Our Best of 2011 Series!!!!

For the episodes of The Album Drop on CHUO, airing on December 20 & 27 we decided to break format, and look at our favorite albums of the year. It’s a 3 part special, Part 1 airs 12/20 at 3pm & Parts 2 & 3 will air back-to-back on 12/27, also at 3pm. We hope you enjoy our choices. Here are a few to start the discussion:

Part 1

Timber Timbre – Creep On, Creepin’ On

The Polaris nominated record showcases the brillance of this group’s songwriting, using a traditional style of instrumentation and pushing the boundaries of acoustics.

Mike Watt – Hyphenated Man

The 53 Year Old returns with a well grounded concept album, and with a clear vision of what he’s writing.

TV On The Radio – Nine Shades Of Light

The progressive rockers continue to show the world why their work gets so much attention.

The Go! Team – Rolling Blackouts

In what may be the final release from this group, they continue to break ground using non-traditional samples and hard dancable beats.

Thurston Moore – Demolished Thoughts

The eternally young auditor returns with another classic.

Thrice – Major/Minor

The Orange County Punk Rockers may not continue to do business the way they have in the past, but with this collection of songs, show their work is tighter than ever before.

Dinosaur Bones – My Divider

The debut LP from this Toronto Buzz Band shows why people have been talking, and a focused songwriting approach.

Sloan – The Double Cross

The Indie Rock Pioneers continue to show the diversity of talents located in this band, and returned with one of their strongest records in years. Listen to the first time Brad talked about this record here(MP3 11.3MB)

Part 2 & 3

Stephen Malkmus – Mirror Traffic

The Pavement frontman shows that a year on the road with his old band is just what his solo career needed to get back in fine form.

An Horse – Walls

Here’s an interview we did with An Horse earlier this year:

The Rural Alberta Advantage – Departing

The Toronto-Based folk rockers show a great level of diversity on thier second record, and continue to blur the lines between progressive alternative and mainstream pop-rock.

My Morning Jacket – Circuital

An absolutely solid release from a group that is on their way to the top. A great release, supplimented by the interactive component included on the iTunes LP.

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

The indie-folk icons finally get a fair shake from critics and the public, and deliver with the goods.

Chikita Violenta – Tre3s

The Mexican Art-Rockers knew exactly what they wanted thier record to sound like, and found the best producer to do it. The result, is a brilliant shoegaze that sounds familar and new at the same time.

Fucked Up – David Comes To Live

The Award-Winning Hardcore band returns with a supersized rock opera that covers the spectrum of sound and has earned the many accolades that have been awarded to it.

Tom Morello as The Nightwatchman – World Wide Rebel Songs

The guitar hero moves away from the style that has become associated with The Nightwatchman, and plugs the guitar back into the amp on this record. The real highlights on this record are Morello’s songs and the passion with which he sings them.

Sound Of Lions – 11:44

The Ottawa-based trip-hoppers pick-up where Portishead left off, and take the genre to radical new places.

Battles – Gloss Drop

The progressive rock outfit returns with a few people filling in the vacant singer slot, and a lot of interesting new music.

The Roots – Undun

Album #13 from the Philadelphia Hip-Hop collective shows a band that still cares to be different, and still strives to shine through the merit of their art.

The Black Keys – El Camino

With El Camino, we see a band in the midst of their prime. The Black Keys are comfortable with their sound, and are really rolling with it. Just a solid album, from cover to cover.