We’ve passed the halfway mark of the year so what better time to take stock of the best albums so far this year. A lot will change by the year’s end with albums from Modeselektor and Toddla T yet to be released and I have yet to listen to SebastiAn, The Horrors and Digitalism properly.
Here’s the 10 albums of 2011 so far (the album title links go to full reviews). I hope this is useful to people, enjoy.
01. The Kills – ‘Blood Pressures’
“They push the parameters of their guitar/drum-machine set-up to its very limit, a fantastic record seeping with clanking, sleazy and dark snarling blues/punk hybrid.”
The Kills – DNA via Consequence of Sound
02. Pharoahe Monch – ‘W.A.R (We Are Renegades)’
“W.A.R (We Are Renegades) has everything; great rhymes, wordplay and head-nodding beats while lyrically it’s hard-hitting, intelligent and insightful, providing a scathing attack on the industry and society.”
Pharoahe Monch – Evolve via viciosdelaslilas
03. Gruff Rhys – ‘Hotel Shampoo‘
“Hotel Shampoo manages to strike the perfect balance between Rhys’ desire to indulge his oddities, lyrical humor and touching sentiment while making it all sound so natural and effortless.”
Gruff Rhys – Shark Ridden Waters via Crossfiremusic
“an eclectic patchwork of electronic music takes us on a rollercoaster ride where you can never tell what is coming next; dubstep to disco, hip-hop to house, electro and the experimental”
BarryGruff 