2011's albums you may have missed

There are many things that I dislike a disproportionate amount. Among them, is end of year "best of" lists. Why are they always done in December or January? Anything released near the start of the year might be forgotten about, anything released near the ends of the year hasn't had enough time to have a proper opinion formed about it. Plus there are always, every year, albums that just fly under your radar that you don't hear about until halfway through the next year. So with that in mind, I'd like to offer you some albums from 2011 that you might have missed. For each one, you'll find a Spotify play button ('cause they're pretty nifty) and a youtube link to the same song from the album. If you don't want to read and just want to listen, here's a spotify playlist of the whole lot. With any luck, you'll be able to find something you enjoy that passed you by. I've tried to avoid the obvious releases that I think most people will have heard or that seemed to receive a lot of hype (e.g. Bon Iver, Low, The Antlers etc) but feel free to suggest anything you think I've overlooked in the comments.


Everything's Getting Older - Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat
Winner of the SAY Award (Scottish Album of the Year) and probably my own album of 2011. Moffat is best known for his work in Arab Strap, and this album is underpinned with the lyrical genius that typified that band. Bill Wells is probably a less familiar name but is without a doubt a wonderful instrumentalist, and the two combine to create a great album. This song is its poignant centerpiece, and the song which most accurately represents the album's title.

The Copper Top

Western Teleport - Emperor X
This album is the reason why I first thought of doing this post. A good friend of mine suggested I listen to this only a few weeks ago, and since then I've had it on almost constantly. Described as "pop/noise/folk" (thanks last.fm), Emperor X takes all three of those things and blends them into a cocktail of musical joy.

Allahu Akbar

Diamond Mine - King Creosote & Jon Hopkins
Another SAY award nominated collaboration album? Oh, go on then. This time it's the turn of singer-songwriter King Creosote and (sadly, London-based) electronica musician Jon Hopkins, the former providing vocals to the latter's glorious subdued backdrop.

Bats In The Attic

I Was Here For A Moment, Then I Was Gone - Maybeshewill

While Mogwai's Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will received many plaudits, it was Maybeshewill's third full-length that was my favourite post-rock album of last year (and probably second in my own albums of the year list). The vocal samples of the band's previous albums are missing, but in their place is a greater use of keyboards. It sounds absolutely huge (also worth mentioning is the amazing expanded artwork on the vinyl release of this album, which I previously wrote about here).

Red Paper Lanterns

Scatterbrain - The Xcerts
We're back in Scotland now for The Xcerts' latest effort. I must admit, it took seeing them live at 2000 Trees last month for me to fully warm to the band's distorted pop songs (their description, not mine) but now I'm fully behind them.

Slackerpop

Gracious Tide, Take Me Home - Lanterns On The Lake
A lovely, sleepy album from the North-East. This is one to listen to when it's raining outside and you don't want to leave the house.

Ships In The Rain (Soundcloud link)

The Wages Of Fear - Tellison
I was, fortunately, pretty late to the Tellison party. I say that because there was a lengthy wait of almost 4 years between the band's first album and this one. Fortunate it is, then, that this is an absolute corker of an album. Tellison write delightful, angular, catchy songs with lyrics referencing everything from the Bride in Kill Bill to novelist Edith Wharton. Hopefully, the third album won't take another 4 years.

Collarbone

Romance - Tubelord
Tubelord took a pretty big risk in changing their sound quite a lot for this, their second album. Where Our First American Friends was definitely a guitar-driven album (and a fantastic one at that), Romance deals largely in synths and keyboards. What isn't missing, though, is the yelpy happiness that typifies everything Tubelord do. A summer album, for sure.

My First Castle

Mount Modern - Dad Rocks!
Despite doubtless sharing his name with many awful "ROCK MUSIC!!!" compilations, Dad Rocks! is in fact the acoustic folk alter-ego of Snævar Albertsson (frontman of Mimas). The unusual layered effect on his vocals only adds to the charm of this, his first full-length album.

Weapons

BONUS: Four Priests - Algiers
Despite not being a full album, I couldn't do this post without mentioning Algiers' magnificent Four Priests EP. The band's sound belies the fact that there are only two of them making this tuneful racket and at a short 5 songs, leaves me eagerly awaiting their next release.

Uncover Me

Well, that's all for now. Cheers!

Adam.