My Favorite Albums of 2011 as of 8/20/11

by dastly75

What a stressful year it’s been for me. Between school, love and loss, and serious contemplations on where I intend to take myself after I graduate at the end of this year, I’ve had a lot to think about. Thankfully there has been a few stand out albums this year to tend and mend my sanity. In concurrence with last year’s list, I will make my selections as personal as possible and less in line with the standard critically acclaimed album lists.

(In ABC Order)

Balance and Composure – Separation
– Somewhere between post-hardcore and punk, this is the hardest album on my list. I’m not normally into this sort of stuff but this album surprised me. It features progressive elements akin to Brand New’s Daisy. This album doesn’t have any filler either at 12 tracks/48 minutes. For the niche it fits into, it does it remarkably well. Even if you don’t normally seek this stuff out, give it a chance.

Bayside - Killing Time
– This came out back in February and quite frankly, it’s STILL my AOTY. It has a perfect amount of Bayside style with a perfect amount of production treatment. Furthermore, it has some of the most catchy and aggressive songs to bolster up the people put down by bad relationships. If you’re not there, take yourself back to that state of mind and enjoy this record for posterity.

The Dangerous Summer – War Paint
– Their debut LP was amazing. This is nothing short of their debut and it takes it a bit more progressively.

Incubus - If Not Now, When?
– This is the year of bands returning to form as you’ll see in this list and later in the year(hello Blink 182). Incubus released their last album Light Grenades back when I was a first semester freshmen in college. I am now a last semester grad student and after their 5 year hiatus, they have dropped this album. Sometimes you forget the magic some bands have that is never replicated successfully by other bands. This album takes a more downbeat approach compared to past albums but conjures up a very large sound that is pulled upwards by Boyd’s amazing vocals.

The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar
– They’re like Metric, the album is solid, I don’t think I need to say more.

The Make – The Box
– They are former members of Number One Gun and it shows. I love the catchiness of the melodies and the NOG style production makes this an instant favorite for me. If you like pop-rock, try this.

Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math
– It’s not what I expected honestly. It’s not as approachable as their last record but it did grow on me eventually. They also have one of the best music videos I’ve seen this year.

Scattered Trees – Sympathy
– Of all the moody folk records I’ve listened to so far this year, this is the one I come back to. Unlike some of the other folk records, it balances itself on every front. Not too heavy, not too light, not too sparse, not too overproduced, and so on. This is the album you can relax to and set your mind into a contemplative state. I know I’ve need it more than a few times so far. Oh and if I may trick you with Star Wars, watch the video.

The Story So Far – Under Soil & Dirt
– I listened to more pop punk albums this year than any other. Rather than tack on 4-5 more pop punk albums to this list, I included my current favorite. Enjoy.

Sum 41 – Screaming Bloody Murder
– Burned by his former wife Avril Lavigne, frontman Deryck Whibley brings the band back to their darker form seen in their paramount album Chuck. This is the first album I’ve ever had to remove tracks to improve the tonal flow. I removed 3 tracks that were a bit too upbeat and out of place sounding on the record. They’re not bad tracks but they have no place on a record titled Screaming Bloody Murder. That said, glad to see the band is still going strong and this record is solid.

Taking Back Sunday – Taking Back Sunday
– For me, this is the most anticipated reunion in the rock scene this year(though I do anticipate Blink’s new album). This album is far from perfect. Some tracks are most definitely weaker than others. What it does do is recapture the spark the band had in their debut album. This is not Tell All Your Friends part 2 but rather a natural follow up. There’s something between these band members that gives their sound a more heartfelt feeling. I’ve listened to quite a few albums this year with dual vocals and intense instrumentals and none of them can quite match the sincerity and candor of TBS. So imperfect album or not, this album is worth every second I give to it.

Typhoon – A New Kind of House
– The biggest band on this list, literally. This 15 member indie band originates from Portland and features strings and horns in addition to the standard folk rock instruments. Even better, they’re progressive and not so folky. It’s hard to describe their spirit so watch the video.

Yellowcard – When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes
– This is in my opinion, their best and most refined album. Cheers to band reunions

This is the third year I’ve been doing these lists, hopefully someone got something out of them