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The Best Albums of 2011

TM, ®, Copyright © 2011 Piero Scaruffi.
History of Rock Music | History of Pop Music
Reviews of 2011 albums | Best of last year | Best albums of all time | Back to music
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
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Ratings: 10=best rock album ever; 9=masterpiece; 8=buy it now; 7=buy it eventually; 6=buy it if you are a fan
Best of Rock Albums
(Read the reviews)

    8/10
  1. Julia Holter: Tragedy (Leaving)


    7.5/10
  2. Weyes Blood: The Outside Room (Not Not Fun)
  3. I Am A Lake Of Burning Orchids: Innocence (self)
  4. Peste Noire: L'Ordure A L'Etat Pur (Rosenkrantz)
  5. Jenny Hval: Viscera (Rune Grammofon)
  6. Roly Porter: Aftertime (Subtext Recordings)
  7. Dirty Knobs: Field Recordings from the Edge of Hell (Xero Music)
  8. Julianna Barwick: The Magic Place (Asthmatic Kitty)
  9. Demdike Stare: Tryptych (Modern Love)
  10. Gnod: Chaudelande Volume 1 (Tamed Records)
  11. Giles Corey: Giles Corey (Enemies List)
  12. Liturgy: Aesthethica (Thrill Jockey)
  13. Nicolas Jaar: Space Is Only Noise (Circus Company)
  14. The Men: Leave Home (Sacred Bones)
    7/10
  15. Death Grips: Exmilitary (Third Worlds)
  16. White Suns: Waking In The Reservoir (UgExplode)
  17. Mitochondrion: Parasignosis (Profound Lore)
  18. James Blake: James Blake (Universal Republic)
  19. Lumerians: Transmalinnia (Knitting Factory)
  20. Dan Joseph: Tonalization for the Afterlife (Mutable)
  21. Gum Takes Tooth: Silent Cenotaph (Tigertrap)
  22. Fucked Up: David Comes to Life (Matador)
  23. James Ferraro: Far Side Virtual (Hippos in Tanks)
  24. Nate Wooley: The Almond (Pogues)
  25. Theresa Wong: The Unlearning (Tzadik)
  26. Pete Swanson: Man with Potential (Type)
  27. tUnE-YaRDs: Whokill (4AD)
  28. Braids: Native Speaker (Flemish Eye)
  29. Dead Skeletons: Dead Magick (A)
  30. Sun Araw: Ancient Romans (Sun Ark)
  31. Danny Brown: XXX (Fool's Gold)
  32. Pyrrhon: An Excellent Servant But A Terrible Master (Selfmadegod)
  33. Tim Hecker: Ravedeath, 1972 (Kranky)
  34. Clams Casino: Instrumentals (Type)
  35. War On Drugs: Slave Ambient (Secretly Canadian)
  36. Oranssi Pazuzu: Kosmonument (Spinefarm)
  37. Veronica Falls: Veronica Falls (Slumberland)
  38. Full of Hell: Roots Of Earth Are Consuming My Home (A389)
  39. Ulcerate: The Destroyers of All (Willowtip)
  40. Blu: NoYork (self)
  41. Government: Soulpuke (Pop Katari)
  42. Gigan: Quasi-Hallucinogenic Sonic Landscapes (Willowtip)
  43. Puce Mary: The Closed Room (Posh Isolation)
  44. Roll The Dice: In Dust (Leaf)
  45. Pharoah Chromium: Electric Cremation (Grautag)
  46. Vektroid/ Macintosh Plus: Floral Shoppe (Beer on the Rug)
  47. Dope Body: Nupping (Hoss)
  48. El Marrano de la Razon: La Incoacion de las Desbordantes Anomalias Apocalipticas (self)
EPs and minis:
  1. Endon: Acme Apathy Amok ()
  2. Yamantaka Sonic Titan: YT // ST (Psychic Handshake) 7.5
  3. Grouper: Dream Loss (Kranky), 7.5/10 (mini)
  4. Thee Oh Sees: Carrion Crawler/The Dream (In the Red) (EP) 7.5/10
  5. Deathspell Omega: Diabolus Absconditus (Norma Evangelium Diaboli) 7.5
  6. Andy Stott: Passed Me By (Modern Love) 7.5
  7. Laurel Halo: Hour Logic (Hippos In Tanks) (EP) 7/10
  8. Grouper: Alien Observer (Kranky), 7/10 (mini)
  9. Fatima Al Qadiri: Genre-Specific Xperience (UNO), 7/10 (EP)
  10. Nicolas Jaar: Don't Break My Love (Clown and Sunset) (EP) 7/10
  11. Andrew Jackson Jihad: Knife Man (Asian Man)
Songs
( Click here to play them on Spotify (thank you Luke!))
  1. Adele: Rolling in the Deep
  2. Endon: The Spasm Of Confession
  3. Weyes Blood: Storms That Breed
  4. Tom Waits: Chicago
  5. Liturgy: High Gold
  6. Mamaleek: Wake Up Jacob
  7. Thee Oh Sees: Contraption/Soul Desert
  8. Grouper: Moon Is Sharp
  9. Ulterior: Sister Speed
  10. St Vincent: Northern Lights
  11. Fucked Up: Queen Of Hearts
  12. Grails: All The Colors Of The Dark
  13. Jenny Hval: Portrait Of The Young Girl As An Artist
  14. Julianna Barwick: White Flag
  15. Lumerians: Catalini Rises
  16. The Men: ()
  17. Lumerians: Burning Mirrors
  18. Mogwai: Mexican Grand Prix
  19. Nicolas Jaar: Space Is Only Noise If You Can See
  20. Bob Drake: Everybody Wants to Meet My Raccoon
  21. Battles: Futura
  22. Radiohead: Little By Little
  23. James Ferraro: Adventures in Green Foot Printing
  24. M83: New Map
  25. Kurt Vile: Ghost Town
  26. Kanye West: Gotta Have It
  27. St Vincent: Cruel
  28. Fucked Up: Ship Of Fools
  29. Atlas Sound: Mona Lisa
  30. Girls: Vomit
  31. Dead Reptile Shrine: Summer Forest's Magic
  32. Dead Skeletons: Yama
  33. TV On The Radio: Second Song
  34. The Men: Think
  35. Tom Waits: Talking At The Same Time
  36. Death Grips: Culture Shock
  37. Oranssi Pazuzu: Maavaltimo
  38. Pete Swanson: Face The Music
  39. Deafheaven: Language Games
  40. Lykke Li: Get Some
  41. Dope Body : The Shape Of Grunge To Come
  42. Iron & Wine: Rabbit Will Run
  43. Go Team: Ready to Go Steady
  44. Moon Duo: Seer
  45. Patrick Wolf: Armistice
  46. Full of Hell: Dregs Of Pluto
  47. White Suns: First Purge
  48. Blanck Mass: Land Disasters
  49. Steve Earle: Waitin' on the Sky
  50. Burial: Stolen Dog
  51. Bon Iver: Holocene
  52. Pseudo Nippon: Jebubu And The Whale
  53. Ayshay: Warn-U
  54. King Dude: Lucifer Light of the World
  55. Clams Casino: All I Need
  56. Frank Turner: If Ever I Stray
  57. Lykke Li: Youth Knows No Pain
  58. Car Seat Headrest: Sunburned Shirts
  59. Holy Other: Yr Love
  60. Future Islands: Before the Bridge
  61. Graham Repulski: Molten Girls Iowa
  62. Azealia Banks: 212
  63. Clams Casino: Gorilla
  64. Jessica Jalbert: Whatever Whoever
  65. Lucinda Williams: Buttercup
  66. A$AP Rocky: Wassup
  67. Graham Repulski: Everyone Likes My Three Dollar Shirt
  68. US Girls: Pamela + GG
  69. Blu: Everything's OK
  70. Dope Body : Loner Stoner
  71. Paul White: The Doldrums
  72. Royal Headache : Down the Lane
  73. Andrew Jackson Jihad (AJJ): Back Pack
  74. James Ferraro: New Waver From Hawaii Saturn
  75. Dirty Beaches: Sweet 17
  76. Andy Stott: Dark Details
  77. Dear Hunter: A Curse Of Cynicism

Extended compositions
  1. Julia Holter: Tragedy Finale
  2. Yamantaka Sonic Titan: A Star Over Pureland
  3. Puce Mary: Iron Tulip
  4. Weyes Blood: Candyboy
  5. I Am A Lake Of Burning Orchids: Superclub
  6. Disappears: Revisiting
  7. Dirty Knobs: The Monks' Infinite Machine
  8. Roly Porter: Giedi Prime
  9. Gnod: Tony's First Communion
  10. Nate Wooley: The Almond
  11. Julia Holter: The Falling Age
  12. Dan Joseph : Tonalization for the Afterlife
  13. Peste Noire: Casse Peches Fractures Et Traditions
  14. Grouper: Vapor Trails
  15. Thee Oh Sees: The Dream
  16. Natural Snow Buildings: Drift The Water Soul
  17. Bill Orcutt: A Line From Ol' Man River
  18. Gang Gang Dance: Glass Jar
  19. Alexander Turnquist: Waiting At The Departure Gate
  20. Grails: I Led Three Lives
  21. Giles Corey: No One Is Ever Going To Want Me
  22. Sun Araw: At Delphi
  23. Dirty Knobs: A Lament Crosses the Horizon
  24. Pete Swanson: Stuff It
  25. Braids: Glass Deers
  26. Entropic Advance: Burning
  27. Necks: Daylights
  28. Wolves in the Throne Room: Prayer of Transformation
  29. Alog: Last Day at the Assembly Line
  30. Liturgy: Veins of God
  31. Barn Owl: The Darkest Night Since 1683
  32. Glenn Jones: The Orca Grande Cement Factory at Victorville
  33. Sun Araw: Crete
  34. Fatima Al Qadiri: D-medley
  35. Pyrrhon: A Terrible Master
  36. Laurel Halo: Head
  37. El Marrano de la Razon: La Marcha de la Realidad Caduca
  38. Dirty Knobs: The Locust Eaters
  39. Carlton Melton: Country Ways
  40. Ulcerate: Omens
  41. Deafheaven: Violet
  42. Oranssi Pazuzu: Andromeda
  43. Orgone: Void of Course
  44. Echologist: Creation
  45. Mitochondrion: Tetravirulence
  46. Gigan: Mountains Perched Like Beasts Awaiting the Attack
  47. Roll the Dice: Way Out
  48. Yob: Adrift in the Ocean
  49. Grouper: She Loves Me That Way
  50. Blanck Mass: What You Know
  51. Vladislav Delay: Lipite
  52. Fourth World Magazine: The Spectacle of the Light Festival
  53. Steven Wilson: Raider II
Jazz

    7.5/10
  1. Alex Sipiagin: Destinations Unknown
  2. Fred Ho: The Sweet Science Suite (Big Red Media)
    7/10
  3. John Escreet: Exception to the Rule
  4. Fred Ho: Big Red (Big Red Media)
  5. Matana Roberts COIN COIN Chapter One: Gens de Couleur Libres (Constellation)
  6. Craig Taborn: Avenging Angel (ECM)
  7. Ambrose Akinmusire: When the Heart Emerges Glistening (Blue Note)
  8. Satoko Fujii and KAZE: Rafale
  9. Harriet Tubman: Ascension
  10. Darius Jones: Cosmic Lieder
  11. Rez Abbasi: Suno Suno (Enja)
  12. Jojo Mayer's Nerve's The Distance Between Zero and One (2011)

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Best of the 1960s Best of the 1970s Best of the 1980s Best of the 1990s Best of the 2000s Best of the 2010s