these are my top se7en albums of eleven…the difference between this list and yesterday’s list of books is that all of these albums came out this year.
seven | fleet foxes_helplessness blues
ever since my buddy josh introduced the fleet foxes to me with mykonos a couple of years ago i have gotten easily lost in their dreamy, airy sound and beautiful harmonies.
download these: montezuma, bedouin dress & helplessness blues
six | bon iver_bon iver
everything this guy has touched in the past has been gold…shiny, polished, pure gold, so i can’t say i wasn’t a little disappointed with this album. it was obviously good enough to make the top seven, but don’t expect for emma, forever ago or even the blood bank ep…i don’t think it quite approaches that level, but its still a solid album.
download these: holocene, wash. & perth
five | gold in the shadow
as impressive as it is, fitzsimmons doesn’t get a bump because of his glorious beard. its the sounds that trickle from behind it that makes this the fifth best album of the year. if you’ve heard any of his other stuff (particularly the uber-sad, the sparrow and the crow) you’ll understand the title of the album really does capture the album. a shadow of sadness still seeps through the music and lyrics, but there is gold in there too…hope even of a new beginning and new love.
download these: beautiful girl, the tide pulls from the moon & tied to me
four | death cab for cutie_codes and keys
death cab remains my favorite band. i love ben gibbard’s masterfully creative lyrics and a sound that continues to develop but not abandon their roots. codes and keys is a far cry from transatanticism or plans, but it is still a great album. gibbard promised a more upbeat album and even admitted a bit of shame in the dreary, hopelessness of narrow stairs, and he delivered (although i didn’t mind narrow stairs). you can feel zooey’s influence in a few of the songs…it’ll be interesting to see where they take the next album after their divorce.
download these: you are a tourist, home is a fire & stay young, go dancing
three | adele_21
sometimes albums come along that transform an artist from great to epic. from artist to icon. i believe 21 is this album for adele. literally every song on this album is amazing. it more than the sum of its parts, because when i break it down it doesn’t add up. yeah, her voice is amazing, the lyrics are solid and the music is great, but that doesn’t seem to satisfy what the album is. its bigger than it should be, but when you listen to it all together and just let the music take you, it is a truly amazing album.
download these: just spend the money and get the entire album!
two | jay-z & kanye west_watch the throne (deluxe edition)
its rare that a modern rap album makes my tops list. i think a couple years ago an album by a christian rap artist made my top ten, but its been a long time since a rap album could even approach the top two! but simply put, this album will go down as one of the best rap albums of all-time. in an era where modern rap music is uninventive and more like club-pop, jay-z and kanye break the bank with this collection of masterfully written rhymes and beats. there is really only one mis-step in this album and that is at the end of otis when someone (kanye?) starts screaming…i can barely take it. other than that, it is flawless.
download these: do it all…i got the edited version, but that’s just preference.
one | the head and the heart_the head and the heart
thanks must be given to death cab for cutie on this one. when emily and i bought our tickets to see death cab in berlin, we had no idea who would be opening for them. as the concert drew nearer we continued our tradition of purchasing the album of opening acts to get a taste for the music before the concert. we really enjoyed their sound and they surely would’ve been a top seven album if we’d only heard the songs on my macbook pro speakers. but then we saw them live and that changed everything. they were one of the top bands i’ve seen perform. their on stage persona is magnetic. they look like a bunch of long-time friends who are just getting together for the sole purpose of entertaining themselves, but in so doing entertain everyone else. thematically, the album revolves around the idea of being away from home which we can also really relate to.
download these: just spend the $9.99 or go to amazon…i’m sure its cheaper there anyways!
honorable mention | the decemberists_the king is dead
its a shame that i only bought this album last week, because i’m sure it would make my top seven. but due to lack of exposure it’ll have to settle into its place as an honorable mention. i’m excited to listen to it more.
download these: this is why we fight, don’t carry it all, january hymn
*bonus: top songs of ele7en*
seven | someone like you_adele
six | beautiful girl_william fitzsimmons
five | heartless_dia frampton
four | fix you_javier colon
three | niggas in paris_jay-z & kanye west
two | barton hollow_the civil wars
one | rivers and roads_the head and the heart
[what were your top albums of the year?]