Dave's Favorite Albums of 2011 Part Four: 10-1

So here we are, again, still way too late, but we won’t hold that against me will we? Without any further ado let’s finish this bad boy and move on with 2012 tunes, eh?!

10. Thundercat- Golden Age of the Apocalypse



There was a period towards the end of my time in high school where I got really into 70’s jazz and fusion, most notably Herbie Hancock and bass god Jaco Pastorius and his work with Weather Report. I liked the funky vibes, and especially with Weather Report there was a very cheery mood that somehow managed to stay cool without getting stupid and sounding like elevator music. Now, in 2011 I was graced to hear Suicidal Tendencies’ bassist Stephen Bruner, under the stage name Thundercat, release an LP in the same line of that 70’s fusion, this time interjected with some 00’s flare. And the end result is a surprisingly tight and unique brand of bass lead electronically injected fusion. It’s surprising a hardcore punk bassist would decide to make a jazz LP, and perhaps more surprising that it is not only good, but great. Cheers!

NOTABLE TRACKS: Fleer Ultra, For Love I Come, Jamboree

9. J. Cole- Cole World: The Sideline Story



Signed by the great Jay-Z, there was a lot of hype behind German born and North Carolina rasied J. Cole. After a handful of mixtapes and a few years paying dues, Cole released his first full length LP in Cole World: The Sideline Story. And I must admit, at first I was put off to the LP, as the pun-based album name is really, really corny. But when I finally decided it was time to push play on The Sideline Story I felt as though my early judgments on the corniness of the albums name were only keeping me from hearing the awesome tunes on the LP. Now, Cole isn’t the best at what he does, but the way he presents his work is his strong point. This LP is unique, original, and really ambitious. A lot of people said Wale was going to be the ‘rookie’ of 2011, but Cole swiftly knocked Wale off his throne with incredible ease. And he proves a point that all hip-hoppers need smart lyrics and catchy beats to really hook in audiences. Cole is the full package and this album is proof.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Can’t Get Enough, Mr. Nice Watch, Work Out

8. Foo Fighters- Wasting Light



I’ve never been a huge Foo Fighters fan. I’ve always dug their classics, songs like “My Hero”, “Learn to Fly”, “Monkey Wrench” and more recently “The Pretender” are all jams that get spun pretty frequently for me. But I’ve never gotten really into their albums, and when I saw them live I was really disappointed. So, when I heard Wasting Light was not an overproduced, grandiose album filled with symphonies and such I was a bit taken aback. As the Fighters have gotten more and more mainstream, they’ve seemingly taken a lot of cliche steps. They lost their punk edge, they made an entirely acoustic LP, and got so overexposed everyone and their mother knows their lyrics. But back to the point, I doubted Dave Grohl and company could actually execute an album of fun jams, and oh was I wrong. Wasting Light is chock full of awesome, foot tapping arena rock tracks. And while that’s not the punky edge they had in their youth, it’s certainly several steps above what they were doing before. I feel as though Dave’s time in Them Crooked Vultures alongside John Paul Jones and Josh Homme really sharpened him up, and this album really feels awesome. I never thought it’d be a 2011 album that would turn me into a full fledged fan of this band, but here I am, finally waving the Foo Fighters flag.

NOTABLE TRACKS: White Limo, Rope, These Days

7. The Roots- undun



The Roots are easily one of, if not the, hardest working groups in music. Between their day job as house band on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, extensive touring, Questlove’s side jobs DJ’ing and constantly tweeting and even throwing a giant concert for their hometown every year, it’s weird thinking that they have time to release new music. And I’ve found their last few albums to be a bit lackluster, 2008’s Rising Down felt like a poor retread of the bands 2006 classic Game Theory, then in 2010 they released the more rock-based How I Got Over and a quickly thrown together collaboration LP with John Legend Wake Up! Now granted, none of these albums are bad by any stretch, but they really lacked that passion and raw emotion present in both Game Theory and their prior classics like Things Fall Apart. But undun is a different beast altogether. It has a bit of the edge that made How I Got Over different, with all the emotion of Game Theory, and it has a story, a narrative. Which to me is just downright amazing. The band has been around since 1987, and now fifteen years later, they decide to make a concept album, and not just make one, craft one that’s breathtaking. The album tells the story of fictional Redford Stephens and his life...in reverse. Sort of like the serious How I Met Your Mother of hip-hop. And the topics touched upon, the energy in both the music and Blackthought’s lyrics, and the overall vibe of the album is top notch. This album is easily the bands most ambitious work, and sits atop the list of their best.

NOTABLE TRACKS: One Time, Tip the Scale, Lighthouse

6. Jay-Z and Kanye West- Watch The Throne



This album may be the most talked about album of the past year. The hype behind it was astronomical, and many feel that it didn’t deliver upon being released. There was a lot of people saying that Jay and Kanye are wealthy, powerful people just rapping about their wealth and power. And you know what? I agree. And I love it. While this album isn’t perfect, the good parts are great, and they come frequently. Also, Jay-Z hasn’t been this strong lyrically since The Black Album dropped in 2003. Not to mention this album touts party jam after party jam after party jam, and they are all songs that aren’t going anywhere. “Niggas in Paris” is going to be a staple of awesomeness for quite some time. And Kanye West’s production on this LP is near flawless. He has a very strong command of how to handle beats, as we’ve seen on his solo work and production work for others, but on this album he takes it to a new extreme. And it works. With this album the idea of high risk high reward comes into mind. These two bragged for 50 minutes while they sampled iconic artists and spmgs, things could’ve gone sour very easily, but instead these two men secure even moreso that they do deserve the throne that we are watching.

NOTABLE TRACKS: No Church in the Wild, Niggas in Paris, Who Gon Stop Me

5. Battles- Gloss Drop



Friends of mine had been recommending Battles debut LP Mirrored for years, and I’d always said “Yeah sure!” and never gave it the time of day. So when Gloss Drop came out, and the same comments started coming out, I figured it was time to give the band their due. And this album is really good! The mostly instrumental, sort of progressive, and always fun and funky Gloss Drop is a reminder that happy music doesn’t always have to have the Andrew W.K. style that so many people assume. This album is intricate and really musical and sounds really unique, but at the same time it always had me smiling and every time I listen to it I get pumped up. The way the trio play their instruments is really cool, and they weave within each others grooves and loops and create this just fun, and kind of schizophrenic listening experience. And the cover of this album is so weird. That deserves kudos too right?

NOTABLE TRACKS: Futura, My Machines, Rolls Bayce

4. Beastie Boys- Hot Sauce Committee Part Two



I wrote a lengthy review of this LP on this blog before, so I will keep this short: I didn’t expect the Beastie Boys to make a good album following the innovation-less To The 5 Boroughs and the instrumental The Mix-Up, but alas! They’ve proven me wrong. I love this album. A great LP from a great group. Listen to it and read my full review if you want to know my real in depth thoughts!

NOTABLE TRACKS: Make Some Noise, Tadlock’s Glasses, Say It

3. TV on the Radio- Nine Types Of Light



First and foremost, when writing this, I need to say rest in peace Gerard Smith, the man responsible for the bass guitar on this album. Now, in the past few months I’ve fallen in love with this band. I’ve had their prior two LP’s Return to Cookie Mountain and Dear Science gathering digital dust in my iTunes, so I decided to give them spins and I found all of these things I missed in them when I first heard them. And Nine Types Of Light fits perfectly into the groups discography. Everything this band does is great. The unique voices, harmonies, the atmospheric guitar and thumping bass, the saxophone lines...I could go on and on. At the end of the day this group knows how to craft a solid LP of great songs. All the pieces fit together on this vast LP, and while the band is not for everyone, I am glad to have them click for me after all this time.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Second Song, No Future Shock, New Cannonball Blues

2. Danny Brown- XXX



While Odd Future may have cornered the mainstream market of hip-hop fans who want to hear obscene topics covered, they did so with a constant sigh of disappointment from me. Everything they did was pretty good and had great moments, and then fell flat on it’s face for being so dumb and repetitive. So where did I turn when I wanted to hear a vulgar, filthy, emcee who has no restraint rap over really strong beats? Well I turn to Danny Brown’s FREE LP XXX. The title of the album comes from the fact that he hit the big 3-0 in 2011 and because he is an abuser of illegal substances. And with both of those facts we have more life experience that the teens of Odd Future, and with the substance abuse we have credibility when talking about doing drugs and the highs and lows that ensue, whereas Tyler, The Creator has admitted publicly that he's straight edge. And the end result with this album is just extreme everything. The beats hit hard, the lyrics are clever and sometimes hilarious and super crude and violent. This just hits the nail on the head for what it’s trying to do. It’s tongue in cheek in a sense that everything is over the top, but it’s honest in a sense that it shows the listener a man who is absolutely absorbed in a life controlled by substances. Download XXX because it’s FREE.

NOTABLE TRACKS: XXX, Die Like a Rockstar, Monopoly

1. Grieves- Together/Apart



I knew nothing about Grieves and his production partner Budo going into this album. I saw a bunch of mini-video podcasts on the Rhymesayers Youtube channel, so when I saw it at FYE, I decided it was worth a gift card swipe. And sure enough this album blew my mind. If Atmosphere dominated the late 90’s and the 00’s with their brand of honest and gripping hip-hop, then I think they are passing the torch to these two. Grieves is a phenomenal lyricist. He throws references to corny 90’s things like tamagatchi’s without coming off like a Chris Webby or a Mac Miller, and then lines later he’ll be talking about losing loved ones. Being a recovering addict whose relapsed certainly helps Grieves in the credibility department, as his words hold a bit more poignancy knowing that they aren’t falsified. And he also manages to entertain while spilling his guts on the track. He can spin issues to being about him overcoming, and how life is worth living, instead of simply wallowing. And while his name isn’t on the album, the production from Budo is amazing as well. His use of live instruments that he plays most of the time (keyboard, trumpet, guitar, and percussion) really give the beats a natural feel, unlike some mainstream artists who have beats that feel as though they came off a conveyor belt. The passion and delivery on this album make it a standout LP among the lengthy and iconic Rhymesayers catalogue, and it is without question my favorite album of 2011.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Bloody Poetry, Tragic, Prize Fighter

That’s that. Hopefully I’ll post more on this blog in 2012. Who knows?

Dave's Favorite Albums of 2011 Part Three: 20-11

Okay, so I know I said this would be up last week, and it probably should’ve been up before January 1st, but who cares right? And if you really do care, you can blame my job and Arkham City, as those two things have chewed away at my time more than anything else. And my Arkham City save file just corrupted, so what the heck else am I going to do? Here are numbers 20-11!

20. Manchester Orchestra- Simple Math



Atlanta’s Manchester Orhcestra is a band I’ve slept on for a while. I like them, I liked their last album Mean Everything to Nothing so much that it ranked #16 in my Top 20 albums of 2009, and I honestly think that Simple Math is an improvement on that LP. The album is indeed a somewhat simple, yet still awesome rock and roll in an age that the great things about the gnere are being covered up by trendy indie bands and obnoxious pop music. And while these guys are conventional rock, they don’t do it in an Andrew W.K. style of just non-stop noise, they are methodical with their music and create a really cool 44 minute LP that doesn’t just rock your face, but challenges you a bit as a rock fan. It’s not experimental per se, but it is different than your normal batch of foot tappers and I really do enjoy that.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Deer, Pensacola, Pale Black Eye

19. The Black Keys- El Camino



I’d never been a big fan of The Black Keys until I listened to their 2010 LP Brothers, wherein I was promptly forced to apologize to friends who had been recommending them to me for years. So when I heard they were dropping El Camino a little more than a year and a half later, I was a bit worried that it would sound lazy and perhaps come off as a Brothers b-sides LP, and gladly El Camino isn’t that at all! While this album is more of an effort to be mainstream, as Brothers was too, it still succeeds at creating really catchy bluesy rock jams. So while the old school Keys fans are shaking their fists at this more poppy, mainstream sound, myself, and not to mention the Black Keys themselves are smiling and waving (and the band are laughing their way to the bank!)

NOTABLE TRACKS: Gold on the Ceiling, Hell of a Season, Mind Eraser

18. Evidence- Cats & Dogs



Producer, Rapper and Dilated Peoples member Evidence released his first LP on indie hip-hop label Rhymesayers, and the end result is a polished, straightforward hip-hop album. Ev covers typical hip-hop bases and does so with ease and great success. He effortlessly breezes across subject matter like a poor upbringing, his daily routine, death, his hometown, working with Kanye West and Will.i.am and several others over beats that are as smooth as butter. And this album is chock full of great guest spots, Rass Kass, Raekwon, Prodigy, Slug, and Aesop Rock to name a few, and Ev chooses their places wisely, as opposed to a more mainstream figure would, just tossing names onto tracks for exposure. And another thing that Ev does in his stoned out head is make a somewhat simple idea such as being late for a flight into a great track that makes that concept abstract, and the great “Late For the Sky” is the end result of that. So, I highly recommend this LP to people that want straight up hip-hop from a source that isn’t force fed to you by way of the radio.

NOTABLE TRACKS: It Wasn’t Me, Late For The Sky, Where You Came From

17. Lil’ Wayne- Tha Carter IV



Ah Lil’ Wayne, the most talked about rapper of 2011. So many people absolutely loathe everything he does, and then so many more people think he’s the best thing this side of Eminem and Jay-Z. And Tha Carter IV, his first legitimate hip-hop LP since 2008’s Tha Carter III, is exactly what fans expected it to be. It’s filled to the brim with party jams and a who’s-who of guest spots including Drake, T-Pain, Rick Ross, Jadakiss, NaS, Andre 3000, Busta Rhymes and a whole lot more. Now, this album is not the kind of thing that is put together artfully, each track isn’t placed in it’s slot for a reason, and I think a lot of the backlash on this album is the fact that this LP feels more like a collection of unrelated songs than it does a real LP. And taking that into account, this is really good. I mean, yeah there are a few duds, but for the most part this album is fun and Wayne does a lot of good in showing off his guests. Not to mention he himself is one of the better punchline rappers to grace the radio. If you’re into fun music that’s full of brags and over the top ideas of people, enjoy Tha Carter IV.

NOTABLE TRACKS: John, 6 Foot 7 Foot, Abortion

16. Death Grips- Ex-Military



Every now and again I like it when the music I listen to grabs me by my collar and smashes my head into the ground several times and leaves me with the impression of “Wow, that was crazy.” and with Death Grips FREE LP Ex-Military, that’s exactly what happens. It’s loud to the point of being disturbing, and the lyrics are militant. Now, I know there has been aggressive hip-hop, but this breed of aggression brought classically angry groups like N.W.A and Public Enemy to mind, just with a tinge of DMX’s rage into them. And just like with those classic militant hip-hop, the beats on Ex-Military are part of the reason why this comes off as so over-the-top. And those beats can be attributed to Hella drummer Zach Hill, whose diverse ear gives the beats the edge over the rest of the beats floating around the internet. Now, I know this kind of music isn’t for everyone, in fact, many people I’ve recommended this to have disliked it. But the commitment to the insanity, as well as the way it just never ceases, really makes me love this LP. And did I mention it’s FREE?

NOTABLE TRACKS: Beware, Lord of the Game, Thru the Walls

15. Patrick Stump- Soul Punk



So in 2011 I found myself falling in love with Fall Out Boy, a band I loathed during high school and college. And seemingly right as I grew more and more fond of FoB, their lead singer and guitarist Patrick Stump released his solo LP Soul Punk. The album can be taken as literally as the title. It’s a great infusion of Michael Jackson and Prince style soul music with that punk rock edge that Fall Out Boy made famous in the mid-00’s. But to the Fall Out Boy haters of the world, this album isn’t weighed down with obnoxious song titles and overly dramatic lyrics, well not as much as Fall Out Boy, it’s just a solid, fun LP of songs that show that Stump doesn’t need Pete Wentz to put out hits. For fans of both Fall Out Boy and those classic artists like Michael and Prince, this album is worth a listen. Maybe you’ll leave it jaded because it’s that clown from Fall Out Boy, or maybe you’ll appreciate a fan of a genre doing his best to modernize it, at least that’s what I got out of this.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Explode, Run Dry (X Heart X Fingers), Dance Miserable

14. Mastodon- The Hunter



For years friends of mine had been trying to get me into Mastodon, now not even just metalhead fans, though they were trying too. It was as if the band retained their credibility while appealing to a broad audience. And on The Hunter, it appears as though they are reaching out to the mainstream a bit more openly. This album doesn’t feature epic tracks, in fact the longest track on the album is only slightly over five minutes. Now, just like with The Black Keys, I can be called out for being a bit of an amateur fan of this band, but I can’t deny that I really like this album. It hits hard, and granted, it might not hit as hard as their earlier albums, and it might not be as sludgy either, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t pretty awesome. So picky fans can be picky, but please allow me to enjoy my entry level metal music for at least a little while.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Black Tongue, Curl Of The Burl, The Hunter

13. Bon Iver- Bon Iver, Bon Iver



Pitchfork’s #1 album of 2011 really had a strong impact on me as well. I sat on this one for a while and when I finally turned it on for the first time I just sat with the speakers cranked up and my jaw hanging a lot of times. This album is just sonically awesome. I know a lot of people have chastised Bon Iver for not caring too much about the mix on this album, and that it could have a completely more well rounded sound if time were put into mixing and whatnot, but I think the flurry of sounds thrown at the listener is beautiful. I’m generally not a fan of atmospheric indie music, but throughout the course of this album I was taken places in my ears and brain that I’ve only dreamed of! Very rarely do I love a Pitchfork favorite, but with this album I’m forced to shut up and say they made a good call.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Holocene, Wash, Minnesota, WI

12. Chickenfoot- Chickenfoot III



And immediately following the indie darling is the cock rock masterpiece of 2011. Now for those that haven’t seen my insane number of tweets about this band, Chickenfoot is the definition of a supergroup. Fronted by solo artist and former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar, featuring VH bassist Michael Anthony, solo guitar god Joe Satriani, and drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers Chad Smith, the group make the exact style of music you would assume them to make. And this album is really, really, really fun. I was a bit skeptical going into it due to the limited promotion and the short time between its announcement and release date, but I was silenced immediately as I first popped this into my CD player. It just runs its course and easily entertains. For those that do know Chickenfoot, and have listened to their self titled debut, there may be questions of “How is this any different than the first one?” and to me the differences aren’t really blatant, but they are present. The band feels more at home with the songs on this LP, and the cheeziness seems to be embraced in the right ways a bit more. And I absolutely love that. There’s no age to these guys, as these tunes feel like 20 year olds could be churning them out. And I mean that as a compliment, not a slight! Not to mention the 3D packaging is AMAZING.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Alright Alright, Up Next, Dubai Blues

11. tUnE-yArDs- who kill



Connecticut born tUnE-yArDs was an act I had a hard time getting into. Maybe it was just because I was stubborn, or maybe it was because the vocal looping was annoying to me at first, but once I escaped that imaginary barrier, I really loved this LP. And what I think is the factor that made me love it is the fact that at the end of the day, regardless of the indie blog press it’s been getting, is that this is essentially stripped down pop music. Now, maybe this isn't Miley Cyrus or Ke$ha pop music, but with some more conventional instruments playing these tunes instead of vocal loops and ukulele this could be mainstream! And I give credit to tUnE-yArDs to keeping this as weird as possible.

NOTABLE TRACKS: Riotriot, Bizness, You Yes You

SEE YOU NEXT TIME!!!!

Dave's Favorite Albums of 2011 Part Two: Let Downs and Honorable Mentions

Hello! Back again with the albums that didn't make my Favorite list! Shame on them! Or if it's the honorable mention area, good effort!

The Let Downs:

1. The Strokes- Angles



The Strokes are responsible for one of the most iconic albums of the 2000’s with their debut Is This It? Not to mention their follow-up LP’s Room On Fire and First Impressions of Earth had a handful of gems on them, regardless of their failure to live up to their predecessor. So when it was announced that the band was back together after hiatus I expected great things, and following the release of the single “Under Cover of Darkness” I thought perhaps the band could make another iconic LP. Alas...this album is so flat and void of emotion aside from “Under Cover” and the cool guitar line in the track “Metabolism”. It’s clear the band doesn’t get along, considering singer Julian Casablancas e-mailed in his vocals and feedback on the music, and guitarist Albert Hammond Junior spent much of the recording process battling drug addiction. The point in which this album, and to a certain degree the band as a whole, looked bleak was when Casablancas said in an interview that he was proud of “About 60% of the album.” Next time I release an album to the masses, I’m going to make sure to tell them it’s only a little more than half good.

2. Tyler, The Creator- Goblin



In the first quarter of 2011, Tyler, The Creator and his cronies in the Odd Future movement had the world in their hands. After a shockingly bizarre performance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and the viral success of the music video for the song “Yonkers,” it seemed as though there was no way Goblin wouldn’t live up to the hype. When the LP dropped, the hardcore OFWGKTA fans ate it up and praised it, however, I can’t stand it. There are some great tracks, some good ones and then the rest of this album is god-awful. There are songs on this album that I would go as far as to say are among the worst songs I’ve ever heard in my life. With so many well-received mixtapes and digital albums under his belt, I assumed Tyler would know how to please a mainstream audience. But unfortunately Tyler was perhaps a bit too cocky with his song choices, and the end result is upsettingly bad. I pray that he can regroup and make his next LP, Wolf, a cleaner and more well thought out effort.

3. Lupe Fiasco- Lasers



Five years into the hip-hop game, Lupe Fiasco seemingly had the world in his palm. He’d achieved both critical and relatively commercial success with his first two LP’s Food and Liquor and The Cool. And the longer he awaited after the latter of those two albums, the more unintentional hype he put behind the LP that we came to know as Lasers. And when it dropped the negative reviews came from all corners, and I didn’t want to believe them. But then I listened to this album. It’s infused with poppy, electronic beats, and the lyrics are not nearly as potent as they once were. Lupe Fiasco could have cemented himself as a mainstay in the genre, but all of the things I’ve just mentioned, as well as lazy guest spots did a lot of damage to Lupe’s image. This album really is a fiasco.

4. Red Hot Chili Peppers- I’m With You



After longtime guitarist John Frusciante quit the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2009 and was quickly replaced with touring guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, there was a bit of unease from hardcore fans. Could the band continue to play funky jams and entertain fans without the signature sound of Frusciante (not to mention his vocal harmonies)? And the answer was yes. Klinghoffer fit in very well. The problem was, the entire band decided to record and release a more or less lazy LP on every front. Where once Flea slapped and popped strings left and right, here he plucks his way through riffs, like the single “The Adventures of Raindance Maggie”, and where once lead singer Anthony Kiedis crafted quirky and fun lyrics, now he seems like an awkward older guy trying to grab onto the youth inside of him with lines like “Hustle me bitch and you best beware!” And you can’t say Klinghoffer takes away, it’s almost as if he’s not even there! The guitar is almost a secondary instrument on this album. And perhaps the biggest let down of this LP is that there are moments of sheer greatness, tracks like “Monarchy of Roses” and “Look Around” are amazing, and different than the “Can’t Stop” and “Give It Away” style that RHCP have sort of gotten stuck in. But the goods are too little and the mediocres are far too many. Is there any ounce of decency left in the Chili Peppers? Yes, they just seem to brush over it. I pray they can regroup and forge onward instead of holding their current ground, as the new stylings they played with on I’m With You could flourish if given more time to develop.

5. Childish Gambino- CAMP



Troy from NBC’s Community, a.k.a founding member of the Youtube comedy group Derrick Comedy a.k.a Donald Glover a.k. Childish Gambino finally released his first studio LP following a string of free tapes and the aplty titled EP earlier in 2011. And to put it bluntly Gambino can’t be taken seriously. While he is a fiery lyricist, and delivers some downright amazing punchlines, the overall themes of songs are diminished, as they almost contradict each other from track to track. Glover keeps saying he’s pining after one girl, and then has a track about how his fake girlfriend has a key to his house and he doesn’t want his real girlfriend, and how his girl is a Maxim model. Then he says he wants to be relatable to the black community as an alternative to what you hear on the radio, then he makes a brag track in the same vein as Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne or a more commercial Tyler, The Creator. And how can he seem relatable when he keeps saying he great he is? I really enjoyed this album after the first few listens, but the more it sunk in, the more I just got frustrated with how lazy and inconsistent this is. I had very high hopes for this LP and while it does offer some cool beats and good punchlines, its lack of any real focus really brings it down.

The Honorable Mentions:
(note: the term ‘honorable mention’ does not mean that these next LP’s deserve the 21-25 slot on my list, it means they stood out in one way or another. Quality is not always what makes the effort honorable.)

1. Bad Meets Evil- Hell: The Sequel



In a further step to return to the notoriety he had in the early to mid 2000’s, Eminem reunited with former ally Royce Da 5’9” to deliver Hell: The Sequel, a 9 track EP that’s just as vulgar, violent and vicious as the filthiest tracks in Em’s discography. And Royce is no chump on the mic, as fans of his solo work know. It’s an impressive EP lyrically, and reminds us that even though Em has found commercial success with songs about overcoming obstacles like “Not Afraid” he can still chew you up if he wants to. What brings this EP down is the need for hooks. Tracks like “Lighters” and “Above the Law”, while potent in their lyrical content, feature gag worthy hooks that belong on someone else’s songs. So yeah, cheers to Em and Royce for spitting fire, even after being in the game for so long, but us real hip-hop fans don’t need Bruno Mars singing hooks. Hopefully following the success both critically and commercially of this and Em’s last LP Recovery, we can see the man truly regain his place as one of hip-hops greatest lyricist.

2. Drake- Take Care



With his first album, the ambitiously titled Thank Me Later, Drake did nothing more than brag about how great he was, regardless of how little time he’d spent in the spotlight. And that left an incredibly sour taste in my mouth. So when Take Care started getting raving reviews I was skeptical about whether or not it was worth my time to listen to it. But I succumbed to the peer pressure and finally gave this album a few spins, and while I’m not a huge fan of it as a whole, there’s a whole lot of audacity going into this release. Drake opens up his soul and pours it all over the duration of this, and for the first time in history, I’ve felt a connection to him. He talks about how fame can’t buy him money, regardless of how much fun he appears to be having. And he has the balls to sing a good majority of this album. So to me Drake could’ve coasted along with another LP full of brag tracks where he sings hooks and then raps verses, but on Take Care he really explores a lot of things musically. So I do give credit where credit is due.

3. Mac Miller- Blue Slide Park



I’d first heard Mac Miller on Chris Webby’s track “I Need A Dollar” wherein Miller killed Webby in a verse that seemed to take little to no effort from Miller. So after hearing his K.I.D.S mixtape and getting really excited from that, I was ready to enjoy Blue Slide Park. And I did. It’s a solid output. It’s not great. But there are a few things that I really admire. Number one is the fact that it sold 145,000 copies in its first week. Now Miller is not a mainstay on hip-hop radio, nor is signed to a massive record label. He’s toured extensively and built a following off of social networking and releasing mixtapes. So, it’s good to see his hard work pay off. And what else makes this album so notable? The fact that regardless of his affiliations with Wiz Khalifa, Maroon 5 and several other mainstream music figures, Miller doesn’t have a single guest appearance on this album. In an age where most hip-hop albums don’t go more than two tracks without guests, this kid from Pittsburg put out an album with ZERO guests and sold 145,000 copies in a week. That my friends, is incredibly honorable.

4. Wale- Ambition



I’ve been an on and off fan of Wale for some time. I enjoyed his tape The Mixtape About Nothing, hated his debut LP Attention Deficit, and then loved his mixtape More About Nothing. So when Rick Ross’s Maybach Music Group signed him to a deal, I was both excited and scared. Could Wale deliver an LP on a major label that delivered the lyrical poignancy that he became known for on his mixtapes? And he did! Ambition is exactly what its title implies, and Wale can finally be proud of both commercial and critical success. This isn’t the best hip-hop album of the year by a long shot, but the fact that Wale transcended a record label watering down what makes him who he is and delivered a solid LP proves that the music industry is not run by corporations, but by individuals and groups of people with drive. I think with some fine tuning, Wale can follow up Ambition with something equally hungry, just a bit more fine tuned.

5. Primus- Green Naugahyde/Yellowcard- When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes/Bela Fleck and the Flecktones- Rocket Science





Why have I lumped a funk metal band, a pop punk band and a bluegrass band in one category? Allow me to explain. All three of the groups I’ve placed here are among my favorites. Primus is without question my favorite band of all time, Yellowcard was my guilty pleasure all throughout high school and college, and The Flecktones were a group that really challenged me musically, and continue to do so. Essentially, all three of these groups are in my ‘top tier’ of bands. And all three released good LP’s in 2011. However, all three groups produced albums of tunes that sort of fit in with their prior releases without really doing much to grow artistically. I’ve listened to all three of these albums extensively and really enjoy them, I just can’t call these among the best of the year because the bands are musically treading water. So good tunes yes, but charging forward musically instead of standing still would’ve pushed them from the honorable mentions onto my favorites. No big deal!


Alright folks! Numbers 20-11 will be up soon, with numbers 10-1 up shortly thereafter! Hope you're enjoying 2012! The world will end this year!