The 55 Best Albums of 2011 (34-44)

Just the other night, I informed a rather astute music person that the Book of Mormon was written by Matt & Trey from South Park.  Even after I told them, they still didn't believe me.  It took a web search on a cell phone to confirm my piece of incredulous information.  It wasn't that it was impossible to think that Matt & Trey had the musical chops to write a musical...it was insane to think they had won best play...especially for a play whose signature song is "Fuck You God."  Another piece of this story is how much smaller our worlds became in 2011.  With music libraries popping up available on everyone's phone, we really saw the beginning of the future of how we will listen to music.  Apple had started it with the iphone...but the Android platform doubled the market overnight.  How far away are we from best playlists instead of best albums?  Sooner than we think...

AND....it's time for your lists!  Send me your list of your favorite albums of 2011.  I WANT YOUR TOP TWENTY.  I will compile all your votes into a master list.  Send it via emaill...or just post it in the comment box below.

Here are the Best Albums of 2011 (34-44):

34.       Fucked Up - David Comes To Life

35.       Mastodon - The Hunter

36.       The Cool Kids - When Fish Rides Bicycles

37.       Magnetic Man - Magnetic Man

38.       James Blake - James Blake (Unluck)

39.       sbtrkt - sbtrkt

40.       Cults - Cults

41.       St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

42.       Mr. Dream - Trash Hit

43.   Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

44.   The Book of Mormon - Soundtrack

Buy these albums and more...now!!!  (all albums under $5 for a limited time)

The 11 Best Debut Albums of 2011 (so far)

All these albums are solid and every one of these artists is someone you should keep your eye on.  But there's one artist in particular I want to point attention to and that's The Weeknd.  An unknown artist who came from nowhere that has taken the blog world by storm with his first mix-tape/album.  Here's the kicker...he's giving it away for free.  What is original about the debut isn't just the music itself but the method in which he's distributing it.  The Weeknd has all but abandoned the traditional style of distributing music and fully embraced the 21st century.  Without a publicist or marketing department, he's managed to become well-known all on his own.  While the major labels are fighting tooth and nail for the fraction of floor space left on retail floors, the new emerging artists are passing them by...by embracing the future.

The 11 Best Debut Albums of 2011 (so far):


1.  Yuck - Yuck
2.  James Blake - James Blake
3.  The Head and the Heart - The Head and the Heart
4.  The Weeknd - House of Balloons
5.  Foster the People - Torches
6.  The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
7.  The Naked and Famous - Young Blood
8.  The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
9.  Cults - Cults 
10.  Ringo Deathstar - Colour Trip 
11.  EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints

Get The Weeknd's album, House of the Balloons for free!