Cornershop & the Double O Groove Of is going to very difficult to knock out of this reviewer's top ten of 2011. Bloody brilliant!

Fire is Martin’s finest Bug album. It distills both the project’s and his philosophy down to its simplest, purest form. In the process, it says something profound and provides a viscerally entertaining masterclass in bass-driven electronica.

In terms of epic grandeur, though, Ohms somehow surpasses even the band's most ambitious middle-period work. If past albums in the Deftones discography defined key points in the story of your life, you can expect to be thoroughly engrossed by the latest chapter in a remarkable musical journey that, against all the odds, just got more compelling.

Tokumaru’s music, it’s now well established, is quirky but profound, foreign but still universal.

Her voice shares the same dusky, stained-glass quality as Chan Marshall’s, strident but capable of fracturing at any moment.

Writing and arranging credits are shared between the three artists and, despite Wyatt's claims that most musical collaborations are really a series of shifting dictatorships, there is a sense of equal involvement from all involved. However, for fans of Wyatt and his extensive body of work, it may be hard not to treat this album as further glorious evidence of a singular late voice that came into existence around the time of his 1997 album Shleep.

The Knife has created a work of art that’s not just a dream waiting to be realized, but a living, breathing reality that’s waking you up to what’s possible in the wildest of imaginations.

It Won/t Be Like This All the Time is like all of us. It's bruised, lonely, confused yet hopeful. It feels more important than a collection of songs on a spinning disc. It's a balm, a hand to hold and a kick up the arse. It's the album the Twilight Sad have always been destined to make, and it's the album fans have always known they would make.

Saint Cloud, like Car Wheels, finds an artist operating at the top of her game, embracing, as Crutchfield put it, "the contradictions and the unknown" to produce a thrilling and inspirational work.

How I Long to Feel That Summer in My Heart further underscores how brilliantly anomalous and unfashionably brilliant GZM are.

If, by chance, Spaces happens to be the very first record which you pick up by Nils Frahm, I must proclaim to be extremely jealous--you have a beautiful and highly rewarding journey ahead of you, my friend.

The New Pornographers have made such a great album, tuneful, overdosed with hooks, that all the past sins of our Northern neighbors are forgiven. Well, maybe not Rush, but close.

The composition is equal parts playful, deathly serious, aggressively melodic and just plain aggressive. ... With his forays into indie rock, folk, jazz and both small and large-scale classical music, Bryce Dessner may be the 21st century's Renaissance Man. El Chan makes a strong case for that.

Many of the best records manage the trick of making the listener feel like they are hearing nothing less than a satisfyingly total and complete sound-world, that for its length no other music could or need exist. The stoned-lava flows and driving inertia of Circumambulation make that trick seem like the easiest one in the world.

Stone Rollin' shows off Saadiq's genius as a singer, writer, instrumentalist, and producer of modern rhythm and blues that pays homage to its traditions.

As deeply interwoven into the fabric of her films as Tindersticks's work is, it's more than strong enough to stand alone, providing an intense and immersive emotional experience in its own right.

It’s this blurring of electro and acoustic that makes Space 1.8 such a special debut. Nala Sinephro certainly pays homage to the golden age of spiritual jazz, but her sonic range is unparalleled, and her vision is startlingly unique. Her first full-length album is one for the pantheon of cosmic jazz classics.

A selectively expanded instrumentation that enhances, rather than negates, the sentiments of Monterey. This record is the culmination of the band’s work up until this point, and it is as transcendent in sound and feeling as it was in the process.

The sequencing is what makes this disc such a divine pleasure: we get to hear a band grow from grinning upstarts to tension-battered road warriors.

To Love Is to Live is an emotional essay in which Jehnny Beth has created one of the most compelling and sincere albums of the year so far.

At 36 minutes, Girls Can Tell packs more hooks than most bands fit into their entire discography... This is truly one of the most intense pop records since This Year's Model.

While his lyrics are both timely and powerful, the album's power lies as much in the superbly crafted grooves and songs, which are the best Franti has delivered yet.

How viable their politics actually are is a debate for another day, but as a hip-hop record in 2017, few will come close to creating such an enthralling and vital listen.

Universal Truths and Cycles is not only Guided By Voices strongest record in some time, it is also the best rock record this year.

An early frontrunner for the UK album of the year.

Gaye Su Akyol's artistic sensibilities lend themselves to a unique take on her perceptions of Turkey's immediate present, reinterpreting her environment in a way that scintillates and smolders on İstikrarlı Hayal Hakikattir.

Amazones Power is a fresh, modern new chapter for Les Amazones d'Afrique, and one we can only hope will set a precedent for music and social justice in the new decade.

Provocative when it needs to be, it steers well clear of addressing current world issues explicitly. It doesn't try to answer the difficult questions; rather it invites the listener to delve into their minds to find out the answers for themselves. As a result, this is an album that will resonate in five, ten, 15 years times--and they did it on their terms.

Little Sparrow contains some of the most beautiful and affecting music Parton has ever made...

13 tracks which magically blend heavenly guitar weavings with penetrating melodies.

It’s a rare record that exists due to the harmonious power of its collaborators, but the reason why it will have a lasting legacy is due to how utterly fresh it feels, making for the rare kind of album that sounds just as accessible on its first listen as it does on its hundredth.

Has a playful, at times otherworldly style which brings to mind children's fairy tales.

Together is another masterstroke from the New Pornographers, one of those rare albums that reminds even the most jaded ear of the joys of pop music.

Strummer's best solo effort and one of the best rock records of the year.

There's no other way to say it: Tammy Ealom is one of the most unassuming and perfect songwriters in modern pop.

This is a fun record, one whose effusiveness only reveals itself slowly, with repeat listens opening up more and more emotional layers hovering beneath its sleepy atmosphere.

Exciting and stellar... What a way to show the kids both in 1992 and in 2012 how it's done, Bob.

From sharp, wispy aches to flat, guttural releases, vocal notes move innately and curiously. She sings to discover as if every bellow imagines a peace that her spoken voice cannot. ... [An] unpredictable, nuanced album.

Big Bad Luv can hold its own next to any of the great Americana-tinged rock ‘n’ roll records of the past, from Scarecrow to Full Moon Fever to Copperhead Road.

Deafheaven’s audacity and artistry are hard to deny, which is but one of many reasons why Sunbather is an essential listen, and one of 2013’s boldest works of art.

Like the best mixtape, The Magnificent glides from songs that are destined to be underground classics, party tracks, songs to get our swerve on to, and the straight head nodders.

Pink has an amazing ability to surprise and does so again and again on Before Today.

Rare, Forever synthesizes all of Vynehall's musical instincts together into one unique vision. Both beguiling abstract and instantly gratifying it’s as dizzyingly immersive as Nothing Is Still whilst occupying a totally different sonic space.

"Illmatic" was stylistically brilliant and incalculably influential, but Untitled is a more mature, emotionally-driven, and philosophically-complex piece of work. It’s also a masterpiece.

His ability to purge himself on every track is contagious. You don't have to go there with him to enjoy this album, but don't be surprised if you do.

It’s a rare album that is not only great on it’s first listen, but just as remarkable on it’s tenth.

By turns mellow and heavy, personal and abstract, Le Noise encapsulates nearly everything that you'd want or need from a Neil Young album, and does so in a novel yet organic way.

But this isn’t a hoary breathing of air into faded songs; this is a sonic transfusion on the order of the Mermaid Avenue records.

Parasol Peak works very well as a stand-alone, audio-only experience. The music is that good, and the musicians make an exceptionally tight ensemble. But the accompanying video pays off immensely.

In Theatre Is Evil, Palmer hasn't just topped her best releases to date. She's done it with room to spare.

As foolish as it seems to say that any music is 100 percent new, I've never heard anything like this before.

While the ballads here ("Hurricanes" and "Bruised Fruit") offer little more than vocal histrionics, they're still immaculately crafted and performed. The fact that these missteps are still compelling is clear proof that Young Sick Camellia is by a band at the height of their powers.

It’s trippy and majestic head-music spun from moonage daydreams and made for gliding in and out of life.

Even though there are eight months left in 2016, it’s impossible to imagine any album having nearly as much personality, experimentation, or superb songs as Fool does, and will certainly be one of the best albums to come down the pipeline this year.

Every Bad is fragile and robust, confidently flawed, and above all evidence that Porridge Radio is in their ascendancy. They are a real force to be reckoned with and a band with a strong chance of winning this year's Mercury Prize.

Clark’s songwriting has a peculiar gap to it, and St. Vincent’s best moments are the ones that happen between sense and nonsense, between the long story and the primal reaction to it.

No Way There from Here is packed to bursting with influences from country to pop, tons of different instruments, happy songs, sad songs, fast songs, slow songs--but each in such a measure as to blend to near perfection.

Consistently exciting, always surprising, and full of soul, it is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable releases of the year to date.

Brainwashed is a rich musical treasure trove well mined in execution and production.

Smart, unpretentious, and classy all the way through.

Mountain Goats have just added a further chapter in an ongoing saga of (micro) relationships examined against a backdrop of (macro) global concern, We Shall All Be Healed being the most explicit yet.

At the Party With My Brown Friends is another exquisite installation.

Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise is yet another masterpiece in its creator’s canon.

The Greater Wings is sublime and difficult to fault. Fans of Byrne will be delighted and moved to hear her grow even further as an artist and songwriter, not least in her coming to terms with grief and pain. New listeners to Byrne will surely find an artist of great pathos and empathy whose talents may now get the wider hearing they deserve.

Made in the Dark is a great album, varied and surprisingly heartfelt.

2011 may reward us with releases that are just as bright, witty, and engaging as Generation Indigo, but it is unlikely that someone as singular as Styrene will be behind them.

The fact that a woman of Lynn's tenure can slide so easily into what is essentially an alt-country environment without losing any of her down-home authenticity simply underscores her versatility and timelessness.

In the fiercely competitive pop world, the coalescence of earworm melodies, lush production, and dynamic performances is usually the unlikely result of an ensemble effort of high-salaried professionals; alone, Boucher beats them at their own game and then some with one of the most rebellious, uncommonly bizarre records of the young post-modern pop era.

It is a staggering portrait of a man willing to divulge his insecurities, his passions, his failures, and hold them up for the entire world to examine and devour. Three albums in, and his remarkable voice still dazzles as it did on his masterful debut, but now you actually might find yourself dancing to everything around it.

Black Dog is the sum of these past strange adventures. The mysterious vibes of The Entiry City, the cold, brutal post-industrial of Unflesh, and the avant-pop musings of Pastoral. It is a work reminiscent of Gazelle Twin but also forges a new path. One that is able not only to merge these disparate aspects but also to surpass them.

For those who only know Amy Ray as an Indigo Girl, or as a socially active label owner will find this record a snarling, beautiful surprise.

The Sadies' best album yet.

Black Belt Eagle Scout teaches us, guides, and inspires us, all the while dazzling us with lush atmospheres, seismic rhythms, and a voice that unfurls from another and perhaps a better world.

It is a must for jazz fans and anyone with an appreciation for rich and reflective creative art.

Brexit (let us look forward to the day when we no longer have to speak of this blight) may be this album's context and its backdrop but what we might be getting here is ultimately a form of contemporary elegiac lyricism rather than full-fledged social polemic. Perhaps that is a more useful and rewarding reference and access point for this remarkable piece of work.

Her bold delivery and fresh take on classic tropes show she’s a master of detailing the chaos of life. She’s a double threat who can write ‘em and sing ‘em.

On As Above, So Below, just as on The Return, she makes music with incredible clarity of purpose and affirms a sense of interconnected self and heritage that makes her writing, arranging, sampling, and guest list all the more compelling. Sampa is soaring, and she’s not afraid to let everyone know.

Through music, Kuti received redemption and power. The Best of the Black President gathers his best singles in one place. Here are the strongest moments of a musician that never played a single unnecessary note.

Saadiq puts his artistic skills to use in full, reaching new emotional and technical heights while delving into heartbreaking lows. Jimmy Lee shows why, even though he so often stays behind the scenes these days, his is one of the most compelling voices in modern-day soul music.

UNTITLED (Black Is) is captivating from start to finish. ... This is a stellar, uplifting record informed by timeless struggle, solidarity, and pride.

If you only know them through “Come on Eileen” then I urge and implore you, give this a listen and then work backwards through the rest of their catalogue. You’ll be rewarded.

Powerful drums drive most tracks, joined by a host of other instruments: kora strummed to perfection, ferocious electric guitars, and, of course, each and every voice. Every member gets ample opportunity to shine.

What we’ve all come to need is balance and perspective before death, and Pelican provides that with perfect precision.

An album commanded by machines, few releases could tap into our terrifying mortality like this.

Once I Was an Eagle is a bold work that, in theory, shouldn’t work--a lengthy, near-concept album about emotional availability--but Marling makes it into one of the year’s essential releases.

This record seems to outweigh the previous album in terms of quality and depth.

He truly has made his best album to date in the process.

IRM is a swirling mess of sounds and signifiers, tied together in how irresistible it all is.

Yamagata's voice is one of those rare gifts, a vocal quality that is instantly recognizable and distinctive, yet somehow classic, with an incredible range that covers both the sensual lows and the tender, melancholy highs.

Nothing on America feels forced, and notably, Deacon never loses that underlying essence of fun that has followed him throughout his career.

Robyn's Honey is the lead contender for best pop album of 2018.

No other album made by the countless electronic composers delves this deeply into places people fear to face.

Living Theatre is the perfect intersection of nature and artifice, the very definition of what organic music can and should sound like, and it is a beautiful thing to behold.

Allo Darlin' and Europe indeed do have what it takes to be a band and album that mean so much to the particular people to whom they mean so much to.

Still, swirling in there with Yorke's apocalyptic surrealisms and his band's tricky rhythms, there's a beating heart that feels almost animal. If The King of Limbs doesn't feel alive to you at first, give it some time to wake up.

It’s better than much of what has come out thus far this year.

What really distinguishes Apologies to the Queen Mary from just another ambitious rock album though, is the dynamic and accessible songwriting -- and the voices that propel those songs from the streets to the stratosphere.

Caveat emptor: for anyone thinking of shelling out $40-to-$60, be warned that the extra Stones material and the DVD are both less than 30 minutes in length. For Stones enthusiasts, this newly unearthed bounty is essential and price should be no object.