2011 has been a pretty good year for music, for me maybe not so many great new artists as I would have liked but some fantastic new abums from bands and artists who have expanded and evolved their sounds.
Bon Iver - Holocene
Bon Iver's self titled second album is my album of the year, it's a record which I can listen to again and again and lose myself in it completely. It was really hard for me to choose only one song from this album and after some deliberation I've had to go with 'Holocene'. This song is moving, well written and lyrically beautiful. There are so much going on in this song that you almost discover something new with every listen.
Lykke Li - I follow Rivers
Lykke Li shows just how good pop songs should be written. 'Wounded Rhymes', her second album is absolutely brilliant and 'I Follow Rivers' is one of its finest moments. She returned with a darker, edgier sound that shakes away some of the youthfullness of her first album and this song shows just how far she has come. Like my Bon Iver choice before it was difficult to choose one song from this album but this just nudges it, a big catchy chorus and some great production throughout, I'll be listening to this for years to come.
Metronomy - The Bay
Metronomy returned this year with a new sound, a full band and a concept album based on Torbay, what's not to like? This song is the centrepiece of that album, and what a song this is, even the video makes Torbay look good! The Erol Alkan edit is my remix of the year, a no brainer really there, and the original is fantastic in its own right. The Bay highlights just how much Metronomy's sound has changed since the first record while still maintaining the elements of why we loved them in the first place.
Wild Beasts - Bed Of Nails
Wild Beasts might not be to everyone's tastes and in fact I was slightly nonplussed about them until I saw them play an absolute blinder of a set at End Of The Road festival. Built up with some fantastic harmonies and what is a really individual sound for a guitar band at a time when much seems to be sounding the same to me. Intertwining melodies and sounds backed by a solid bass line and some great rythms really make this song deserving of its place in my top songs of the year.
SBTRKT - Wildfire
Featuring Sweden's Little Dragon (who released a great album in their own right this year), SBTRKT have produced a sparse dance sound that seperates it from the dearth of dull dubstep that came before it. This track is an absolute stormer on what is a really clever and well thought out album. Wildfire is a dark, brooding song song for small clubs and sweaty dancefloors, amazing.
