Liz's Top 10 Albums of 2011

This year was a great one for music. I had a really hard time paring down the list of stuff I liked to just 10 (sorry, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Wye Oak, and The Naked and Famous), which NEVER happens. Here, loosely ordered, are the records I found myself listening to over and over again with undiminishing enjoyment:

1. Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital

Handsome Furs - Repatriated by subpop

Husband-and-wife duo Handsome Furs made a bold move on their third album, relying on primarily synthesizers and drum loops with an occasional guitar track thrown in for good measure. Touching on themes of isolation and political unrest, Sound Kapital nonetheless makes for a great dance album at the same time.

2. Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials

Florence Welch really went all out with the orchestration and production on her second album, and boy has the effort paid off. From the inspiring single "Shake It Out" to the defiant "No Light, No Light," Ceremonials solidifies the fire-haired crooner as a force to be reckoned with.

 3. Wild Flag - Wild Flag

Blah blah supergroup, blah blah Sleater-Kinney, blah blah four ladies. We've all heard the hype, but this album just straight up ROCKS, period. Forty minutes of face-melting, balls to the wall (ironic!) riffs and rhythms, supplemented by hook-laden harmonies? Yes, please!

4. Patrick Wolf - Lupercalia

Exuberant. That's the only way to describe "The City," the buoyant first single from Patrick Wolf's latest offering. For my money, it's just as infectious - if not more so - than Cee-Lo Green's "F*** You," not to mention more radio friendly. The song is the leadoff track on Lupercalia, and the record's all uphill from there.

5. Boy & Bear - Moonfire

This Australian indie folk quintet is my favorite new discovery of 2011. Their gorgeous, 'round-the-campfire-esque harmonies gave me chills when I saw the band live at the CMJ Music Marathon, and Moonfire is so well-produced that the songs, which blend country, folk and rock influences, feel just as intimate on record.

6. The Sounds - Something to Die For

Released all the way back in March, the Swedish group's fourth album, and strongest to date, still sounds as fresh to me as it did the first time I heard it. A nonstop, hook-laden dance party, Something to Die For gets my vote for Most Earworms of 2011. And it's tied with Handsome Furs for best use of a synthesizer.

7. R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now

What would turn out to be the legendary group's final album is their strongest effort in years. Sure, there are a few throwaway tracks, but Collapse Into Now as a whole trumps everything else R.E.M. has released in this century. On the final track, "Blue," Patti Smith helps the boys exit on a high note.

8. We Are Augustines - Rise Ye Sunken Ships

Brooklyn trio We Are Augustines have released the best Bruce Springsteen album of 2011. Kidding aside, the group embraces and breathes new life into the Americana tradition of blue-collar storytelling through song. Thematically, the record primarily revolves around the suicide of singer Billy McCarthy's brother, James, and its pure rock 'n' roll tracks manage to be both raucous and touching at the same time.

9. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

On her polarizing latest effort, Polly Jean Harvey tackles the history of imperialism and war throughout the world, and in particular the involvement of her native England in various conflicts. A timely record written and recorded against the backdrop of the U.S.-led and Britain-abetted war in Iraq, Let England Shake plays out like a love letter to someone or something that is treasured despite flaws that are too great to be overlooked. Viva el autoharp!

10. The Jezabels - Prisoner

The Australian group's highly-anticipated debut full-length is a grower. The album is enough of a departure from The Jezabels' previous three EPs that, upon first listen, I worried they hadn't lived up to their potential. But by the second or third spin, I realized they were just pushing themselves out of their comfort zone, and the result is tremendous. With several songs topping out at more than five minutes, Prisoner offers enough breathing room to showcase the talents of each of the four band members, and singer Hayley Mary's voice is still as goosebump-inducing as ever.

An Open Letter to R.E.M.

Dear Michael, Mike and Peter (and Bill, sort of) --

I was shattered to hear the news last week that you guys are calling it quits, and it's taken me a full week to be able to articulate exactly why. I still don't think I capture it very well.

The thing is, you're the first and only band I truly grew up with. Thirty-one years strong at the time of your demise, you're older than I am. At first I thought, "This must have been how my mom felt when The Beatles broke up." But The Fab Four were only active for a third of the time you've been around – and popular for even less time than that.

R.E.M. has played such an integral role in my life as a music fan. Out of Time is my number-one desert island album. You were my first favorite band.

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Apartment Story: We Are Augustines

The debut album from buzzworthy trio We Are Augustines, Rise Ye Sunken Ships, comes out today, and the band invited soldout to their Brooklyn studio on a recent hot summer afternoon for a performance of the first single, "Chapel Song." Weaving a common thread throughout the album as a whole are themes of insecurity, vulnerability and loss, and this leadoff track is no exception.

"This song is about lost love and witnessing an old love and bride-to-be walk down the aisle to be married," according to singer Billy McCarthy. "So often in life it is difficult for us to keep a good face on the outside while our insides are burning. Hollow handshakes and blank stares at a wedding sum up the sentiment here."

We Are Augustines will be on tour throughout September to promote the record; for dates and more information, visit www.weareaugustines.com.

Apartment Story: The Jezabels

We recently spent a Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn with Australian quartet The Jezabels, who treated us to a minimalist rendition of their gorgeous song "Sahara Mahala." This guitar-and-shaker take is a nice counterpart to the recorded version on the band's third and most recent EP, Dark Storm, which is buoyed by lush instrumentation and heavy percussion. The Jezabels plan to release their first full-length record later this year, and we're already saving a spot on our Best Of lists.

Liz's Top 10 of 2010

Disclaimer: Overall, 2010 was not a great year for music, in my opinion. A breakdown of this list: the top three are albums that I genuinely love, and any one of them I'll claim as my favorite record of the year, depending on the day; four through eight are really great records that I've gone back to consistently since their release; and the final pair would have been left off in a year with better musical offerings. And for those wondering? While Kanye West's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" has a handful of truly transcendent moments (see my best tracks), it's the most overrated record of the year. So, here you have it: my personal favorite music of 2010. 

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