The Best Albums Of 2011

SO, as I take the plunge into this year's hideously subjective review of the best records 2011 had to offer, the biggest issue - though issue isn't really a fair way to put it - is what to leave out. A bumper year - and not always from the most obvious places. Of course you have to be prepared to look around somewhat for the last bit to be true, so if you think Q magazine were a little too radical by only having Coldplay at #4 in their top 50, this might not be for you..... There isn't an order by the way - it's taken this long to just get a list together, my psyche probably wouldn't be able to handle hair-splitting of this magnitude without something going seriously awry. Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow

After the bullet-dodgingly decent Director's Cut, it was an exciting surprise to hear of a proper new Kate Bush album, and even more so to hear that it would be following the thematic angle of her best work. In the pop-wars of the past, people would have spat the words 'concept album' out of their mouths with the same disgust we keep today for the Daily Mail, but this is exactly where Kate Bush transcends and delights. The wintry theme expands and you become enveloped in a seasonal warmth - the best moments are the minimal ones like Snowflake and the awesome Misty, but even the more bombastic moments can charm you.

EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints

Emotionally stark and musically twisted debut from former Gowns lead singer Erika M. Anderson. Not for the faint hearted, but the mix of dramatic narrative and insistent melodies is never less than captivating. Okkervil River - I Am Very Far

Still probably the world's most underrated band - although this was a return to better form after the patchiness of their last album The Stand Ins. This record is so good, they were able to leave songs like Mermaid and Weave Room Blues as b-sides. Their traditional alt.country/powerpop mix has developed into something more muscular and robust, though this is always controlled (as on Rider or White Shadow Waltz), but the deftness of touch is still there on delicate moments like Hanging From A Hit and The Rise. Highlight? probably We Need A Myth, which builds from a shimmering quietude into a rollocking, passionate crescendo and is altogether unsurpassed by anything else I've heard this year.

The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

Taking a more countrified approach has led to Colin Meloy and co. delivering their best record yet - look out for Dear Avery, June Hymn, Don't Carry It All, January Hymn and Rise To Me, and also spare some time for the follow up EP, Long Live The King.

Bright Eyes - The People's Key

From the spoken world opening of Firewall, to the closing groove of One For You, One For Me, The People's Key sets a massively high standard ; perhaps the semi-title track lags a bit, but the rest is sublime. Ladder Song and Shell Games deserve special praise, but the sum of the parts is what counts here.

Radiohead - The King Of Limbs

Whilst not as perfectly contained and defined as In Rainbows was, Radiohead's latest still showcased a band never happy when they are standing still. The first half was perhaps a little too in thrall to electronica to really connect, but with tracks like Separator, Codex and Lotus Flower that alchemical effect Radiohead produce came through in spades.

REM - Collapse Into Now

So yes, there's probably a little bit of sentiment in this choice; however R.E.M.'s decision to finally call it quits this year was leant at least some poetic justice by the fact that they delivered some goods. Of course Collapse Into Now isn't any kind of career highpoint, but as a sign off, a reminder of how good they could be it was perfectly apposite. Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

Pretty much knowing what you're going to get never sounded better. Mogwai are just Mogwai, but they are a Mogwai that even makes a vocoder sound decent. It is still about the light and the shade, but even now they still find new gradations as yet unchartered.

Guillemots - Walk The River

Intelligent, intruguing pop music, accessable yet rewarding - and another perhaps underrated band. If they were to really focus, or really go OUT THERE, we could be in for something special. Until then, their melding of the two will do just nicely.

Panda Bear - Tomboy

The whole Animal Collective / Panda Bear thing is just so bonkers, I can't help loving it. At first listen it always sounds like the stuff that happens when I try and play with free music creating software, but after a while the crooked rhythms and foggy, droning atmosphere seeps into you. You can even dance to it. Sometimes.....

Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys

Not quite the populist triumph of The Seldom Seen Kid, but still a significant chapter in the Elbow story. Lippy Kids, The Night Will Always Win and Jesus Is A Rochdale Girl are further examples of a band who have this lark off to a tee, but will never be content to just stick with where they are now.

Bill Wells, Aiden Moffat - Everything's Getting Older

For anyone familiar with the work of Irvine Welsh - in a way above and beyond just having seen Trainspotting - this album will resonate strongly. Dark, unsettling narratives housed within dark, unsettling musical environments, and not one moment for the faint of heart - yet there is at once beauty, humour and wit amongst the grotesque humanism and candour.

Wilco - The Whole Love

After a couple of slightly 'just there' albums, Wilco returned with a more sprawling, ambitious set of tunes, none more emblematic of this than opener Art Of Almost, with its seven plus minutes staring from an In Rainbows-era Radiohead electronic opening developing into an acid-drenched rockout to finish. Everything worth liking about Wilco is represented here, often in significant quanitites.

The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar

All of a sudden it's 1991 again, but in a RIDE kind of a way, rather than a CATHERINE WHEEL kind of a way. Brash and noisy, with little nodding towards any of today's more marketable trends, and all the better for it.

Fucked Up - David Comes To Life

As the band's name might have already led you to deduce, not the album I bought my Mam for Xmas. She's more of a Selfish C*** fan. Therefore she missed out on this powerhouse of a record, straight to the point, straight into and right bloody straight through your face like an overly caffeinated juggernaut. Taut, muscular, vital.

And there we have it - onwards and upwards into 2012. Spoiler Alert - the new Field Music album will be listed here in 12 months time. So get on that puppy now ....... you heard it here first. Still haven't managed to come down to a single choice as a final winner - but as usual that's a good thing. So much other stuff I could have added in, but even I have to stop talking eventually.......