It seems like people are still making “best albums of 2011” lists a month into 2012. Being a music review blog, it’s appropriate that I make my own end-of-year list. However, because there are so many the end-of-year lists on the information superhighway, creating a straight forward best-of list would not be really that unique.
Therefore, I will set a criteria. For this list, I will name the 8 best albums of 2011, in no particular order, that are strangely missing or underrated on those lists. All 8 of these albums were praised by critics, but never charted high (or at all) on the end-of-year lists (I blame the Bon Iver lobby). I will also write a brief description for each entry.
Thursday – No Devolución
Thursday’s previous incarnation as just another screamo band probably made critics unwilling to give this album a chance.
Okkervil River – I Am Very Far
This is album is very far off the radar of a lot of people. Okkervil River is in the hunt for most overlooked band from the past 10 years.
Cymbals Eat Guitars – Lenses Alien
Sure, the album leeches a lot from 90s indie rock. That’s shouldn’t stop you from liking it.
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Mirror Traffic
Even indie god Stephen Malkmus isn’t immune to being ignored
Mastodon – The Hunter
Here’s a great article on how metal music is treated by mainstream critics. It applies to this album as well.
Atlas Sound – Parallax
It’s possible that most critics thought this was Halcyon Digest lite. It’s not.
St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
In a year where female artists such as Adele, Lady Gaga, PJ Harvey and Lana del Ray had incredible success, it’s kind of surprising that St. Vincent would not be praised more.
Outside The Aggregator 