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As 2011 comes to a close, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at my favorite albums released this year. I listened to a lot of music. With great services like Spotify and iTunes Match recently released, I found myself listening to music constantly. I continued to explore new genres and, as a result, new artists. Many of the artists in my Top 50 are new to my music library this year. It’s been an exciting year of music discovery for me and I can’t wait for 2012!

Top 50 Albums of 2011​

1. Florence + the Machine – Ceremonials

2. Nero – Welcome Reality

3. CunninLynguists - Oneirology

4. M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

5. Washed Out – Within and Without

6. Wynter Gordon – With The Music I Die

7. Holy Ghost! – Holy Ghost!

8. Rise Against – Endgame

9. Kill The Noise – Kill Kill Kill

10. Joker – The Vision

11. Moving Mountains – Waves

12. Drake – Take Care

13. Rival Schools – Pedals

14. Kanye West & Jay-Z – Watch the Throne

15. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart ? Belong

16. The Strokes – Angles

17. PANTyRAiD – Superior EP

18. Britney Spears – Femme Fatale

19. Surkin ? USA

20. Phantogram – Nightlife EP

21. Neon Indian – Era Extrana

22. Rustie – Glass Swords

23. Digitalism – I Love You, Dude

24. Zomboy – Game Time EP

25. Knife Party ? 100% No Modern Talking

26. Gotye – Making Mirrors

27. Toro Y Moi – Freaking Out EP

28. Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

29. In Flames – Sounds of a Playground Fading

30. The Weeknd – House of Balloons

31. Bassnectar – Divergent Spectrum

32. Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

33. Radiohead – The King of Limbs

34. Gang Gang Dance – Eye Contact

35. Gladkill – LoveLost EP

36. Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto

37. Above & Beyond – Group Therapy

38. Blue Sky Black Death – Noir

39. Destroyer – Kaputt

40. Mount Kimbie – Carbonated EP

41. LIGHTS – Siberia

42. Eisley – The Valley

43. Com Truise – Galactic Melt

44. Cut Copy – Zonoscope

45. Bibio – Mind Bokeh

46. Asking Alexandria – Reckless & Relentless

47. Sleeping with Sirens – Let’s Cheers to This

48. Mimosa – 58 Degrees EP

49. Porter Robinson ? Spitfire EP

50. I See Stars – The End Of The World Party
I decided to break the list down into a few sections. I created mini-lists to group the albums by genre. This should make it easier to find the best albums in your favorite genre. I hope these lists will encourage you to explore some new music.

Best Dubstep/Glitch-Hop Albums​

  • Welcome Reality by Nero
  • Kill Kill Kill by Kill The Noise
  • The Vision by Joker
  • Superior EP by PANTyRAiD
  • Game Time EP by Zomboy
  • 100% No Modern Talking by Knife Party

Best Hip-Hop/R&B Albums​

  • Take Care by Drake
  • Oneirology by CunninLynguists
  • Watch the Throne by Kanye West & Jay-Z
  • House of Balloons by The Weeknd

Best Pop Albums​

  • Ceremonials by Florence + the Machine
  • With The Music I Die by Wynter Gordon
  • Femme Fatale by Britney Spears
  • Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay

Best Dance/Electronic Albums​

  • Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming by M83
  • Within and Without by Washed Out
  • Holy Ghost! by Holy Ghost!
  • USA by Surkin
  • I Love You, Dude by Digitalism
  • Era Extrana by Neon Indian

Best Rock Albums​

  • Pedals by Rival Schools
  • Belong by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
  • Angles by The Strokes
  • Endgame by Rise Against
  • Waves by Moving Mountains
  • Take Care, Take Care, Take Care by Explosions in the Sky

Most Surprising Album​

Britney Spears’ Femme Fatale was probably the most surprising album for me this year. I’ve never been a huge fan of Britney, even though I do listen to a decent amount of pop music. I’d assumed her career was basically over, so you can imagine my surprise when I first heard this album. While the lyrical content is rubbish, I love the overall dance and electronic vibe of the album. I found myself listening to this album a lot more than I’d be willing to admit.
If you enjoyed this post, you should check out my music blog, Album of the Week.