Give it away now

High Scoring Albums by Year

2011	House of Balloons by The Weeknd 89
2010	My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West 94
2009	Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective 89
2008	London Zoo by The Bug 90
2007	From Here We Go Sublime by The Field 90

With half of 2011 in the books, it's time to check on the year's best music so far. And while we weren't surprised to see much blogged-about artists like Bon Iver or veterans such as PJ Harvey near the top of our high score chart, the year's best-reviewed album so far is a bit more under the radar for most music fans.

That #1 album, House of Balloons, is the first release from The Weeknd, the recording name of Toronto-based R&B artist Abel Tesfaye. But you won't find House of Balloons on iTunes or at your local record store; instead, Tesfaye gave the album (billed as a mixtape, but at nine tracks and 50 minutes, we consider it his debut album) away for free on his website. The set immediately earned glowing reviews from bloggers and the music press, and also scored a nomination for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize, Canada's top music honor.

House of Balloons is one of two R&B albums in our top ten so far in 2011, while another two of the top four best reviewed releases so far this year are hip hop albums, coming off a year in which a rap album (Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy) finished the year at #1. The rest of this year's top ten is rounded out by electronica, hardcore, indie folk, electronica, and other genres, making for an unusually diverse group. And there are several artists appearing on our top 40 list with their debut albums, including 21-year-old techno artist Nicolas Jaar, the new hip hop group Shabazz Palaces, and Danish teens Iceage. The veterans are well represented too, with 70-year-old Paul Simon capping the other end of the age spectrum.

Below, we look at best- and worst-reviewed albums released through the first half of the year.

The 40 Best-Reviewed Albums of 2011 So Far (Through June 30)

	Album		Label	Metascore	Users
	1	House of Balloons by The Weeknd	The Weeknd	89	8.1
	It's not often that you can legally download the year's best-reviewed album for free, but House of Balloons can be grabbed from the artist's website.
	2	The Greatest Story Never Told by Saigon	Suburban Noize	89	8.5
	This long-delayed debut LP from Brooklyn rapper Saigon includes appearances by Jay-Z, Bun B, and Faith Evans, and production from Just Blaze and Kanye West.
	3	No Devolucion by Thursday	Epitaph	88	8.2
	Dave Fridmann produced this sixth album for the New Jersey post-hardcore band, resulting in an album more atmospheric and diverse than their usual output.
	4	Black Up by Shabazz Palaces	Sub Pop	87	9.2
	The first hip hop group signed to indie rock label Sub Pop, Seattle's Shabazz Palaces are fronted by Ishmael Butler, formerly of Digable Planets.
	5	Let England Shake by PJ Harvey	Island	86	8.3
	The English rocker's best album in a decade—with a loose concept about England at war—is a much more musically varied affair than the piano-driven White Chalk.
	6	Who Kill by tUnE-yArDs	4AD	86	7.9
	New England's Merrill Garbus returns with an eclectic second album that is more polished and accessible than her debut, but no less playful, original, or exciting.
	7	Space Is Only Noise by Nicolas Jaar	Circus Company	86	8.1
	The 21-year-old producer made his debut with this album of experimental electronica, which drew comparisons to James Blake.
	8	Stone Rollin' by Raphael Saadiq	Columbia	86	6.8
	The veteran R&B artist continues his obsession with vintage 1960s and 70s soul on a fifth solo album that features members of Earth, Wind, and Fire and Little Dragon.
	9	Bon Iver by Bon Iver	Jagjaguwar	86	7.9
	Justin Vernon's sophomore set includes 10 songs each named after—and inspired by—a specific place, backed by a fuller sound with more varied instrumentation.
	10	Ravedeath, 1972 by Tim Hecker	Kranky	86	6.9
	The Canadian's sixth set of abstract, dark, ambient electronica consists of three multi-part compositions supplemented by several stand-alone tracks.
	11	David Comes To Life by Fucked Up	Matador	86	8.6
	The third LP from the Toronto hardcore punk band is a concept album that unfolds its dense narrative across 18 tracks arranged in four acts.
	12	Bird Songs by Joe Lovano / Us Five	Blue Note	86	n/a
	Grammy-winning jazz saxophonist Joe Lovano and his band Us Five tackle the Charlie Parker songbook on this 11-track tribute album.
	13	When the Heart Emerges Glistening by Ambrose Akinmusire	Blue Note	85	n/a
	28-year-old jazz trumpeter Akinmusire makes his Blue Note debut with a set of 10 originals and two covers performed by his quintet and co-produced by Jason Moran.
	14	So Beautiful or So What by Paul Simon	Hear Music	85	7.9
	The 70-year-old Simon's first album in five years, which he produced with Phil Ramone, exhibits a bluegrass influence.
	15	Smother by Wild Beasts	Domino	85	8.5
	An unusually restrained outing for the eccentric and distinctive English indie rock band, the mature and subtle Smother opts mainly for synths instead of guitars.
	16	Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes	Sub Pop	85	8.5
	Two years in the making, the Seattle-based harmonic folk group's second LP offers a greater diversity of instrumentation and a slightly less polished sound.
	17	Marissa Nadler by Marissa Nadler	Box of Cedar	85	n/a
	The self-released fifth album for the East Coast folk singer-songwriter was recorded with fan-supplied funds raised through Kickstarter.
	18	New Brigade by Iceage	What's Your Rupture?	85	n/a
	A group of four Danish teenagers, Iceage make their debut with this set of a dozen very brief no wave-influenced post-punk tunes, clocking in at just under 25 minutes.
	19	As High as the Highest Heavens and from the Center to the Circumference of the Earth by True Widow	Kemado	84	n/a
	Catchy title aside, the Dallas trio's second album blends stoner rock, grunge, and slowcore into a powerful whole.
	20	Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2 by Beastie Boys	Capitol	84	8.3
	There's no Part 1, but Part 2 is the group's first non-instrumental set in seven years and probably their best album since 1998's Hello Nasty.
	21	Kaputt by Destroyer	Merge	84	8.3
	Daniel Bejar's ninth Destroyer album is a jazzy, soft-rock affair that wouldn't sound out of place coming out of an AM radio in the early 1980s.
	22	Wondervisions by Delicate Steve	Luaka Bop	84	n/a
	Steve Marion's debut album as Delicate Steve features a mix of indie pop and African-influenced sounds.
	23	Wounded Rhymes by Lykke Li	Atlantic	83	8.4
	The 25-year-old Swedish pop star recorded this fuller-sounding sophomore set with producer Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John.
	24	Build a Rocket Boys! by Elbow	Polydor	83	7.9
	The Mercury Prize-winning Manchester band's fifth album is a set of songs based on frontman Guy Garvey's childhood.
	25	Eye Contact by Gang Gang Dance	4AD	83	8.3
	After a drummer switch, the decade-old experimental music outfit from New York return with their most accessible release to date (and their first LP for 4AD).
	26	Scandalous by Black Joe Lewis	Lost Highway	83	n/a
	The Austin-based blues and soul band returns with a second album, produced by Spoon's Jim Eno.
	27	Nine Types of Light by TV on the Radio	Interscope	82	8.2
	After a three-year break, TVOTR reunited to record their fourth album; the result, unexpectedly, is an album full of accessible— if still a bit arty— love songs.
	28	The Harrow and the Harvest by Gillian Welch	Acony Records	82	n/a
	The bluegrass singer-songwriter's first album in eight years finds her teamed once again with longtime collaborator David Rawlings.
	29	Canary by Southeast Engine	Misra	82	n/a
	The Ohio-based indie rockers return with a concept album about the Great Depression.
	30	We're New Here by Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx	XL Recordings	82	7.6
	Jamie Smith of The xx drastically reconfigured the late Gil Scott-Heron's 2010 minimalist comeback album I'm New Here, resulting in a completely new record.
	31	Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light, Vol. 1 by Earth	Southern Lord Records	82	n/a
	The Seattle drone-rock band returns with its sixth album of lengthy, heavy, slow-paced instrumental tracks; Volume 2 arrives next year.
	32	This Is Country Music by Brad Paisley	RCA	82	7.4
	Country superstar Paisley is joined by guests ranging from Don Henley to Carrie Underwood to Alabama on his ninth studio album.
	33	The Dreaming Fields by Matraca Berg	Dualtone Music	82	n/a
	A country singer-songwriter best known best known for penning tracks for many country stars, Berg returns with her first solo album in more than a decade.
	34	Channel Pressure by Ford & Lopatin	Software	82	n/a
	The electronica duo Games change their name for this first full-length set, which mixes instrumentals with vocal-driven tracks reminiscent of 1980s alt-pop.
	35	The Magic Place by Julianna Barwick	Asthmatic Kitty	82	5.3
	The first true LP for the Brooklyn-based performer is a hazy, minimalist, reverb- and drone-heavy affair, with vocals that are drawing comparisons to Enya.
	36	Everything's Getting Older by Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat	Chemikal Underground	82	n/a
	Scottish composer Wells teams with former Arab Strap frontman Moffat for a gloomy and unsettling album that has been under development for the past eight years.
	37	City of Refuge by Abigail Washburn	Rounder	82	n/a
	Washburn's Rounder debut is folk and bluegrass with an indie-rock edge, with members of The Decemberists and My Morning Jacket guesting.
	38	Smoke Ring for My Halo by Kurt Vile	Matador	82	7.6
	Incorporating folk and American roots rock, this second Matador release for the Philadelphia artist was produced by John Agnello (The Hold Steady).
	39	Past Life Martyred Saints by EMA	Souterrain Transmissions	82	n/a
	This short set of art rock marks the solo debut for Erika M. Anderson, formerly of the band Gowns.
	40	Tirtha by Vijay Iyer with Prasanna and Nitin Mitta	Act Music + Vision	81	n/a
	Grammy nominated jazz pianist Iyer debuts his new band, which combines jazz with Indian music.

Albums released between January 1, 2011 and June 30, 2011 with 7 or more reviews in Metacritic's database were eligible for inclusion on the above lists. Reissues, EPs, live albums, holiday albums, greatest hits albums, multi-artist soundtracks, and other compilations are excluded. The Metascore is a weighted average of scores from top professional critics, on a scale from 0 (bad) to 100 (good). User scores represent an average of scores assigned by Metacritic.com site visitors, from 0 (bad) to 10 (good). Albums are ranked by Metascore prior to rounding. All scores are from the morning of July 1, 2011.

What are your favorites?

What are your picks for the best albums of 2011 so far? Let us know in the discussion section below.