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Best of 2011: Albums of the Year

In a year that saw the return of widespread protests around the world, the power and potential of grass-roots movements, such as Occupy Wall Street, more and more bad economic news and forecasts, the music industry seemed to bounce back with a bunch of solid releases, including new albums by Kanye West and Jay-Z, Adele, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and others, as 'indie' labels such as Sub Pop, Yep Roc, and ANTI-, emerged as the leaders of a new renaissance in the music biz. Meanwhile, reissues, by specialty labels like Legacy, were among the most exciting "new" music of 2011.

By Jeff Schwachter
Add Comment Add Comment | Comments: 3 | Posted Dec. 16, 2011

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In a year that saw the return of widespread protests around the world, the power and potential of grass-roots movements, such as Occupy Wall Street, more and more bad economic news and forecasts, the music industry seemed to bounce back with a bunch of solid releases, including new albums by Kanye West and Jay-Z, Adele, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and others, as 'indie' labels such as Sub Pop, Yep Roc, and ANTI-, emerged as the leaders of a new renaissance in the music biz. Meanwhile, reissues, by specialty labels like Legacy, were among the most exciting "new" music of 2011. 

Atlantic City Weekly runs an Album of the Week column on the Coasting page each week, and the editors have put together a list of the best 2011 albums of the bunch, as well as several re-issues, and albums we didn't get a chance to write about yet for a total of 50 albums that you may or may not have heard yet.

2011 Albums of the Year (in no particular order. Click on links to see album review; when you get to page, scroll down to the Album of the Week column). Rock on.

 

Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest

Sean Rowe - Magic

Black Keys - El Camino

Adele - 21

Bill Callahan - Apocalypse

The Roots - undun

Kate Bush - 50 Words for Snow

Tom Waits - Bad as Me

Various Artists - Boardwalk Empire - Songs from the HBO Original Series, Vol. 1 (Stephen DeRosa, Kathy Brier, Leon Redbone, Vince Giordano,

Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch the Throne

Fleet Foxes - Hellplessness Blues

Panda Bear - Tomboy

Lady Gaga - Born This Way

Booker T. Jones - The Road From Memphis

The Beach Boys - Smile Sessions Box Set

Gary Clark Jr. - The Bright Lights EP

Feist - Metals

Tinariwen
 - Tassili

Glasvegas - Euphoric/// Heartbreak\\\

Nick Lowe - The Old Magic

Paul Simon - So Beautufl or So What?

R.E.M. - Collapse into Now

Wye Oak - Civilian

NRBQ - Keep this Love Goin'

Fruit Bats - Tripper

War on Drugs - Slave Ambient

Beyoncé - 4

Washed Out - Within and Without

Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin'

St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

Joe Henry - Reverie

Greg Brown - Freak Flag

Johnny Sansone - The Lord Is Waiting and the Devil Is Too

J Masics - Several Shades of Why

VA - The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams (Bob Dylan, Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow, Alan Jackson)

Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean

VA- The Sound of Siam: Leftfield Luk Thung, Jazz & Molam in Thailand 1964-1975’

Gil-Scott Heron & Jamie xx - We're New Here

Rolling Stones - Some Girls (re-issue)

Howlin' Wolf - Smokestack Lightning, The Complete Chess Masters, 1951-1960

Etta James - The Dreamer

U2 - Achtung Baby (20th Anniversary re-issue)

Sam Cooke - Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964 (digital release)

Wall of Sound: The Very Best of Phil Spector 1961-1966 CD

Jimi Hendrix - Live at Winterland Box Set

Miles Davis - Live in Europe 1967: Bootleg Series, Vol. 1

Roy Orbison - The Monument Singles Collection

John Fahey - Your Past Comes Back to Haunt You - Fonotone Recordings (1958-1965)

VA - Opika Pende: Africa at 78 RPM

VA - *I Listen to the Wind That Obliterates My Traces - Music in Vernacular Photographs (1880-1955)
 

*Book plus CD

 

 What's missing? What are your favorite albums of the year?

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COMMENTS

Comments 1 - 3 of 3
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1. Reed Palmer said... on Dec 16, 2011 at 04:15PM

“great choices here, but what about Wilco? Radiohead?”

Report Violation

2. J South said... on Dec 19, 2011 at 03:31PM

“how about Alison Krauss? Her 2011 album w Union Station was phenomenal.”

Report Violation

3. heather 545 said... on Jan 14, 2012 at 08:51PM

“I love joe henry! Where's joseph arthur's Graduation Ceremony?”

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