Paste's 50 Best Albums of 2011

Paste's 50 Best Albums of 2011

Original Source →

50.

Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones
June 7, 2011
Critic Score
75
9 reviews

49.

Mates of State - Mountaintops
September 13, 2011
Critic Score
68
12 reviews

48.

November 15, 2011
Critic Score
76
32 reviews
He is not the best singer in the world, and certainly not the best rapper—but his desire to be upfront in his lyrics and distinguished in his music has made him an iconoclastic star.

47.

October 18, 2011
Critic Score
75
32 reviews

46.

April 5, 2011
Critic Score
69
19 reviews

42.

September 13, 2011
Critic Score
81
29 reviews

41.

February 4, 2011
Critic Score
82
37 reviews
With a stripped-down, uncluttered sound, Blake’s creations are hauntingly beautiful. His voice echoes soulfully throughout his self-titled album, with lyrics as deliberate as the heavy beats that accentuate each track.

39.

June 28, 2011
Critic Score
86
25 reviews

The Harrow & The Harvest is simply one of the richest, most expansive roots albums to be released in some time.

38.

Over the Rhine - The Long Surrender
February 8, 2011
Critic Score
81
2 reviews

37.

August 16, 2011
Critic Score
78
31 reviews

36.

Mister Heavenly - Out of Love
August 16, 2011
Critic Score
69
15 reviews

35.

November 15, 2011
Critic Score
68
25 reviews

Childish Gambino provided an album that is so raw and still so peaceful that even after a dozen times listening to it, Camp still doesn’t get old.

30.

October 25, 2011
Critic Score
87
42 reviews

The whole thing is a bit ramshackle, but when he listens to his wife, Bad as Me is as good as anything Waits has ever done.

29.

October 4, 2011
Critic Score
78
35 reviews
The music, however, remains sophisticated and rhythmically feisty (pun thoroughly intended) even when so thoroughly keyed down.

28.

February 25, 2011
Critic Score
80
34 reviews

Youth Novels was a cool little hand-drawn doodle done in pencil—this is an oil painting, rich with color and more vivid detail.

27.

June 7, 2011
Critic Score
77
18 reviews

26.

February 22, 2011
Critic Score
72
17 reviews

25.

May 10, 2011
Critic Score
80
29 reviews

As it stands Burst Apart is a record of big songs from a band that's good at generating big songs, and we should be relieved that The Antlers can be impressive without an overarching concept behind them.

24.

April 11, 2011
Critic Score
79
35 reviews
They've been freaks; they've been lover-boys. Now they're spaced-out romantics.

23.

The Belle Brigade - The Belle Brigade
April 19, 2011
Critic Score
74
2 reviews

22.

December 6, 2011
Critic Score
79
37 reviews

El Camino is yet another ear-pleasing installment in the catalog of a consistently impressive band.

21.

January 25, 2011
Critic Score
73
10 reviews

20.

August 30, 2011
Critic Score
75
28 reviews

19.

June 7, 2011
Critic Score
72
32 reviews

18.

March 8, 2011
Critic Score
76
20 reviews

17.

February 1, 2011
Critic Score
78
10 reviews

16.

February 15, 2011
Critic Score
75
34 reviews
It's the seamless simplicity in which the record flows that defines this masterful debut.

15.

October 25, 2011
Critic Score
67
18 reviews

14.

January 24, 2011
Critic Score
77
28 reviews
Adele emerges with a well-manicured batch of songs that, while still showcasing her interest in layered musicality, shoot straight for the pop charts with each go-round—which is exactly where she should be aiming.

13.

February 18, 2011
Critic Score
75
41 reviews

The King of Limbs might not be Radiohead’s best or most revolutionary album, but it’s still adventurous and fresh.

13.

September 13, 2011
Critic Score
79
31 reviews
This album not only surpasses its predecessor but raises the bar for any band, indie or otherwise, mining the past for inspiration.

12.

January 25, 2011
Critic Score
79
39 reviews

11.

September 12, 2011
Critic Score
86
37 reviews

Strange Mercy is an album that’s full of ambitious attempts to create rich tableaus that defy the expectations they create. Some work, and some don’t, but the ones that don’t will probably age well given that a few dozen listens won’t leave you bored.

10.

January 14, 2011
Critic Score
73
37 reviews

The King's strength lies in its ability to pack light and still pack a punch.

9.

October 18, 2011
Critic Score
75
40 reviews

With any dreams there are ups and downs, and the same can be said about Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.

7.

September 27, 2011
Critic Score
81
37 reviews

The Whole Love reveals itself as their finest album since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

4.

April 19, 2011
Critic Score
85
33 reviews

3.

May 31, 2011
Critic Score
71
32 reviews

After the peaks and valleys reached with the past two records ... Circuital serves as a reminder that My Morning Jacket is back at the top of its game with an album residing just a tiny notch below its definitive records.

2.

May 3, 2011
Critic Score
83
40 reviews

For now, Pecknold and his bandmates are important cogs in the indie-music scene — with a few more albums akin to Helplessness Blues under their belts, they may soon fit just as nicely into the canon of American folk music.

1.

June 21, 2011
Critic Score
85
41 reviews

It retains the beautiful melancholy of For Emma, but in nearly every way, it’s just more. More layered, more diverse, more interesting.

Original Source: http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2011/11/the-50-best-albums-of-2011.html
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