KMT Top Albums of 2011

This year is shaping up as a fantastic year for new music. Here are a few of our favorite albums of 2011 at knoxmusictoday.com. See if you agree. We recommend that you sample them here, then buy them as soon as possible!

#1 – In The Mountain In The Cloud by Portugal. The Man

The first time we heard this album, it automatically jumped to the top of our list. We love this album from top to bottom.

#2 – Ceremonials by Florence + The Machine

So we are biased because we are HUGE fans of Florence + The Machine, but this album is stellar. Most often, the sophomore album is an artist’s most difficult to execute successfully, but Flo blows that stereotype away with Ceremonials, at least in our opinion.

#3 – The Harrow & The Harvest by Gillian Welch

Sometimes an album is released that you really needed, but you didn’t even know it. It had been a bit since Gillian Welch and David Rawlings had released a new studio album, and in that time we almost forgot what we were missing. Until they released The Harrow & The Harvest. And then we remembered.

#4 – 100 Miles of Wreckage by The Black Lillies

When this album was released in February, we said it would be in the running for our favorite album of the year. And it is. This Knoxville band is right up there with the best in the business, and deservedly so.

#5 – The Mirror by Jill Andrews

Jill Andrews sings like an angel. The new album features her best songwriting to date and has great songs from top to bottom. Did we mention that Jill Andrews sings like an angel?

#6 – Let England Shake by PJ Harvey

In the age of MP3 singles and ‘Preview All’, it is rare for an artist to release a thorough, complete, themed album. Very rare. Which is likely the reason PJ Harvey was awarded the prestigious Mercury Prize for Let England Shake. We agree with the Brits. This is a stunning album.

#7 – Blood Pressures by The Kills

Another duo, another fantastic album. So much of the current music scene is fabricated with technology, it is just REFRESHING to hear a band that remembers guitars. And drums. And does so with a vengeance.

#8 – Love Notes / Letter Bombs by The Submarines

Oh, how we love the duo The Submarines. And their most recent album is their best yet. Poppy fun! Fantastico!

#9 – Bon Iver by Bon Iver

We will admit it. We’ve had a drink of the Bon Iver kool-aid and we like it. This album is … majestic.

#10 – The Rip Tide by Beirut

This album has been growing on us more and more. Adding horns to the mix seems to be all the rage these days, and no one does it better than Zach Condon and his band Beirut.