TBTS Music: Best of 2011 and thoughts on the year to come 2012

The past twelve months were great! Well, at least they were for music anyway. I was very pleased with the year’s offerings and had quite the time narrowing my choices for the Top Ten. There was even a rare tie for Honorable Mention. Let’s hope the next twelve months worth of tunes will sound even close to as good.

And… here… we… go…

My Top Ten Albums of the year are:

1) Bjork – Biophilia

2) Sarah Jarosz – Follow Me Down

3) Adele – 21

4) Submotion Orchestra – Finest Hour

5) Tedeschi Trucks Band – Revelator

6) Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin

7) Tom Waits – Bad As Me

8) Explosions In The Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

9) Over The Rhine – The Long Surrender

10) Florence + the Machine – Ceremonials

Honorable Mention:

(tie)

The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar

Little Dragon – Ritual Union

This year’s list has been amended to include some other “Bests.”

Those are:

Best New Artist: The Joy Formidable

Best Reissue: The Go-Go’s – Beauty and the Beat 30th Anniversary Edition

Best Archival Recording: Johnny Cash – Bootleg Volume 3, Live Around The World

Best Concert Recording: Adele – Live At The Royal Albert Hall

2012 is looking to start off in interesting fashion with the first new disc in like forever from Guided By Voices dropping day one (by mail order only, in stores the 17th). Other scheduled releases of note are: Chairlift, Lana Del Rey, Air, Of Montreal, Band of Skulls, Mouse on Mars, Kaiser Chiefs, Magnetic Fields, and Paul Van Dyk (and that’s only through March). Fresh material is expected to come from, although no specific date has been set for: Fiona Apple, The Darkness, How To Destroy Angels, The Duke Spirit, The Killers, Linkin Park, Marilyn Manson, The Mars Volta, Muse, No Doubt, Outkast, Paramore, Pearl Jam, Regina Spektor, Rufus Wainwright, Rush, Santigold, The Shins, Sigur Ros, Soundgarden, Spiritualized, Ting Tings, U2, The Veronicas and Wolfmother. Whew! Now look, before you get your panties all up in a bunch, some of those are leftovers delayed from last year, so no promises.

Feeling more than a little let down by The Year of the Rabbit falling well short of a favorable forecast, I am uncharacteristically skeptical about what the The Year of the Dragon might bring. Predictions mostly lean in the direction of throwing caution to the wind. Enthusiasm should be abundant and widespread, but let’s not all go crazy just yet. It is believed Dragons are lucky for the fortunes of enterprise, so that should help things pick up in the economic sector. Look for those leap year four leaf clovers come spring and remember: Never lick a steak knife, regardless of what might be on it.

Wishing all of you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year!