Year-End Critics' Polls 2011

Unperson's lists for the Wire and other publications are interesting—though not usually my cup o tea w/r/t metal choices

Simon Reynolds

11 for '11

Metronomy, The English Riviera
Rustie, Glass Swords
Oneohtrix Point Never, Replica
James Ferraro, Far Side Virtual
Woebot, Chunks
Maria Minerva, Tallinn At Dawn
Ekoplekz, Intrusive Incidentalz Vol 1
KWJAZ, s/t
The Horrorist, Joyless Pleasure
Ursula Bogner, Sonne = Black Box
Moon Wiring Club, Clutch It Like A Gonk

plus, a bunch of trax and more albums, at the link above

Terrorizer Top 40 Albums

1 Mastodon - The Hunter
2 Autopsy- Macabre Eternal
3 Trap Them - Darker Handicraft
4 Devin Townsend - Ghost / Deconstruction
5 Amebix - Sonic Mass
6 Altar of Plagues - Mammal
7 Wolves in the Throne Room - Celestial Lineage
8 Blood Ceremony - Living With the Ancients
9 Necros Christos - Doom of the Occult
10 In Solitude - The World. The Flesh. The Devil
11 Today Is The Day - Pain Is A Warning
12 Primordial - Redemption at the Puritan's Hand
13 40 Watt Sun - The Inside Room
14 The Devil's Blood - The Thousandfold Epicentre
15 Solstafir - Svartir Sandar
16 Fucked Up - David Comes To Life
17 Tombs - Path of Totality
18 Machine Head - Unto the Locust
19 Negative Plane - Stained Glass Revelations
20 Vallenfyre - A Fragile King
21 Ancient Vvisdom - A Godlike Inferno
22 Opeth - Heritage
23 Craft - Void
24 Sonne Adam - Transformation
25 Brutal Truth - End Time
26 Disma - Towards The Megalith
27 Leviathan - True Traitor, True Whore
28 Yob - Atma
29 All Pigs Must Die - God is War
30 Cave In - White Silence
31 Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning
32 Will Haven - Voir Dire
33 Decapitated - Carnival is Forever
34 Obscura - Omnivium
35 Rwake - Rest
36 Morbus Chron - Sleepers in the Rift
37 Maim - Deceased To Exist
38 Absu - Abzu
39 Esoteric - Paragon of Dissonance
40 Shining - VII: Fodd Forlorare

Kerrang Albums Of The Year
101 Black Veil Brides - Set The World On Fire
100 Rise To Remain - City Of Vultures
99 The Treatment - This Might Hurt
98 Dropkick Murphys - Going Out In Style
97 Young Legionnaire - Crisis Works
96 RAMESSES - Possessed By The Rise Of Magik
95 Loutallica - Lulu
94 Cave In - White Silence
93 Bastions - Hospital Corners
92 All Time Low - Dirty Work
91 Death Cab For Cutie - Codes And Keys
90 The Subways - Money And Celebrity
89 Scale The Summit - The Collective
88 Trivium - In Waves
87 Iceage - New Brigade
86 OPETH - Heritage
85 Asking Alexandria - Reckless & Relentless
84 Arbouretum - The Gathering
83 Yellowcard - When You're Through Thinking Say Yes
82 This Is Hell - Black Mass
81 Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You
80 Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
79 Mike Patton - The Solitude Of Prime Numbers
78 Kids In Glass Houses - In Gold Blood
77 I Am The Avalanche - Avalanche United
76 Goes Cube - In Tides And Drifts
75 OFF! - First Four EP's
74 The Icarus Line - Wildlife
73 Rival Sons - Pressure And Time
72 Retox - Ugly Animals
71 Procession - Destroyers Of The Faith
70 My Ruin - A Southern Revelation
69 FEN - EPOCH
68 Animals As Leaders - Weightless
67 ALTAR OF PLAGUES - MAMMAL
66 The Blackout - hope
65 unearth - Darkness In The Light
64 Sucioperro - The Heart String And How To Pull It
63 IN SOLITUDE - THE WORLD, THE FLESH, THE DEVIL
62 SKELETONWITCH - Forever Abomination
61 Chuck Ragan - Covering Ground
60 Times Of Grace - Hymn Of A Broken Man
59 Black Spiders - Sons Of The North
58 Thursday - No Devolucion
57 *Shels - Plains Of The Purple Buffalo
56 The Black Keys - El Camino
55 We Are The Ocean - Go Now And Live
54 Slaves To Gravity - Underwater Outerspace
53 PRIMORDIAL - REDEMPTION AT THE PURITANS HAND
52 Funeral For A Friend - Welcome Home Armageddon
51 EARTH - ANGELS OF DARKNESS, DEMONS OF LIGHT 1
50 Heights - Dead Ends
49 Bury Your Dead - Mosh N' Roll
48 Deaf Havana - Fools And Worthless Liars
47 BLOOD CEREMONY - LIVING WITH THE ANCIENTS
46 The Swellers - Good For Me
45 Social Distortion - Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes
44 The Computers - This Is The Computers
43 Hell - Human Remains
42 Japanese Voyeurs - Yolk
41 The Answer - Revival
40 Rival Schools - Pedals
39 Blink-182 - Neighborhoods
38 Tellison - The Wages Of Fear
37 Hyro Da Hero - Birth, School,Work,Death
36 Cerebral Ballzy - S/t
35 Exit Ten - Give Me Infinity
34 Evile - Five Serpent's Teeth
33 J Mascis - Several Shades Of Why
32 Evanescence - Eveanescence
31 Touche Amore - Parting The Sea between Brightness And Me
30 Puscifer - Conditions Of My Parole
29 City And Colour - Little Hell
28 WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM - CELESTIAL LINEAGE
27 Arcane Roots - Left Fire
26 Jane's Addiction - The Great Escape Artist
25 Fucked Up - David Comes To Life
24 Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows - D.R.U.G.S.
23 La Dispute - Wildlife
22 TRAP THEM - DARKER HANDCRAFT
21 Taking Back Sunday - S/t
20 Twin Atlantic - Free
19 New Found Glory - Radiosurgery
18 Defeater - Empty Days And Sleepless Nights
17 Cage The Elephant - Thank You, Happy Birthday
16 Thrice - Major/Minor
15 The King Blues - Punk & Poetry
14 Mariachi El Bronx - II
13 Korn - The Path Of Totality
12 Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones
11 Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part 2
10 Will Haven - Voir Dire
9 The James Cleaver Quintet - That Was Then, This Is Now
8 The Horrible Crowes - Elsie
7 The Wonder Years - Suburbia
6 You Me At Six - Sinners Never Sleep
5 Rise Against - Endgame
4 Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
3 Machine Head - Unto The Locust
2 Letlive - Fake History
1 Mastodon - The Hunter

Metal Hammer Top 50 albums of 2011

50 Trap Them - Darker Handcraft
49 Primus - Green Naugahyde
48 Arabrot - Solar Anus
47 Hammers Of Misfortune - 17th Street
46 Cerebral Ballzy - S/T
45 YOB - Atma
44 TessaracT - One
43 Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning
42 Vallenfyre - A Fragile King
41 Times Of Grace - Hymns Of A Broken Man
40 The Dwarves - The Dwarves Are Born Again
39 Anvil - Juggernaut Of Justice
38 Ken Mode - Venerable
37 Altar Of Plagues - Mammal
36 Blood Ceremony - Living With The Ancients
35 Will Haven - Voir Dire
34 Skeletonwitch - Forever Abomination
33 Wormrot - Dirge
32 Nightwish - Imaginaerum
31 Devin Townsend - Ghost
30 Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn Of Events
29 Solstafir - Svartir Sandar
28 Foo Fighters - Wasted Light
27 Trivium - In Waves
26 Jane's Addiction - The Great Escape Artist
25 In Solitude - The World,The Flesh,The Devil
24 The Damned Things - Ironiclast
23 Pentagram - Last Rites
22 Autopsy - Macabre Eternal
21 Steel Panther - Balls Out
20 Motorhead - The World Is Yours
19 Black Stone Cherry - Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea
18 Ancient VVisdom - A Godlike Inferno
17 Primordial - Redemption At The Puritan's Hand
16 Wolves In The Throne Room - Celestial Lineage
15 Devildriver - Beast
14 Amebix - Sonic Mass
13 The Devil's Blood - The Thousandfold Epicentre
12 Gentleman's Pistols - At Her Majesty's Pleasure
11 Evile - Five Serpents Teeth
10 Graveyard - Nuclear Blast
9 Skindred - Union Black
8 Black Spiders - Sons Of The North
7 Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction
6 Hell - Human Remains
5 Megadeth - Thirt3en
4 Opeth - Heritage
3 Anthrax - Worship Music
2 Machine Head - Unto The Locust
1 MASTODON - THE HUNTER

DECIBEL EOY List:

1. Tombs - Path of Totality
2. Opeth- Heritage
3. Mastodon - The Hunter
4. In Solitude - The World. The Flesh. The Devil.
5. Brutal Truth- End Time
6. Hate Eternal - Phoenix Amongst the Ashes
7. YOB - Atma
8. 40 Watt Sun - The Inside Room
9. Inquisition - Ominous Doctrines of the Perpetual.......
10. Junius - Reports From The Threshold of Death
11. Graveyard - Hisingen Blues
12. Primordial - Redemption at the Puritan's Hand
13. Exhumed - All Guts, No glory
14. False - False
15. Autopsy - Macabre Eternal
16. Revocation - Chaos of Forms
17. Trap Them - Darker Handcraft
18. Obscura - Omnivium
19. Drugs of Faith - Corroded
20. Subrosa - No Help for the Mighty Ones
21. Ulcerate - The Destroyers of All
22. Fucked Up - David Comes to Life
23. Atriarch - Forever the End
24. Disma - Towards the Megalith
25. Moab - Ab Ovo
26. Gridlink - Orphan
27. Skeletonwitch - Forever Abomination
28. Vallenfyre - A Fragile King
29. Crowbar - Sever the Wicked Hand
30. Mournful Congregation - The Book of Kings
31. Machine Head - Unto the Locust
32. ABSU - Abzu
33. Negative Plane - Stained Glass Revelations
34. Origin - Entity
35. Darkest Era - The Last Caress of Light
36. Deafheaven - Roads to Judah
37. Hammers of Misfortune - 17th Street
38. Krallice - Diotima
39. Rwake - Rest
40. Graf Orlock - Doom Box

Rock-A-Rolla Top 50 Albums

01 The Book Of Knots - Garden Of Fainting Stars (Ipecac)
02 Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will (Rock Action)
03 Earth - Angels Of Darkness, Demons Of Light 1 (Southern Lord)
04 Wolves In The Throne Room - Celestial Lineage (Southern Lord)
05 Boris - Attention Please (Sargent House)
06 Obake - Obake (Rarenoise)
07 Black Cobra - Invernal (Southern Lord)
08 Barn Owl - Lost In The Glare (Thrill Jockey)
09 Loss - Despond (Profound Lore)
10 Wooden Shjips - West (Thrill Jockey)
11 Mike Patton - The Solitude Of Prime Numbers (Ipecac)
12 Grails - Deep Politics (Temporary Residence Ltd)
13 Tombs - Path Of Totality (Relapse)
14 Alva Noto - Univrs (Raster-Noton)
15 Asva - Presences Of Absences (Important)
16 Enablers - Blown Realms And Stalled Explosions (Exile On Mainstream)
17 Hexvessel - Dawnbearer (Svart)
18 Today Is The Day - Pain Is A Warning (Black Market Activities/Good Fight Music)
19 Bloodiest - Descent (Relapse)
20 Killl - Killl (Fysisk Format)
21 Fire! With Jim O' Rourke - Unreleased? (Rune Grammofon)
22 Boris - Heavy Rocks (Sargent House)
23 Remember Remember - The Quickening (Rock Action)
24 Hella - Tripper (Sargent House)
25 Årabrot - Solar Anus (Fysisk Format)
26 The Atlas Moth - An Ache For The Distance (Profound Lore)
27 Mamiffer - Mare Decendrii (Sige/Conspiracy)
28 Gridlink - Orphan (Hydra Head)
29 Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care (Temporary Residence/Bella Union)
30 Circle - Infektio (Conspiracy)
31 YOB - Atma (Profound Lore)
32 Dale Cooper Quartet & The Dictaphones - Metamanoir (Denovali)
33 Blut Aus Nord - 777: The Desanctification (Debemur Morto)
34 A Storm Of Light - As The Valley Of Death Becomes Us, Our Silver Memories Fade (Profound Lore)
39 Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraisoufo - The Ripper At The Heaven Gates Of Dark (Riot Season)
40 Amebix - Sonic Mass (Easy Action)
41 Mika Vainio - Life (...It Eats You Up) (Editions Mego)
42 Birds Of Passage - Winter Lady (Denovalii)
43 Rwake - Rest (Relapse)
44 Conquering Animal Sound - Kammerspiel (Gizeh)
45 Zombi - Escape Velocity (Relapse)
46 Terra Tenebrosa - The Tunnels (Trust No One)
47 Raoul Sinier - Guilty Cloaks (Ad Noiseam)
48 Ovo - Cor Cordium (Supernatural Cat)
49 Rising - To Solemn Ash (Exile On Mainstream)
50 Skullflower - Fucked on A Pile Of Corpses (Cold Spring)

sure, why not:

01 deaf centre - owl splinters (type)
02 teams vs star slinger - s/t (mexican summer)
03 hatchback - zeus and apollo (lo recordings)
04 philip marshall - casse-tête (tapeworm)
05 ken seeno - an invisible surfer on an invisible wave (nna tapes)
06 dawn richard - the prelude to a tell tale heart (self-released)
07 time wharp - later. (wonder beard)
08 death grips - exmilitary (self-released)
09 chris watson - el tren fantasma (touch)
10 main attrakionz - 808s and dark grapes II (mishka)

11 soft metals - s/t (captured tracks)
12 borden, ferraro, godin, halo + lopatin - FRKWYS vol. 7 (RVNG international)
13 julia kent - green + grey (important)
14 tim hecker - ravedeath, 1979 (kranky)
15 pedro magina - ninteen hundred and eighty five (nnf tapes)
16 quicksails - a fantasy in seasons (nna tapes)
17 ben fleury-steiner - the places that find you (low point)
18 spaceghostpurpp - blvckland rvdix 66.6 (1991) (self-released)
19 moritz von oswald trio - horizontal structures (honest jon's)
20 peaking lights - 936 (not not fun)

21 zodiac free arts club - floating world (permanent vacation)
22 v/a - the hidden tapes (minimal wave)
23 wet wings - glory glory (atelier ciseaux)
24 universal swimsuit - i dream of floating... (self-released)
25 kendrick lamar - section.80 (top dawg)
26 com truise - galactic melt (ghostly international)
27 africa hitech - 93 million miles (warp)
28 natural snow buildings - waves of the random sea (blackest rainbow)
29 golden retriever - light cones (root strata)
30 rene hell - the terminal symphony (type)

In the list of the bold, the one in all-caps is king xp

List relevant to the stuff i write about - top 15 foreign-language pop songs of the year:

1.2NE1 - I Am The Best
2. Yelle - Comme Un Enfant
3. 3Ball MTY - Intentalo
4. Iza Lach - Nie Wiecej
5. Jennifer Rostock - Mein Mikrofon
6. Lollipop F - Dance
7. Atiye Deniz - Budur
8. Frida Gold - Wovon Sollen Wir Traumen
9. Hyuna - Bubble Pop!
10. Serebro - Mama Lyuba
11. Anastasia Vinnikova - Moya Belarus
12. Mirami - Miramimania
13. Nyusha - Bolno
14. Kasia Nosowska - Nomada
15. Van Ness Wu ft Ryan Tedder - Is This All?

My end of year compilation:

1. wells moffat - the copper top
2. tim hecker - sketch 8
3. a winged victory for the sullen - we played some open chords
4. nils frahm - familiar
5. king creosote & jon hopkins - aurora boring alias
6. jacaszek - dare-gale
7. mogwai - does this always happen?
8. remember remember - white castle
9. british sea power - cleaning out the rooms
10. king creosote & jon hopkins - bats in the attics
11. james blake - limit to your love
12. the streets - lock the locks
13. matt eliott - dust flesh and bones
14. piano magic - the way of the birds
15. british sea power - baby
16. wells moffat - let's stop here

Obviously publishing lists is what critics do, and if it's out on the web it's out on the web, but it would be <cool if this thread turned into everyone just posting their EOY ballot in advance.

Yours,

Mr. Poll Police

3. 3Ball MTY - Intentalo

I think this has the potential to be looked back on as a big deal, if it opens the way for more tribal guarachero hits (or possibly other newish Mexican or Latin American dance pop songs). It's a lot newer than it might appear to be. In my opinion tribal isn't just a sub-genre of cumbia, although I can understand people thinking of it that way.

At the very least I'd be happy to hear more music that sounds like this around Albuquerque, and less banda. (Sorry Matt.)

Obviously publishing lists is what critics do, and if it's out on the web it's out on the web, but it would be <cool if this thread turned into everyone just posting their EOY ballot in advance.

yeah fair enough im not sure ill even post my list on my site and figured here was a good enough place. also my ilx ballot will probably look slightly different so

yikes, didn't really mean spam the thread with 4-5 poll results from metal publications we've seen lists from already—in bold even!

i was trying to post lists we hadnt seen in the Sandbox

Okayafrica’s Top 11 Music Videos of 2011

Art Melody “L’ébène Est Dans Le Noir”

Nneka “My Home”

Just A Band “Kichwateli”

Tinariwen & TV On The Radio “Tenere Taqqim Tossam”

Spoek Mathambo “Control”

Blitz The Ambassador “Native Sun”

Lexxus Legal ft. Leslyman “Fauchés”

Buraka Som Sistema “Hangover (BaBaBa)”

Mo Kolours “Biddies”

Die Antwoord “Fok Julle Naaiers”

Ruffest “Siyabenzela”

my 2011 faves. same as my pazz&jop ballot:

http://skotrok.blogspot.com/2011/12/till-world-ends-top-ten-albums-of-2011.html

some other records that i played a lot in 2011. (old stuff)

http://skotrok.blogspot.com/2011/12/some-2011-favorites-that-didnt-come-out.html

Seriously Pitchfork readers?!? Childish Gambino the most underrated album of the year? One of the worst albums lists yet too.

lol pitchfork reader polls are always hilarious and illuminating

3 radiohead songs in the top 50 tracks!

At this point I'm thinking even Stereogum readers are less ridiculous.

no i think that's childish gambino fan central

Ha, I guess I shouldn't used that site as a benchmark since I probably haven't visited it in 6 months now.

http://stereogum.com/908652/the-gummy-awards-your-top-20-indie-rock-crushes-of-2011/the-gummy-awards/

i hope his next album has an "only rapper with an emmy AND a gummy" boast

Think I posted mine in the Sandbox, but WTH:

http://charlieframe.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/my-top-40-albums-of-2011/

1 When Saints Go Machine – Konkylie
2 Jon Hopkins & King Creosote - Diamond Mine
3 Panda Bear – Tomboy
4 Console – Herself
5 Perc – Wicker And Steel
6 Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean
7 Death Grips – Exmilitary
8 Various Artists – Bangs & Works Vol.II
9 Art Department – The Drawing Board
10 Nicolas Jaar – Space Is Only Noise

http://infobeautiful2.s3.amazonaws.com/top21_albums_550_2.png

Scott- I liked your 2011 essay. Have you ever seen the movie "The Gleaners & I" by Agnes Varda? You might like it - about modern-day foragers in France.

http://www.fastnbulbous.com/lucky11.htm

Top 100 with blurbs for top 13, and genre lists. Here's also my mixes:
Fast 'n' Bulbous Best of 2011 Part 1 [1GB] & Part 2 [902MB], expires Jan. 5.

I love how Pfork readers "best" and "most overrated" albums of the year lists are basically identical

they usually are in readers polls for some reason

this guy links to a bunch of eoy lists (but not several I just sent to him...afropop.org and others)

http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2011/11/2011_yearend_on.html

instead of "the 99%" and "the 1%" in music, it's just one set of 50% that listens to popular stuff and the other 50% thinking that stuff is soooo overrated

99% listens, 1% pays for it

My P&J top 10:

1. Cauldron – Burning Fortune (Earache)
2. Gentlemans Pistols – At Her Majesty’s Pleasure (Rise Above)
3. Nazareth – Big Dogz (Eagle)
4. Matana Roberts – Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens de Couleur Libres (Constellation)
5. Randy Montana – Randy Montana (Mercury)
6. John Waite – Rough and Tumble (Frontiers/No Brakes)
7. Carl Marshall – Love Who You Wanna Love (CDS ’10)
8. Blood Ceremony – Living With The Ancients (Rise Above)
9. Them Bird Things – Wildlike Wonder (Playground Music Finland ‘10)
10. Vektor – Outer Isolation (Heavy Artillery)

Posted my top 100 here:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/chuck-eddy/my-100-favorite-albums-of-2011/10150668450949338

x-post-
Carl Wilson in Slate(I'd say the emphasis on a "big one" is still relevant)
On that note, it’s worth remembering that chart pop, as diverting a zeitgeist barometer as it can be, is now simply another niche. A big one, but still a specialized sector.

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/the_music_club/features/2011/music_club_2011/best_music_2011_bon_iver_is_unlistenable_.html

carl's posts on there are really good. really liked the last one.

xhuxk, is your list of 100 available anywhere else that doesn't require having a Facebook account?

Not yet (and as somebody who didn't have a fb account until a few months ago, I know how annoying that is), but I'll say so if that changes. Just didn't want to clog up this thread with such a long list.

Scratch that; I just posted it here:

XHUXK'S TOP 100+ ALBUMS OF 2010!

Thanks. Yeah, there's a local vegan restaurant (I'm back to vegan at the moment for (my usual) health reasons) which links to its menu but to see it requires that you log in to Facebook. That's demanding a lot of commitment from their customers.

ayo scott your 2011 albums post is so excellent, for real

ann powers is an amazing writer/thinker obv, but the 'pop music is just another niche' was something i've been thinking a lot when i read her coverage, like i kind of feel like it's being beamed in from a world that exists only in the abstract. like, i don't feel like the existing community of fans that listen to exclusively charting ish is really all that big

(any more)

or i should say, listening to a large percentage of the stuff that is charting; there are probably lots of people who still just listen to charting music, but not MOST music that charts

kind of feel that it's gone the other way in the last couple of years (would've said the same thing a few years ago)

rlly? i feel like historically there were lots of people who just liked whatever was on TRL, but now everyone's sorta more adrift

i def get the feeling that the chart pop community has strengthened and expanded recently - cf online stan culture, the nature of increasingly personality-driven pop, cross-pollination between fanbases etc

i feel like it's more of a cult thing tho -- like, it's solidified online into a 'community' and that community has grown, but that community is also fairly restricted & niche-ish, rather than broad and disconnected like it used to be

isn't the nature of pop stardom to create cults around its stars and creations?

well, i get the impression it's becoming far less restricted/niche-ish among a generation of teenage pop fans for whom classroom culture and online culture must constantly blend

isn't the nature of pop stardom to create cults around its stars and creations?

― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, January 4, 2012 5:51 PM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

we're talking about, like, constellations of artists. i'm suggesting that while there are people who are like 'top 40 fans,' that is a niche group now, rather than a very general and large group, and while the niche might be growing, it's still small compared w/ the peak TRL era or w/e

well, i get the impression it's becoming far less restricted/niche-ish among a generation of teenage pop fans for whom classroom culture and online culture must constantly blend

― all i see is angels in my eyes (lex pretend), Wednesday, January 4, 2012 5:56 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

but those people aren't into just top 40 artists, they're into a few charting artists, and a few other artists who have a similar style; a wiz khalifa fan in my theory would be more likely to listen to mac miller even tho his singles aren't top 40 than they would ... i dunno .. hot chelle rae

E.g., the only artist in this week's Top 100 that I haven't heard of is Avicii, down at #78.

well i mean, the overwhelming majority of people listening to music on earth do not 'scrobble,' so of course you're gonna get statistical hiccups like The Strokes being the 7th most popular artist of 2011. not much we can really do or say about that beyond making the obvious jokes and generalizations.

it's possible that those lesser-known artists on the yearly list each have REALLY dedicated cults that just listen to their favorite acts more consistently over the course of the whole year than people who listen to less music or use lastfm less or something.

well i mean, the overwhelming majority of people listening to music on earth do not 'scrobble,' so of course you're gonna get statistical hiccups like The Strokes being the 7th most popular artist of 2011. not much we can really do or say about that beyond making the obvious jokes and generalizations.

Yeah, I get this. Like I said, I was mostly confused b/c when I've glanced at Last.fm charts in the past (which I guess were just the weekly ones), it was mostly full of mainstream and big indie artists.

Strokes at #7 isn't that shocking to me. James Blake and the Vaccines (whoever they are) in the top 20 is.

it's possible that those lesser-known artists on the yearly list each have REALLY dedicated cults that just listen to their favorite acts more consistently over the course of the whole year than people who listen to less music or use lastfm less or something.

Possibly?

Actually, is it possible that Last.fm's Top Artists of the Year only counts tracks released in 2011? That would explain the absence of some of the classic-rock artists that routinely show up in the weekly charts.

i dunno if you asked me "who had a good year among music fans on the internet in 2011," James Blake's name would come up a LOT faster than The Strokes

i think you're EXACTLY right about that list being only people who released music in 2011 (whether the figures only count their new music or all their music, i have no idea)

James Blake had a bigger year among music critics/nerds on the Internet, but I am not so sure about the broader pool of "fans."

i dunno, this is a worldwide list! he had pop hits in a few countries!

afaict the strokes didn't really have a top 10 hit anywhere last year

he had pop hits in a few countries!

OK, I guess I didn't realize quite how popular he was in the UK/Europe. #1 album in Flanders, huh.

http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Rock-Roll/The-Dean-s-List-Christgau-s-Best-of-2011/ba-p/6657

http://bnreview.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Rock-Roll/Dad-Rock-Makes-a-Stand/ba-p/6659

Christgau's year-end essay

"sleeper hit" isn't really the right description for an album that debuted at #1 with 300k copies sold, stayed there for a week and then returned a few weeks later

is there a thread for best mix/ mixtape/mix album in general of 2011? couln't find one

― Sébastien, Thursday, 12 January 2012 20:20 (Yesterday) Bookmark

It's this http://dismagazine.com/disco/mixes/14817/nguzunguzu-the-perfect-lullaby/

2 albums by Wussy in the Christgau top 10. I think I listened to one song of theirs once. Maybe I should give them more listening time.

afaict the only fans Wussy has on earth are Christgau and his disciples

Yep.

Predictable from me I know, but I like checking out the various African releases he includes. Usually he has some in his top 20, but this year they seem further down. He and Jon Pareles from the NY Times give love to afropop.

Plastic People of the Universe put out an album recently?

I was not aware of that either

The Plastic People record on his list came out in mid-2010. I wonder if it's placement has to do with Havel's passing.

That sounds like something Christgau would do, though it could just be that he heard it late and liked it a lot.

Havel's death might have brought them to mind and he checked out their latest. Who knows.

there are over a dozen 2010 records that he presumably first heard in 2011 peppered throughout the list, all with "'10" noted in parentheses

He's written about the Plastic People a fair amount over the years as well (so whenever he became aware of it, it's not surprising it would make his list)

Nice year-end show here:
http://radio.maximumrocknroll.com/mrrradio1278/

Been a loyal listener ever since they introduced me to Kitchen's Floor.

James Delingpole's Records of the Year 2011

Laura Marling – A Creature I Don’t Know (Virgin)
Kate Bush – Director’s Cut (Fish People)
Seasick Steve – You Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks (Play It Again Sam)
Jack Cheshire – Copenhagen (Safety First)
David J Roch – Skin & Bones (Dram Music)
Paul Kalkbrenner – Ich Wieder (Rough Trade)
Cashier No. 9 – To The Death Of Fun (Bella Union)
Kate Bush – 50 Words For Snow (Fish People)
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake (Island)
Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi – Rome (Parlophone)
The Pierces – You & I (Polydor)
Other Lives – Tamer Animals (Play It Sam)

http://jamesdelingpole.com/images/logo.png

Christgau has the 2010 Extra Lens album on his list but not he 2011 Mountain Goats one. Weird.

All critics of ILM, please apply your critical faculties to voting in the end-of-year poll! If you've already done a 2011 list for somewhere else it's double-easy: just check which of your choices have been nominated and send off a ballot.

ann powers agrees with me now ...

Congrats. But what did she say or write that prompted this?

Check her fb

ah, now I get it

She is arguing that over the years now the media has gotten worse and only covers tiny subset of pop stars;

Yeah a trend her coverage has been more or less emblematic of since ... this thread

That’s not fair to her entirely ofc, I don’t think she didn’t cover interesting or niche or whatever stuff (I only followed so closely) — But it was def an underlying uhh ... dynamic I feel like I was trying to get at in this thread

She’s gotten more into roots Americana stuff since moving to Nashville ( but she’s missing out on less hyped southern soul, zydeco, blues, brass band , whatever Americana)