Wow, my shit is mainstream this year. I think if i would have had some more time with albums by  EMA, Cass McCombs, St Vincent, Craig Taborn, Andy Stott, Colin Stetson, Girls, Kurt Vile, & Shabazz Palaces they probably would have ended up on here too. Not enough hours in the day!  As usual, Merge stuff is disqualified though it’s what i listened to & loved the most…

Top Non-Merge Albums of 2011

War On Drugs – Slave Ambient
Bill Callahan – apocalypse
J Mascis – several shades of why
Dum Dum Girls – Only In Dreams
Fucked up – David comes to life
Wilco – The Whole Love
Tim Hecker – Ravedeath 1972
Sidi Toure – Sahel Folk
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Feist – Metals
Malkmus/Jicks – Mirror Traffic
Yuck – Yuck
Junior Boys – It’s All True
Ballake Sissoko & Vincent Segal – Chamber Music
Real Estate – Days
William Tyler – Behold the Spirit

Favorite Reissues of 2011

Sorry Bamba – Vol 1 1970-79
REM – Life’s Rich Pageant
El Rego – El Rego
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Let Love In
Mark Hollis – Mark Hollis & Talk Talk – Laughing Stock
Bitch Magnet – Bitch Magnet
V/A – Local Customs: Pressed At Bodie
Void – Sessions 81-83

Tracks

Bright Eyes – “Shell Games”
Robyn – “Call Your Girlfriend”
Nicky Minaj – “Super Bass”
Bon Iver – “Perth”
Mt. Moriah – “Only Way Out”
Cut Copy – “Need You Now”
Kreashawn – “Gucci Gucci”
Adele – “Rolling In The Deep”
James Blake – “The Wilhelm Scream”
Tom Waits – “New Years Eve”

Art Highlights of 2011

Tacita Dean – FILM
Miyazaki / Ghibli Museum, Tokyo
Kara Walker – Drawings at Sikkema Jenkins
DE-NATURED – Ackland Museum
Yayoi Kusama retrospective at Museo Reina Sofia
Barry Flanagan – Early Works 1965 – 1982
de Kooning retrospective at MOMA
Josephine Halvorson – What Looks Back at Sikkema Jenkins
Marcel Dzama – Behind Every Curtain at David Zwirner
Becoming: Photographs from the Wedge Collection – Nasher Museum

Comedy makes me laugh.

The Best Show on WFMU
Louis CK in all formats.
Amy Schumer – Cutting
Rob Delaney
Todd Barry
Parks n  Recreation
Patrice O’Neal (RIP) – Elephant In the Room
Maria Bamford
Marc Maron’s WTF

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