Top 10 Albums of 2011

So it may be a little late, but everyone has to start somewhere and this seemed like the way to go. Ignoring the fact we are now well into 2012, here are:

My Top 10 Albums of 2011

10. Lady GaGa: Born This Way

Pop's most bizarre performer returned in 2011 with her sophomore album attempting to build on the success of 2009's The Fame. While a repeat performance would have comfortably assured global success, Lady GaGa mercifully decided to take a creatively original route, releasing a sprawling, grandiose tribute to the glam-rock of yesteryear. The standard club beats and pumping basslines remain, but they are embellished with frankly spectacular arrangements of church organs, orchestral sections and decidedly metallic guitars. The titular lead single, with its message of acceptance and goodwill to all men, "no matter gay, straight or bi," proved a radio success, with Judas, Edge of Glory and Yoü and I not far behind. But behind the commercial popularity lies one of the most ambitious albums released by a solo artist of recent times. That's not to say that it's perfect - it's just too long, the singles stand out by a fair way, and at times it falls into self-repetition. In short, for such a great album, it's pretty flawed as an album. But GaGa's slightly concerning eccentricity comes through at the end of the day, and ensures a thoroughly enjoyable listen from beginning to end.

9. Noel Gallagher's High-Flying Birds: Noel Gallagher's High-Flying Birds

The former Oasis frontman took a couple of years to get round to releasing new material following the band's split in 2009. When he did, however, it gave rise to the question why he even bothered keeping his former group together after around 1997. Taking sole creative duties, and noticeably more relaxed without having his younger brother around to provide constant arguments, the 44-year-old Mancunian unleashed a work the likes of which have not been seen from him since Oasis were in their prime. The self-titled debut effectively makes a mockery of Liam's decidedly inferior Beady Eye project, with 10 triumphant cuts that remind the listener just what a good songwriter Gallagher can be when he puts his mind to it. From the soaring opener Everybody's On The Run, it is apparent he is out to please his staple audience: musically, there is nothing revolutionary on offer here, and there's nothing wrong with that. Gallagher's voice sounds as good as ever, the brass and strings arrangements augment the songs beautifully and while two tunes - (I Wanna Live In A Dream) In My Record Machine and Stop The Clocks - are recycled from his back catalogue, diversity is maintained more than long enough to keep the listener's attention. Free from the shackles of his former commitments, expect Noel to keep on making music for a long time yet.

8. Mike Patton: The Solitude of Prime Numbers

The former enfant terrible of alternative rock throws yet another curve ball with this concept album combining mathematical principles with contemporary classical music, with just a little experimental electronic madness to top it all off. The vocalist who once had crowds of metal fans yelling along to Faith No More's anthems for the disenfranchised masses turns here to orchestral composition, with commendable results. The Solitude of Prime Numbers uses (unsurprisingly) a prime number for the basis of each track, from 2 to 53, with subtitles expanding the theme with a mathematical term. While all of this may sound either pretentious or overcomplicated, even the humanities students among us can appreciate the sparse beauty of the overture track (02 - Twin Primes) or the the Chopin-esque piano and theremin arrangement 07 - Contrapositive. Overall, 16 tracks segue into one continuous symphony of sound art that never fails to move or stimulate. The effect is reminiscent of Trent Reznor's film scores, only more sonically dense, with full orchestral sections mingling with Patton's technological noodlings. The end result is a euphoric, yet at the same time jarring work that could hardly be more different to the music of Mr. Bungle or Tomahawk. Mike Patton fully deserves his reputation as one of rock's most versatile musicians.

7. Kanye West and Jay-Z: Watch the Throne

Hip-hop's most anticipated album of the year did not disappoint, with the two biggest names in the genre collaborating for what promised to be a work as original and forward-thinking as anything in the pair's past efforts. Lead single Otis was released some time prior to the album itself, providing a hint at what fans could expect, and the early indications were indeed promising - samples from 4 different Otis Redding songs all superimposed over each other providing the backing beat for the ever-intelligent wordplay of the two rappers, who throw the lyrics back and forth between each other as if performing together was an everyday occurrence. Then the album appeared, with artists including Beyoncé, Frank Ocean and Mr. Hudson thrown into the mix. The result was, at 16 tracks of dense, dark music, a challenging but ultimately rewarding listen. Opening cut No Church in the Wild set the tone with a blues-influenced guitar lick and pounding bass drum giving way momentarily to strings, accompanied by Frank Ocean's ever-impressive vocals and then lapsing back into the initial beat for Kanye and Jay-Z to make the entrance. The theme continues as such throughout the album, with guest artists generally providing aesthetic relief from the almost overwhelming flow of words emanating from the minds of the two collaborators. Musically innovative, lyrically as good as ever, this album is the inevitably excellent result of two musicians refusing to conform to the mould.

6. Eddie Vedder: Ukulele Songs

While the ukulele may never be as cool as the guitar in the eyes of the general public, this album makes a very serious attempt to at least improve the image of Hawaii's biggest musical export. The second alternative rock vocalist on this list to try something different in 2011, the Pearl Jam frontman put out this charmingly lo-fi and understated album of 16 tracks, 14 of which are under 3 minutes long. It may only be one man and his ukulele performing here, but Vedder produces a surprisingly pleasant atmosphere, his legendarily rugged voice somewhat toned down and his grungy guitar style translated with almost disconcerting ease to the miniature instrument. Ultimately the album improves song by song, from the desolately pretty Can't Keep to the closing cover of the jazz standard Dream a Little Dream. In between - discounting two essentially throwaway tracks that come in at less than a minute between them - are ballads of love and loss, of isolation and dreams of the future. This is truly inspired songwriting, and what makes it all the more brilliant is that, despite Pearl Jam's success on the global music scene, one wouldn't expect Eddie Vedder to be able to pull off an album like this. It's cute without being kitsch, and soft without being saccharine. Bizarrely, Vedder seems almost too well suited to this style of performance.

5. Chase & Status: No More Idols

It may seem like a long time since this album was released, but in January 2011, the London duo cemented their place in the elite of the British dance scene. While their 2010 debut More Than a Lot was a decidedly underground affair, full of intense drum 'n' bass and spawning only one real hit (the Plan B collaboration Pieces), No More Idols appeared with a much clearer statement of intent, with guest artists including the very best of UK hip-hop (Tinie Tempah, Dizzee Rascal, Plan B), a few less obvious choices (Cee-Lo Green, White Lies) and a selection of promising new talent from the London underground scene (Delilah, Tempa T). Every song feels more carefully crafted than their previous work, resulting in a complete set of exquisite dance tracks that have been shaking clubs ever since. Chase & Status even received significant air time with the exceptional Blind Faith (ft. Liam Bailey) and a heavily censored version of the Tinie Tempah collaboration Hitz. Most successful of all was End Credits, used as the closing music for the Michael Caine drama Harry Brown, and eventually reaching #9 on the UK singles chart. Various festival appearances over the course of the summer ensured the producers remained firmly within the conscience of music fans. If they continue at this rate, there is no telling what the future may hold.

4. Rizzle Kicks: Stereo Typical

The almost depressingly young (their combined age is 40) Essex duo began the year as relative unknowns and ended with a certified gold album, a selection of top 10 singles and an unlikely celebrity fan in Stephen Fry. It's not hard to see why, with their first official single, Down With the Trumpets providing the ideal soundtrack for the summer and ultimately spending 13 weeks in the top 40. Riding on that success, the boys haven't looked back, reaching #1 with Olly Murs in August and then #2 in December with Mama do the Hump. The latter came complete with a video featuring their mothers and James Corden dancing around their house in Brighton. And therein lies the group's appeal: they've brought back a sense of fun to the British music scene that has been sadly lacking in this era of talent show singers and music as big business. Each one of the tracks on their debut studio album succeeds in bringing a smile to the face of any listener, regardless of their musical preferences. Summery beats and instrumental arrangements blend perfectly with intelligent lyrics and at times hilarious wordplay, and for the hip-hop enthusiasts, the nods to old-school rap are a delight to behold. From the harmonica beat of Mama do the Hump to the complex rhythms of Demolition Man, the pair are not afraid to acknowledge their influences while taking it all to the next level. There's really no good reason why they won't be able to carry on in this way for another 20 or 30 years. It's quite intimidating, actually.

3. Tyler, the Creator: Goblin

While Kanye West and Jay-Z's collaborative album may have been the most anticipated hip-hop album of the year, this offering from alternative rapper Tyler, the Creator was undoubtedly the best. having made his debut in 2009 with the almost completely unnoticed Bastard, 20-year-old Tyler (real name Tyler Okonma) gained widespread recognition with his video for the single Yonkers, which went semi-viral on YouTube back in March. It was controversial to say the least, with the rapper eating a cockroach and vomiting it back up before hanging himself at the song's conclusion. But for those who were able to look past the visual hype, Yonkers provided something very, very different for the hip-hop world. A floor-shaking bass beat overlaid with a haunting piano line, Tyler's deep, abrasive vocals performing lyrical acrobatics over the top of the musical chaos. But this was nothing compared to the full album. Goblin was a sprawling, complex work, clocking in at over 70 minutes and yet never becoming repetitive or drawn out. The opening title track introduced the album's concept: the artist in a therapy session with the voice of "Dr. TC." From there onward, Okonma delves deeper than many would care to hear into the furthest reaches of his psyche. The lyrics are not for the faint-hearted: at times brutally misogynistic, aggressive and political. But at almost every turn, the rapper contradicts himself, becoming tender, vulnerable and decidedly world-weary. Shockingly, he doesn't actually mean all of what he says - he isn't actually a rapist or a murderer. Nonetheless, after an exhausting 16 tracks in this particular vein, the album finishes with a surprising twist: Dr. TC reveals his true identity as Tyler's conscience, signifying that disillusioned urban hoodlums must look to themselves to improve their desperate situation. This is not a game-changing hip-hop album. It's game-winning.

2. The Black Keys: El Camino

The gritty garage-rock stylings of the Midwestern indie duo have been featured on many a left-field advertisement since their widely publicised decision to put their music on sale to the highest bidder over 5 years ago, but despite this their albums have been stagnating. Self-production was entertaining enough for their first three efforts but resulted in mind-numbing tedium on 2006's Magic Potion, leading to the group hiring renowned hip-hop producer Danger Mouse for Attack and Release in 2008. Armed with a fuller, more focused sound, they went from strength to strength until their seventh studio album made a late challenge for album of the year in December. El Camino had everything that had been lacking in their previous works: tight, sharp songwriting, an eschewing of bluesy self-indulgence and, most significantly, infectious and pleasant melodies. This is not the murky, lo-fi sound of vintage Black Keys music - this is fun, cheerful songwriting, 11 tracks of unadulterated joy. Vocalist Dan Auerbach still sounds like a man three times his age, but his voice reverts to an altogether softer tone here, blending in with the creamy musical backdrop rather than fighting against it. Drummer Patrick Carney hammers away as skillfully as ever, providing a solid beat for Auerbach's ever-impressive strumming. Lead single Lonely Boy earned the group plenty of commercial airplay, and the band still have any number of options to follow up: the bouncing, catchy Gold on the Ceiling, the poppy Stop Stop or the truly exceptional Little Black Submarines, which starts out as an acoustic ballad before erupting into full-blown, Led Zep-style rock 'n' roll. From beginning to end, the album is relentlessly pleasurable, a wonderful set of tunes to blow away the new year blues. It's taken them a number of attempts to get there, but it looks like the boys from Akron, Ohio have finally hit on a winning formula.

1. Primus: Green Naugahyde

So here it is. The album that beat all of its rivals from the last 12 months to take my title of album of the year.
It's been 12 years since Primus last offered up a dose of their particular brand of insanity. Since then, drummer Bryan Mantia had a brief stint in Guns 'n Roses, guitarist Larry LaLonde toured with System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian and bassist Les Claypool retreated to the California hills to produce wine and release a couple of unsettlingly strange solo albums. But in 2011, Claypool and LaLonde reunited with original drummer Jay Lane to give it another try. Green Naugahyde was the result, and saw the band revert to their roots while still looking forward and developing their sound for the modern world. It's all as virtuoso as ever, of course: Claypool's basslines are capable of dropping the most cynical of jaws, while LaLonde's signature off-kilter guitar style has never complimented them so well. Lane does a good job of making up for lost time, and while his drumming doesn't quite match the clattering intricacy of Mantia or Tim Alexander, he does fantastically well just to make himself heard in the middle of all of this thrashing noise. Not that the use of the term "noise" is a criticism, of course - the band's sound is just so complex that it can almost be confusing at times. Nonetheless, the songwriting on Green Naugahyde is Primus' strongest since 1993's Pork Soda, ensuring their boundless instrumental talent never once gets ahead of itself. Indeed, the lyrical content is noticeably more mature than in the past, as evidenced when the band conclude their ongoing Fisherman's Chronicles thread early on in the album. Where previously these songs have been light-hearted tales of Claypool's own fishing experiences, now, with Last Salmon Man, the vocalist turns instead to the plight of California trawler captains in an age where river waters have been diverted to keep golf courses green. And this becomes a recurring theme for the rest of the album: whereas in the past the group mixed serious social commentary with amusing silliness, here the vast majority of their songs deal with a criticism on modern life, be it the decline of the US economy (Eternal Consumption Engine), government surveillance of innocent citizens (The Eyes of the Squirrel) or mindless celebrity worship (Moron TV). As Claypool cries out "everything nowadays is made in China!" on Eternal Consumption Engine, the group risk losing the sense of frivolity that made them so great in the 90s. And yet, in an age of recession and media scandals, of corrupt politicians and reality TV, it's not at all surprising that Primus would turn their satirical eye to such issues. Claypool does allow himself a moment of fun in his tribute to the Western star Lee van Cleef, and the trademark bile with which the group attack the world around them guarantees the album never once becomes preachy. This is confirmed in the video for Tragedy's a Comin' which features, among other things, an astronaut riding a horse along the beach. Ultimately, on the merit of their glorious muical exhibitionism alone, Primus' modern masterpiece is an obvious choice for album of the year.

My first try at this, so don't hate on me unless you want to -
TJGreenwood