Year-End Lists

Gorilla vs. Bear: Albums of 2011

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012]

1. Black Up
   Shabazz Palaces
2. 936
   Peaking Lights
3. Tomboy
   Panda Bear
4. D
   White Denim
5. LIVE.LOVE.A$AP
   A$AP Rocky
6. An Album By Korallreven
   Korallreven
7. Electronic Dream
   AraabMuzik
8. Days
   Real Estate
9. The Magic Place
   Julianna Barwick
10. Headbangers in Ecstasy
    Puro Instinct
11. Mrs. Jones’ Cookies
    The Sandwitches
12. Forever
    Sleep ∞ Over
13. A/A
    Grouper
14. An Empty Bliss Beyond This World
    The Caretaker
15. With U
    Holy Other
16. Darkside
    Darkside
17. Within and Without
    Washed Out
18. Channel Pressure
    Ford & Lopatin
19. Pleasure
    Pure X
20. Freaking Out
    Toro y Moi
21. Shapeshifting
    Young Galaxy
22. Mina Tindle
    Mina Tindle
24. Dreaming
    Run DMT
25. Ruin 1 + 2
    Elite Gymnastics
26. Setbacks
    Schoolboy Q
27. Instrumentals
    Clams Casino
28. House of Balloons
    The Weeknd
29. Passed Me By
    Andy Stott
30. Space is Only Noise
    Nicolas Jaar

Jason Bentley: Top 10 Albums of 2011, as posted by KCRW

[see also 2012]

1. Nine Types of Light
   TV on the Radio
2. Build a Rocket Boys!
   Elbow
3. Circuital
   My Morning Jacket
4. Helplessness Blues
   Fleet Foxes
5. 21
   Adele
6. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
   Beastie Boys
7. In the Mountain in the Cloud
   Portugal. The Man
8. Let England Shake
   PJ Harvey
9. The English Riviera
   Metronomy
10. Metals
    Feist

Honorable Mentions

• Thank You, Happy Birthday
  Cage the Elephant
• SBTRKT
  SBTRKT
• A Different Kind of Fix
  Bombay Bicycle Club
• Laura
  Diego Garcia
• Reworked/Remixed
  Trentemoller
• Collapse Into Now
  R.E.M.
• Pala
  Friendly Fires
• Rave On Buddy Holly
  various artists
• Tassili
  Tinariwen
• Ashes & Fire
  Ryan Adams

Clash Magazine: Top 40 Albums of 2011

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012]

1. Monkeytown
   Modeselektor
2. Skying
   The Horrors
3. Let England Shake
   PJ Harvey
4. Gloss Drop
   Battles
5. The King of Limbs
   Radiohead
6. The English Riviera
   Metronomy
7. Blood Pressures
   Kills
8. 21
   Adele
9. Circuital
   My Morning Jacket
10. Dedication
    Zomby
11. The Rip Tide
    Beirut
12. Biophilia
    Björk
13. Helplessness Blues
    Fleet Foxes
14. Diamond Mine
    King Creosote & Jon Hopkins
15. Smother
    Wild Beasts
16. Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
    Beastie Boys
17. W
    PLANNINGTOROCK
18. Hotel Shampoo
    Gruff Rhys
19. Wounded Rhymes
    Lykke Li
20. The Less You Know The Better
    DJ Shadow
21. Replica
    Oneohtrix Point Never
22. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
    M83
23. The Whole Love
    Wilco
24. Mind Bokeh
    Bibio
25. Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
    Explosions in the Sky
26. Bon Iver
    Bon Iver
27. Smart Flesh
    The Low Anthem
28. Ceremonials
    Florence + The Machine
29. One Pig
    Matthew Herbert
30. Ashes & Fire
    Ryan Adams
31. Ritual Union
    Little Dragon
32. Watch the Throne
    Jay-Z and Kanye West
33. Velociraptor!
    Kasabian
34. D
    White Denim
35. I’m With You
    Red Hot Chili Peppers
36. Progress Chance
    Richard Donoso
37. Toomorrow
    Wagon Christ
38. West
    Wooden Shjips
39. Konkylie
    When Saints Go Machine
40. Rome
    Danger Mouse & Daniel Luppi

AwkwardSound: 25 Best Albums of 2011

1. David Comes to Life
   Fucked Up
2. Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me
   Touché Amoré
3. Yuck
   Yuck
4. Let England Shake
   PJ Harvey
5. Awake EP
   Trash Talk
6. Conatus
   Zola Jesus
7. New Brigade
   Iceage
8. Leave Home
   The Men
9. Take Care
   Drake
10. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
    M83
11. Belong
    Pains of Being Pure at Heart
12. Replica
    Oneohtrix Point Never
13. No Devolución
    Thursday
14. Cloud Nothings
    Cloud Nothings
15. Skying
    The Horrors
16. The Tao of the Dead
    …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
17. Parallax
    Atlas Sound
18. Days
    Real Estate
19. We Are the Champions
    JEFF The Brotherhood
20. Shed
    Title Fight
21. Aesthethica
    Liturgy
22. Cherish the Light Years
    Cold Cave
23. The Year of Hibernation
    Youth Lagoon
24. Guider
    Disappears
25. Trash Hit
    Mr. Dream

Greg Kot: Top Albums of 2011, as published by The Chicago Tribune and aired on Sound Opinions

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012]

1. Wild Flag
   Wild Flag
2. Undun
   The Roots
3. Whokill
   Tune-Yards
4. What Were You Hoping For?
   Van Hunt
5. David Comes to Life
   Fucked Up
6. Here Before
   The Feelies
7. Stone Rollin’
   Raphael Saadiq
8. Birds & Drums
   Bewitched Hands
9. Relax
   Das Racist
10. Helplessness Blues
    Fleet Foxes
11. Indestructible Machine
    Lydia Loveless
12. Nine Types of Light
    TV on the Radio
13. Solid State: Songs from the Long Play
    Sam Phillips
14. Strange Mercy
    St. Vincent
15. Bad as Me
    Tom Waits
16. Rome
    Danger Mouse & Daniel Luppi
17. Anna Calvi
    Anna Calvi
18. Lenses Alien
    Cymbals Eat Guitars
19. Sin Sin Sin
    Le Butcherettes
20. C’mon
    Low

Music Writers for the BBC: Top 25 Albums of 2011

1. Let England Shake
   PJ Harvey
2. Smother
   Wild Beasts
3. Skying
   The Horrors
4. Burst Apart
   The Antlers
5. Bad as Me
   Tom Waits
6. The English Riviera
   Metronomy
7. 4
   Beyoncé
8. Last of the Country Gentlemen
   Josh T Pearson
9. Bon Iver
   Bon Iver
10. New Brigade
    Iceage
11. Biophilia
    Björk
12. SBTRKT
    SBTRKT
13. On A Mission
    Katy B
14. Go-Go Boots
    Drive-By Truckers
15. We’re New Here
    Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx
16. Anna Calvi
    Anna Calvi
17. 50 Words for Snow
    Kate Bush
18. Helplessness Blues
    Fleet Foxes
19. The Magic Place
    Julianna Barwick
20. Past Life Martyred Saints
    EMA
21. The King is Dead
    The Decemberists
22. Darker Handcraft
    Trap Them
23. Cherish the Light Years
    Cold Cave
24. A Creature I Don’t Know
    Laura Marling
25. The People’s Key
    Bright Eyes

David Edelstein: Top 10 Movies of 2011, as published in New York Magazine, alphabetical

[see also 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012]

• The Adventures of Tintin
  Steven Spielberg
• Beginners
  Mike Mills
• Coriolanus
  Ralph Fiennes
• The Descendants
  Alexander Payne
• Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life
  Joann Sfar
• Hell and Back Again
  Danfung Dennis
• Into the Abyss
  Werner Herzog
• Margin Call
  J.C. Chandor
• Mysteries of Lisbon
  Raoul Ruiz
• War Horse
  Steven Spielberg

Publishers Weekly: Best Poetry Books of 2011

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012]

• Touch
  Henri Cole
• Space, in Chains
  Laura Kasischke
• The Cold War
  Kathleen Ossip
• Life on Mars
  Tracy K. Smith
• Devotions
  Bruce Smith

Filter Magazine: Top 20 Albums of 2011

[see also 2012]

1. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
   M83
2. Bon Iver
   Bon Iver
3. Helplessness Blues
   Fleet Foxes
4. How Do You Do?
   Mayer Hawthorne
5. House of Balloons
   The Weeknd
6. 21
   Adele
7. Build a Rocket Boys!
   Elbow
8. Arabia Mountain
   Black Lips
9. Within and Without
   Washed Out
10. LIVE.LOVE.A$AP
    A$AP Rocky

Honorable Mentions (in order)

11. James Blake
    James Blake
12. Ashes & Fire
    Ryan Adams
13. Wounded Rhymes
    Lykke Li
14. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
    Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
15. Bad as Me
    Tom Waits
16. Ritual Union
    Little Dragon
17. Wasting Light
    Foo Fighters
18. The King of Limbs
    Radiohead
19. David Comes to Life
    Fucked Up
20. Audio,Video,Disco
    Justice

Fact Magazine: 50 Best Albums of 2011

[see also 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012]

1. House of Balloons
   The Weeknd
2. Glass Swords
   Rustie
3. Instrumentals
   Clams Casino
4. Bermuda Drain
   Prurient
5. Electronic Dream
   AraabMuzik
6. Far Side Virtual
   James Ferraro
7. Take Care
   Drake
8. The Magic Place
   Julianna Barwick
9. Routes
   LV & Joshua Idehen
10. Nostalgia, Ultra
    Frank Ocean
11. Hour Logic
    Laurel Halo
12. James Blake
    James Blake
13. Tragedy
    Julia Holter
14. LIVE.LOVE.A$AP
    A$AP Rocky
15. Dedication
    Zomby
16. Severant
    Kuedo
17. Seeping Through The Veil Of The Unconscious
    Motion Sickness of Time Travel
18. Cashmere Sheets
    Patrice & Friends
19. XXX
    Danny Brown
20. Afro Noise Vol. 1
    Cut Hands
21. Aftertime
    Roly Porter
22. Replica
    Oneohtrix Point Never
23. We’re New Here
    Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx
24. We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
    John Maus
25. Room(s)
    Machinedrum
26. SyMeta
    Byetone
27. 936
    Peaking Lights
28. Passed Me By
    Andy Stott
29. GLAQJO XAACSSO
    patten
30. Eye Contact
    Gang Gang Dance
31. Re: ECM
    Ricardo Villalobos & Max Loderbauer
32. Skying
    The Horrors
33. 808s & Dark Grapes II
    Main Attrakionz
34. Black Sun
    Kode9 and The Spaceape
35. Music For Thomas Carnacki Vol. 1
    Jon Brooks
36. The End of All Things
    Tropic of Cancer
37. Wander / Wonder
    Balam Acab
38. Breaking the Frame
    Surgeon
39. James Pants
    James Pants
40. The Haxan Cloak
    The Haxan Cloak
41. The Teac Life
    Legowelt
42. Fever
    2562
43. Smother
    Wild Beasts
44. Biophilia
    Björk
45. Blanck Mass
    Blanck Mass
46. Unity
    Damu
47. LP
    Container
48. Rubba Band Business 2
    Juicy J & Lex Luger
49. 93 Million Miles
    Africa Hitech
50. Urban Gothic
    Xander Harris