I strongly feel that classic albums are not exclusively the product of past generations. It saddens me when I hear people complaining about the state of music today as if there is lack of amazing artists and music being created at this very moment. I agree that we have much more crap nowadays but that is probably because it no longer takes big budgets and major record labels to create an album. Overall, this is a great thing. However, because of the democratization of music-making, we have a lot more to plow through to get to the golden nuggets. But they exist!
Here is a list compiled by CAS attendees of the Best Albums of 2011. Now I have a new listening list to get through over the holidays. I hope you will join me.
Sound of Rum – Balance
My Morning Jacket – Circuital
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Diamond Mine
P J Harvey – Let England Shake
Zodiac Free Arts Club – Floating
Two Fingers of Firewater – Songs to Listen To
Alison Krauss & Union Station – Paper Airplane
The Horrors – Skying
Paul Simon – So Beautiful or So What
James Blake – James Blake
The Field – Looping State of Mind
Paul White – Rapping With Paul White
Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Seahawks – Vision Quest One: Spaceships Over Topanga Canyon
Hatchback – Zeus & Apollo
Read More: Forgotten Classic: Refused ‘The Shape of Punk to Come’
Read More: Modern Classic: The Avalanches ‘Since I Left You’
