A completely biased music review of 2011 Albums
By Jade Paker
So as the first article of the new year it is only right that I spend the entire thing having a look back at the year that was 2011. I could do an overview but as this is the first time back and for some of you the first time ever reading the Paw Print I feel like keeping things positive. As Monty Python says you should ‘always look on the bring side of life’! So while a lot of mainstream music of 2011 resulted in mediocrity I
11. The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow
10. Amos Lee – Mission Bell
9. The Vaccines – What Did You Expect From The Vaccines
8. Noah and the Whale – Last Night On Earth
7. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
6. Adele - 21
5. Laura Marling – A Creature I Don’t Know
When I think of Laura Marling I think of hauntingly beautiful yet minimalistic. This is her third album and while not really deviating from the sounds we know her to make you can hear how far she’s come since her first album. This album does see some experimentation with styles which is nice to see although it could stand for even more experimentation but at 21 she’s got plenty more years ahead of her to test out and push her music.
Highlights: Night After Night, Salinas
4. Gotye – Making Mirrors
Ok so truth be told I still prefer his previous album “Like Drawing Blood” however that was much more of a concept album, it flowed together as an entity. This album however is more about individual songs, it’s not necessarily a bad thing it’s just different. I also consider this album a bit more polished and worked over than the last.
Highlights: Smoke and Mirrors, Somebody That I Used To Know
3. Florence and the Machine – Ceremonials
There are times when you hear a song and it almost feels like you’ve always known it even if it is completely original. For me Florence and the Machines “Shake it out” was one of those songs…an instant classic if you like. I’ll be honest not all of this album is strong, it tends to ebb and flow a bit but when it is good it is magnificent so much so you forget about the mediocre song that has just finished playing.
Highlights: Shake it out, No Light No Light
2. Lady Antebellum – Own The Night
This album came very close to making my number one spot and in all fairness while I love my number 1 album this is the album I put on when I’m in the mood to dance around. This album isn’t a huge deviation any other Lady Antebellum albums. It’s been said many times before but I have to say Charles and Hilary harmonise wonderfully together in fact I think that vocally they are some of the strongest singers around right now. Lyrically this album doesn’t quite stand up to their sophomore album however it is pretty close and their tunes are so upbeat you’ll find yourself humming away with them anyway. This is an album to dance to, it’s an album to clean to, it’s an album to celebrate life to.
Highlights: Dancing away with my heart, Sing Me Home
1. Heather Nova – 300 Days At Sea
If you didn’t see this coming you really don’t know me at all. From the first hearing I knew this would be my number 1 album of the year and though over 6 months have come and gone here it is. Is part of it bias…more than likely but the fact is Heather Nova has solidly put out lyrically strong music for well over a decade now and this album is no exception.
Heather Nova reaches a level of emotional honesty that most artists fail to present these days. The album oozes with songs about childhood, about loss but then about rebuilding. It is jam packed with excellent musical arrangements after her last album which was quite striped down.
Highlights: Turn the Compass Round, Higher Ground
So there it is a whole year wrapped into one fantastic package. 2011 really was a mixed bag but while the radio may have been less than decent the truth is once you wade through all the junk that got put out there really are some solid albums floating around from last year.
(Please note that while every attempt to match songs on the playlist with songs mentioned here I am somewhat at the mercy of the website which doesn’t really have songs from album #1 and #2. The rest are covered. If you are interested in hearing either album head to the bands website or head to the Tube of You and put in a search…both are worth listening to! To compensate I’ve thrown on some mentioning-worthy songs also released last year.)
Next month it is onwards and upwards with a whole heap new fun so stay tuned and happy listening.