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Counting down RELEVANT's favorite releases of the last year.
2011 was a strange year for music. You had highs (Arcade Fire winning a Grammy for Best Album!) and lows (Rebecca Black). There were weird spats (sampling icons The Avalanches and Bon Iver got into a Twitter fight) and even stranger collaborations (the abysmal Lou Reed and Metallica team-up). But through it all, some great music was released. It was the year a twentysomething torch singer from the U.K. ruled the world, when ‘90s R&B continued its steady ascent back up the charts and a year when the little guys made it. Here’s a look back at the musical world that was.
10. Adele, 21
In a year dominated (again) by AutoTune and prefab pop stars (remember how Katy Perry tied Michael Jackson for most number-one singles from one album?), it seems surprising that the album that sold almost 5 million copies was known for its lack of pretense and sheer vocal skill. Adele’s 21 sold more copies than Lady Gaga’s and Lil’ Wayne’s new albums combined and brought back artistry to the pop charts. Singles like “Rolling in the Deep” and “Rumor Has It” were rare songs that allowed hipsters and soccer moms to have a mutual object of admiration. There’s a reason the most talked about moment at this year’s usually shock-filled MTV VMAs was Adele’s heartbreaking performance of “Someone Like You”—it reminded all of us what it looks like when someone sings with their heart fully exposed.
9. Active Child, You Are All I See
If you were to try to describe the music of Patrick Grossi’s project Active Child, you might start by mentioning the otherworldly falsetto Grossi uses. Or the classical instrumentation and harp. Or the thudding R&B beats. Or the massive amount of reverb. Or you could just be honest and say you haven’t really heard anything like Active Child. From the surprisingly sensual (and AutoTuned) “Playing House” to the ‘80s New Wave homage of “Shield & Sword” to the epic “Johnny Belinda,” You Are All I See is at the most bombastic album of 2011.
8. Foster the People, Torches
If you listened to the radio at all this year, you heard Foster the People. From the ubiquitous “Pumped Up Kicks” (seriously, though, can they put a moratorium on playing this song for at least a year?) to “Helena Beat,” every song on Torches seemed like (and probably will be) a radio single. But if it was hard to avoid the band on the radio, it was equally impossible to not appreciate how catchy, fun and, well, good Torches is. Filled with huge hooks, synthesizer flourishes and downright danceable beats, the album reminded all of us that it’s OK for music to be poppy and toe-tapping.
7. Jay-Z and Kanye West, Watch the Throne
Most of the conversation around the superstar team up on Watch the Throne had to do with—to use Kanye West’s terminology—the “luxury rap” contained on the album. And to be sure, Throne has plenty of that—West brags about the “Hermés of rap” and Jay-Z seemingly can’t even remember how many Mercedes he actually owns. But overlooked in all the furor was a surprising amount of depth scattered around the materialistic trappings (and casual profanity and sex talk). “Murder to Excellence” takes on black-on-black violence and “Welcome to the Jungle” finds Jay-Z copping to actual depression—not exactly the norm among rapper arrogance. Perhaps the most moving song is “New Day,” a song aimed at the possible sons of West and Jay-Z, filled with warnings about the trappings and general emptiness of fame.
6. Gungor, Ghosts Upon the Earth
Something must have happened between Gungor’s last album, Beautiful Things, and their 2011 effort, Ghosts Upon the Earth. Because where Beautiful Things went for epic in sheer size and glossy guitar solos, Ghosts goes for epic with quiet build-ups, surprising rhythms and bursts of string arpeggios. The most surprising thing? Ghosts actually hits epic way more than Beautiful Things did. There’s been plenty written about how Ghosts is a concept album that came about after frontman Michael Gungor spent a week in Assisi (stomping grounds of St. Francis), and those are important notes. But for a genre that sometimes has difficulty pairing its lofty words and ideals with music that is equally lofty and good, Ghosts Upon the Earth is one of the rare “worship albums” that hits that goal throughout its run time.
