This is far more delayed than I might have hoped, but I enjoy making this list of my favorite songs annually, so I can return to it and see where my thoughts were within the moment. Ultimately, this list serves mainly as a compelling iPod playlist. I concluded my first list in 2009 with 111 songs, and for posterity’s sake, have continued along with that tradition. The actual rankings are generally quite fluid, as I could say a majority of these tracks are fairly equal in my mind. Alas, there needs to be some semblance of order, and this is where I concluded things, though the order is less important than inclusion for the most part. Clearly this is not formatted in any interesting manner, and is just a straight list. As always, these are songs became familiar with and/or caught onto originally within 2011, semi-regardless of release dates. On to the list.

111. My Morning Jacket // Holdin on to Black Metal

110. Fleet Foxes // Battery Kinzie

109. Kurt Vile // Jesus Fever

108. Dum Dum Girls // Coming Down

1077777. Joywave // Traveling At The Speed Of Light [mp3]

106. Cold Showers // I Don’t Mind

105. POLLS // Mouth Of A Fox

104. RACES // Big Broom

103. Memory Tapes // Wait In The Dark

102. Active Child // Playing House

101. Fucked Up // The Other Shoe

100. BEACH! // Summertime

99. Foster The People // Helena Beat

98. Savoir Adore // Dreamers

97. PJ Harvey // The Glorious Land

96. Tropical Popsicle // The Age of Attraction

95. Zoo Kid // Out Getting Ribs

94. Pictureplane // Real is a Feeling

93. Wavves // I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl

92. Panda Bear // Surfer’s Hymn

91. The Rosebuds // Woods

90. Night Manager // Pizza Pasta

89. Male Bonding // Bones [mp3]

88. Lord Huron // When Will I See You Again (White Sea Remix)

87. Girls // Vomit

86. League // Two Wild Hearts

85. Gardens & Villa // Black Hills

84. French Films // Convict

83. Distractions // All Night

82. Chelan // On the Water

81. A Lull // Water & Beasts

80. Son Lux // All The Right Things

79. Fergus & Geronimo // Powerful Lovin’

78. Mariage Blanc // Whatever You Say I Am

77. Ducktails // Killin The Vibe feat. Panda Bear

76. M83 // Raconte-Moi Une Histoire

75. Memphis // I Want The Lights On After Dark [mp3]

74. Wu Lyf // Spitting Blood

73. Polarsets // Morning

72. Wilco // I Might

71. The Weeknd // High For This

70. Exlovers // Blowing Kisses

69. Smith Westerns // Only One

68. Bon Iver // Holocene

67. Veronica Falls // Bad Feeling

66. Toro Y Moi // New Beat

65. Starfucker // Bury Us Alive

64. Starfucker // Julius

63. Spanish Prisoners // Los Angeles Guitar Dream [mp3]

62. Papercuts // Do What You Will

61. My Morning Jacket // The Day Is Coming

60. Joywave // PM

59. Girls // Alex

58. Gauntlet Hair // Top Bunk [mp3]

57. Dakotafish // Midnight Lemonade

56. Young Galaxy // Peripheral Visionaries

55. Washed Out // Amor Fati

54. unouomedude // Frequency

53. Sundress // Derelict

52. Strange Talk // Climbing Walls

51. North Highlands // Hiking

50. Shoreline Is // Off The World [mp3]

49. The Antlers // French Exit (Snrf Version)

48. Saskatchewan // Cabin Fever [mp3]

47. Smith Westerns // Dance Away

46. Phantogram // Don’t Move

45. Light Vibes // Wish We Had

44. Hands // Onward Upward

43. Real Estate // Green Aisles [mp3]

42. North Highlands // Benefits

41. M83 // Midnight City

40. Christoph Andersson // Metropol

39. Saskatchewan // Beast Coast

38. Polarsets // Sunshine Eyes (Channel Swimmer Mix)

37. Tennis // South Carolina

36. North Highlands // Salty

35. Dead Models // Take Me In Your Arms [mp3]

34. Cults // Abducted

33. Woods // Pushing Onlys

32. Gauntlet Hair // Mop It Up

31. Bombay Bicycle Club // Take The Right One

30. Slow Animal // Summer’s Going To Hurt [mp3]

29. Reptar // Stuck in My Id

28. Hooray For Earth // Sails

27. High Highs // Horses

26. Purity Ring // Ungirthed [mp3]

25. ††† (Crosses) // Op†ion

24. Spanish Prisoners // Slow Decay

23. Friendly Fires // Chimes

22. Generationals // You Say It Too

21. Bombay Bicycle Club // Shuffle

20. Hooray For Earth // Black Trees

19. Strange Talk // Eskimo Boy

18. John Maus // We Can Break Through

17. Polarsets // Sunshine Eyes

16. The Deloreans // Buffalo

15. Nightbox // Pyramid

14. Korallreven // As Young As Yesterday

13. Lord Huron // Mighty

12. Real Estate // Wonder Years

11. Little Girls // Growing

10. Ski Lodge // I Would Die To Be

9. The New Division // Starfield

8. Writer // Miss Mermaid [mp3]

7. John Maus // Hey Moon

6. Honeydrum // The Cuban [mp3]

5. High Highs // Flowers Bloom

4. Chad Valley // Fast Challenges [mp3]

3. Spanish Prisoners // Rich Blood

2. John Maus // Believer

1. Wye Oak // We Were Wealth

The year in music that was/is 2011 marked a departure from the prior two in which this blog has been in existence. This in the sense that, as opposed to waiting for albums from bigger bands one could classify as a favorite, there were far more unanticipated discoveries. I often talk of expectations, but this year I had few. For this year end list, I whittled down the list of the year’s albums slowly to include those that I felt strongly about. With the addition of new writers we decided to change formats and forego a blog-wide ranking of albums and instead focus on our own favorites. Much like what one of those writers, Brendan, stated in his entry, these lists are flawed. Fewer of the albums I may have connected with are included this year, but these are those I enjoyed most. We don’t assume to tell anyone what to think around here, so these lists are neither definitive nor ‘bests,’ but rather define own individual tastes. Onward…

14. Papercuts // Fading Parade

I continued tweaking this list right up to the point of actually deleting albums I had originally planned on including. Jason Quever’s first Papercuts release on Sub Pop Records was the final record I decided I must include. A very steady, melodic and pleasant affair, Fading Parade meshes well with the aesthetic of the modern Sub Pop, alongside contemporaries and label-mates Beach House and Vetiver. With superb songwriting, gorgeous arrangements and beautiful vocals, Quever has moved past bedroom project status and into something eminently richer.

[mp3] Papercuts // Do You Really Wanna Know

13. Dakotafish // Many Moons

We first wrote of Dakotafish in 2010, and in fact “Jitter” was included in my favorite songs of the same year. That was merely a single however, and the band officially released the album from which it officially derived, Many Moons, this past summer. Based on “Jitter” I was expecting something far more electronic. The record has varying styles throughout, alternately electro pop, experimental psych rock and straightforward pop music. Yet there remains one aligning factor: great songs.

[mp3] Dakotafish // Great Ones

12. Smith Westerns // Dye It Blonde

Lev Grossman’s The Magicians is one of my favorite books. Early this year I reread the book in anticipation of its sequel, The Magician King, to re-immerse myself in the richly imagined magical universe of the novel. I happened to be listening to Dye It Blonde nearly on repeat at that juncture, and strangely I found a remarkable synergy. The songs felt as if they were what Quentin and Alice might have been listening to in the background as they studied and practiced alongside that piece of shit Penny. I will forever associate the two forever, and the excellence of this album can only make the experience of reading the excellent novel even more powerful.

[mp3] Smith Westerns // Weekend

11. Girls // Father, Son, Holy Ghost

I had Girls’ eponymous debut at my #9 in the best albums of 2009, though without further reordering I can’t say for certain whether that rank might remain true. Were I to guess I would say its status would fall, because I haven’t returned to it often other than the classic “Lust for Life.” My lack of involvement in the band’s progression led me to have lesser expectations for this follow up, as I hadn’t much delved into last year’s Broken Dreams Club either. The opening notes of Father didn’t reign me in, due to my belief that “Honey Bunny” is easily its worst track. But I knew “Vomit” was still to come, and then “Alex” started, and things moved in an inspiring direction. Song after song is filled with guitar after excellent guitar and softer, almost whispered vocals into a style I vastly prefer. This is change I can believe in.

[mp3] Girls // Vomit

10. The Antlers // Burst Apart

I don’t have a lot to say about this record, other than I enjoyed it more than all but nine other records this year. I don’t quite get the criticism’s I’ve seen lately regarding The Antlers in general, and Burst Apart specifically. Pete Silberman has an incredible voice, and the band crafts impeccable songs, it’s really quite as simple as that. There’s a remix of “French Exit” that came with the version we purchased, I think I like it more than the original, but, that’s saying something.

The Antlers – French Exit (SNRF Version) by overmuziek

9. Male Bonding // Endless Now

I love guitars. More specifically, I love the rolling guitars of the young British trio Male Bonding. Moving in a slightly new direction on follow up Endless Now, expanding song structures and sounding ever so slightly more polished, the endless hooks are still present. Still fuzzy and executed mostly at breakneck speed, the record is nonetheless a subtle, yet impressive step forward. A task which proves all too difficult for many young bands attempting a sophomore record.

[mp3] Male Bonding // Bones

8. Gauntlet Hair // Gauntlet Hair

With this, their debut record, Gauntlet Hair has entered into the rarified class of bands whom I can safely assume I’ll enjoy any music from. They’re heavy, windy, and the drum work is in-fucking-credible. Simply put, I love this band.

[mp3] Gauntlet Hair // Top Bunk

7. Real Estate // Days

I first connected with Real Estate around the time of their debut release, specifically with the instrumental charmer “Atlantic City.” For me, the chiming guitars of Matt Mondanile are the main draw here, and like every other element of this follow-up, they’re better. Real Estate have an innate knack for melody, and nary is there a song where Mondanile and co. unleash something less than gorgeous.

[mp3] Real Estate // Green Aisles

6. Bombay Bicycle Club // A Different Kind of Fix

As I’ve previously stated, I was not rife with album expectations this year. In the case of Bombay Bicycle Club, a band whom I’d given the #2 spot on my albums list two years ago, this was due to the 2010 acoustic release Flaws. I never got around to listening to that record because it defied in spirit just about everything I loved from the band’s aggressive and raw 2009 debut. So when “Shuffle” was revealed this past spring, with its magnificently mangled keyboard riff, my wishes were more than fulfilled due to that tempered anticipation. A few months later upon hearing the record, I was immediately underwhelmed. I waited a few days following my first trek through the entire album, not entirely sure if the circumstances under which I first listened had anything to do with my lack of enjoyment. I listened by myself the second time, focusing intently to make sure nothing was missed. I found it not quite so disappointing the second trip through, and upon each subsequent listen I found another element of the band’s new layers and improved song writing to be both more mature and enjoyable. The slate of songs are certainly less immediate than the in-your-face rollicking nature of the debut. The hooks are still present, but more subtle and less teenage angst, and with newly located distorted edges such as on “Bad Timing.” “Take The Right One” sounds more remote and muted than anything the band has done prior, but in that departure finds perhaps the best song this album has to offer. This a band that is growing up – rataining a sense of self – but broadening and enveloping different ideas to form a more well rounded result.

Bombay Bicycle Club – Shuffle by Bombay Bicycle Club

5. Spanish Prisoners // Gold Fools

With this, we now move into the truly indelible records of 2011. Upon first learning of Brooklyn’s Spanish Prisoners when reading my favorite music blog, I immediately came away impressed with the band’s experimental dream rock. Gold Fools is perhaps the most challenging record of the year; a record that required multiple listens to decipher the layers of dreamy distortion and varied textures. I think I’ve got it figured out now, and I can’t wait for what’s next. I know I’ve mentioned the band multiple times this year, but it still hasn’t been enough, because there remains an alarming lack of exposure that this young outfit ultimately requires.

[mp3] Spanish Prisoners // Los Angeles Guitar Dream

4. North Highlands // Wild One

I’ve struggled to write a review for this record for months now, and it is a shame that this is the case. I’ve certainly contemplated on numerous occasions just what I should write regarding North Highlands’ self released debut. It is not necessarily a Wild One, as it is so titled, but rather I find it to be a confident and steady introduction to a band with impeccable song craftsmanship. When formulating thoughts for that until-now-never-seen review, my mind kept returning to an idea that the band had an entire album of songs written, before going back to that catalogue and truly listening to each track to determine just what extra element each was needed to push it to extraordinary levels. Whether that be an added piece of drums to punch things up on stunner “Salty,” echoed drums and handclaps on the slowed “Best Part,” or any other element throughout, I could continue on and on. Much of the brilliance is derived from singer Brenda Malvini’s assured vocals and wonderful range, yet each of the band members is technically proficient in whichever instrumental aspect they choose to present. There are multiple album highlights: the calmly paced “Benefits” starts as a leisurely number, before changing gears with swirling head-bobbing arpeggios as Malvini demands her opposite to “take what you want.” Unlike many other releases, each song here presents a strong case to listeners to find itself as the record’s best. A stunning debut.

[mp3] North Highlands // Steady Steady

3. Hooray For Earth // True Loves
Prior this debut record, I had not given Hooray For Earth their proper due. Before their show in town with Surfer Blood and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at the German House two summers ago, we featured an interview with frontman Noel and gave away some tickets, but that was mostly Andy’s doing. Later in 2010 I latched onto a track produced in collaboration with Twin Shadow that eventually made its way onto my list of favorite songs. Despite that, my expectations were null. So upon hearing the pure synth pop joy that is True Loves, it was only reasonable for me to fall so deeply. The album is filled with formidable synth laden tracks, the keyboard hooks as impressive and catchy as any guitar. After its release in June of this year, nothing else was played for a matter of months, and none have been played louder.

2. Wye Oak // Civilian

This record was my formal introduction to the wonders of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack. Before having heard this record, following Will’s introduction, I never knew how directly within my exact musical tastes Wye Oak resided. Wasner’s crunchy guitars, Stack’s steady pacing, range and added synth elements, and the song structures they create – often exploding in sound following quiet moments – is a style I could easily call definitive of my own. Civilian was the first record I purchased on vinyl this year, and with good reason. “We Were Wealth” received close to the most plays this year, and is the perfect embodiment of the sentiment that this band authors my favorite style, emphasis on the perfect.

[mp3] Wye Oak // Civilian

1. John Maus // We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves

The top three records on this list were also almost certainly my most played. From March until June, Wye Oak was nearly immovable. From June until around mid August, before I finally gave my top album its due, Hooray For Earth held a similar position. Prompted by Brendan writing the album up in the year’s eighth month, I finally listened to John Maus’ We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves. For the sake of True Loves, I’m glad I latched on to Maus two months later, if only because it might not have gotten the chance it did to make it to number 3. Checking the last.fm stats, which reflect the listening habits of both Andy and myself, it seems John Maus has received more plays this year than any other artist by nearly 100. That is because this album surprised and floored me, and I often listened to all eleven tracks before repeating that process as many more times in a day as possible. An immersive record, it begs to be listened to in its entirety. That it clocks in at just over 30 minutes facilitates this breezy, incredibly fucking awesome listen. There is a mystical, magical quality that pervades the record, perhaps most notably on the Molly Nilsson cover/collab “Hey Moon.” Twinkling synths resound throughout, and Maus’ deep vocals are fraught with reverb and echoed, tweaked to fit the mood of each track. All serve to contribute to the aura of mystical art-pop that is this record. There is no weak spot to be found with an engaging beginning, incredible middle, and a strong finish that features its best in “Believer” as the closing note. After that first day back in August in which I gave it a chance and loaded it onto my iPod and listened about 10 times, my record of the year was evident.

John Maus – Believer by RibbonMusic

Not unlike all of our lists, the entrants for our Reader Poll were all over the place. There were 28 different albums that received multiple votes, and 114 different albums were nominated overall. We’re only listing the ones with multiple votes, and there were 11 that received more than 2 votes. Surprisingly, the album that received the most votes in the Reader Poll didn’t receive any votes on any of our writers lists, which shows the volatility (futility) of these types of exercises.

Thank you to everyone who participated, and while we’re still getting the packages of goodies together for the winning parties, you can rest assured, Megan Mason and Joey Conway, that you’ll be getting some goods at some point. We will need to know where to send the stuff, so make sure you get in touch with us to make it happen.

Happy Holidays everyone, and thanks for reading over the past 12 months, or 24 months, or nearly 36 months at this point. Here’s to 2012!

Fleet Foxes // Helplessness Blues

Fleet Foxes // Grown Ocean [mp3] from Helplessness Blues

Bon Iver // Bon Iver

Bon Iver // Calgary [mp3] from Bon Iver

tUnE-yArDs // w h o k i l l

tUnE-yArDs // Bizness [mp3] from w h o k i l l

The Antlers // Burst Apart

Kurt Vile // Smoke Ring For My Halo

Kurt Vile // In My Time [mp3] from Smoke Ring For My Halo

Real Estate // Days

Real Estate // Green Aisles [mp3] from Days

Shabazz Palaces // Black Up

Shabazz Palaces // Swerve… The Reeping of All That Is Worthwhile (Noir Not Withstanding) [mp3] from Black Up

St. Vincent // Strange Mercy

St. Vincent // Surgeon [mp3] from Strange Mercy

Girls // Father, Son, Holy Ghost

Girls // Vomit [mp3] from Father, Son, Holy Ghost

James Blake // James Blake

PJ Harvey // Let England Shake

Multiple votes: Atlas Sound, Cass McCombs, Chris Bathgate, M83, Middle Brother, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Portugal. The Man, The Roots, The Shivers, Smith Westerns, Tom Waits, Toro Y Moi, Washed Out, The Weeknd, Wye Oak, Youth Lagoon, Yuck

I don’t really feel like 2011 has been one of those years where one album or artist has just dominated indie music press coverage like we’ve seen in the past couple of years. We’ve had nothing like 2010-style Kanye, no world conquering magnum-opus like Merriweather Post Pavillion, no truly incendiary debut like Myths of the Near Future. Let’s be honest, even GaGa had quiet one compared to 2010, meat dress and “Judas” aside.

But in a lot of ways I enjoy that fact. I don’t feel obliged to really include anything for appreciation’s sake. When I came to writing this list, I was just able to look around and think “what did I really enjoy the most this year?”  My list is pretty Brit-centric – all top 4 are British acts in fact; and I wonder how many of those 4 will feature in US lists this year. Also, there’s only 2 debuts featured, and 1 is from an artist established long beforehand through other projects anyway. But those are the albums that really delivered for me, and that I’ve found myself able to consistently return to throughout the year. So, here we go!

10. Girls // Father, Son, Holy Ghost

I never got Girls the first time round, but their Broken Dreams Club EP last year was one of my favourite records and got me incredibly excited for this album. A massive departure in many ways from their old stuff, a stylistic mish-mash at times, this record is just full of great, great songs. Christopher Owens just takes you through every emotion you could think of when you’re in love – the playful “Honey Bunny”, the reticent “How Can I Say I Love You?”, the utterly heartbroken “Vomit”. There are one or two forgettable tracks, but they are vastly overshadowed by the brilliance elsewhere.

[mp3] Girls // Vomit

9. Josh T. Pearson // Last of the Country Gentlemen

I didn’t know anything about Josh T. Pearson at the start of 2011, and his long-time-coming debut nearly snuck under my radar this year, but Last of the Country Gentlemen is just magnificent. The idea of a 13 minute song called “Honeymoon’s Great! Wish You Were Her”, written and performed by some crazy Walt Whitman/Ginsberg look-alike, armed only with an acoustic guitar originally had me VERY sceptical, but every song on here is breathtakingly beautiful. That word is bandied about a heck of a lot in this day and age, but it’s truly appropriate here. I was left awestruck by this album, bottom jaw hanging heavily down on the desk. The hushed, restrained, tearful tales of heartbreak, uncertainty and religion are as frank and honest as song writing can get. It’s such an intimate record, Pearson’s wearied, all-American voice makes you feel like he’s taking you on a tour of every sorry dive and bottle-bottom he’s ever visited.

8. The Decemberists // The King is Dead

I owe a massive debt to Tympanogram here. This was one of the first albums I was privy to  when I joined the team, and I doubt I’d have listened to it otherwise. This was released way back in January, but I haven’t tired of listening to it since. “Don’t Carry It All”, with it’s Springsteen style harmonica blast and MASSIVE, jubilant chorus is one of the best album openers I’ve ever heard. This is one of those albums where a band are just in full flow, whether they’re totally kicking ass with some bluesy james on “Down By The Water”, lulling you with a gentle ballad on “Rise To Me”, or casually performing a stadium-sized anthem on “This Is Why We Fight”. A testament to great song writing and band chemistry.

7. The Mountain Goats // All Eternals Deck

A trend on this list of albums is that I just love good songs. I adore innovation, the totally unconventional and revolutionary, but I just can’t resist a brilliantly written song – and All Eternals Deck consists of 13 absolute crackers. I was a big fan of what I’d heard of John Darnielle before this, but this is really where I really found a way in. Like a lot of Mountain Goats stuff, Darnielle is facing his past and his demons – except here, he’s starting to overcome them. My personal favourite, “Never Quite Free”, is a heartbreakingly triumphant song about not quite being able to believe that maybe – just maybe – things could turn out OK: “It’s okay to find the faith to saunter forward, with no fear of shadows spreading where you stand”. Darnielle still has his vicious and acerbic moments though – the defiant “Damn These Vampires” and wild “Estate Sale Sign” being perfect examples. These distinctive Mountain Goats traits, alongside the bare bones instrumentation, make this a strikingly human record.

6. Elbow // Build A Rocket Boys!

Bands like Elbow give me hope. Hope that a band can stay together for 20 years and not hate each other, or not turn into douche bags. They finally made it big in the UK with The Seldom Seen Kid in 2008, and how do they respond? Just make another storming, reflective and coherent album, that’s how. Manchester and proud, the lyrics on this are stunning sketches of Guy Garvey’s youth and childhood – seeing his teenage self in kids on the corner during “Lippy Kids” or reminiscing on moving out into the big bad world on “Jesus Is A Rochdale Girl”. The songs here make me feel like someone is sharing their most personal anecdotes and memories with me over a quiet drink. “Open Arms” is a majestic, euphoric love-in, “The Birds” is the band indulging their prog-rock tendencies, and “Dear Friends” is another breathy lullaby which signs the album off with the kind of nod and wink that only your closest friends and relatives can give you.

5. Bon Iver // Bon Iver

Everyone has had something to say about this bad boy. From what I’ve seen, this is the record putting in the most appearances on end of year lists across the board – and, let’s be honest, with very good reason. I adored For Emma, Forever Ago, and the sound of this record was a shock to me, but it didn’t even have to grow on me. This is just a beautiful record, pushing at the boundaries of the kind of soundscapes you can create with a guitar. The song writing is slight and a lot sketchier than Justin Vernon’s debut, but that adds to the hazy, bleary-eyed beauty of it all. I’ve gotten lost in this album late at night countless times this year. And – what the hell – “Beth/Rest” is the best track on here.

[mp3] Bon Iver // Calgary

4. Laura Marling // A Creature I Don’t Know

I still remember the first time I ever heard Laura Marling. Standing in the lunch queue at school, aged 15. I heard “The Captain and The Hourglass” on one borrowed headphone from a friend. Literally since that moment, I’ve been in love with Laura and everything she’s come out with. She’s not written a bad song yet. People commented a lot with 2010′s I Speak Because I Can that she sounded as if she’d come of age, but THIS album is where that really happened. There’s always been a dark side to Laura’s song writing, and it finally came out in full force here with the raging “The Beast” and the lilting, detached, Leonard Cohen like “Night After Night”. This is a record about facing your demons, and Laura does it in spectacular fashion, and the triumphant finale of “All My Rage” is, as far as I’m concerned, the best song the girl’s ever written. AND SHE’S STILL ONLY TWENTY-ONE?! WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?!

3. The Vaccines // What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?

The Vaccines were yet another “saviours of British guitar music” at the start of 2011, sceptics imagining they’d fall by the way side like so many in the years before them. THAT’S what we expected from The Vaccines. But you know what? THEY UTTERLY SMASHED 2011. Dominated the festival circuit. Destroyed Jools Holland. Scaled the album charts. Released possibly the UK indie anthem of the year with “Post Break-Up Sex”. And then what about the album? Tune. After tune. After tune. After tune. Yes, weirdo-experimental boundary pushing is great and healthy, but sometimes, just piss off, grab me a guitar and SMASH THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF IT. “If You Wanna”, “Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)”, “Norgaard”, “A Lack of Understanding”… I am literally listing the whole album. And if you think The Vaccines are just dumbed down indie for the masses, then you can enjoy awkwardly swaying to Panda Bear at ATP whilst I’m leaping around having a mentally good time on the mainstream festival circuit. Well done lads. Well bloody done.

2. Los Campesinos! // Hello Sadness

I’ll level with you: this was never going to feature outside the top 2 of my albums this year. Hell, I’m surprised it didn’t quite take #1. I’m an unashamed LC! devotee, but I can still give a considered opinion of what makes this album so bloody great. The band – line up altered since 2010′s Romance is Boring - have left behind a lot of their traditional musical trademarks: erratic, shrill guitar counterpoints, whirring violins, and Gareth’s singing voice has been getting deeper with each album. Having said that, they’re still on their usual shouty, terrifyingly brilliant form. The chorus of “By Your Hand” is downright anthemic, same goes for “Songs About Your Girlfriend”. “Every Defeat A Divorce (Three Lions)” finally sees Gareth pen the ode to English football that we’ve always known he’s wanted to, from numerous references to blazing a header against the crossbar and idolising Tony Cascarino circa 1995.  Gareth’s lyricism is as frank and detailed as always, but he gets grimmer and more gruesome on this record – especially on “Hate For The Island” and “The Black Bird, The Dark Slope”. That’s drawn a lot of criticism from some critics, but it’s refreshing to see him move past the ever ironic and comic tone he’s adopted in the past which, whilst it’s part of what’s made the band’s output so good in the past, has always put a comfortable distance between him and the lyrics (odd seeing as they’re often so personal and anecdotal). There’s nothing comfortable about lyrics like “the black bird feasts upon my guts and bears its beak to fight”. But even with the dark subject matter, this record has that incredible Smiths-like quality of being an absolute, stone cold belter.

1. Arctic Monkeys // Suck It And See

I was REALLY worried when we got the first preview of Suck It And See. I adored Humbug, but hearing “Brick By Brick” – the album’s first taster – had me worried that there was such a thing as too much time spent with Josh Homme. Needless to say, my worries were assuaged. Hell, they were well and truly battered. My worries were left cold, embarrassed, barely clothed and quivering in the corner with no memory of the night before. The Arctics took things to a new level here. Even if you hated Humbug, there’s no denying the massive leap the Arctics have taken here. They are well and truly playing with the big boys now, and the great thing is that it’s on the back of fantastic songs and brilliant musicianship. Alex Turner finally indulges his ballad writing skills, which I’ve been desperate for more of since “Only Ones Who Know”. “Love Is A Laserquest” is a beautifully English reflective rumination on heartbreak, and “Piledriver Waltz” swims nicely onto this album from Turner’s  Submarine soundtrack. The band rock out like nobody’s business on here. Forgetting the aforementioned “Brick By Brick”, “Library Pictures” is just some crazy fun, already a staple of their live set, and gives Matt Helders a shining moment. Jamie Cook’s guitar work – the most underrated in UK indie music – is just phenomenal throughout and Nick O’Malley’s bass parts are genuinely superb. Tight musicianship is hard to find these days, but it’s found here in spades, and when it’s married with ready-made indie classics like “The Hellcat Spangled Shalala” or “Suck It And See”, you have, quite simply, a near perfect indie rock album.

Honourable Mentions //

St. Vincent // Strange Mercy

[mp3] St. Vincent // Surgeon

Coldplay // Mylo Xyloto (I tried not like it, really I did…)

Alex Turner // Submarine OST

Radiohead // The King of Limbs

Stuart Townend // The Journey

Yuck // Yuck

Suuns // Zeroes QC

[mp3] Suuns // Up Past the Nursery

Recorded and released as a tribute to the frontman of the band Felt (whose surname is Hayward, but it’s never used in press, so I might be breaking some rule here), Girls’ “Lawrence” is a four-minute instrumental that meanders its way from pensive and brooding to something much more light at the end. There are choral “oohs” and “aahs” that make their way into the song at various points, but other than those exclamations, the song is wordless.

The song itself will be released on heart-shaped vinyl which people seem to really be losing their collective minds over, and you can pick up a copy of the one-sided single over at True Panther (who will be delivering my King Krule EP on vinyl tomorrow). It will be released digitally as well on December 6th.

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Girls // Lawrence

Andy is probably the bigger Girls fan out of the two of us. That said, I found great enjoyment in the band’s debut and subsequent EP, and “Lust For Life” is a mix staple of mine. Yet I am not the biggest fan even here on this humble blog, which could explain why I’ve yet to listen to the new album Father, Son, Holy Ghost in it’s entirety, despite its having been sitting on my computer’s desktop the past few days waiting to be opened and enjoyed. If you happen to be on the fence concerning the record and haven’t taken the purchasing plunge thus far, perhaps a full album stream will help you make up your mind.

On our way up to Toronto for NxNE this year, the four of us talked about the great year of music that was 2009.  Our Top 4 albums of that year were Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, White Denim and the debut album from San Francisco’s Girls.  Back then, everyone discussed the fact that lead singer Christopher Owen had spent time in a cult when he was younger.  It was a sort of breathless admiration for what he had experienced and how his limited access had affected his art.  At this point, however, it’s safe to say that his scope has increased exponentially.

Owen & Co. released an EP late in 2010, and they are back this year with another full length release – Father, Son, Holy Ghost – that will be unveiled in September.  The band gave away the first track from the album earlier this week – the brooding “Vomit.”  (With that kind of a title, I don’t think anyone was expecting another “Lust for Life.”)  The song starts out simply enough, building into the whole band while Owen repeats “lookin’ for love.”  And then, about two-and-a-half minutes through the song’s 6+ minutes, the song descends into a sort of sonic maelstrom before repeating the whole process over again.

It’s a formidably simple formula, leading some to call it ‘boring.’  It’s really anything but.  “Vomit” is the darker parts of Album; it’s not as hopeful or cheerful, but when the gospel choir kicks in toward the end while Owen repeats “come in to my heart,” it’s hard to tell whether its him who has found redemption or if he’s become something messianic for us, the listeners.

Father, Son, Holy Ghost is available for pre-ordering now through InSound.

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Girls // Vomit [mp3] from the forthcoming Father, Son, Holy Ghost

Any discussion of San Francisco’s Girls inevitably starts with their irrepressible track “Lust for Life” from their 2009 debut Album.  It’s to be expected; “Lust for Life” is perfect pop bliss, and the rest of Album is an excellent effort.  (In fact, we ranked it at Number 4 in our own Best of 2009.)  Keeping that in mind, it’s clear that Girls’ follow-up effort to Album is going to be measured against it – whether or not that’s fair.

But with “Heartbreaker,” the lead single from the impending Broken Dreams Club EP from the band, it’s also clear that Girls haven’t been resting on any credibility they built up from their debut.  ”Heartbreaker” retains the breezy aura of Album, along with the depressing subject matter, but the production value is stepped up considerably over the band’s debut.  Christopher Owen’s signature yowl is sanded down, but not to the point that it’s unrecognizable.  It’s a significant step forward for a band that could have easily been a flash in the pan.

Broken Dreams Club is due out November 22, and is available for pre-order right now in various formats, including 12″ vinyl, via True Panther Sounds.  The band has a handful of tour dates lined up in December as well, which is cool – except for the fact that they’re all in Australia.

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Girls – Heartbreaker (mp3) from the forthcoming Broken Dreams Club EP

Dominant Legs are a San Francisco duo made up of Ryan Lynch and Hannah Hunt.  Lynch is best known for his work with another San Francisco band – last year’s indie sweethearts Girls.  But don’t expect a similar type of output here; Dominant Legs still makes nostalgic, shiny pop, but they employ a more electronic feel to their songs than Girls does.  Hunt serves to soften Lynch’s voice throughout the EP, which reminds me of Jonathan Richman.  This particular track is a great introduction to the band.

The band’s debut EP – Young at Love and Life – is due out next Tuesday (8/17) via Lefse Records.  It will be available both on 10″ vinyl and digitally, and you can pre-order it right now.  They also have a couple of tour dates lined up with Mystery Jets in New York City and L.A. in the middle of September, which you can check out over at their MySpace.

Dominant Legs – Clawing Out at the Walls (mp3) from Young at Love and Life EP