eMusic Members’ Favorite Albums of 2011
We asked, you answered. And over the course of the next week, we’ll be rolling out your picks, 10 albums at a time. Here are the results of our Member Poll for the Best Albums of 2011, along with some of your comments.
#50 Lady Gaga, Born This Way
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"Despite all the 'Gah!' for Ga, this is a great album. Very conceptual, experimental, traditional all at once." Josh K "Born this Way is so thrillingly ambitious and varied, it could easily be re-imagined as a rock opera." SoulNova14 "Lady Gaga is a Superstar" mkedor
#49 Blind Pilot, We Are the Tide
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"Very pleasant surprise. Wouldn't have thought I would dig a folk/pop/rock band so much!" grojames "Flows nicely, and the title track is awesome." hideaway307 "This is a great album sonically as well as lyrically!" Joshua L.
#48 Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto
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"There is an interesting sense of heartbreak and sadness on this album, where most of the previous Coldplay albums have had a sense of hopefulness and longing." unpaintedportrait "One of Coldplay's greatest assets is their ability to evolve. With every record, Coldplay takes elements from previous releases and expands on them. This album is very different, but it is another step in the progression. I love every Coldplay album, this is no... exception." tomdog315 "Haters like nobody better to hate than Coldplay (because they're truly hard to dislike, and so there must be something wrong with that. They're not, you know, a cult thing). A solid, very enjoyable set of songs that blows most of the overrated (and monotonous) critical darlings' junk out of the water." avik
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#47 R.E.M., Collapse into Now
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"An amazing record to end the reign of an amazing band." helltruk "I don't know if anyone noticed, with the retirement hoopla, how f*cking GREAT this album is. It's probably the best R.E.M. record in a decade every single song is a perfect slice of what R.E.M. is about." mtackabery "One of their greatest studio albums. Feels like they were saving the best for last. What a great bookend to a marvelous... career. Thank you R.E.M." obie1 "R.E.M. goes out with a bang with Collapse Into Now, the band's strongest release since Automatic for the People." OldPunkAndrew
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#46 Iron & Wine, Kiss Each Other Clean
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"This album was a great experiment for Sam. The funkiness came across well as is a great contrast to his other albums." rplasenc "Sam Beam has intrigued me since I first heard him cover the Postal Service's 'Such Great Heights.' Iron & Wine has been the backing for many a study/paper-writing night. When I heard 'Walking Far From Home' back in the spring before the new album dropped, I was blown away... by how rockin' everything was! After seeing the band at the House of Blues in Cleveland and several listens to the record, this song may be my only 4th or even 5th favorite." Aaron Y.
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#45 WU LYF, Go Tell Fire To The Mountain
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"Such a mysterious and glorious debut album. I still have no idea what the hell I am listening too but I just love it anyways." jbrim_77 "Go Tell Fire to the Mountain is a strange and beautiful flower. You might find the vocals annoying, but they are part of what forces you to listen to the complete album." Psychedelia "Brilliant, innovative, exuberant and exciting." Stephen B.
#44 Low, C’mon
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"Underrated. It's not a move toward ballads or soft music. The tension and beauty are all there. 'Especially Me' is a favorite. 'Witches' is dark and comical." wallbanger7 "Nothing. But. Heart." thepencilrain
#43 Explosions in the Sky, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
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"These guys just make the most beautiful music this side of the pond and aren't as dark and alienating as godspeed you! black emperor. This is the album I don't mind sharing with people older than me. And I'm 38." soulthrum "Maybe I was late to the party for these guys, especially since I was a religious viewer of Friday Night Lights, but I just can't get enough of this album and... their entire back catalogue." Stafford "True brilliance sonic heaven." mynameisyves
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#42 Bright Eyes, The People’s Key
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"A remembrance of the more traditional folk & rock music, but with a touch of melancholy music that is always a pleasure to have in the background. They knew how to change the rhythms on every song." daydalus "Conor keeps it interesting and strange." rgiuff "Bright Eyes goes eastern." Josh20497
#41 Dawes, Nothing is Wrong
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"The first half of this album is an incredible combination of the incredible songwriting they demonstrated on their first album and the power of their live performances." Jeremy A.
#40 Death Cab for Cutie, Codes and Keys
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"Definitely their best and defining work. Perfect balance of the Death Cab sound and the Postal Service aesthetic." KBRITunes "Didn't appreciate this album until multiple listens (It didn't help that it came out the same time as The Decemberists best record). I also seen them perform several songs from Codes & Keys live and LOVED it." obie1 "Yet another strong set of songs by a band that only gets better." crober72
#39 The Rural Alberta Advantage, Departing
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"With Departing, RAA has tuned in on their own, unique sound. Prior to this album, while still brilliant, their 'roots' were showing. Well, no more. These guys have matured, and Departing shows it." Throwing Things "Super, awesome, epic second album by these guys." F_K_O_S
#38 Kate Bush, 50 Words For Snow
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"Kate Bush she's a star!" uzosbaski "Beautiful, brilliant...not a casual record, at all." DerekM1982
#37 Dream Theater, A Dramatic Turn Of Events
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"Dream Theater did an amazing job this year of coming back to their old form, building on recent themes, and doing something completely new all at the same time." sumofatso "One of the only bands out there right now that actually play their instruments instead of just banging on suitcases and putting some stupid effect on the vocals and then not really singing...but hey as long as you have a beard, you're... cool right? F*ck, I hate the new music today." makeekat
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#36 Bjrk, Biophilia
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"Bjork has moved from the dance floor to experimental music that explores whole-tone scales and unusual instrument timbres, without sacrificing her keen sense of melody and her deeply emotional music core. Her music has matured even as she has. You can't dance to the new album this music is really meant for listening, and it is worth the time to do so. Listen quietly and closely, and be rewarded." music "Bjork, known... for pushing musical boundaries, continues to find ways to be surprising with Biophilia by changing the way her music is experienced in a revolutionary release strategy centered around apps. Many comparisons can be drawn to fellow game-changers Radiohead, and their controversial pay-what-you-want release of In Rainbows. Thankfully, like In Rainbows, the music of Biophilia is as strong as ever." a.t. pane "Bjork keeps on pushing boundaries and finding new sounds and moods. 'Virus,' 'Moon,' 'Cosmology' and 'Mutual Core' even offer sing-along choruses that match any of her previous songs." ijkidd1975
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#35 Jay-Z & Kanye West, Watch The Throne
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"Incredible, unusual beats and great rhymes by two of rap's superstars." eljefedelito "I'm not trying to be obvious by ranking this album so high, but for all the buildup and hype, this album could have fallen flat on its face. But it rises high! Higher than the high expectations, even! These guys are on TOP of their game." petersoby "Kanye proved his genius and that he belongs on top, and got respect... from people who had written him off or grown tired of his antics." lag_fan
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#34 Okkervil River, I Am Very Far
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"The killer piano crescendos on 'Rider' cap a great album" thomaus "A sense of histrionic urgency that trumps even Arcade Fire, yet these guys know how to grab you with an anthem and not let go." jackbugs "Will Sheff does it again. Full of brilliant turns of phrase, propulsive melodies, and Sheff's trademark epic wail." joslynm "Beautiful retro-indie rock with that extra touch of the West Coast that makes you feel like... 1967 while listening to it...Their best record so far!" Psychedelia
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#33 Battles, Gloss Drop
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"Finally, hippies and hiptsers have something to agree on." helltruk "Great, creative, sonically deep and visceral." soulthrum "No one plays like this band most 'math rock' bands should really just stop. Just kiddin' guys! Do yer multiplication tables already!" Nathan W.
#32 Mastodon, The Hunter
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"Great album of individual songs not revolving around a particular theme or story line which is a departure for Mastodon. This appears to have let the band loosen up some and make an album that almost could be called fun. A great listen all the way through, each track coming and going before it wears out its welcome." Steve M. "Mastodon surprises with each new album always innovative and bringing something new... to their sound. The Hunter is a great example of this, it doesn't sound stale while also keeping in mind their fan base. Both new and old fans of Mastodon will enjoy The Hunter." Seth M. "They just keep pushing the envelope and I keep loving it." zrosignal
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#31 Paul Simon, So Beautiful or So What
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"Simon at his near-best, how many years down the road?" Ted C. "I thought that "Surprise" was his best album since Graceland, then this one came around. He just gets better and better. This is a surprisingly spiritual album." jackbugs "McCartney always gets the buzz, but Simon has consistently produced better music since the demise of the Beatles." abklaw
#30 Mogwai, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
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"I've followed them from the very beginning, and they'll always be on my lifetime playlist. This record just hit me from first listen and grows bigger and bigger. Their best record. Ever!" mikkeljulmadsen "Not just the best instrumental band but one of the best bands, full stop! These guys get better and better and braver with each new LP. Also, the best album title of 2011, hands down." moshbug
#29 Ryan Adams, Ashes & Fire
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"If Ryan Adams could just write an album like this every other year (no more, no less), I'd be plenty happy." Jeremy A.
#28 EMA, Past Life Martyred Saints
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"Amazingly deep and awesome" christof "Scary" Turgenev
#27 Cut Copy, Zonoscope
#26 Yuck, Yuck
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"Best '90s album since that decade" mpgoroff26 "Someone got big brother's shoegaze records." artblose "Drawing from American '90s indie guitar rockers like Sonic Youth, Pavement and Dinosaur Jr, works great for these modern British lads." chrome7
#25 TV on the Radio, Nine Types of Light
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"Their most confident work and their least showy. TV on the Radio seem comfortable in their music, and exercise better control, passing on the sometimes unnecessary trinkets that adorn their songs." avik "This is the album I've always wanted them to make." SoulNova14 "On the surface a batch of love songs, but not exactly romance-by-the-numbers. Such a distinctive sound instantly recognizable." wallbanger7 "Most underrated album of the year" Gr33nHornet
#24 The Head and the Heart, The Head and the Heart
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"It's not reinventing the wheel but, heck, my 1993 Honda Civic isn't reinventing the wheel either but I've been driving it for almost two decades. I'll be listening to this one for a while too." kauffmansmith "I was curious about this album, but I kept skipping it. A few weeks ago, some friends told me I would dig it, so I picked it up. They were right! I LOVE IT!" Joshua L.
#23 The Black Keys, El Camino
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"In a year of mopey, moody, atmospheric stuff, it was nice to have a record that rocked so hard that it hopefully sent Bon Iver back to the woods." kauffmansmith "My expectations couldn't have been higher after Brothers...and El Camino blows them away!" Sheenjek
#22 Cults, Cults
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"Retro rock bliss" bakkerkarl "A quietly assured debut. Even if the lead singer (Madeline Folin) wasn't a student in my first English class, I'd still be rocking this album." El Bene
#21 The Antlers, Burst Apart
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"Dark and beautiful" sandibullen "I love The Antlers. Love that they didn't try to make a Hospice 2 but put out a great album that conveys their dynamics as a band. 'Putting the Dog to Sleep' is probably my favorite track of the year." Crossfade
#20 The Civil Wars, Barton Hollow
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"I think more than anything with The Civil Wars, it's the dual male/female vocals that does it for me. The songs are nearly all incredibly dark, but are crafted with such whimsical beauty that makes this record hard not to put at the top of my list. The Civil Wars also possess an earnest innocence in their songwriting, seeking to represent reality without trying to impress anyone." Aaron P. "This album is... a contender. And it should be. The Civil Wars are destined for greatness." palomides "Timeless testament to the power of two talented people and the incredible redemptive music that can be made. Magic." Bill C
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#19 Feist, Metals
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"Leslie Feist is really mastering her art in this new album. The voice, the guitar and arrangements are fluid and bring you somewhere else. One of the highlight of the year." Seb Roy "I was only a casual Feist fan until this record. Beautifully complex, powerful and assured." vboulanger "It's Feistastic!" Whimper
#18 The War On Drugs, Slave Ambient
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"I didn't really like the title until I realized that, yes, I am a slave to this album's ambience." kauffmansmith "Many sun washed highways and darkened city streets were the medium in which I enjoyed this great rock album. Hypnotic and beautiful." Crossfade "Penetrates the soul" Paulgatiss "Gradually building a reputation for blissed-out psych-rock, this LP washes over you with an ocean of glorious noise much like My Bloody Valentine gone country.... The melodies and songs that rise from the waves are beautiful too." Moshbug
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#17 James Blake, James Blake
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"Maybe it's a function of the time when I first listened to James Blake, but this album grabbed me and didn't spit me out for weeks. I racked up so many plays on the entire album that every song was among the top 25 most played within a month of buying it. No other album did that to me this year." 223ankher "I think this record will be very influential on artists... for the next decade." mktackabery "This album uses the space between notes as much as the actual notes to make music. Genius." Zach S. "Blake's minimalist production carries makes weird left turns into pop hooks." davis957
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#16 Florence + The Machine, Ceremonials
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"This album has got me hooked. I love it. It takes awhile to get into it, but when you do it's worth it. Favorite tracks: 'Bedroom Hymns,' 'No Light, No Light,' and 'What the Water Gave Me.' fizzle.graham
#15 Foo Fighters, Wasting Light
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"This album acts like Foo Fighters have something to prove: They kick ass!!! This is some of the best stuff ever put out by the group." obie "Few bands today can rock like the Foo Fighters" crober72 "The intensity and pleasure that the band infuses in their music is amazing. The flow and the energy is infectious." duparker "The Foo Fighter are going to single handedly save rock. This album is the... breath of fresh air the genre needs, this gets back to god songs, great performances and less ego and image. Thank God for the Foo Fighters." banomassasrv
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#14 Foster the People, Torches
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"Sure, 'Pumped Up Kicks' is overplayed MTV-esque garbage, but the whole album is just so catchy that I cannot help myself from singing along." stafford "Really cool and unique breakout artist. Extremely creative, enjoyable, and deservingly successful album." tomdog "Every time any of the songs from this album come on the radio, I get super excited to be alive. 'Pumped Up Kicks' was the big radio hit but I really loved tracks... like 'Helena Beat' and 'Houdini,' too." Christy S.
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#13 My Morning Jacket, Circuital
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"Admittedly, I'm a huge My Morning Jacket fan so it's not a stretch that I'd choose their latest album for my Top 5 of 2011 list. It was a huge departure from Evil Urges and took a minute to get used to, but I love it all the same and seeing them live this year was one of the best nights of my year." Christy S. "These guys are on a hot... streak. A lot of varied styles on this one, but it doesn't sound disjointed." wallbanger7 "My Morning Jacket has yet again put out an outstanding album. Love it more each time i listen to it, never gets old, and always puts me in a good mood." Seth M.
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#12 P.J. Harvey, Let England Shake
#11 Gillian Welch, The Harrow & The Harvest
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"Is there anyone, I mean anyone, more talented than Gillian Welch? I think not! She had a supurb voice, great songwriting abilities and as rootsy as they come!" pei4me "More awesomeness from the queen of folk." David E S.
#10 Beirut, The Rip Tide
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"Even after four albums, his sound is just as infectious and timeless as ever." AdamACP "His songwriting continues to improve. Restrained and lovely" dfbrownlee "Simply beautiful soulful stuff!" Christof "Beautiful album, love the Eastern European folk sound." MadPayneFreak13
#9 Washed Out, Within and Without
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"Perfect chillout music for a year that needed some chilling out." zeppyfish "Moody but powerful. Beautiful but raw." Shawn "This will always be a soundtrack for summer and carefree times." Owens.Paul "Makes you want to surf everyday" frnsiray
#8 The Decemberists, The King Is Dead
#7 Wilco, The Whole Love
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"Can Jeff Tweedy make a bad record? Wilco decides to rock out a little harder and makes their best album since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" mpgoroff "An amazing piece of music. Adding Nels Cline was brilliant his effects nicely add to the overall ethereal feel of this 'desert blues.' This album will be a real find for lots of folks definitely fans of Wilco, as well as fans of artists who employ drone... and noise in their compositions." TSW "Wilco hit one out of the park with The Whole Love, combining the best elements of their past work with some heretofore unexplored influences. It's a grand slam of an album." zeppyfish
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#6 M83, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
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"Many reasons to love this one. It contains my choice for the best song title of the year, 'My Tears Are Becoming A Sea.'" wonderboy "A 2011 space odyssey" sheenjek "Came out of nowhere and delivered 74 minutes of pure bliss." Lag_fan "As close to the bombast of the Queen as indie can get" Jarmo E.
#5 Tom Waits, Bad As Me
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"One of the best of his 40 plus year career." Brit B. "I just keep thinking that Mr. Waits has painted himself into a corner, that he couldn't possibly come up with one more original idea, that he should just retire. And then he proves me wrong again with a batch of fresh songs. I use the word genius very sparingly, but I think it applies here." wallbanger7 "Surprisingly great late-career record... from Waits. Arguably his best since Mule Variations. Some highly memorable songs here. This is a concise record that doesn't ramble or miss." IsmellBubblegum "What would it be like to be Tom Waits? The guy just breathes genius." zeppyfish
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#4 Radiohead, The King Of Limbs
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"Radiohead can do no wrong. Except Pablo Honey. But, hey, it's been long enough. They're excused." Brendan S. "Grooves and ambience, and still as gorgeously moody as ever." avik "A criminally underrated album (for Radiohead, that is) that grows on each listen. Perhaps Radiohead's most challenging album since Kid A, and time has proven that to be a very, very good thing." AT Pane
#3 Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues
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"How could they follow that first album? With sublime ease, apparently." paulgatiss "More harmonious Foxiness" sandibullen "I loved parts of their debut album, but couldn't give a thumbs-up to every track. This one is just beautiful to listen to all the way through. The story goes that this was a jangled mess to record, but it is one of those masterpieces against all odds. Not on my radar when it came out,... it just matures and settles in with repeated listenings. And I think it's important to stress that it works as a whole." wallbanger7 "I don't feel worthy of this album. It's just too good." Jeremy A.
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#2 Adele, 21
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"Adele is great, truly deep and passionate. It just bothers me that she is mainstream now. Overplaying her music is like playing Frisbee with a beautiful work of art, and I can't stand it." tomdog315 "Can't believe I'm putting a pop album this high, but 21 spans the genres to be a truly great album." Zach S. "Can't go wrong with Adele! She has great heartfelt songs that will last forever." s0beeu... "Real, not commercial. Made me cry" Matthew M.
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#1 Bon Iver, Bon Iver
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"The troubadour for the 21st century?" frnsiray "I was so disappointed with For Emma, Forever Ago, even though it was the darling of most music critics, that I had practically abandoned all hope for Bon Iver. But I gave this one a shot anyway, and found it to be the most majestic thing I've heard in a while. The ghost of Aaron Copland must have been guiding singer-songwriter Justin Vernon as he... envisioned tracks like 'Calgary' and 'Holocene.' Bon Iver is a big album. This is not a disappointment." oldpunkandrew "Stunning at first listen and grows in stature with each subsequent listen." paulgatiss "An album that draws you in with the opening notes of the first track and doesn't let go until the Peter Cetera-like closing number." crober72 "I mean, was it ever a question that Bon Iver would be great?" 223ankher
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