2011’s Best Albums

The past year has been a very kind year to original music. The pop charts were graced by Adele and Lady Gaga, both of whom write their own songs, and are legendary in their own right. It has been a while since popular music caught my attention, and I’m glad these ladies are here to stay. 

But as with all pop albums, I only took a liking to the popular singles. It is the melodious vocals and the unconventional tunes of indie music that really sustains my attention. So here’s a list of my favourite albums of 2011, in no particular order. (And by favourite albums I mean that I LOVE every track in the album.)

1. Wounded Rhymes by Lykke Li 
   
   
   
   Besides looking like Lady Gaga, Lykke Li’s other talent is making dark melodies sound even more haunting with her child-like vocals.  Her sophomore album is way better because it had beautifully hypnotic tunes, which I thought suited her voice so much more than the cutesy pop songs that filled her debut record. 
   
   Favourite track: I Follow Rivers
    
2. Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes  
   
   
   
   They had some of their own huge shoes to fill after their debut, which brought some good old soulful folk music back into the cool-obsessed indie scene. Helplessness Blues was a perfect second album - they’ve retained their style, and delivered a more profound version of their first record.
   
   Favourite track: Sim Sala Bim
   
   
3. Suck It And See by Arctic Monkeys
   
   
   
   It has been a while since the Arctic Monkeys moved me. After their mind blowing debut album, they sailed a very long and unmemorable journey through their second and third records, and now, they’re back with a slightly more pop album. This album has more ballads than usual, which I fucking love because hearing Alex Turner sing slow sexy verses just make my knees weak. 
   
   Favourite track: Love Is A Laserquest
   
   
4. Velociraptor! by Kasabian
   
   
   
   It is a pleasure to watch them grow, from the new band who made interesting indie rock music, to the massive arena-embracing rock and roll band they’ve become. It’s great that an epic band like them have reached the top, and are comfortably riding on their weird mix of music styles. Velociraptor! showed us that Kasabian is not afraid to try different approaches, while keeping their groovy vocals and anthem-like rock songs. 
   
   Favourite track: La Fee Verte
   
   
5. What Did You Expect From The Vaccines by The Vaccines
   
   
   
   Well, I did not expect this album to make it into this list. But it grew on me with each listen, and although this album is not very distinct or exceptionally wonderful to me, all the tracks are too catchy to ignore. This is an average band with a whole bunch of easy, mood-lifting songs - what’s not to like?  
   
   Favourite track: Wetsuit
   
   
6. If Not Now, When? by Incubus
   
   
   
   Very glad that Incubus hasn’t run out of ideas since this is their 7th album already. They’ve sustained their brand of rock long enough, and it’s refreshing to see them take a slightly more mainstream and pop-like angle for this record. Compared to their previous stuff, it’s quieter, more introspective, and contains a lower level of testosterone. But I still find it great.
   
   Favourite track: Promises, promises 

P.S. Phew. I don’t think I could have written all that if not to avoid writing a boring ass article. Procrastination does produce some amazing stuff sometimes.