Best albums of 2011

It's that time of the year again - Lazuary; no, not some annual homage to the former Bond star (whom was vastly underrated in my opinion); but the month of lazy journalism and blogs as we review the year just departed with endless lists and reminders of what happened as if we can't remember just a few months ago (to be fair, I often can't).

It's as if we can't be bothered to think of any new blog topics of originality so just wheel out geeky lists of things we like as if to define ourselves as having a purpose of existing because of the elements in life that we favour.

Which is exactly what I am going to do. It would be against my geeky religion not to. And besides, it's jolly satisfying. So here is my top 10 of favourite albums from 2011.

Real Estate: Days
Real Estate have been a favourite band of mine for a while. They produce simple pop of understated goodness.

White Denim: D
Lushness. A touch of the psychedelic groove.

Cerys Matthews - Explorer
Cerys' finest work, fusing world influences with a newer, mature textured layer. Really great stuff.

Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
An intense record of dark beauty. It's quite devastating.

tUnE- yArDs: Who Kill
Merrill Garbus is probably my new hero; she's part bonkers, part genius, part ukulele R&B artiste. It shouldn't work, it damn well does. One of the most original musicians out there.

PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
The Peej is one of my favourite musicians, so I may be biased, but this is amongst some of her finest work. Critical, different, haunting, ballsy, beautiful; in ways only the Harvey can manage.

M83: Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
O the joys! A stunning album of the supreme 'shoegazer' genre. Eclectic, soundtracky and just a supreme record.

Kurt Vile: Smoke Ring For My Halo
It's 'just' a rock record, but my, what a good one. Unique vocals; twinged with a bit o' the sad.

St Vincent: Strange Mercy
This is her best record yet, and I love it. I loathe to compare and contrast with HRH Queen Kate of Bush, but yes, this is not dissimilar to Kate Bush.

Kate Bush: 50 Words for Snow
Kate is default awesome. A stunning album of stripped, bare, simplicity. Kate may not be leaping around moors anymore singing about literary firgures, but she still writes hauntingly melodic masterpieces.

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