Every year I pour through end of year lists in magazines, newspapers and more latterly the web to see what music I may have missed. I "find" good acts this way (like John Grant in the 2010 list). Last year I made a Spotify list out of the results and this year I've done the same and thought I'd share it with you.
This year I used a total of 28 lists mainly made up of mainstream Music Mags, Websites & Newspapers but I also used a couple of more specialist publications like Mixmag (Dance), Kerrang (Metal/Rock), No Depression (Americana/Roots) and All Hip-Hop (oh come on). Using these doesn't really change much in the top 100 but it does give a boost to some 'crossover' acts. The full list of sources is listed below.
Most of the lists were top 50 where I awarded 1 point for 50 and 50 for 1 (obviously). Those that didn't I did my best (for some 5 points each) for others 50 downwards. Trust me.
Anyway here are the Spotify Play Lists with all the albums that were available for the top 100 starting with the Number 1 critically acclaimed album by P.J. Harvey. The full list is also below. Where albums weren't available at time of publication it is noted (with alternative links where possible)
Critics Choice Albums of 2011 Nos 1 -50
Critics Choice Albums of 2001 Nos 51 - 100
(for those who are interested 2010s 1-50 here and 51-100 here)
Some observations
- There were 522 different albums in the total list (more variety than usual)
- This year there were mixtapes (like A$AP and Big KRIT) making the top 50s of publications for the first time
- Also for the first time, some lists had self released albums (the music industry has definitely changed).
- Earnest Singer Songwriter and Rocky stuff seems to be in this year
- The music now called R'n'B seems to be on the way out (Beyonce had a very low show of the 522 and Rhianna didn't make it).
- Dubstep has influenced mainstream listening with acts like SBTRKT, James Blake and Zomby making the top 100
- No place for Reggae with Great albums like Little Roy's - Battle For Seattle not making the list.
- The album Watch The Throne by Kanye West and Jay Z made the top 50 this year and also last year
- Britney Spears only got 1 Point (P.J. Harvey got 708)
The list
- PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
- Bon Iver - Bon Iver
- Metronomy - The English Riviera
- Kurt Vile - Smoke ring for my Hal
- Tom Waits -Bad As Me (not yet on Spotify)
- Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blue
- The Horrors - Skying
- Tune-Yards - Whokill
- Wilco - The Whole Love
- St Vincent - Strange Mercy
- Radiohead - The King of Limbs
- War on Drugs - Slave Ambient
- Wild Beasts - Smother
- Gillian Welch - The Harrow and the Harvest (not yet on Spotify)
- Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
- James Blake - James Blake
- Josh T Pearson - Last of the Country Gentleman
- White Denim - D
- Real Estate - Days
- SBTRKT - SBTRKT
- Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi
- The Weekend - House of Balloons (not on Spotify get it free here)
- Beruit - Riptide
- My Morning Jacket - Circuital
- Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
- Adele - 21(not on Spotify)
- Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know
- EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints
- Destroyer - Kaputt
- Ryan Adams - Ashes and Fire
- The Decemberists - The King is Dead
- Wild Flag - Wild Flag
- Jon Hopkins & King Creosote - Diamond Mine
- Shabazz Palaces - Black Up (not on Spotify)
- Jonathon Wilson - Gentle Spirit
- Feist - Metals
- Kanye West & Jay-Z - Watch the Throne
- Yuck - Yuck
- The Antlers - Burst Apart
- M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
- Katy B - On A Mission
- Florence & The Machine - Ceremonials
- Bjork - Biophilla
- Drive By Truckers - Go Go Boots
- Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact
- Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What
- Zomby - Dedication
- Dawes - Nothing is Wrong
- Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
- Black Keys - El Camino (not on Spotify)
- Drake - Take Care
- Nicholas Jaar - Space is Only Noise
- Tim Heckler - Ravendeath 1972
- Battles - Gloss Drop
- Peaking Lights - 936
- Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica
- Washed Out - Within and Without
- Civil Wars - Barton Hollow
- John Maus - We Must Become the Pitless Censors of Ourselves
- Rustie - Glass Swords
- Bill Callahan - Apocalypse (not on Spotify)
- Cats Eyes - Cats Eyes (not on Spotify)
- Jason Isbell and the 400 unit - Here we Rest
- Arctic Monkeys - Suck it and See
- Little Dragon - Ritual Union
- Kate Bush - 50 Words for Snow
- TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light
- Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind of Fix
- Panda Bear - Tom Boy
- Fucked Up - David Comes To Life
- I Break Horses - Hearts
- Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys
- The Field - Looping State of Mind (not on Spotify)
- Veronica Falls - Veronica Falls
- A$AP Rocky - LIVELOVEA$AP (not on Spotify - Get here while you can)
- Lady Ga Ga - Born This Way
- Wu Lyf - Go Tell It To The Mountain
- Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra (not on Spotify but may still be free)
- Aiden Moffat and Bill Wells - Everything's Getting Older
- Hayes Carll - Kmag Yoyo (& other American stories)
- Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie XX - We're New Here
- Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
- Modeselector - Monkeytown (not on Spotify)
- The Vaccines - What Do You Expect From The Vaccines
- When Saints Go Machine - Konkylie
- Black Lips - Arabia Mountain
- Gruff Rhys - Hotel Shampoo
- WALLS - Coracle (stream it here)
- The Low Anthem - Smart Flesh
- Friendly Fires - Pala
- Koralleven - An Album by Koralleven
- The Roots - Undun
- Araabmusik - Electronic Dream
- Stephen Malkumus & the Jicks - Mirror Traffic
- Barwick, Julianna - The Magic Place
- Caretaker, The An Empty Bliss Beyond This World (stream and buy it here)
- Mastodon - The Hunter
- Bradley, Charles - No Time For Dreaming
- Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues and the Melancholy Jam
- Deer Tick - Divine Providence (not on Spotify)
- The Guardian Critics
- Fact Magazine
- Clash Music
- Alternative Press
- Rough Trade Shops
- Uncut
- Gorilla Vs Bear
- Spin
- NME
- Q Magazine
- Rise Music
- Paste Magazine
- Under the Radar
- Mojo
- The Line of Best Fit
- Tiny Mix Tapes
- Rolling Stone
- Blurt
- Mixmag
- Kerrang
- American Songwriters
- LP Group
- No Depression
- All Hip-Hop.com
- Billboard
- The Fly
- The Observer
