I do believe it's *that* time of year again, as I finalize my lists (lots of lists! lots of good things!) and reflect upon how very quickly (quickly, but not painlessly) 2011 passed (and how long it's been since I first heard that The Decemberists would be making a new album and it wouldn't suck) and, er, I don't quite know where I'm headed with this sentence anymore.
So, without further ado, here are my top 25. (I'm no good at writing reviews or anything.) Next to each is a genre, chosen simply from popular descriptions and what I'll file them under in my own head, and a rating, assigned according to my own personal system and adjusted accordingly over time as I become more and more partial to particular pieces. (Basically, anything in parentheses means absolutely nothing, but I like having it there.)
25. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming (dream pop/synth pop) [3.1/5]
24. Los Campesinos! - Hello Sadness (indie rock/indie pop) [3.1/5]
23. James Blake - James Blake (art pop/electronic) [3.2/5]
22. Laura Arkana Met Peter Broderick - Lentemuziek (singer-songwriter) [3.4/5]
21. Ane Brun - It All Starts With One (singer-songwriter/art pop) [3.4/5]
20. Kate Bush - 50 Words for Snow (art pop/ambient pop) [3.6/5]
29. Peggy Sue - Acrobats (indie folk/indie rock) [3.7/5]
18. Zola Jesus - Conatus (art pop) [3.8/5]
17. Entertainment for the Braindead - Berlin Kitchen Sessions (singer-songwriter/folk) [3.8/5]
16. Feist - Metals (indie pop/indie folk) [3.8/5]
15. Bright Eyes - The People's Key (indie rock) [3.9/5]
14. Cut Copy - Zonoscope (synth pop/indie pop) [4.1/5]
13. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy (art pop/indie pop) [4.2/5]
12. The Jezabels - Prisoner (indie pop/indie rock) [4.2/5]
11. Ebba Forsberg - Falling Folding Flipping Feeling (singer-songwriter/folk) [4.2/5]
10. Wye Oak - Civilian (indie rock) [4.3/5]
9. Gillian Welch - The Harrow & the Harvest (contemporary folk/americana) [4.3/5]
8. Björk - Biophilia (art pop/electronic) [4.3/5]
7. Tori Amos - Night of Hunters (classical/baroque pop) [4.5/5]
6. Eisley - The Valley (alternative rock/indie pop) [4.7/5]
5. Timber Timbre - Creep On Creepin' On (contemporary folk/blues) [4.8/5]
4. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake (alternative rock/singer-songwriter) [4.8/5]
3. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead (indie folk/country rock) [4.8/5]
2. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (indie folk/baroque folk) [4.8/5]
1. My Brightest Diamond - All Things Will Unwind (baroque pop) [4.9/5]
☆☆☆ Future Islands - On the Water (synth pop) [5/5] ☆☆☆
I know it's sneaky, but this one goes above number one for me. It's fantastic-fantastic-fantastic, and though it may not rank above their album from last year, it certainly goes straight to the top in this list.
Share yours, if you'd like?