musicOMH's Top 50 Albums of 2011

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50.

February 4, 2011
Critic Score
72
35 reviews

It's another step nearer the masterpiece this band are increasingly capable of delivering.

49.

January 14, 2011
Critic Score
73
37 reviews
The album may not be as majestic, but it's certainly a lot more real.

48.

June 20, 2011
Critic Score
73
21 reviews

It is, all in, absolute genius.

47.

June 28, 2011
Critic Score
86
25 reviews

This is one of the most defiantly traditional, non-radical and deceptively simple albums in recent memory.

46.

March 8, 2011
Critic Score
78
27 reviews

Where past albums touched upon all manners of influences and genres, Smoke Ring For My Halo seems content to plant its flag into barren soil.

45.

February 14, 2011
Critic Score
76
27 reviews

Mogwai are eager to showcase their new ideas within the first few tracks of this release, eager to prove they are still a band with plenty of fresh concepts.

44.

July 12, 2011
Critic Score
78
30 reviews

Dedication is an outstanding example of the possible emotional depth and breadth of electronic music.

42.

May 13, 2011
Critic Score
74
25 reviews

41.

October 11, 2011
Critic Score
85
7 reviews

Each carefully considered vignette on Felt carries tiny melodic fragments and taken together they reaffirm Frahm’s special ability to infuse his piano solos with considerable poignancy and emotional weight.

39.

May 17, 2011
Critic Score
75
11 reviews

37.

GusGus - Arabian Horse
May 10, 2011
Critic Score
80
2 reviews

36.

July 12, 2011
Critic Score
71
37 reviews

They’ve succeeded in making an album that does well to second-guess its listener, whilst never disowning the sound that first brought Greene to the foreground.

35.

August 8, 2011
Critic Score
75
35 reviews

The album overall is wholly inconsistent, with weak raps and weak productions poking holes through the greatness that's present.

34.

February 25, 2011
Critic Score
80
34 reviews

At other times, the album works magnificently; more so than anything on her breakthrough debut.

33.

June 7, 2011
Critic Score
82
31 reviews

The hooky riffs and unforgiving pace make it a fantastic rock album in itself.

32.

August 1, 2011
Critic Score
73
12 reviews

31.

May 24, 2011
Critic Score
73
21 reviews

It seems Pala is Friendly Fires' successful attempt to translate their positivity-injected carnival live performances into a record.

30.

April 18, 2011
Critic Score
75
32 reviews

Individual elements don't feel complex, but their composition is astoundingly swallowing, and there are clever, attentive niblets of sound that add intrigue.

29.

February 4, 2011
Critic Score
82
37 reviews

This album will inevitably disappoint those who had their hopes pinned on Blake producing the definitive instrumental dubstep masterpiece.

28.

August 30, 2011
Critic Score
75
28 reviews

This is the most consistently impressive Beirut record yet.

27.

August 23, 2011
Critic Score
71
18 reviews

24.

April 11, 2011
Critic Score
79
35 reviews

Each listen reveals another layer, and the album wears incredibly well over obsessive revisiting.

23.

January 25, 2011
Critic Score
79
39 reviews

Some of the experiments here may work better than others in the long term, but it is far better that Beam is an artist prepared to take risks.

22.

June 7, 2011
Critic Score
75
37 reviews

This is another intriguing evolution for one of the country's great bands, and a shot in the arm for Britain's rather moribund 'indie guitar' scene.

20.

January 14, 2011
Critic Score
78
22 reviews

19.

February 22, 2011
Critic Score
78
28 reviews

It's that rare thing--a properly fine remix album.

17.

September 13, 2011
Critic Score
78
15 reviews

16.

April 12, 2011
Critic Score
82
28 reviews

They've recorded another Elbow album, full of quiet introspection, subtly life-affirming melodies and the usual brilliant lyrical sketches of Northern life.

16.

November 21, 2011
Critic Score
86
38 reviews

It’s absorbing and enchanting without having to resort to formulaic song structures, pop thrills or radio-friendly catchiness.

15.

July 26, 2011
Critic Score
74
32 reviews

Little Dragon clearly weren't broken, so they haven't tried to fix themselves; they have instead filed their art into an incisive point, and with Ritual Union stand at the top of their trade. This is far more than instantly-forgotten ad fodder.

14.

June 28, 2011
Critic Score
77
26 reviews

In the space of just over half an hour it has been possible to experience a full gamut of feelings, our sympathies firmly siding with our nameless host.

13.

February 14, 2011
Critic Score
84
19 reviews

It's certainly among his most concentrated and well crafted works - the best since Harmony In Ultraviolet and arguably the most successful of them all.

12.

February 18, 2011
Critic Score
75
41 reviews

King Of Limbs is a subtle, muti-layered affair - surprisingly low-key in places, and it certainly won't win back any fans who checked out in the late '90s.

11.

November 8, 2011
Critic Score
76
20 reviews

9.

September 12, 2011
Critic Score
86
37 reviews

It may not be leaps and bounds ahead of previous St Vincent releases, but this is a rich and multi-faceted album to pay close attention to.

8.

October 11, 2011
Critic Score
80
38 reviews

There is a sense of individuality in its thematic concerns and in its use of specially constructed instruments, but in essence it feels like a synthesis of Björk’s work thus far (albeit a brilliant one).

7.

July 26, 2011
Critic Score
81
33 reviews

Skying has a new swagger and panache, but it also possesses that lightness of touch which was first audible in Primary Colours.

6.

May 10, 2011
Critic Score
80
29 reviews
As an exercise in maintaining artistic form, it's an indisputable success.

5.

June 21, 2011
Critic Score
85
41 reviews

Those who approach Bon Iver with open minds and open ears will with repeated listens find that Vernon has not strayed too far from his original raison d'etre.

4.

April 19, 2011
Critic Score
85
33 reviews

There's an energy and atmosphere to w h o k i l l which seems to just pour off the record.

3.

May 9, 2011
Critic Score
81
33 reviews

Smother is touching and majestic, a surprise of juxtaposition that is at once both plaintive and emotional, strident and libidinous.

1.

February 14, 2011
Critic Score
89
44 reviews

Loose and sparse as it is, Let England Shake serves much the same function, lingering in the mind long after its engrossing runtime.

Original Source: http://www.musicomh.com/features/lists/musicomhs-top-50-albums-of-2011-complete-list
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