December 26, 2011

MoJo Readers’ Top Albums of 2011

Mike D, Adrock, MCA of the Beastie Boys in Barcelona 2007<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bakameh/551720861/in/set-72157600363475458/">Michael Morel</a>/Flickr

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Reader’s choice lists are so often middling disappointments, full of safe popular music that we’ve been tired of since July. But not this one. The diverse and thoughtful Facebook recommendations from Mother Jones readers have already provided hours of procrastination—ahem, research—on YouTube.  (If you don’t already follow us on FB, sign up here.) No Gaga, Kanye, or Beyoncé—not that we don’t love Beyoncé. So without further ado, here are your top albums picks for 2011. (And check out our top albums of 2011.)

Power Plant Beach, Nehedar (Nehedar): Social commentary washes down better with pop music. —Emilia Cataldo

Ceremonials, Florence + The Machine (Universal Republic): Holy hell, that record is awesome (res ipsa loquitor). —Doug Capehart

El Camino, The Black Keys (Nonesuch): The Black Keys [see below] have been on the rise for years. They teamed up with producer Danger Mouse for this album and it takes them to a whole other level. It’s the best 38 minutes of music in 2011. —Jason Cienkus

Ashes and Fire, Ryan Adams (PAX-AM/ Capitol Records): After a hiatus, Adams

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is back with a beautiful new album that finds him in a much better, healthier place. —Marci Ankrom

Elsie, The Horrible Crowes (SideOneDummy): This side project of The Gaslight Anthem front man Brian Fallon shows the continued maturing of his songwriting as the melodies truly carry the album. —Robert Ruszczyk

Feel It Break, Austra (Domino): Icy beats, beautiful harmonies, killer hooks. [See below.] —James Brosius

Stone Rollin’, Raphael Saadiq: For pure entertainment, [the album] (and the soul review tour of the album) is a great dose of high octane, nonstop good music and arrangements. —Susan Mumpower-Spriggs

Bon Iver, Bon Iver (Jagjaguwa): I was late to the game in really getting into Bon Iver, but when I listened to the whole record through, it changed me a little. Each time I listen to it now, it speaks to me in a different way with its melancholy beauty. (Consequence of Sound listed Holocene as the best song of the year and I agree 100 percent.) —Alex Proaps

David Comes to Life, Fucked Up (Matador Records): It’s a Rock Opera about factory workers during the Reagan era. Sounds like it would be impossible to pull off something like this, but it is amazing. [See below.] —Nathan Bouchard

 

Queen Of The Minor Key, Eilen Jewell (Signature Sound Records): No questions about and her crack band ascending to musical royalty. —David Besonen Eilen

Biophilia, Bjork (Nonesuch): Celestial and powerful. Inspired! —Monica Falter Bryant

13 Chambers, Wugazi: Producers Cecil Otter and Swiss Andy mash up Wu Tang Clan with DC punk legends Fugazi. [See below.] —Nick Boushee

Augustana, Augustana (Epic): The fourth studio album by rock band Augustana gives us 10 solid songs that are sonically and aesthetically pleasing despite the messy break up that occurred this October after their summer tour. —Robert Ruszczyk

Widening Embrace, Carolyn McDade and Friends (Self-released): Gorgeous songs, meditation on embracing and caring for all Beings on the planet; and all profits go to support education, advocacy, or action consistent with the principles of The Earth Charter in creating a just, peaceful, and sustainable world. —Marian L Shatto ‎

Revelator, Tedeschi Trucks: The recording of the year if you’re a blues fan. [See below.] —Thom Langley

21, Adele (Columbia): Wonderful voice! —Rena Marrs Parker

The Harrow and the Harvest, Gillian Welch (Acony Records): Gil and Dave’s voices and guitars blend seamlessly and beautifully. The album manages to be both sad and hopeful. —Marci Ankrom [Also check out MoJo‘s interviews with Welch and her musical soulmate Dave Rawlings.]

‎Tamer Animals, Other Lives (TBD Records): Other Lives [see below] practically upstaged Bon Iver this year on tour. Their music takes you places, both new and familiar. Just put these tunes on repeat until further notice. —Amelia Mooney

The Head and the Heart, The Head and the Heart (Sub Pop): Self-released in 2010; was remastered and released by sub pop in 2011. Divine. Reminiscent of Whiskeytown/early Ryan Adams, especially “Down in the Valley.” —Marci Ankrom

Hot Sauce Committee, Beastie Boys (Capitol Records): The old guys still got it! —Frank Plonka

The Martyr, Immortal Technique (Viper): Best political rap out there, and album of the year. —Patricia Ornelas-Moya

Click here for more music features from Mother Jones.

WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

The short of it: Last year, we had to cut $1 million from our budget so we could have any chance of breaking even by the time our fiscal year ended in June. And despite a huge rally from so many of you leading up to the deadline, we still came up a bit short on the whole. We can’t let that happen again. We have no wiggle room to begin with, and now we have a hole to dig out of.

Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

The upshot: Being able to rally $253,000 in donations over these next few weeks is vitally important simply because it is the number that keeps us right on track, helping make sure we don't end up with a bigger gap than can be filled again, helping us avoid any significant (and knowable) cash-flow crunches for now. We used to be more nonchalant about coming up short this time of year, thinking we can make it by the time June rolls around. Not anymore.

Because the in-depth journalism on underreported beats and unique perspectives on the daily news you turn to Mother Jones for is only possible because readers fund us. Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism we exist to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we need readers to show up for us big time—again.

Getting just 10 percent of the people who care enough about our work to be reading this blurb to part with a few bucks would be utterly transformative for us, and that's very much what we need to keep charging hard in this financially uncertain, high-stakes year.

If you can right now, please support the journalism you get from Mother Jones with a donation at whatever amount works for you. And please do it now, before you move on to whatever you're about to do next and think maybe you'll get to it later, because every gift matters and we really need to see a strong response if we're going to raise the $253,000 we need in less than three weeks.

payment methods

WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

The short of it: Last year, we had to cut $1 million from our budget so we could have any chance of breaking even by the time our fiscal year ended in June. And despite a huge rally from so many of you leading up to the deadline, we still came up a bit short on the whole. We can’t let that happen again. We have no wiggle room to begin with, and now we have a hole to dig out of.

Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

The upshot: Being able to rally $253,000 in donations over these next few weeks is vitally important simply because it is the number that keeps us right on track, helping make sure we don't end up with a bigger gap than can be filled again, helping us avoid any significant (and knowable) cash-flow crunches for now. We used to be more nonchalant about coming up short this time of year, thinking we can make it by the time June rolls around. Not anymore.

Because the in-depth journalism on underreported beats and unique perspectives on the daily news you turn to Mother Jones for is only possible because readers fund us. Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism we exist to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we need readers to show up for us big time—again.

Getting just 10 percent of the people who care enough about our work to be reading this blurb to part with a few bucks would be utterly transformative for us, and that's very much what we need to keep charging hard in this financially uncertain, high-stakes year.

If you can right now, please support the journalism you get from Mother Jones with a donation at whatever amount works for you. And please do it now, before you move on to whatever you're about to do next and think maybe you'll get to it later, because every gift matters and we really need to see a strong response if we're going to raise the $253,000 we need in less than three weeks.

payment methods

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