To be honest, it was quite difficult to decide on 10 full albums I really enjoyed listening to from start to finish. This could be the fault of BBC6 radio, and it’s persistent nature of turning an “OK” song into a real banger after playing it enough. It could also be the fault of so many let downs and gimmicks. Never in a single year have I looked forward to so many albums that panned out to be so disappointingly average. In a market so over saturated by bands trying to “out-cool” one another and being more conscious of what they wear than how well they play, it’s no wonder that some of names keep recurring year after year or that the best single tracks list was so much more enjoyable to assemble.

But this is it, I’ve done it. I’ve decided what 10 albums and 20 tracks have been the most enjoyable, the least pretentious and will hopefully be a memorable depiction of 2011 – five, ten and fifty years from now.

As for ranking, I must digress to the one brutal truth of end of year lists that my good friend Wes pointed out recently. Ranking is, in fact, arbitrary and simply a tool for building suspense in pinning down one’s judgement on any particular topic. So to avoid that (as you may not know who I am nor care about/for my taste in music), I’ve decided to post my lists chronologically. My hope is for you to have a listen to anything you’re not familiar with and ideally find something to enjoy. That’s why you’re here, right?

PJ Harvey – Let England Shake

MP3: Let England Shake

Secret Cities – Strange Hearts

MP3 – Always Friends

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

MP3 – The Shrine / An Argument

Amor De Dias – Street of the Love of Days

MP3: Bunhill Fields

Let’s Wrestle – Nursing Home

Bon Iver – Bon Iver, Bon Iver

MP3: Holocene

Eleanor Friedberger – Last Summer

MP3: I Won’t Fall Apart On You Tonight

Beirut – The Rip Tide

MP3: Santa Fe

Laura Marling – A Creature I Don’t Know

Boddie Recording Company: Cleveland, Ohio – Numero Group Compilation

MP3: Jackie Russell – If You Don’t Want Me Let Me Be

My Top 20 Tracks Of 2011

PJ Harvey – MP3: The Last Living Rose (Let England Shake)

Bill Callahan – MP3: America! (Apocalypse)

Metronomy – MP3: The Look (The English Riviera)

tUnEyArDs – MP3: Bizness (w h o k i l l)

Eleanor Friedberger – MP3: My Mistakes (Last Summer)

Wild Beasts – MP3: Deeper (Smother)

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – MP3: How Can You Luv Me (Unknown Mortal Orchestra)

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – MP3: Senator (Mirror Traffic)

Bon Iver – MP3: Towers (Bon Iver, Bon Iver)

Little Dragon – MP3: Ritual Union (Ritual Union)

Laura Marling – MP3: Sophia (A Creature I Don’t Know)

Real Estate – MP3: It’s Real (Days)

The War On Drugs – MP3: Baby Missiles (Slave Ambient)

Race Horses – MP3: Benidorm

Girls – MP3: Honey Bunny (Father, Son, Holy Ghost)

Atlas Sound – MP3: Lightworks (Parallax)

Michael Kiwanuka – MP3: I’m Getting Ready (Tell Me A Tale)

The Black Keys – Video: Lonely Boy (El Camino)

DJ Shadow feat. Little Dragon – MP3: Scale it back (The Less You Know, The Better)

NZCA/Lines – NZCA/LINES – Okinawa Channels

Over the last few months, via the musical grapevine, the band Fanfarlo has kept reappearing on my radar. But it wasn’t until visiting the UK in October that I actually heard them for the first time. I was able to catch them at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, where I was initially only there to catch opening act First Aid Kit. After settling on the fact that I could walk away completely satisfied after their set, Fanfarlo took the stage. While on record they sound a bit harnessed and calculated, their live show illuminates their talent enthusiastically. Created by ex-Swede Simon Balthazar, the six-piece band is based out of London and has been actively touring Europe and the US on their debut record Reservoir throughout 2009. They also just played CMJ and have again been added to the SXSW 2010 roster.

Balthazar sings with a sweet and bold voice (similar to that of Beirut’s Zach Condon) and is backed by an amazing group who each play multiple instruments to form a big full sound, reminding me of the Arcade Fire. Have a listen, but more importantly, check out some live footage.

Fanfarlo has recently been recording a number of “Laptop Sessions” where they perform covers. You can find those here, as well as some music videos.