Not Many Experts

The title says almost everything that needs to be said really, so we’ll avoid a few minutes of pseudo-philosophising about the whole “end-of-year” obsession (bottom line – we love them), as these are simply my favourite songs from 2011, and therefore they are all right. But please feel free to argue in the comments, it wouldn’t be an end of year list without some of that. Fortunately, each song really does speak for itself, which is convenient because I don’t have a spare day to write about each one of these magnificent musical beasts, to be absolutely honest. So hit the play buttons, discover some new music, disagree with me, and let’s have a good, old-fashioned argument.

45. Dutch Uncles – X-O

44. Zulu Winter – Let’s Move Back To Front

43. TV On The Radio – Caffeinated Consciousness

42. Washed Out – Amor Fati

41. Crushed Beaks – Close Ups

Close-Ups by Crushed Beaks

40. The Antlers – I Don’t Want Love

39. Alt-j – Tessallate

38. Black Lips – Modern Art

37. Youth Lagoon – Cannons

36. Tune-yards – Powa

35. The Horrors – Still Life

34. Trophy Wife – The Quiet Earth

33. Pat Jordache – Salt On The Fields

Salt On The Fields

32. Outfit – Vehicles

31. Active Child – Hanging On

30. St. Vincent – Cheerleader

29. Loved Ones – Are You Hiding Out In Hell?

ARE YOU HIDING OUT IN HELL? (Album Version) by LovedOnes

28. Phantogram – Don’t Move

Phantogram – Don’t Move

27. Cults – Abducted

26. Theme Park – A Mountain We Love

25. Gil Scott Heron & Jamie xx – NY Is Killing Me

24. Jonquil – I Know I Don’t Know

23. Chad Valley – Now That I’m Real

Now That I’m Real (How Does It Feel) ft. Rose Dagul by chadvalley

22. Wye Oak – Dog’s Eyes

21. Niki & The Dove – The Drummer

20. Colourmusic – Tog

19. Shabazz Palaces – Are You, Can You, Were You (Felt)

18. Entrepreneurs – Fuck Tactics (ft. FOE & Ghostpoet)

17. Azealia Banks – 212

16. Real Estate – It’s Real

15. Slow Club – Two Cousins

14. Friends – I’m His Girl

Friends – I’m His Girl by LuckyNumberMusic

13. The War On Drugs – I Was There

12. Bombay Bicycle Club – Shuffle

11. Wild Beasts – Loop The Loop

10. Outfit – Two Islands

Two Islands by OUTFIT

9. Battles – Ice Cream (ft. Matias Aguayo)

Ice Cream (Featuring Matias Aguayo) by BATTLES

8. Radiohead – Codex

Radiohead – Codex by mariocon

7. SBTRKT – Pharaohs

6. Austra – Lose It

Austra – Lose It

5. Ghostpoet – Survive It

Ghostpoet – Survive It by ghostpoet

4. Theme Park – Wax

3. Bombay Bicycle Club – Lights Out, Words Gone

Bombay Bicycle Club – Lights Out, Words Gone

2. M83 – Midnight City

Midnight City by M83

1. The War On Drugs – Baby Missiles

The War On Drugs – Baby Missiles

Well there you have it… When we contacted The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel with news of his momentous victory he became so emotional that he lost the power of speech, which is why we don’t have a snappy acceptance line from the man himself. But, rest assured, he’s well pleased.

There are more albums this month than there are licentious, secretary-lassoing Frenchmen in positions of authority. There is, of course, a potential that this is because I might have forgotten/did not have time to continue this groundbreakingly original feature last month. Maybe. So for the sake of our collective sanity, I’ll keep it brief, but if you’re a real fan of brevity, just do yourself a favour and go and buy/steal them all. Especially Austra and The Antlers. We don’t have an “Album Of The Month” title like everyone else, but if we did, we’d have to share it between those two.

Arctic Monkeys – Suck It And See

They got beards, and they sound like it. Their morphosis from cheeky Sheffield chaps being chased by chavs with pool cues to hairy psychedelic rock druids popping pills with Josh Homme was most unlikely, but Alex Turner’s words have never bitten more keenly than on “Suck It And See”. They’re pushed to the fore of the trippy guitars here, and really dig into your brain. They’re no longer the Arctic Monkeys of 2005, and haven’t been for quite some time; they’re muscular and mature and just keep getting better and better.Arctic Monkeys – The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala by Not Many Experts

Bon Iver – Bon Iver

On the subject of beards, Justin Vernon has still got his wiry asset, but that’s about the only thing that hasn’t changed on “Bon Iver”. His newly positioned band take his emotive wanderings and twist them with orchestral crescendos, deafening drums and even, in one troubling moment, 80s inspired keyboards. It’s all quite unsettling, but once past the shock that this is not “For Emma, Forever Ago Continued…”, moments like “Perth” start sounding like some of his most beautiful moments. The poignancy of his debut, though, was never going to be re-created.

Bon Iver – "Calgary"

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