Songs: "Lee Majors Come Again," "Funky Donkey," "Make Some Noise," and "OK".
No. 8
Jane's Addiction
The Great Escape Artist
(Capital Records)
You probably won't spot it on too many year-end lists, but Jane's Addiction's fourth studio album (recorded in part with TV On The Radio's Dave Sitek) is an adventurous, vastly underrated piece of post-modern alternative rock revivalism. Sonically, the band juxtaposed modern sounds and techniques with their trademark brand of art rock heavy metal voodoo. The result is not only one of their best efforts to date, but one of the essential rock n' roll listens of 2011. Don't believe the naysayers! (Ology's Review)
Best Songs: "End To The Lies," "Splash A Little Water On It," "I'll Hit You Back," and "Broken People".
No. 7
Wilco
The Whole Love
(dBpm Records)
Jeff Tweedy's most experimental set of tunes since the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot/A Ghost Is Born days is also one of Wilco's best in ages—"Art Of Almost" ranks high amongst the group's noisy, sprawling sound collages, while the bleak pop hooks of "I Might" and "Born Alone" enmesh bare-boned rock instrumentation with progressive, forward-thinking sonic ideas. Apart from "Capital City," it's a near perfect Wilco album and one of the year's best listens. (Ology's Review)
Best Songs: "I Might," "Born Alone," "Black Moon," and "Rising Red Lung".
No. 6
The Kills
Blood Pressures
(Domino Records)
You weren't likely to hear anything as raw or real in 2011 as The Kills' gut-wrenching fourth album. Everything from the buzzing frets of Jamie Hince's guitar to the acidic quiver in Alison Mosshart's voice reeks of, "We're not just f—king around here... we mean what we play." Toss in a healthy (but not overdone) amount of pop hooks and you've got easily the best "rawk" record of this year. Keep a pack of Camels nearby... your hands are going to shake. (Ology's Review)
Best Songs: "Future Starts Slow," "Heart Is A Beating Drum," "The Last Goodbye," and "Pots And Pans".
Agree? Disagree? Hit up our comments section below.
Be sure to check back next Friday for albums 10 through 6 on our Indie/Alternative countdown.
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