Favorites of 2011

I know I haven't posted anything in a few months but I wanted to let you all know that I have been listening to a lot of good music!
So here are my favorites of the year 2011. Two categories, albums and songs. Plus some extras. In no particular order...

Albums:

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
-Truly Amazing!

PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

-Anglophilia? Not what I was expecting but sooo good.

Black Lips - Arabia Mountain
-Catchy as hell garage punk!

Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
-Good, fun rock!

Honorable Mentions:

Cymbals Eat Guitar - Lenses Alien
-Just about everything good about 90's alt/indie on one album.

Pains of Being Pure in Heart - Belong
-Another 90's throwback, think Smashing Pumpkins.

Kurt Vile - Smoke Rings for My Halo
-A batch of really good songs.

Thee Oh Sees - Castlemania, Carrion Crawler/The Dream
-Quantity and quality.

Songs:

Low - "Try to Sleep"
-If anyone challenges Fleet Foxes for vocals/harmonies it's this band.

My Morning Jacket - " Circuital"
-Fantastic guitar solo.

Surfer Blood - "Miranda"
-Power POP!

The Mountain Goats - "For Charles Bronson"
-You gotta STAY POSITIVE!

St. Vincent - "Cruel"
-Oh, she's only channelling like disco, the Sound of Music and Robert Fripp!

Cass McCombs - "County Line"
-Sad, driving reeeaallly slow at night song.

Battles - "Ice Cream"
-Supercoldsugarhigh!!

The Strokes - "Under Cover of Darkness"
-Hello 2002 (in a good way)!

Girls - "Vomit"
-Gross.

*#cked Up - "Queen of Hearts"
-Pure energy!

Black Lips - "Modern Art"
-Modern art makes me want to rock out!

Fleet Foxes - "Helplessness Blues"
-Maybe the best song of the year?

Fleet Foxes - "Grown Ocean"
-Also pretty good.

Crystal Stilts - "Through the Floor"
-Vintage echoey rock 'n' roll.

Wilco - "I Might"
-They've still got it.

Junior Boys - "Banana Ripple"
-Good song, then the organ kicks in and it's great song.

Little Dragon - "Ritual Union"
-Sexy Cool.

Toro Y Moi - "How I Know"
-see below

Toro Y Moi - "New Beat"
-2 really good but really different songs from the same album.

M83 - "Midnight City"
-Epic sax solo.

Bill Callahan - "Riding for the Feeling"
-Simple and beautiful.

Bright Eyes - "Shell Games"
-good'n.

tUnE-yArDs - "Bizness"
-Most unique.

Poor Lily - "Head of Flames"
-Punk is not dead.

Favorite Hip Hop Songs:

Big K.R.I.T. - "Dreamin'"

-Old school jamz.

Shabazz Palaces - "An Echo from the Hosts that Profess Infinitum"

-Let's talk about time travelin' rhyme javelin somethin' mind unravelin' get down!

Favorite Metal Song:

Liturgy - "High Gold"

-Face Melting!

Favorite Live Shows:

Fleet Foxes in Salt Lake City
-They sound even better live!

Broken Social Scene in Seattle
-Great indie band on possibly their last tour.

Thee Oh Sees in Seattle
-Loudness + 2 drummers + mic swallowing = insanity.

Toro Y Moi in Seattle
-I danced my butt off!

also i haven't listened to the Ryan Adams album yet

and yes i realize there's is no Bon Iver on this list... sorry

Earl