top 50 records of 2011- 30. TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light

30. TV ON THE RADIO -NINE TYPES OF LIGHT

New York City's TV on the radio are a sure-fire guarentee of producing quality output. This is their poppiest, loviest and loveliest effort so far.

The band sounds happy in love and have a cheerful mentality. It's a summer-centric listen and after their masterpiece "Dear Science" brought the funk and was super-bold, this fourth album is a lot more centered.

It's a pleasant break from a band that usually swerves around with styles. I feel they've certainly not mellowed out for good, but instead want to just produce an album of sweet nectar and this is it. Their milk and honey.

GO HERE: http://vimeo.com/21051326

top 50 records of 2011 - 31. Swarms - Old Rave's End

31. SWARMS - OLD RAVE'S END

I'm getting terrible at this game. All I can do is listen to a new artist and think how it reminds me of another. In this case it's Burial.

And other times even explaining how it makes me feel can be frustrating. I say that music comforts me way too much.

Swarms are from Bristol. Fuck you don't need to know that. Location is irrelevant when electronica has such a beautiful pulse as this. Forget me. Let's let behindthehype.com do the talking:

" brings to mind memories pleasant or not of seasons past, times and places, or even specific things remembered that come with some odd sense of anonymity, as if being transported back to a precise moment, or even emotion, being experienced through some hazy manner of recollection."

"Don't forget me. Forget-me-not" Spaghetti Blogonese

HERE! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv01QFpWWqg

records of 2011. 32. Crystal Stilts - In Love With Oblivion

32. CRYSTAL STILTS - IN LOVE WITH OBLIVION

This sounds a lot like Joy Division. Crystal Stilts are probably the best band of that type since the 80's really. Interpol crafted their whole take on the gloomy Ian Curtis thing but they were so angular it sounded like they were sharpening knives.

Instead, Crystal Stilts are murkier and rawer than Interpol. Down and dirty like Joy Division in their prime. Delve deeper into the mix then and the lyrics conjure up many nightmarish imagery over tons of reverb. It's all about dreams and there's some great magical unexplained shit on here.

Theneedledrop.com did a bang-on accurate review and name-drops more specific influences that the band uses. I can't hit the nail on the head like Anthony Fantano does, so I'll let the internet's busiest music nerd do the talking. Click the links below and thanks for reading!

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPiuynEpq1g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPiuynEpq1g

records of 2011. 33. The Streets - Computers & Blues

33. THE STREETS - COMPUTERS & BLUES

Is this the last dance? Seems like it. When Mike Skinner arrived on the scene a decade ago it made me sick to my stomach. I hated Original Pirate Material. I just thought it was hooligan-pop, though I couldn't deny it's originality. "The sound of The Streets coming down your aerial." Bleurgh. Whatever dickhead.

Then along came A Grand Don't Come For Free and I perked up. It was a masterpiece of a story-line, a true concept album about losing £1000 down the back of the sofa. I went back and revisited his debut and it all make sense. It was ballsy, risky and out-and-out class.

And now on this, the sixth outing and I'm against popular opinion again. Most critics are indifferent or critical towards this one, but he's full of his usual cheeky banter, the production is pop-tastic and keeps up that whole modern, London twist heard on output like on the SBTRKT album. Skinner doesn't need mass endorsement, he sounds as confident as ever and now he can bow-out, head held high.

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flQwfvbEM9A

top 50 records of 2011 - 34. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

34. PJ HARVEY - LET ENGLAND SHAKE

When a career has spanned so many turns in direction and included so much quality song-writing, it's safe to assume that you can trust Polly Jane Harvey to produce the goods.

This assumption proves to be the case, though yet again it's in unexpected fashion. This LP has a first world war tint to it, felt through British eyes and this thread continues right through; there's no let-up!

Despite its thematic consistency, musically it feels like it's stitched up all over the place, and this disjointed feel is like a re-patched pair of jeans; different fabrics sewn together to create killer threads. We have absurd lyrics "I'm gonna take my problems to the United Nations!" and styles that shift from her rock & roll imprint to folk to blues to even dub. Love-a-dub-dub. Thematic, erratic, ecstatic - only Polly!

GO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va0w5pxFkAM

top 50 records of 2011 - 35. Real Estate - Days

35. REAL ESTATE - DAYS

This week my boss froze me out after I'd worked hard. He told me there were to be no more writing assignments for now as I'd missed the deadline. He's the one who'd fucked up the email with the Powerpoint Slides. His negligence = his bitterness. He's the kind of boss that if you ask him a quick question and he knows the answer, he'll just say "that's not my issue" and won't even refer you to the requisite person. I used to like his straight-talking style but now I think he's a prick and he's going in my novel.

So yesterday I woke up and had the nicest message ever from an old friend who wanted to escape the city and go by the water, take a boat and eat some nice Mediterranean food. The weather in Taipei was sunny and around 28 degrees in the middle of November. Incredible.

When I feel low in the city, it usually takes me a day or so to pick myself up and realize that personal freedom is way more important than any work pressures and shit. An album like this can float around your conscience and the breezy melodies akin to The Shins, The Byrds and of course The Beach Boys are what this band are all about. Nothing more, nothing less.

Even if the weather was ice-creaming it down with snow outside - which of course it's not here- I would still play this out loud to reconfirm that life isn't that frosty at all, it's actually a big blueberry ocean.

LIFE'S A BEACH: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3goco5vtogI

top 50 records of 2011 - 36 - Wire Red Barked Tree

36 - WIRE - RED BARKED TREE

This whole album radiates of conviction. Formed in 1976, Wire have more than just the post-punk sentiment that characterized their seminal debut "Pink Flag." This is their twelfth album and even three and a half decades later, the band still find new avenues to power down.

The verve of youth and the collective wisdom of longevity really sparkle together on this record. It invigorates and enlivens in equal measure. It requires a few spins to get its hooks on you, but you should be happy to go along with this as the bait tastes great.

So British. So spunky. So enlightening. So thrilling. So good. Still, so good. What a band.

YEA BOI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imXTZJvx61o&feature=related