Brad's top 10 albums of 2011

music that touches me emotionally is always my favorite. You can argue that there were better records out this year than awolnation or the sucker punch soundtrack, but they both reached me in a way that girls or tuneyards.



10) Fleet Foxes - helplessness blues

my number 10 album was also one of my bigger disappointments. helplessness blues is a damn fin album, but i expected it to be my number 1. as beautiful as these songs are they didn't have the power of their debut. Still better than 90% of the stuff out there.




9) Foster The People - torches

Pumped Up Kicks was almost as unavoidable this year as rolling in the deep, and i didn't mind at all. Perhaps the most cheery and catchy songs about a school shooting ever. the rest of the album didn't disappoint and their appearance on SNL was a highlight.



8) Yuck - Yuck

Yuck sound like a 90's band. i love the 90s. it's not rocket science to predict that this would make my top 10. Now i just need to see them live.



7) Sucker Punch - soundtrack

Granted i wouldn't have liked this soundtrack as much had i not seen the movie, but i spent a lot of time with this record this year and it hasn't gotten old.




6) Radiohead - king of limbs

although i'm not as big a fan of radiohead's electronic experimentation as i am of their earlier guitar rock, i am always amazed how creative they can be. King of limbs id no exception.




5) Black Keys - el camino

I love this band. hometown heroes that have done good. on el camino the black keys took a more classic rock turn to surprisingly refreshing results. they can do no wrong.



4) TV On The Radio - nine types of light

it's been a rough year for tv on the radio having lost their bass player to cancer soon after this album was released. in my mind this album is their masterpiece.




3) Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

it's been a while since a foo fighters album made an impression on me, but wasting light was the sound of a band recharged. it's good to see a band this deep in their career can make an album this good.




2) AWOLNATION - megalithic symphony

i first heard the song Sail in the middle of the night in a car heading back to New Jersey from Ohio the day of my father's funeral. it mad an impression by hitting me at the rich time. i found the rest of the album just as good. a mix of anger, catchiness and wannabe hipster swagger.




1) Tori Amos - night of hunters

i got engaged this year at a tori amos concert.This album has been the soundtrack to my new life with my fiancé and i will always cherish the hours we've spent listening to this album. a truly epic statement from tori and an obvious choice for my number 1 album.