Citizen Insane's Best of 2011 - Top 25 Albums

As with every oncoming new year, we take the end of December to reflect on the people we should've kissed, the phone calls we shouldn't have made, the opportunities we squandered, the surprises we relished and, most importantly, our favourite music of the months past.

I wish there was more science to lists like these. Nowhere have I been taught a calculated method, nowhere have I read a compelling essay--end-of-the-year lists are confounding, subjective and bullshit, yet important. Whether internalized or not, anyone compiling their 'best ofs' considers themselves tastemakers and one can't shift the pop-culture discourse around them unless they have a stone tablet to hold up to their peers and anyone who'll read/listen. It's not that I loathe making them or cringe at reading others'; I'm fascinated at how so many dissimilar people can reach so many similar conclusions and vice versa. My approach is two-pronged: I go with my gut while considering the cultural landscape. I recognize that loving one thing doesn't make it the best, nor does society's applause. I'm a shape-shifting romanic, contrarian and pragmatist.

I've been making these lists since 2007. While the full lists have always been a conjunction of appreciation, criticism and fondness, the peaks more or less come down to what I've listened to the most that year--trusting my tastes--with posterity acting as tie-breaker. My Best of 2011 list isn't any different...

- Top 25 Albums of 2011 -
25. Radiohead - The King of Limbs
24. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
23. Sleep ∞ Over - Forever
22. Iceage - New Brigade
21. Thundercat - The Golden Age of the Apocalypse

20. Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica
19. ASAP Rocky - LiveLoveASAP
18. Tycho - Dive
17. Ducktails - Arcade Dynamics
16. SBTRKT - SBTRKT

15. Jürgen Müller - Science of the Sea
14. Ty Segall - Goodbye Bread
13. Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise
12. Panda Bear - Tomboy
11. Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place

10. Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
09. Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation
08. Pure X - Pleasure
08. Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
06. WU LYF - Go Tell Fire to the Mountain

05. The Weeknd - House of Balloons
04. Washed Out - Within and Without
03. Real Estate - Days
02. Drake - Take Care
01. James Blake - James Blake

Like the list? Download each album by clicking on its respective title.

Tweet