Friday 16 December 2011

2011 Favourite Albums' List

Only Santa's magic eyes can see Some Diurnal Aural Awe's 2011 Favourite Albums' List, but a visible copy has been obtained and is printed here for your secret viewing and interest:

Alison Krauss and Union Station - Paper Airplane
America - Back Pages
Archie Shepp – Wo!man
Ben Howard - Every Kingdom
Big Harp – White Hat
Blackie & The Rodeo Kings – Kings & Queens
Bing Ji Ling - Shadow To Shine
Bon Iver - Bon Iver
Bonnie Prince Billy – Wolfroy Goes To Town
Brute Heart – Lonely Hunter
Buddy Miller - The Majestic Silver Strings
Buffalo Death Beam – Salvation for Ordinary People
Feist – Metals
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest
Glen Campbell - Ghost on the Canvas
Gotan Project - La Revancha en Cumbia
Guillemots - Walk the River
Guy Clark - Songs & Stories
Hank Williams III - Ghost to a Ghost/Gutter Town
Jeff Bridges - Jeff Bridges
Joan As Policewoman - Deep Field
John Martyn - Heaven and Earth
Josh T Pearson – Last of the Country Gentlemen
Josh T. Pearson - Rough Trade Christmas Bonus
Johnny Winter – Roots
Jonathan Wilson - Gentle Spirit
Kami Thompson - Love Lies
Karen Savoca - Promise
King Creosote – Thrawn
King Creosote – Diamond Mine
Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know
Leslie West – Unusual Suspects
Lindsey Buckingham - Seeds We Sow
Martin Simpson - Purpose + Grace
Meg Baird - Seasons on Earth
Merle Haggard - Working in Tennessee
Moreland & Arbuckle - Just a Dream
Nils Lofgren - Old School
Paul Simon – So Beautiful So What
Phoebe Killdeer - Innerquake
Rachael Yamagata – Chesapeake
Radio Moscow - The Great Escape of Leslie Magnafuzz
Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin'
Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You
Rebecca Ferguson – Heaven
Richmond Fontaine - The High Country
Ron Sexsmith – Long Player Late Bloomer
Ry Cooder - Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down
Ryan Adams - Ashes and Fire
Shelby Lynne - Revelation Road
Steve Earle – I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive
Steve Miller Band - Let Your Hair Down
Steve Tilston – The Reckoning
Teddy Thompson - Bella
The Answer – Revival
The Black Lillies - 100 Miles of Wreckage
The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow
The Dallas Explosion - Off To War
The Duke Spirit – Bruiser
The Gourds - Old Mad Joy
Thea Gilmore – Don’t Stop Singing
Tom Waits - Bad As Me
Van Der Graaf Generator - A Grounding In Numbers
Various Artists – Johnny Boy Would Love This: Tribute To John Martyn
White Denim – D

Picking an absolute favourite is difficult, but I will stick with what I have mentioned before and go for Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings. The act of compiling this list reminds me of lesser known but brilliant ones that I need to revisit: Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Big Harp, and The Black Lillies. Many have been reviewed on this blog, but others haven't. Three of the albums are significant because they are superb but also by female vocalists I love: Joan As Policewoman, Feist, Shelby Lynne. Teddy Thompson and Josh T Pearson released albums poles apart in terms of genre and performance, but each excellent release was complemented by seeing them performing live this year. The most personally meaningful album was John Martyn's posthumous release. I realise some of my favourites will be others' turkeys, for example Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and the recent selection of Rebecca Ferguson may continue to surprise, but that should be done and dusted by now. Roll on 2012.

2 comments:

  1. I see Buffalo Death Beam on your 2011 fav list. Here's a video...


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvM6HI6XEN0

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  2. Hello Rick, have checked out the clip - I never think to look there which is crazy - and it's great to see them doing it live. At just over 500 views its that classic where really good acts are struggling to get heard, and the 'novelty/lite' ones get millions! Good to put faces to the music too. Thanks for that, and for stopping by.

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