Their third album saw The Go Team resurrected and reinvigorated after their disappointing Proof Of Youth release of 2007. A fun album mixing bubble gum pop and big beats with stripped down melodies. Scattered with charming,brief instrumentals that complete the 13 track release.
Here is the stand out track ,the bright n breezy Buy Nothing Day featuring the lovely Bethany from Best Coast.
9.REAL ESTATE - DAYS
Songs about street lights, phone lines and leaves should make for an album of mundane dirge. Real Estates ability to add layers of guitar and understated melody to this album, with every note sounding vital, is tribute to how complete an album this sounds. Masterful guitar work from Matt Mondanile adds colour to each song. You can hear the L.A sunshine shimmering throughout. Would have been the soundtrack to the summer and quite possibly number one in this list if it had been released in July and not October.
The beautiful sunny melody that is Out Of Tune
8.THE WAR ON DRUGS - SLAVE AMBIENT
Kurt Vile may have taken all the plaudits for his excellent Smoke Ring For My Halo album this year but it is his former band that claimed a top ten place in the e-quality top ten. An unlikely mix of US rock and experimental synth. Sounding like a collection of E street band demos recorded after a year listening to Krautrock. It's a record that shouldn't work but it does. A magnificent album.
A prime example of classic rock;
7.KELLY CLARKSON - STRONGER
A prime example of what this blog is all about. If it's a great album it's a great album ! It doesn't have to be loved by NME. Kelly Clarkson will always be "the girl who won the first American Idol". A label that has possibly hindered her attempts to be considered a relevant singer. A shame because Stronger is an album that proves her to be the greatest female singer around. While the world falls in love with autotune Gaga, Rihanna, Keisha etc..Clarkson continues doing what she does best..belting out heart on the sleeve power pop songs. 13 tracks to showcase a stunning voice.
Proof if needed;
6.LYKKE LI - WOUNDED RHYMES
A heartbreaking album filled with stark torch songs and bleak break up laments. It's an album that makes Lykke Li sound wise beyond her 25 years. Flirting between aggressor and victim throughout the ten tracks enables Li to display her distinctive vocals to the max. A formidable collection of songs. Lykke Li's career trajectory could be about to hit the stars. A slow burner but an album that will be hailed a masterpiece in years to come.
I Follow Rivers encapsulates the album beautifully;
5.SUMMER CAMP - WELCOME TO CONDALE
Following on from last years excellent Young ep, Welcome to Condale continues to see Summer Camp immerse themselves in 80's nostalgia. From sampling cult film Last Summer on Ghost Train to Eat To The Beat era Blondie the album is filled with retrospective moments transporting the listener back to those carefree days of long hot summers and holding hands with your teenage sweetheart.Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey have produced an album of melodic, synth pop at it's finest. In Sankey they have a vocalist of exquisite kooky charm and explosive singing ability. A joy to behold.
Pop music how it should be done;
4.YUCK - YUCK
Grunge isn't dead. It's alive and kicking in the form of this blistering debut album from the London based four piece. Guitar driven, hook laden and riff heavy make for a self assured 11 tracks. A rollercoaster between high energy crescendos (Get Away, Georgia) and alluring vulnerability ( Stutter, Suicide Policeman) shows the bands assured maturity in this body of work. Already as complete as any Pavement album ever was. They really should hail from Seattle.
It's 1991, here's Get Away;
3. ADELE - 21
2011 the year of Adele. Before 21 was released she was a highly acclaimed, chirpy cockney singer with a powerful voice mature beyond her teenage years. Now she is the biggest selling music artist on the planet. A worldwide phenomenon.Can the album really justify this ? Oh Yes ! Heart on the sleeve lyrics belted out by a girl that means every word. You can feel the soulful emotion throughout every track. From the spine tingling Someone Like You to the Nashville blues of Rolling In The Deep,Adele shows her sheer vocal ability throughout .Uplifting and heart wrenching. No gimmicks just music at it's very best.
THE TV moment of 2011 is right here ;
2. THE HORRORS - SKYING
The Horrors have gone from the band that everyone laughs at to the most vital band in Britain in the space of in just four years. Following on from the brilliant Primary Colours of 2009, Skying sees Faris Badwan and co ditch the gimmicky goth/Cramps look and focus on what great musicians they are. Drawing on early Simple Minds,Human League, Neu and Bowie as undoubted influences, Skying is as close to anthemic synth pop as possible. Every one of the ten tracks is faultless.On Endless Blues, Badwan shows his true vocal ability. Moving Further Away displays a band at their mesmerizing best,not afraid to build multi layers of sound to create yet another stunning track.A remarkable record.
I Can See Through You . Is it 1981 ? We Wish ;
1.DURAN DURAN - ALL YOU NEED IS NOW
Duran Duran winning best album of the year in 2011 is something that no one would have predicted. Long gone are the days of winning everything at the Smash Hits awards but to have an album so highly acclaimed almost thirty years since, arguably, their creative peak must surely eclipse even John Taylors' most fanciable male award(x7!!).
All You Need Is Now saw the band rediscover their mojo thanks to producer Mark Ronson. They sound like Duran Duran should sound.Their songwriting credentials have also returned. Leave A Light On would sit snugly on the Rio album (So good they dropped Save A Prayer from their tour in favour of this),Too Bad You're So Beautiful and Girl Panic flaunt their disco groove while Mediterranea highlights Simon Le Bon's exquisite vocals.
Their best album since the criminally underrated Big Thing album of 1988 and as near to Rio Part II as you are ever going to get.DD could have milked the cash cow with "dialing in" endless Rewind shows and living off former glories but they have always had courage of their convictions and continued to persevere with creating new music. Those convictions have paid off handsomely.For this alone they should be applauded. To make the best album of 2011 they should receive a standing ovation.
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