Henry’s Music Blog

2011 was a year where music was set by club music for most of the time. Look at Billboards Top 100 songs of the year. Most of the songs are basically about dancing and having sex at clubs. I don’t care for club songs. And typically, no one cares about the albums those songs came from. So these are my choices for my best albums of the year, which I feel manage to not be “singles” albums, but albums that stay strong throughout. So now, I present…

My Top 10 Albums of the Year

10.Thank You, Happy Birthday - Cage the Elephant

Every year has that one Indie Rock single that manages to worm its way into the biggest hits of the year. 2009 had “Use Somebody”, and 2010 had “Animal”. This band was not Cage the Elephant. This year, the big surprise Indie Rock hit was “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster the People, a great song from an album no one really cares about. But Thank You Happy Birthday is an album that manages to stay strong the whole way through. With great songs like “Shake Me Down” and “Aberdeen”, several songs could of become a huge hit, instead of “Shake Me Down” peaking at no. 76. Sure, they may sound like most harder indie bands, but few do it better. And while I see Foster the People staying as a one hit wonder, I see Cage the Elephant being around for a long time.

Key Track: Shake Me Down

9. I’m With You - Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Red Hot Chili Peppers had not done an album since 2006. That is a lot of time in rock music, although not quite up to Boston levels of time. And in that time, they lost what people think is the most important part of the band that does not jump around in giant fuzzy animal pants, John Frusciante. Instead, they have Frusciante’s protege, Josh Klinghoffer, and released their most recent album, I’m With You. And personally, I could not be more satisfied. While still keeping with the calmer style of the band ever since Californication, the albums is more streamlined than the schizophrenic Stadium Arcadium, and manages to actually rock a fair amount. With songs as diverse as “Rain Dance Maggie”, “Monarchy of Roses”, and “Brendan’s Death Song,” It’s obvious the album was created through the band at their happiest. Flea is excellent on the bass as usual, Josh is a great new addition, Will Ferrell is always excellent on the drums, and Anthony Kiedis can finally actually sing. If this is what the Red Hot Chili Peppers are going to be from now on, I would not mind at all.

Key Track: Monarchy of Roses

8. Hot Sauce Committee pt 2 - Beastie Boys

There’s on thing that’s sure about the Beastie Boys. They may take their time releasing an album, but they always make quality material. With their first non-instrumental album since 2004, they show that they can kick as much ass as they could when they first started. They’re all still some of the best rappers working today. But what people never notice is that beyond the rapping, The Beasties always have the best beats in rap music, with each song being as endlessly creative as Paul’s Boutique. With excellent guest spots like Nas and Santigold, the whole album is filled with the experimentation of the 90s Beastie Boys, with the fun of the 80s Beasties. While I would love to see their albums come out more often, you can’t deny the results. Special mention to “Fight for Your Right Revisited,” easily the best video of the year.

Key Track: Make Some Noise

7. 21 - Adele

This is what many people are calling the best album of the year. I put it at number 7. Why? Because I like to feel special. But really, this album is a massive improvement over what was already a spectacular debut in 19. For the first time in a while, a singer this young doesn’t sound like she is pandering to the teenage girl demographic, instead coming off as a girl wise beyond her years. And there hasn’t been a stronger voice in music ever since Amy Winehouse actually made music. And with “Rolling in the Deep” being the biggest hit of the year, along with being #1 on every list of the best songs of the year, it’s clear she’s not going away. I also look forward to her win for best album at the Grammys. Seriously, we all know she’s gonna win.

Key Track: Rolling in the Deep

6. The Whole Love - Wilco

Wilco is a band that never quite used its masterpiece. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was one of the best albums of the 2000s, and of all time. But A Ghost is Born, Sky Blue Sky, and Wilco (the Album) never matched the perfection of it. Now, they may have found their second masterpiece in The Whole Love. Breaking from their mold of Indie Country, Wilco fully shows what they are capable of here. With songs from the fuzzy “I Might” to the Randy Newmanesque “Capitol City”, and the epic openers on two opposite ends of the musical spectrum, with the loud and powerful “Art of Almost” to the quiet ending of “One Sunday Morning”, this is easily Wilco at their most versatile. Think of it as their next Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

Key Track: I Might

5. Nine Types of Light - TV on the Radio

TV on the Radio are the Velvet Underground of the 2000s. They’re endlessly creative, not all that popular in the grand scheme of music, and most importantly, they make some of the best music available. Every one of their albums is a gem, even the often forgotten OK Calculator. And here, we continue with their string of excellence with Nine Types of Light. While not deviating from their main formula of… whatever they do, the music still manages to be fresh. From the nearly spoken word aspect of “Second Song” to the electro funk of “You”, to the pure beauty of “Will Do”, to the tear jerking nature of “Killer Crane”, each song is completely different, and nearly perfect. Let’s hope they stay around for a long time, even with the tragic loss of Gerard Smith.

Key Track: You

4. Wasting Light - Foo Fighters

I feel Dave Grohl is not living up to his full potential. The first three Foo Fighters albums are classics of Alternative music, with extremely strong music through and through, especially with the near - universally loved Everlong. But after that, the albums just got boring and predictable. But then, Wasting Light came out. And they were finally interesting again. After the tedious radio rock of In Your Honor and Echoes, Science, Patience and Grace, they found a way to mix that with the unpleasant and distorted One by One, into a loud, but extremely melodic album filled with excellent riffs and powerful melodies. This album made them as great as in their heyday, when Dave Grohl still had a bit of Cobain in the music machine. Let’s hope it stays there.

Key Track: Rope

3. Watch the Throne - Jay-Z and Kanye West

After the masterpiece that was My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West was on top of the world. So what did he do? He took his good friend Jay-Z and busted the mic together on Watch the Throne, the big collaboration album of the year. And when egos of this magnitude collide, there’s going to be a storm. And that storm was “Black Gentlemen in Paris”, a massive hit with the audience, enough to be played 11 times in one show. And if you ask me, that’s not even the best song on the album. With excellent production all around, and Jay-hova and Yeezy World Peace giving their best verses, This was easily the best rap record of the year, though not OF ALL TIME (sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

Key Track: Otis

2. Born This Way - Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga’s first album, The Fame, had a bunch of great singles, and a lot of filler. Born This Way is a joy to listen to from top to bottom. I will say, the first seven songs are the weakest. Though only one song is really weak (Judas), The songs sound strictly radio fare, outside of the plain old weirdness of “Scheiße”. But as soon as Bloody Mary comes on, the album bursts right into the stratosphere, even if none of the songs would be as marketable as “Born This Way” the song would be. And even the first seven songs are overall very strong. This is easily the best album of the year that everyone had heard.

Key Track: Bad Kids

1. Bad as Me - Tom Waits

And here we have the best album of the year. And who else to give it to but one of the best artists of all time? As Tom Waits first album since Real Gone in 2004, Tom Waits is back, and he’s gonna rattle his bones. Possibly his most bluesiest album, Waits lights fire to his voice, and won’t let up. From the high speed wackiness of opener “Chicago”, to the sadness of “Pay Me”, to the blues of “Satisfied”, to the straight up Tom Waits on the title track, the album’s a masterpiece. Every song will have you howling along with his werewolf cries, Until your throat is as harsh as his.

Key Track: Bad as Me