Happy 2012 everyone!!!
Okay, as promised here are my top picks. I listened to about 180 albums this year which is a record (no pun intended). Don't think I can sustain that pace for this year.[B)]
Looks like the ladies kicked some ass this year, snagging the top 3 spots![8D] I used the same methodology as last year, strictly ranking each album based on individual song ratings and averaging (out of possible 5.0). Also, 80s artists who had releases some 30 years ago made a strong comeback in 2011: Kate Bush, The Cars, Blondie, Wild Swans, Duran Duran, Wire & John Foxx!
1) Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials (4.469)
2) Adele - 21 (4.455)
3) Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow (4.429)
4) Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - S/T (4.4)
5) Mayer Hawthorne - How Do You Do (4.375)
6) Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys (4.364)
7) Friendly Fires - Pala (4.333)
Royseven - You Say, We Say (4.333)
9) Kraak & Smaak - Electric Hustle (4.333)
10) Destroyer - Kaputt (4.333)
11) Washed Out - Within And Without (4.333)
12) Blackfield - Welcome to My DNA (4.318)
13) Penguin Café - A Matter Of Life... (4.318)
14) Ivy - All Hours (4.318)
15) The Boxer Rebellion - The Cold Still (4.3)
16) White Lies - Ritual (4.3)
17) Fool's Gold - Leave No Trace (4.3)
18) Noah and the Whale - Last Night on Earth (4.3)
19) The Drums - Portamento (4.292)
20) Junior Boys - It's All True (4.278)
21) The Decemberists - The King Is Dead (4.273)
22) Cascadeur - The Human Octopus (4.273)
23) Gavin Friday - catholic (4.273)
24) Customs - Harlequins Of Love (4.25)
25) Wilco - The Whole Love (4.25)
26) VHS or Beta - Diamonds and Death (4.25)
27) Diego García - Laura (4.25)
28) Viva Voce - The Future Will Destroy You (4.25)
29) Anna Calvi - S/T (4.25)
30) WIM - S/T (4.25)
31) The Horrors - Skying (4.25)
32) Arctic Monkeys - Suck It and See (4.25)
33) Holy Ghost! - S/T (4.25)
34) The Rosebuds - Loud Planes Fly Low (4.25)
35) The Submarines - Love Notes/Letter Bombs (4.25)
36) The Veils - Troubles Of The Brain - EP (4.25)
37) Gotye - Making Mirrors (4.25)
38) Active Child - You Are All I See (4.25)
39) Mirrors - Lights And Offerings (4.25)
40) Mia Doi Todd - Cosmic Ocean Ship (4.25)
41) Real Estate - Days (4.25)
42) Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Rome (4.233)
43) The Wild Swans - The Coldest Winter for a Hundred Years (4.231)
44) Fountains of Wayne - Sky Full of Holes (4.231)
45) Keren Ann - 101 (4.227)
46) Blondie - Panic Of Girls (4.227)
47) Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin' (4.227)
48) Part Time - What Would You Say? (4.227)
49) The Black Keys - El Camino (4.227)
50) The Crookes - Chasing After Ghosts (4.227)
51) Okkervil River - I Am Very Far (4.227)
52) Portugal. The Man - In The Mountain In The Cloud (4.227)
53) Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now (4.214)
54) Einar Stray - Chiaroscuro (4.214)
55) Foster the People - Torches (4.208)
56) Asobi Seksu - Fluorescence (4.208)
57) John Foxx and The Maths - Interplay (4.2)
58) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong (4.2)
59) The Cars - Move Like This (4.2)
60) Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes (4.2)
61) Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding (4.192)
62) Radiohead - The King Of Limbs (4.188)
63) The Belle Brigade - S/T (4.182)
64) Elbow - Build a Rocket boys! (4.182)
65) Glasvegas - EUPHORIC /// HEARTBREAK \\\ (4.182)
66) Bell X1 - Bloodless Coup (4.182)
67) Tahiti 80 - The Past, the Present and the Possible (4.182)
68) Oh Land - S/T (4.182)
69) Cut Copy - Zonoscope (4.182)
70) Hercules & Love Affair - Blue Songs (4.179)
71) Chris Isaak - Beyond The Sun (4.179)
72) The Dears - Degeneration Street (4.179)
73) R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now (4.167)
74) Beirut - The Rip Tide (4.167)
75) The Duke Spirit - Bruiser (4.167)
76) The Kooks - Junk Of The Heart (4.167)
77) The Raveonettes - Raven In The Grave (4.167)
78) Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What (4.15)
79) Bon Iver - S/T (4.15)
80) Wild Beasts - Smother (4.15)
81) Frankie And The Heartstrings - Hunger (4.15)
82) Wye Oak - Civilian (4.15)
83) Generationals - Actor-Caster (4.15)
84) Lisa Hannigan - Passenger (4.15)
85) Kaiser Chiefs - The Future is Medieval (4.15)
86) The Feeling - Together We Were Made (4.143)
87) Peter Bjorn and John - Gimme Some (4.136)
88) Wire - Red Barked Tree (4.136)
89) Crystal Stilts - In Love with Oblivion (4.136)
90) Kasabian - Velociraptor!
91) Loney Dear - Hall Music (4.136)
92) Motopony - S/T (4.136)
93) Scott Matthew - Gallantry's Favorite Son (4.136)
94) Duncan Sheik - Covers 80's (4.125)
95) Guillemots - Walk the River (4.125)
96) Phaedra - The Sea (4.125)
97) Tim Booth - Love Life (4.125)
98) Tapes 'n Tapes - Outside (4.125)
99) Japanese Popstars - Controlling Your Allegiance (4.125)
100) Telekinesis - 12 Desperate Straight Lines (4.125)
101) Feist - Metals (4.125)
102) Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (4.125)
103) PJ Harvey - Let England Shake (4.125)
104) Ladytron - Gravity the Seducer (4.125)
105) Thievery Corporation - Culture of Fear (4.115)
106) Panic! at the Disco - Vices & Virtues (4.1)
107) The Strokes - Angles (4.1)
108) Young Galaxy - Shapeshifting (4.091)
109) Blancmange - Blanc Burn (4.091)
110) Future Islands - On The Water (4.091)
111) Zola Jesus - Conatus (4.091)
112) Bibio - Mind Bokeh (4.083)
113) Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - It's A Corporate World (4.083)
114) British Sea Power - Valhalla Dancehall (4.077)
115) Howling Bells - The Loudest Engine (4.077)
116) Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto (4.071)
117) Lady Gaga - Born This Way (4.071)
118) M83 - Hurry Up We're Dreaming (4.068)
119) The Zombies - Breathe Out, Breathe In (4.05)
120) Twin Sister - In Heaven (4.05)
121) Alexander - S/T (4.05)
122) Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean (4.05)
123) Toro Y Moi - Underneath The Pine (4.045)
124) The Human League - Credo (4.045)
125) All India Radio - Free Me (4.045)
126) Little Dragon - Ritual Union (4.045)
127) Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning (4.042)
128) Thomas Dolby - A Map of the Floating City (4.042)
129) Owl City - All Things Bright and Beautiful (4.042)
130) Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Mirror Traffic (4.033)
131) The Fresh & Onlys - Secret Walls EP (4)
132) Best Coast - Summer Is Forever - EP (4)
133) TV On The Radio - Nine Types of Light (4)
134) Boom Bip - Zig Zaj (4)
135) The Head And The Heart - The Head And The Heart (4)
136) Fujiya & Miyagi - Ventriloquizzing (4)
137) Wombats - This Modern Glitch (4)
138) Cold Cave - Cherish The Light Years (4)
139) Say Hi - Um, Uh Oh (4)
140) Schiller - Die Einlassmusik 7 - Klangwelten (4)
Ones that I found underwhelming this year (but by no means awful):
1) Faust - Something Dirty
2) The High Llamas - Talahomi Way
3) The Dodos - No Color
4) Class Actress - Rapprocher
5) St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
6) Cults - S/T
7) New York Dolls - Dancing Backward in High Heels
Atlas Sound - Parallax
9) Metronomy - The English Riviera
10) White Denim - D