top 10 albums of 2011.

a lot of people have been saying that 2011 was by far not the best year for great new records. i can certainly see where they're coming from but i can't complain nevertheless. 2011 had quite a lot to offer after all and i can honestly say that i did have some trouble narrowing it down to my favourite ten albums but as always, i somehow ended up with a list, so here's my top 10 album ranking.

1. wild beasts - 'smother'

'smother' was THE album i was waiting for this year. after 'limbo, panto' and the mercury prize nominated 'two dancers', wild beasts released their third record this year in may and 'smother' definitely fulfilled all expectations. with their unique indie-pop sound, wild beasts delivered an amazing record full of timeless indie tunes. hayden thorpe's distinctive falsetto, ben little's ingenious guitar riffs, tom fleming's simply fantastic tenor and chris talbot's brilliant drum beats make 'smother' the most perfect record in 2011.

wild beasts - 'bed of nails' (track 2 on 'smother')

2. stornoway - 'beachcomber's windowsill'

before someone starts yelling at me - i know that this album was actually released in 2010, but i didn't know anything about stornoway until early february this year. the bottom line is that a lot of the great things that happened to me this year, wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for stornoway. everything started with 'beachcomber's windowsill', which is their awesome debut album, a mix of folk, indie and pop. gorgeous lyrics, heart melting melodies and amazing vocals - that's what got me into this album and that's what will make the next one just as special.

stornoway - 'watching birds' (track 8 on 'beachcomber's windowsill')

3. the travelling band - 'screaming is something'

never have i had so much trouble with getting an album from the uk. obviously i don't have this problem anymore and after the first listen to 'screaming is something', i immediately knew that all the trouble was more than worth it. compared to their debut album 'under the pavement', their sophomore record is a little more rock/pop but their sound is still more folk than anything else. breathtaking harmonies and melodies that you won't get out of your head for hours, even days - 'screaming is something' by the travelling band is one of only a handful of records that can easily be listened to on repeat from the first to the last note.

the travelling band - 'horizon me and you' (track 8 on 'screaming is something')

4. fleet foxes - 'helplessness blues'

 fleet foxes - 'grown ocean' (track 12 on 'helplessness blues')

5. the antlers - 'burst apart'

the antlers - 'i don't want love' live (track 1 on 'burst apart')

6. james blake - 'james blake'

 james blake - 'limit to your love' (track 6 on 'james blake')

7. other lives - 'tamer animals'

other lives - 'tamer animals' (track 4 on 'tamer animals')

8. explosions in the sky - 'take care, take care, take care'

explosions in the sky - 'last known surroundings' (track 1 on 'take care, take care, take care')

9. nils frahm - 'felt'

 nils frahm - 'more' (track 9 on 'felt')

10. agnes obel - 'philharmonics' (deluxe edition)

agnes obel - 'just so' (track 4 on 'philharmonics')

that's it in terms of great records in 2011. tomorrow's post will include my top 10 ep ranking.