25. Lil B - ‘I’m Gay’
Besides from the oddly controversial title (having ‘gay’ in your album title omg!!), the main point of focus here is how varied and weird the samples are. You go from a Slowdive sample, a sample of the Spirited Away soundtrack to a sample of the worst song ever (Goo Goo Dolls - ‘Iris’). Lil B is the quintessential ‘alternative rapper’ and being so fearless in his musical depth and his persona only cements this.

24. Richard Youngs - Atlas of Hearts
Richard Youngs only has one masterpiece and that is 1998’s ‘Sapphie’ but ever since then he’s been throwing out amazingly consistent records. Atlas of Hearts falls more into his songwriter style than his avant-garde compositions and there’s not much to say that hasn’t been said about his other releases other than it’s beautiful and another strong offering from someone who will have many other records in the future.

23. Aieyiyiyi - Manners
This was a blind buy after reading it involved one half of the excellent ‘tribal’ drone outfit Pine Smoke Lodge. What was surprising is that it is actually more musical than PSL’s tapes; the tape demonstrates fine lo-fi folk drone with flutes and banjos galore. Can’t wait to see what these guys do next.

22. Boris - New Album
Boris is one of the most prominent Japanese acts this side of the internet so it was only a matter of time before the band try a jpop album and then make idiotic listeners wish again for 30 minute stoner drone epics. Heh. What you’re guaranteed with Boris is that there will be high and low moments, but there will always be moments.

21. Gypsy Treasures - Buried Goods
I was kind of iffy about this initially because Not Not Fun releases have became stale to my ears and I was tired of hearing the woman who co-runs it complaining how “downloading ruined music!!!” in Wire magazine every few months. Not Not Fun are a significant label but have settled for really subpar drone music in recent times so it’s nice to hear something like this for a change; arabic lo-fi tape surf that creeps onto the dissonant side as well as the melodic side. Really strong stuff.

20. Death Grips - Exmilitary
I can’t say much for this that hasn’t already been said but I really enjoy how Zach Hill has employed his insane math rock know how into a cohesive hip hop effort that isn’t showy and is always insanely interesting even in the record’s downtime. MC Ride is criticised for not having a strong flow but his charisma and his words more than make up for some supposed trait of rapping. The only thing that really bugs me is that it doesn’t include ‘Full Moon (Death Classic)’ which is my favourite of their songs so far.

19. Higuma - Pacific Fog Dreams
I hear a lot of drone tapes every year. They show up constantly on blogs I bookmark and people even send me them through the mail without me even knowing I’m receiving it. So it is definitely neat when an underground drone record I hear actually inspires me for once due to it’s nuance for atmosphere and attention to detail.

18. Murmuure - S/T
French black metal. Really good guitar, good atmosphere, good keyboards etc.

17. ASAP Rocky - LiveLoveASAP
This is really a case of the beats pulling along the MC. Rocky is competent enough on the mic but wow, the cuts here from Clams Casino, Spaceghostpurrp and other alumnis are some of the best beats produced this year. The new mixtape culture is exciting and it seems to me that Rocky is probably the best all-rounder from this flock.

16. Braids - Native Speaker
Indie rock has been awful in 2011 so it’s nice to hear a band like Braids bring some nice much needed arrangements and melodies to the scene. The song structures are irregular which makes for more interesting listening with the sounds just feeling like an infinite cotton candy loop.

15. David Lynch - Crazy Clown Time
Truth be told, this is exactly what I thought a Lynch record would sound like. You have this primitive bluesy guitar and vocal set pushed through the brink with effects (oh, like the effects ridden Twin Peaks soundtrack, hm?). The accompanient suits Lynch’s direction quite well and thus forms a record so undeniably cool that I feel bad not wearing sunglasses while listening.

14. Gang Gang Dance - No Contact
This was my first Gang Gang Dance record. Kind of embarrassing considering how indie famous they’ve become. Anyhow, it was really enjoyable just how drawn out and high strung these songs were. The tracks are long but they’re never boring which is the best thing you can have if your songs are at a long running speed.

13. Kon Tiki Gemini - Night Nights
Another tape from the drone canon. There is a very minimal sound but it never comes out as dull, there’s always really interesting little melodies floating around in the mix. If you’re going to make ambient music then it’s best to put a lot of detail into the sound, don’t just settle for the one long stretched drone because it’s not interesting.

12. Lee Noble - No Becoming
Really haunting, lo-fi meditations strummed through acoustic guitars and faded vocals. A really pleasant surprise, dude is really tops when it comes to crafting a nice production sound.

11. True Widow - As High As The Highest Heavens…
I love 90s slowcore music and I also love old doom metal records so it’s nice to hear a band take the slowcore aesthetic and apply it to stoner rock tones. There is no forced gimmick at play nor is there any trace of ‘these guys are just metalheads playing to an indie crowd’ sort of vibe. Just great songwriting, great musicians and a great sound.

10. Toddle - The Shimmer
Post-Number Girl side project. It’s a bit what you’d expect from them at this point and there’s nothing wrong with that considering how well written and well performed the songs are.

9. Lou Reed & Metallica - Lulu
This record was going to be hated no matter how great it was. I was in the majority who thought it’d be destined to fail when ‘The View’ was released but listening through the album with an open mind shows how well the albums works. I’ve even came to enjoy ‘The View’ in context with the album. The lyrics are some of Lou Reed’s best maybe ever and it’s nice to see him fired up in all cyclinders after being complacent for so long and of course it’s nice to see Metallica come out of their shell a little to improvise and loosen their song structures. In the minority with this but alas I think it’s a great record.

8. Satanized - Technical Virginity
Another strong record from the Skin Graft records canon. A short slice of noise rock accented with high toned riffs, loose drumming and crazy vocals.

7. Coma Cinema - Blue Suicide
‘Downer pop’ one man band from South Carolina. Very ambitious, arresting lo-fi recordings. Depressing and great to shoot heroin to.

6. Danny Brown - XXX
Out of all the mixtape rappers that surfaced fully this year, Danny Brown is definitely the most talented and noticeable. The dense beats mixed with Brown’s mildly hilarious rapping tone contribute to make the album really unique. His rhymes are smart, full of interesting metaphor and sometimes outright gross. I remember someone on facebook saying that someone said to them that Danny Brown is similar to Tyler the Creator lyrically with their response being ‘Yeah but Danny Brown would actually set your house on fire then piss on you’. Also, shouts out to the This Heat sample in ‘Adderall Admiral’.

5. Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
I’m a longtime fan of Hecker and it’s always nice to see him release works with such consistency. He really knows how to capture atmosphere and how to construct interesting sound pieces and ‘Ravedeath, 1972’ is definitely no exception. My only complaint would be that this record is very similar to his past works but ultimately there is not much negative in that.

4. Tartar Lamb - Polyimage of Known Exits
Since the new Kayo Dot will now be a 2012 release, it’s fitting that I include this in my list. Another Toby Driver side project which features a stripped back sound consisting of Toby’s guitar and Mia Matsumiya’s violin. The difference between this and the project’s previous album is that there is a lot more at play here with synthesisers and brass taking a larger role. It’s refreshing and a great alternative to Kayo Dot.

3. Krallice - Diotima
Okay so they’re probably not ‘real’ black metal but that shit is trivial and irrelevant. Krallice continue to be one of the most melodically tight and exciting metal bands of this age. Colin Marston and Mick Barr’s guitar work is mindblowing, the vast tremolo picked adventures they take up and down the fretboard are insane and the way the parts segue into each other is flawless. Interesting about this record is that Krallice have evolved from shouted vocals to actual death metal growls which I’m ambivalent about but it’s not like it affects the music for me personally.

2. John Maus - We Must Become the Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves
John Maus is probably ‘indie cool’ by now. I don’t know, I’ve listened to him since he was part of Ariel Pink’s band (or at least when that was all he was known for). A retro look at 1980’s new wave that was apparently influenced by Renaissance era melodies by Maus himself. I’m not a fan of this sound but it’s hard for me to criticise when the songs are tightly constructed, very melodic and have an almost cheerful melancholy through Maus’ compositional tones. Fascinating artist and I can’t wait to see how he progresses his music.

1. Grouper - A I A
Yes I’m grouping both of them together, they’re companion pieces essentially. Liz Harris became a massive underground star with ‘Dragging a Dead Deer…’ with it’s mix of ambient waves and singer/songwriter acoustics. ‘A I A’ takes the singer/songerwriter elements but throws them off the deep end with the ambient leanings. There is also a more lo-fi aesthetic to the records with gentle overpeaking distortion breaking through the layers of sound and tracks which sound like they were recorded about a mile away from the microphone. Really really beautiful, replayable and most enjoyable from 2011.