Best Albums of 2011

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Explore the best albums of 2011, based on over 2 million album rankings across 60,000 charts.
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2011 year summaryThe best artists of 2011 were Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, PJ Harvey, The Beach Boys, Radiohead, The Black Keys, Destroyer, M83, Adele and Foo Fighters.

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Bon Iver, Bon Iver

Bon Iver

"It's easy for most to cast this of as a middle-of-the-road folk album but they've created is like nothing and something you've heard before. Permeated with loose song structures, delicate but eerie synths and crushing lines on malaise. If you didn't enjoy it frst time around, I strongly suggest a..." [+] Reply

Komorebi-D | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2011

Appears in:

1,028 charts

Rank Score:

8,475

Rank in 2011:

Rank in 2010s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

""I was raised up believing I was somehow unique / Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes, unique in each way you can see / And now after some thinking, I'd say I'd rather be / A functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me." So begins this album's fantastic title track,..." [+] Reply

buzzdainer | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2011

Appears in:

989 charts

Rank Score:

8,289

Rank in 2011:

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Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

"I don't feel very hip for saying this, but I think this is my favourite PJ Harvey album yet. Beautiful." Reply

SquishypuffDave | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2011

Appears in:

831 charts

Rank Score:

6,060

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Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

"Finally, after more than forty years, the Beach Boys' unfinished album "Smile" has been released in its entirety - to the extent possible. "Smile" was in 1966 Brian Wilson's most ambitious project, and he wanted to create music that was as innovative as that of the Beatles - a group which he both...""Finally, after more than forty years, the Beach Boys' unfinished album "Smile" has been released in its entirety - to the extent possible. "Smile" was in 1966 Brian Wilson's most ambitious project, and he wanted to create music that was as innovative as that of the Beatles - a group which he both admired and wished to match. Wilson dropped tour-life to concentrate on writing and recording music, while the other Beach Boys occasionally came in the studio and recorded vocals on the new songs. The amazing single "Good Vibrations" was an indication of directions Wilson's musical ideas took. The single became a huge hit and there were naturally great expectations for the album that would follow. Unfortunately, Wilson broke down under the stress of the high expectations and his own ambtions before the album was completed. In fact, a cover drawn with a charming beautiful colorful front and a back side with a preliminary tracklist. Some of the songs were practically finished, while others were under development when the project was dropped. However several of the Smile songs appeared on the next Beach Boys albums where the overall musical ambitions were lowered and the other Beach Boys began to take more part in the songwriting. The best of these are now well known classics, especially "Heroes and Villains," "Surf's Up," "Wind Chimes" and "Vegetables." In early 2000 years Brian Wilson re-recorded the Smile songs and also went on tour with them. Although these were fine and impressive performances, they also meant that the wishes the the original versions, with different beautiful Beach Boys voices, became even stronger. This 2 CD version contains the versions of the many Smile recordings which Brian Wilson believes are the best. CD 1 contains the finished versions of the songs, or in some cases as finished as possible. CD 2 gives a little insight into the work in the studio, and numerous recordings and overdubs behind these contemporary loose shots. Since there never was any final decision on tracklisting, anyone can try to put an album that may match or perhaps overpass the group's previous album "Pet Sounds" which is considered as the group's masterpiece. I have put such an album together which after the contemporary standards has14 songs and which lasts about 40 minutes. In fact, I think this "album" in respects in on the level of "Pet Sounds", which after all also does contain songs of lesser significance Side one of this imaginary vinyl version looks like this: Side one 1. You're Welcome / 2. Good Vibrations / 3. Surf's Up / 4. Wonderful / 5. Cabin Essence / 6. Child Is Father Of The Mon 7. Look (Song For Children) - Side two 1. Our Prayer / 2.Heroes And Villains / 3 Holidays / 4. Wind Chimes / 5. Vega-Tables / 6. Gee / 7. Do You Like Worms (Roll Plymouth Rock). I've played this compilation many times and am very satisfied with it, and I believe it would have received deserved recognition in its time, even if individual numbers may seem a little incomplete. In any rate, this bunch of beautiful songs constitute an important part in music history. " [+] Reply

- Rovers | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (7 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2011

Appears in:

474 charts

Rank Score:

5,673

Rank in 2011:

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Average Rating:

Comments:

"I've read some reviews describing this album as lacking in warmth, or too distant from their roots as a 5-piece rock outfit, or too much of a Thom Yorke project. Yet, I truly find KoL to be an incredibly intimate album that rewards full immersion with headphones. It is also a real tribute to the ..." [+] Reply

Strangel | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2011

Appears in:

914 charts

Rank Score:

4,529

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Average Rating:

Comments:

"El Camino is The Black Keys best album, and its a good one. With lots of really good songs, and few weak ones it about as good an album as you could ask for from The Black Keys. However, I don't think Th Black Keys are a spectacular band, so, while this is likely the best they'll ever achieve, it..." [+] Reply

souplipton | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2011

Appears in:

662 charts

Rank Score:

4,110

Rank in 2011:

Rank in 2010s:

Overall Rank:

397

Average Rating:

78 (1,091 votes)

Comments:

Kaputt

Destroyer

"For some reasons (that I ignore),it is my favorite summertime record. There is something sweet about the songs, the rhythms are warm, the jazz instruments ethereal, the voice is sweet and the lyrics are cryptic but weirdly fantastic. Nothing sounds quite like this and it gives this album a unique..." [+] Reply

- ArnaudD | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2011

Appears in:

536 charts

Rank Score:

3,779

Rank in 2011:

Rank in 2010s:

Overall Rank:

444

Average Rating:

79 (604 votes)

Comments:

Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

M83

"OK so why do I feel this is a "music equivalent of Tree of Life". Both works can be described with the word "epic", they're lengthy, full of interesting ideas, exhilarating, techincally very impressive, and even the theme is somewhat similiar with constant nostalgic "looking back", to the time of..." [+] Reply

- 19loveless91 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2011

Appears in:

547 charts

Rank Score:

3,446

Rank in 2011:

Rank in 2010s:

Overall Rank:

497

Average Rating:

77 (679 votes)

Comments:

Adele

"have a little respect for your taste and choose another argument than "it got overplayed" to rate it under 50. there are plenty..." Reply

- xdxrovied | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (5 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2011

Appears in:

549 charts

Rank Score:

3,168

Rank in 2011:

Rank in 2010s:

Overall Rank:

544

Average Rating:

72 (941 votes)

Comments:

10.

Wasting Light

Foo Fighters

"What a surprise! After a few okay to decent albums they completely rock on a 4 track player to make an excellent blue collar rocker. More consistent than their other excellent outing Colour and Shape but with less highs. There isn't a bad song with Walk and White Limo my personal favorites. White..." [+] Reply

- Edwarda85 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2011

Appears in:

454 charts

Rank Score:

2,687

Rank in 2011:

Rank in 2010s:

Overall Rank:

634

Average Rating:

76 (791 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100

Best Albums of 2011 composition

Artist	Albums	%

Various Artists	5	1%
The Weeknd	3	0%
Clams Casino	2	0%
Ramona Andra Xavier	2	0%
Frank Zappa	2	0%
Andy Stott	2	0%
Tim Hecker	2	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	475	48%
	187	19%
	53	5%
	36	4%
	30	3%
	25	3%
	22	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	962	96%
Yes	38	4%

Live?	Albums	%
No	972	97%
Yes	28	3%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	993	99%
Yes	7	1%

Best Albums of 2011 chart changes

Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month
Up 2 from 94th to 92nd We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves by John Maus
Up 2 from 90th to 88th Wildlife by La Dispute
Up 2 from 61st to 59th The Rip Tide by Beirut

Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month
Down 12 from 84th to 96th Tragedy by Julia Holter
Down 2 from 78th to 80th Minecraft - Volume Alpha by C418
Down 1 from 24th to 25th Replica by Oneohtrix Point Never

« View best albums of 2010View best albums of 2012 »

Best Artists of the 2010s

1. Kendrick Lamar

2. Kanye West

3. Tame Impala

4. Arcade Fire

5. Beach House

6. Frank Ocean

7. Sufjan Stevens

8. The National

9. Radiohead

10. Nick Cave