Monique here! I feel like this year was tougher, since I enjoyed a lot more singles than whole albums. But here’s my list:
1. Penguin Prison - Penguin Prison
This was probably my most anticipated album of the year and me & Alex were able to see him live! He’s good live.
2. 3LAU - Dance Floor Filth
I have a thing for mashups and 3LAU was my favorite mashup artist this year. What’s great too is that the whole album is downloadable for free on his website.
3. The Wombats - This Modern Glitch
They’re pretty catchy. I’m sure they’ll make it and become KUCI inappropriate soon :(.
4. Friendly Fires - Pala
I must admit it took me a few listens to really start liking this album compared to their first album. But they ended up being really fun and great live. Oh, and they sadly did become KUCI inappropriate this year.
5. Nero - Welcome Reality
EPs that I <3ed:
New Navy - Uluwatu EP
I hope they have more songs soon!
Jhameel - Waves Music Series
Jhameel’s music is great. He even lets listeners download his songs for free.
And here are Alex’s picks:
I agree with Monique in that there were a lot of singles and non-album releases this year worth mentioning, but here’s my album picks of 2011:
1. Amtrac - Came Along
Amtrac’s first full-length album of original songs. He consistently puts out awesome remixes of other artists’ work and has released smaller EPs that contain great songs. This album is slightly different from his previous work, but nonetheless great. Listen to it straight through if you get the chance.
2. Disclosure - Carnival EP
Two brothers from the UK put this one out for free, and every time I listen to them I just get extremely jealous. They’ve got a lot of other great songs out there as well, so look ‘em up and enjoy! “Blue You” is amazing.
3. Digitalism - I Love You, Dude
While songs like “2 Hearts” and “Circles” seem like a new direction for the group, others like “Stratosphere” and “Encore” sound like they could have been recorded alongside Idealism. One day we’ll see them live hopefully!
4. Friendly Fires - Pala
Every time I listen to songs from this album I choose a new favorite. While originally they sounded somewhat similar to each other, tracks seem to stand out to me more now that they’ve had plenty of listening-to. They’re even better live, so see them if you get the chance.
5. Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
Probably not as intense as some of their older albums, but for anyone looking to get into Mogwai I’d say this is a good album to begin with (from experience).
EPs/Albums of extremely honorable mention:
Joywave - 77777 (Mixtape)
Free to download, original and mixed/remixed songs…and they’re pretty much all awesome. Looking forward to a full-length album from these guys who seem to jump from Indie-Rock to Electronic and back again.
The Brookes Brothers - Brookes Brothers
So many songs on this are great and unique from one another. It definitely made me realize how much variation there can be in Drum and Bass.
Kele - The Hunter EP
This EP shows more of Kele’s solo work, with some songs like “What Did I do?” lacking his own vocals (well, slightly), and others that sound like they could be the next step in Bloc Party’s progression from Intimacy (if they stuck together :/).
