2011 was a great year for music and I wanted to do a best of list. It was REALLY hard to narrow this down to my 5 favorite albums of the year. Rather than write my thoughts, I am going to let the music speak for itself.

Florence + Machine- Ceremonials
A great follow up to her 2009 debut Lungs.

The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow
A great debut album.

Adele- 21
Brilliant. I don’t care if it’s commercial.

Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes
I have listened to this album far more than is probably normal.

tUnE-yArDs- whokill
The album is amazing. The vocals, the loops, the use of instruments. Brilliant.

Lykke Li- Little Bit
Di Johnston- Segue
Crystal Fighters- At Home
Azealia Banks-212
CSS- City Grrrl
Beth Ditto- I Wrote the Book
Little Boots- Shake

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Haikaa- Call Me By My Name
Breanne Duren- Gold Mine
Lykke Li- Unchained Melody
Allison Weiss- Let’s Leave
Sheri Carr- One Song
Emily Bristow- Raindrop
Bess Rogers- Anchor

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The annual birthday show!

Concrete Blonde- Happy Birthday
tUnE-yArDs- Bizness
An Horse- Dresses Sharply
Rilo Kiley- Portion For Foxes
Ingrid Michaelson- Parachute (acoustic)
I Blame Coco- Selfmachine (acoustic)
Meghan Tonjes- Pumped Up Kicks (acoustic cover)
Lykke Li- I Know Places
Sarah Jaffe- Clementine
Amy Ray- Out On the Farm
Hank & Cupcakes- Ain’t No Love
Florence + Machine- Heavy In Your Arms
CocknBullKid-Asthma Attack
Ellie Goulding- Starry Eyed
Kitten- Kill the Light
tUnE-yArDs- Gangsta
Mammut- Bakkus
Sleigh Bells- Rill RIll
An Horse- Camp Out
Lykke Li- Get Some

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Robots In Disguise- Chains
Bjork- Cosmogony
Lykke Li- Complaint Department
Cults- Abducted
The Grabs- Cold Enough To Slow
The Kills- Passion Is Accurate
Shindu- Happy House
Zola Jesus- Vessel

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

I have recently been listening to a lot of Scandinavian/Nordic musicians. No, really. Besides Adele and I Blame Coco (who are British) and Hank and Cupcakes who are Israelis living in Brooklyn, it’s all I’ve been listening to that isn’t related to the show.
Out of Iceland I’ve been listening to Mammut, Rökkurró and Of Monsters and Men. From Norway, I’ve been digging The School and Ida Maria. Sweden brings Lykke Li and Robyn. I am becoming increasingly enamored of Agnes Obel from Denmark. See? It’s a real problem. Or is it? And why is the music coming from all these countries so appealing to me? I have no idea but it is. So now, for your viewing enjoyment, I’ve posted a couple of videos because really, what would the world be without YouTube?

Lykke Li “Get Some” From Later With Jools Holland

Rökkurró “Sólin mun skína”

Agnes Obel “Riverside”

Sara Watkins- Too Much
Of Monsters And Men- Little Talks
Agnes Obel- Brother Sparrow
Lykke Li- Youth Knows No Pain
She and Him- Why Do You Let Me Stay Here
Led To Sea- Is This The Last Time
Misty Miller- Remember
Meghan Toohey- Four Months
Sia- Breathe Me
The Living Sisters- How Are You Doing?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Danni Rosner- In The City
Lykke Li- Cape Cod Kwassa
Dead Letter Chorus- Down In The Valley
Shelly Fraley- I Don’t Know
The Bird and the Bee- Polite Dance
Feist- The Park

(the file is a little hosed at the end. whoops)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download