here we go
Nero - Welcome Reality (Dubstep)
Really strong debut album. Nero manages to capture the essence of dubstep without overly diluting it - the melody remains in the low register, contrasted with Alana Watson's piercing vocals for a great listening experience. Stay away if you have no interest in the dubstep/drum and bass scene though, I just feel it was the strongest dubstep album this year.
Nero - Promises
Justice - Audio, Video, Disco (Electro)
Came under a hail of criticism for, essentially, not being Cross, which is quite sad. Although, personally, I would have appreciated Cross 2 more, AVD manages to be a solid Justice album with all the features of Justice music that makes it so loved the world over. The new sound isn't terrible just because it's not Cross - in fact it grew on me after a few listens. Recommend to anyone.
Justice - Civilization
Does It Offend You, Yeah? -
Don't Say We Didn't Warn You (Dance-punk)
DIOYY?'s second release is more matured, yet at the same time more wild and grimy than their first. It seems they're attempting to shed the dance tag often attached to them, and moving in a more psychedelic direction. Whatever their intent, this album is still awesome. Recommend to any fans of electronic music.
Does It Offend You, Yeah? - We Are The Dead
Architecture in Helsinki - Moment Bends (Indie pop)
It's no In Case We Die, but Moment Bends really gets to you at some points. There's a lot of emotion in the songs, and the vocal harmonies are a great listen. Gets quite repetitive, but it's catchy in the places that matter. Recommend to any pop listeners.
Architecture in Helsinki - Escapee
Sparkadia - The Great Impression (Alt rock)
I'm impressed whenever an Australian group manages to release something good, because to be honest, our music is pretty shitty in general. Sparkadia manages to channel other similar Australian bands in the catchiness of Little Red and Ball Park Music, while evoking emotion like The Panics. I couldn't describe The Great Impression's sound too easily without doing it justice, so please have a listen to it.
Sparkadia - Talking Like I'm Falling Down Stairs
The Strokes - Angles (Alt rock)
Angles really brings back the sounds of 80s rock while still retaining modern characteristics. It's foottapping, relaxing and psychedelic at the same time. Fans of The Strokes have been holding out for a while for this album, and for good reason. I wouldn't suggest it as your first venture into The Strokes, but the New York band does not disappoint. Recommend to fans of alt rock. I had to link two songs because I feel while Under Cover of Darkness is by far the most popular song on the album, it doesn't accurately represent the album as a whole.
The Strokes - Under Cover of Darkness
The Strokes - Metabolism
The Wombats - This Modern Glitch (Indie rock)
This Modern Glitch is catchy, almost unfairly so, and it might be because of its catchiness that you'll never see it on any Pitchfork list. However, I guarantee you won't feel guilty listening to it - the band has done a good job of creating quality music that's easy and fun to listen to. Recommend to all fans of lighter rock.
The Wombats - Jump Into The Fog
The Glitch Mob - We Can Make The World Stop (Glitch)
I cheated - this release is an EP, not a full length album. However, The Glitch Mob has been active lately, touring and releasing remixes. The three songs within this EP are great, and should be a good gateway into their LP, Drink The Sea which was released last year. Recommend to all fans of electronic music.
The Glitch Mob - Warrior Concerto
Los Campesinos! - Hello Sadness (Indie pop)
Every time Los Campesinos! releases a new album, I get scared. I get scared that they're rushing things, and that they'll rush a poorly constructed album that's regressive in their development as a band. And every time they release a new album, I breathe a sigh of relief, because Hello Sadness retains some features from their older stuff - the toe tapping melodies and cheery vocals, but also shows some maturity, just like Romance is Boring before it. Recommend to all fans of indie music (the genre, since no band is really 'indie' any more).
Los Campesinos! - By Your Hand
The above albums haven't been placed in any particular order, but number 10 I feel has been my favourite album of 2011, and probably the strongest in a year that was otherwise pretty ordinary.
Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials (Indie pop)
Ceremonials is an amazing album, with the soaring vocals, light harps and pounding drums that shot her to fame back when Lungs was released. It definitely shows her maturity as a vocalist, although one common criticism is that the album, to people listening to it for the first time or that aren't fans of Florence and her machine, sounds like one high note being held for about an hour. For this reason, I won't recommend it if you have no interest in this sort of music, but if you do, it is probably the best of its kind in 2011.
Florence + the Machine - Shake It Out