Year-End Lists

Pretty Much Amazing: 40 Best Albums of 2011

[see also 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012]

1. As Bright As Your Night Light
   Nerves Junior
2. Whokill
   Tune-Yards
3. Helplessness Blues
   Fleet Foxes
4. Bon Iver
   Bon Iver
5. Black Up
   Shabazz Palaces
6. Strange Mercy
   St. Vincent
7. Tomboy
   Panda Bear
8. James Blake
   James Blake
9. Burst Apart
   The Antlers
10. Father, Son, Holy Ghost
    Girls
11. Ceremonials
    Florence + The Machine
12. Cults
    Cults
13. The King of Limbs
    Radiohead
14. Born This Way
    Lady Gaga
15. Nine Types of Light
    TV on the Radio
16. Let England Shake
    PJ Harvey
17. Watch the Throne
    Jay-Z and Kanye West
18. The Year of Hibernation
    Youth Lagoon
19. Take Care
    Drake
20. Wounded Rhymes
    Lykke Li
21. Kaputt
    Destroyer
22. An Album By Korallreven
    Korallreven
23. Conatus
    Zola Jesus
24. Parallax
    Atlas Sound
25. Arabia Mountain
    Black Lips
26. The Whole Love
    Wilco
27. We’re New Here
    Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx
28. You Are All I See
    Active Child
29. In Heaven
    Mr Twin Sister
30. Slave Ambient
    The War on Drugs
31. Past Life Martyred Saints
    EMA
32. Undun
    The Roots
33. Metals
    Feist
34. 4
    Beyoncé
35. New Brigade
    Iceage
36. Space is Only Noise
    Nicolas Jaar
37. Skying
    The Horrors
38. Feel It Break
    Austra
39. Dye It Blonde
    Smith Westerns
40. Smother
    Wild Beasts

Tiny Mix Tapes: Favorite 50 Albums of 2011

[see also 2010s • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012]

1. Replica
   Oneohtrix Point Never
2. James Blake
   James Blake
3. New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
   Colin Stetson
4. An Empty Bliss Beyond This World
   The Caretaker
5. Flight Muzik
   DJ Diamond
6. A I A
   Grouper
7. We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
   John Maus
8. Eye Contact
   Gang Gang Dance
9. Kaputt
   Destroyer
10. Tryptych
    Demdike Stare
11. Ravedeath, 1972
    Tim Hecker
12. Whokill
    Tune-Yards
13. Black Up
    Shabazz Palaces
14. 936
    Peaking Lights
15. Apocalypse
    Bill Callahan
16. KWJAZ
    KWJAZ
17. Badlands
    Dirty Beaches
18. The Strobo Trip: Light and Audio Phase Illusions Toy
    The Flaming Lips
19. The Capital
    Sean McCann
20. Just A Taste Vol. 1
    DJ Rashad
21. Far Side Virtual
    James Ferraro
22. Exmilitary
    Death Grips
23. Let England Shake
    PJ Harvey
24. How the Thing Sings
    Bill Orcutt
25. One Nation
    Hype Williams
26. Through Donkey Jaw
    Amen Dunes
27. House of Balloons
    The Weeknd
28. Carrion Crawler/The Dream
    Thee Oh Sees
29. Castlemania
    Thee Oh Sees
30. I’m Gay (I’m Happy)
    Lil B
31. Past Life Martyred Saints
    EMA
32. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
    M83
33. Space Elements Vol. III
    Rafael Toral
34. Tomboy
    Panda Bear
35. Leave Home
    The Men
36. On the Water
    Future Islands
37. Telebossa
    Telebossa
38. Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1
    Earth
39. Suara Naga
    Arrington de Dionyso’s Malaikat dan Singa
40. Grimoire
    Kreng
41. Stand Before Me, Oh My Soul
    Fabio Orsi
42. Dedication
    Zomby
43. Strange Mercy
    St. Vincent
44. II
    The Psychic Paramount
45. Horsky Park
    Tiziana Bertoncini & Thomas Lehn
46. A Winged Victory for the Sullen
    A Winged Victory For The Sullen
47. Smoke Ring for My Halo
    Kurt Vile
48. COIN COIN Chapter One: Gens de Couleur Libres
    Matana Roberts
49. Aesthethica
    Liturgy
50. Bad as Me
    Tom Waits

Consequence: Top 50 Albums of 2011

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013]

1. Strange Mercy
   St. Vincent
2. Bon Iver
   Bon Iver
3. Black Up
   Shabazz Palaces
4. Let England Shake
   PJ Harvey
5. Wasting Light
   Foo Fighters
6. James Blake
   James Blake
7. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
   M83
8. Whokill
   Tune-Yards
9. Kaputt
   Destroyer
10. Take Care
    Drake
11. Burst Apart
    The Antlers
12. New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
    Colin Stetson
13. 4
    Beyoncé
14. Helplessness Blues
    Fleet Foxes
15. The King of Limbs
    Radiohead
16. Past Life Martyred Saints
    EMA
17. Skying
    The Horrors
18. Parallax
    Atlas Sound
19. David Comes to Life
    Fucked Up
20. Bad as Me
    Tom Waits
21. Father, Son, Holy Ghost
    Girls
22. The Golden Age of Apocalypse
    Thundercat
23. House of Balloons
    The Weeknd
24. SBTRKT
    SBTRKT
25. Tomboy
    Panda Bear
26. Wild Flag
    Wild Flag
27. Camp
    Childish Gambino
28. Smoke Ring for My Halo
    Kurt Vile
29. Leave Home
    The Men
30. Slave Ambient
    The War on Drugs
31. 50 Words for Snow
    Kate Bush
32. Making Mirrors
    Gotye
33. Zonoscope
    Cut Copy
34. 21
    Adele
35. Unknown Mortal Orchestra
    Unknown Mortal Orchestra
36. Apocalypse
    Bill Callahan
37. Days
    Real Estate
38. Replica
    Oneohtrix Point Never
39. XXX
    Danny Brown
40. All Eternals Deck
    The Mountain Goats
41. Within and Without
    Washed Out
42. Section.80
    Kendrick Lamar
43. Mikal Cronin
    Mikal Cronin
44. Yuck
    Yuck
45. Watch the Throne
    Jay-Z and Kanye West
46. Welcome to Condale
    Summer Camp
47. Goodbye Bread
    Ty Segall
48. This is Our Science
    Astronautalis
49. The Big Roar
    Joy Formidable
50. Ashes & Fire
    Ryan Adams

Pitchfork: Top 50 Albums of 2011

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012]

1. Bon Iver
   Bon Iver
2. Kaputt
   Destroyer
3. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
   M83
4. Let England Shake
   PJ Harvey
5. Father, Son, Holy Ghost
   Girls
6. Replica
   Oneohtrix Point Never
7. Whokill
   Tune-Yards
8. Take Care
   Drake
9. Days
   Real Estate
10. House of Balloons
    The Weeknd
11. Strange Mercy
    St. Vincent
12. James Blake
    James Blake
13. Past Life Martyred Saints
    EMA
14. Black Up
    Shabazz Palaces
15. Helplessness Blues
    Fleet Foxes
16. Smoke Ring for My Halo
    Kurt Vile
17. Instrumentals
    Clams Casino
18. Parallax
    Atlas Sound
19. XXX
    Danny Brown
20. Space is Only Noise
    Nicolas Jaar
21. Watch the Throne
    Jay-Z and Kanye West
22. An Empty Bliss Beyond This World
    The Caretaker
23. Apocalypse
    Bill Callahan
24. The Magic Place
    Julianna Barwick
25. Eye Contact
    Gang Gang Dance
26. Looping State of Mind
    The Field
27. 4
    Beyoncé
28. Zonoscope
    Cut Copy
29. The Book of David
    DJ Quik
30. Ravedeath, 1972
    Tim Hecker
31. Goodbye Bread
    Ty Segall
32. Tomboy
    Panda Bear
33. David Comes to Life
    Fucked Up
34. On A Mission
    Katy B
35. Nostalgia, Ultra
    Frank Ocean
36. 50 Words for Snow
    Kate Bush
37. New Brigade
    Iceage
38. Impossible Spaces
    Sandro Perri
39. Slave Ambient
    The War on Drugs
40. Electronic Dream
    AraabMuzik
41. Aesthethica
    Liturgy
42. SBTRKT
    SBTRKT
43. Wounded Rhymes
    Lykke Li
44. New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
    Colin Stetson
45. Section.80
    Kendrick Lamar
46. Cults
    Cults
47. Sepalcure
    Sepalcure
48. Underneath the Pine
    Toro y Moi
49. Wild Flag
    Wild Flag
50. The Year of Hibernation
    Youth Lagoon

Ben Ratliff: Top 10 Albums of 2011, as published by The New York Times

1. Hell on Heels
   Pistol Annies
2. Live 1/15/11 WBGO
   Jason Moran / Robert Glasper Double Trip
3. Ravedeath, 1972
   Tim Hecker
4. So Beautiful or So What
   Paul Simon
5. Atma
   YOB
6. Aeriol Piano
   Kris Davis
7. Owl Splinters
   Deaf Center
8. Avenging Angel
   Craig Taborn
9. Section.80
   Kendrick Lamar
10. Cosmic Ocean Ship
    Mia Doi Todd

Roger Ebert: Best Films of 2011, as published by The Chicago Sun-Times, among films that opened in Chicago in 2011, excluding documentaries

[see also 2012]

1. A Separation
   Asghar Farhadi
2. Shame
   Steve McQueen
3. The Tree of Life
   Terrence Malick
4. Hugo
   Martin Scorsese
5. Take Shelter
   Jeff Nichols
6. Kinyarwanda
   Alrick Brown
7. Drive
   Nicolas Winding Refn
8. Midnight in Paris
   Woody Allen
9. Le Havre
   Aki Kaurismäki
10. The Artist
    Michel Hazanavicius
11. Melancholia
    Lars von Trier
12. Terri
    Azazel Jacobs
13. The Descendants
    Alexander Payne
14. Margaret
    Kenneth Lonergan
15. Martha Marcy May Marlene
    Sean Durkin
16. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
    David Yates
17. Trust
    David Schwimmer
18. Live, Above All
    Oliver Schmitz
19. The Mill and the Cross
    Lech Majewski
20. Another Earth
    Mike Cahill

Other Excellent Films

• 13 Assassins
  Takashi Miike
• Beginners
  Mike Mills
• Boy Wonder
  Michael Morrissey
• Certified Copy
  Abbas Kiarostami
• The Future
  Miranda July
• The Guard
  John Michael McDonagh
• Higher Ground
  Vera Farmiga
• I Will Follow
  Ava DuVernay
• J. Edgar
  Clint Eastwood
• The Last Rites of Joe May
  Joe Maggio
• Le quattro volte
  Michelangelo Frammartino
• Margin Call
  J.C. Chandor
• Meek’s Cutoff
  Kelly Reichardt
• Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
  Brad Bird
• Moneyball
  Bennett Miller
• Mysteries of Lisbon
  Raoul Ruiz
• My Week with Marilyn
  Simon Curtis
• The Princess of Montpensier
  Bertrand Tavernier
• Rango
  Gore Verbinski
• A Screaming Man
  Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
• Silent Souls
  Aleksei Fedorchenko
• Tyrannosaur
  Paddy Considine
• Queen to Play
  Caroline Bottaro
• Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
  Guy Ritchie
• The Whistleblower
  Larysa Kondracki

Jon Pareles: Top 10 Albums of 2011, as published by The New York Times

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

1. Metals
   Feist
2. So Beautiful or So What
   Paul Simon
3. Watch the Throne
   Jay-Z and Kanye West
4. Ashes & Fire
   Ryan Adams
5. Bad as Me
   Tom Waits
6. Take Care
   Drake
7. Whokill
   Tune-Yards
8. Wounded Rhymes
   Lykke Li
9. Cotonou Club
   Le Tout Puissant Orchestre Poly-Rythmo
10. Aesthethica
    Liturgy

Nate Chinen: Top 10 Albums of 2011, as published by The New York Times

[see also 2022 • 2017]

1. When the Heart Emerges Glistening
   Ambrose Akinmusire
2. Oblique-1
   Tyshawn Sorey
3. Whokill
   Tune-Yards
4. Avenging Angel
   Craig Taborn
5. Take Care
   Drake
6. Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook
   Miguel Zenón
7. Hearts Wide Open
   Gilan Hekselman
8. Undun
   The Roots
9. Strange Mercy
   St. Vincent
10. Double Demon
    Starlicker

Jon Caramanica: Top 10 Albums of 2011, as published by The New York Times

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

1. Take Care
   Drake
2. Own the Night
   Lady Antebellum
3. Yuck
   Yuck
4. Only in Dreams
   Dum Dum Girls
5. Aesthethica
   Liturgy
6. Dr. Lecter
   Action Bronson
7. Watch the Throne
   Jay-Z and Kanye West
8. House of Balloons
   The Weeknd
9. Hell on Heels
   Pistol Annies
10. 4
    Beyoncé

Drowned in Sound: Favourite Albums of 2011

[see also 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2012]

1. Burst Apart
   The Antlers
2. Ravedeath, 1972
   Tim Hecker
3. Let England Shake
   PJ Harvey
4. SBTRKT
   SBTRKT
5. 50 Words for Snow
   Kate Bush
6. Konkylie
   When Saints Go Machine
7. Felt
   Nils Frahm
8. The People’s Key
   Bright Eyes
9. The Rip Tide
   Beirut
10. The English Riviera
    Metronomy
11. Strange Mercy
    St. Vincent
12. Bon Iver
    Bon Iver
13. Bad as Me
    Tom Waits
14. C’mon
    Low
15. Past Life Martyred Saints
    EMA
16. A Winged Victory for the Sullen
    A Winged Victory For The Sullen
17. Smother
    Wild Beasts
18. Everything’s Getting Older
    Aidan Moffat & Bill Wells
19. Looping State of Mind
    The Field
20. Kaputt
    Destroyer
21. New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
    Colin Stetson
22. Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
    Mogwai
23. Hearts
    I Break Horses
24. Feel It Break
    Austra
25. Slave Ambient
    The War on Drugs
26. David Comes to Life
    Fucked Up
27. House of Balloons
    The Weeknd
28. Skying
    The Horrors
29. Last of the Country Gentlemen
    Josh T Pearson
30. Biophilia
    Björk
31. Nostalgia, Ultra
    Frank Ocean
32. The King of Limbs
    Radiohead
33. Whokill
    Tune-Yards
34. All Things Will Unwind
    My Brightest Diamond
35. Wounded Rhymes
    Lykke Li
36. Smoke Ring for My Halo
    Kurt Vile
37. The Tao of the Dead
    …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
38. On A Mission
    Katy B
39. Coracle
    WALLS
40. The Hunter
    Mastodon
41. Far Side Virtual
    James Ferraro
42. Watch the Throne
    Jay-Z and Kanye West
43. Marissa Nadler
    Marissa Nadler
44. Tomboy
    Panda Bear
45. New Look
    New Look
46. Crazy Clown Time
    David Lynch
47. Night of Hunters
    Tori Amos
48. Eye Contact
    Gang Gang Dance
49. Born This Way
    Lady Gaga
50. Space is Only Noise
    Nicolas Jaar
51. Pala
    Friendly Fires
52. Replica
    Oneohtrix Point Never
53. We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
    John Maus
54. The Year of Hibernation
    Youth Lagoon
55. Zonoscope
    Cut Copy
56. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
    M83
57. Dedication
    Zomby
58. Parallax
    Atlas Sound
59. The Whole Love
    Wilco
60. New Brigade
    Iceage
61. Dust Collision
    Kate Wax
62. Glass Swords
    Rustie
63. Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
    Explosions in the Sky
64. Father, Son, Holy Ghost
    Girls
65. Virtue
    Emmy the Great
66. Mazes
    Moon Duo
67. 936
    Peaking Lights
68. Cinderella’s Eyes
    Nicola Roberts
69. A Young Person’s Guide
    Mark McGuire
70. Go Tell Fire to the Mountain
    WU LYF
71. Veronica Falls
    Veronica Falls
72. You & I
    The Pierces
73. Hello Sadness
    Los Campesinos
74. James Blake
    James Blake
75. Femme Fatale
    Britney Spears