CUCKOO'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2011

People keep saying new music is crap but I don't believe it. Out of the 50 albums or so that I reviewed this year, I can honestly say I'd recommend atleast 80% of them which is pretty good. Granted I did do some digging to find some of this stuff...but it's worth it when you find it.

It wasn't that tough a decision to narrow down my top 10 seeing as I awarded only 10 albums with 5 "stars".

(click on the names for the mini-reviews)

10. BLUE SKY BLACK DEATH / Noir

9. THE CURE / Bestival Live 2011

8. PJ HARVEY / Let England Shake

7. THE WAR ON DRUGS / Slave Ambient

6. VESPERTINA / The Waiting Wolf

5. TOM WAITS / Bad As Me

4. ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD / Knife Man

3. LYDIA LOVELESS / Indestructible Machine

2. LYKKE LI / Wounded Rhymes

1. FRANK TURNER / England Keep My Bones


Some honorable mentions go to:

BANG DATA / Maldito Carnaval
BLINK-182 / Neighborhoods
DIRTY BEACHES / Badlands
DOOMTREE / No Kings
DUM DUM GIRLS / Only In Dreams
DAVID LYNCH / Crazy Clown Time
JEFF MARTIN 777 / The Ground Cries Out
PUSCIFER / Conditions Of My Parole
ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS / Songs Of Man
VARIOUS ARTISTS / Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

THE WAR ON DRUGS / Slave Ambient [2011]

After 3 proper releases, The War On Drugs are really coming into their own on Slave Ambient.
A perfect mixture of rustic rock ala Tom Petty & Bruce Springsteen and a heavy dose of dreamlike spacey grandeur of more recent acts like Spiritualized & God Is An Astronaut. A warm sounding album that never really has any sing-a-long choruses or instant hit singles but plenty of instrumental bits and rhythms to make it incredibly interesting and almost euphoric.
This is good ol' fashioned salt of the earth rock n' roll with a coat of post-rock sound design that just makes you feel good. One of the definitive highlights of the year.

5 Tom Petty's in Space out of 5

Songs Of Note: Your Love Is Calling My Name; Baby Missiles