Hey, Mark Miller here, contributing writer and music critic for High Times. Since 11 is one of my lucky numbers, figure I'd rank the top 11 albums of 2011, instead of the usual top 10 list. This isn't the High Times list, just my personal rankings. Here goes everything...
(* = reviewed by me in the pages of High Times)
*1. SMiLE...Beach Boys It may be over 40 years old, but it's still the best album of this or any other year.
2. Dead Roots Stirring...Elder It's got the expected metal and stoner elements but also contains riffs that could be from lost classic 70's albums. Most surprising album of '11.
3. Tomboy...Panda Bear...Not as earth-shattering as 2007's Person Pitch, but still contains some of the year's strongest vocals and music, the title track is a powerhouse. While I didn't review Tomboy for HT, I did interview Panda, link is here: http://hightimes.com/lounge/mmiller/7078
4. Vaccine...Younger Brother...Electronica album of the year. Album cover of the year. "Shine" was the best song of the year. That enough?
*5. The Local Fuzz...Atomic Bitchwax...A 42 minute song with just about that many distinct riffs. An always inventive album, like the soundtrack to the world's longest comic book.
*6. A Godlike Inferno...Ancient VVisdom....Satanic folk rock provided some of the year's best sing-alongs
*7. Gotta Get Up Now....Roger Miret and the Disasters....The Agnostic Front frontman delivered the best hardcore punk album of the year with some interesting twists and managed to put out a new album with Agnostic as well.
8. 7 Skies H3....Flaming Lips...If Bitchwax' 42 minute album/song wasn't good enough, how about 24 hours straight of the Lips? Though this album was polarizing for some, it was certainly ambitious, trippy and musically successful enough to make the list
9. Death by Stereo...Umphrey's McGee...They deliver the best jamband album of the year by departing from the usual formula and opting for an 80's sound that comes off refreshing. Kris Myers' drumming on "Domino Theory" is the year's best percussion.
10. Mirador...Sungrazer...Straight outta Holland comes this post-prog trio whose sounds go hand in hand with the best buds the Dutch coffee shops have to offer.
11. Green Naugahyde....Primus...Not as good as their glory year albums, but still worthy of inclusion on the list as original/new drummer Jay Lane helps deliver their best LP in 15 years
Honorable mention:
thecontrollersphere...Of Montreal...Best EP of 2011, and "Holiday Call" is the epic of the year
Into Bass and Time...Ancient Astronauts...Best rap album of the year
The Night the Sun Came Up...Dev...Best pop dance album of the year. Where Gaga is pretentious, Dev is inventive
Parallax...Atlas Sound...Most melodic album of the year
