The best songs of 2011

With a little free time on my hands, I decided to look back at the year 2011 once again and make a list of songs that were somehow exceptional for me during the past 365 days. I hope you'll enjoy them.

Foo Fighters
Dear Rosemary
Out of all the great songs from the new album, this was by far my favourite...

Albums of the year, part III

Part I
Part II

#3 Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
M83

The single most atmospheric album of 2011. It delivers exactly what the title promises. This record most of all reminds me of The Suburbs from the last year, in terms of grandiosity, anticipation and achievement. Even if you're not a fan of electronic pop, close your eyes and let the music sink in. It will grow on you, I promise.

Best tracks: Midnight City, My Tears Are Becoming a Sea, Splendor



#2 Neighborhoods
blink-182

Just when I was beginning to fear that the album would never come out... Blink took their time, didn't leave anything to chance and it paid them off big time. Neigboorhoods eventually surpassed any expectations, if it's even possible, and people showed they still cared about Mark, Tom & Travis. The best thing about the whole album, though, is its lasting value. I can still spin Neighborhoods endlessly and never get bored with it. This will be the landmark album of 2011 for me.

Best tracks: Natives, After Midnight, MH 4.18.2011



#1 Welcome Home Armageddon
Funeral For a Friend

For weeks preceding the release, the number of rave reviews giving the album 9 out of 10 stars had been rapidly increasing. No wonder my expectations had been pretty high, if not unrealistically. That fact, of course, lead to me being a little underwhelmed by the final product at first. But it's not uncommon, that the best albums take time to grow on me. In the course of the following weeks, I slowly started to appreciate Welcome Home... more and more, and it eventually turned out to be that killer record I'd hoped for it to be.

It's perhaps their heaviest album to date, most of all reminding of their debut, Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation. Screaming vocals and heavy guitar riffs mark yet another change of direction for the band, who turned away from the more mainstream sound present on their last two full-lengths. The answer to whether this was a good decision or not is a resolute and loud yes.

Their last album also hit the top spot on my list of that year, so I might be a little partial here...

Best tracks: Front Row Seats to the End of the World, Sixteen, Welcome Home Armageddon

"It's time to back all your big words"

Finally, two years after In Shallow Seas We Sail, one of the best current post-hardcore bands returns with a new song, called The Cheval Glass. Watch the video with lyrics below.



Personally, I think it sounds brilliant. The new Emery album We Do What We Want hits the stores on March 29th and I couldn't be more excited. Your thoughts?

The Best Albums of 2009

Trying to keep up the pace one post at a day, I decided to reveal my AOTY list of the last year which, in my humble opinion, was really great for music. This post comes a little bit late, please, forgive me... :-P Neverthless, my top albums are pretty much in this order.

#12 Saosin - In Search of Solid Ground


I'm tired of all the people bitching about how awful this album was. While it surely isn't as good compared to its predecessor, it still contains some great tunes and sounds typically Saosin.
Best tracks: From track #1 to #5, This Is Real, You Never Noticed Me (Bonus track)

#11 Placebo - Battle for the Sun


what can I say? it's Placebo...
Best tracks: Battle for the Sun, For What It's Worth, The Never-ending Why, Kings of Medicine

#10 The Audition - Self-Titled Album


Every other song on this album is a gem, while the others are "just" very good. The Audition seems to never fail to deliver genuine powerpop anthems.
Best tracks: My Temperature's Rising, Everybody's Someone Else's Secret, Steal.Sign.Deliver

#9 All Time Low - Nothing Personal


I had never expected to enjoy such an album so much, but since this record came out I started listening to pop punk immensely, an obsession that's been lasting until today.
Best tracks: Weightless, Break Your Little Heart, Sick Little Games, Hello Brooklyn

#8 AFI - Crash Love


The only thing I'm missing on the newest AFI's record is another weird opening track. Driving guitars, Davey Havok's typical vocals, what alse do you need?
Best tracks: Beautiful Thieves, End Transmission, Medicate, Sacriledge

#7 Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown


I enjoyed it. A lot. I'm not ashamed of it. Green Day was practically the band that once brought me into the punk genre. This album made me start listening to them once again.
Best tracks: Know Your Enemy, !Viva la Gloria!, The Static Age, 21 Guns

#6 Fightstar - Be Human


Perhaps my most anticipated release of the spring hasn't let me down one bit. It may take some time getting into their music because of their unique sound, but it's definitely worth it. Charlie Simpson, formerly from Busted, is the man.
Best tracks: Calling on All Stations, The English Way, Colours Bleed to Red, Mercury Summer

#5 White Lies - To Lose My Life...


In my opinion, this year's best debut album belongs to this post-punk revival band from London. Every song on this this record is a potential single. If you like Interpol, Editors or Joy Division, be sure to check these guys out.
Best tracks: To Lose My Life, Unfinished Business, Farewell to the Fairground

#4 Muse - The Resistance


More epic, more ambitious and weirder than ever. It's hard to dislike this album.
Best tracks: Uprising, Resistance, Undisclosed Desires, MK Ultra and the twelve-minutes-long closing track

#3 Emery - ... In Shallow Seas We Sail


Easily the very best post-hardcore album of the year and one of the best I've heard, like ever... Amazing screaming, evenly great clean vocals, powerful melodies... I could go on for hours. I won't though.
Best tracks: Inside Our Skin; The Smile, The Face; A Sin to Hold On to, Piggy Bank Lies

#2 Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions


I wasn't much into "Puzzle," I wasn't expecting much from this either. But after a few spins I could easily say that this album is nothing short of brilliant.
Best tracks: The Captain, That Golden Rule, Bubbles, God & Satan, Mountains

#1 Silversun Pickups - Swoon


I didn't know about this band until the album appeared on another blog and I decided to give it a shot. I instantly fell in love with the sound of the distorted guitars and Brian Aubert's vocals and kept spinning the record over and over again.
Best tracks: The Royal We, It's Nice to Know You Work Alone, Panic Switch and pretty much the whole album...

Honorable mentions: Cartel - Cycles, Tegan & Sara - Sainthood, Dashboard Confessional - Alter the Ending, Taking Back Sunday - New Again, Silverstein - A Shipwreck in the Sand, Paramore - Brand New Eyes, Relient K - Forget & Not Slow Down, Paper Route - Absence