Here are the best records I listened to in 2011:

1. Wilco-The Whole Love
I can’t say which Wilco record is my favorite, but this is excellent, better than the past two. The song “One Sunday Morning” has the best instrumental choruses I’ve heard in years.

2. Mumford and Sons-Sigh No More
I stumbled across this, and I was so glad I did. When I first bought it, I could not stop listening to it as I drove around Okinawa. Its catchy folk sound is addictive, and is still one of my go-to-when-I-don’t-know-what-to-listen-to. “Little Lion Man” is my favorite song of the year.

3. My Morning Jacket-Circuital
While I heard of My Morning Jacket, I never heard them until an interview on some NPR program. After listening to how the song “Holdin on to Black Metal” was inspired by a Thai pop song, I was sold on this excellent, unique sound.

4. The Cave Singers-No Witch
Never heard of these guys before, and I know nothing about them, except that this album has a great sound, a modern-day The Doors. Catchy music.

5. The Decemberists-The King is Dead
I needed one Portland band on this list, and The Decemberists fill that box. It’s a great record, much better than their last one, and on par with The Crane Wife. The lead singer has a distint voice that does not seem to grow old after many listens.

Other Noteworthy Titles:
One that Got My Attention at the Last Hour: Love & War & the Sea In Between by Josh Garrels.
I saw that Christianity Today picked this as the best record of 2011, and Josh has a free download of the entire album on his site (http://joshgarrels.bandcamp.com/). So far after several listen-throughs, I love this record. “Farther Along” is a song that has stuck with me over these last few days, both in the musical hook, and in the theological insight. As the song states,

Tempted and tried,
I wondered why
The good man died, the bad man thrives
And Jesus cries because he loves em’ both
We’re all cast-aways in need of ropes
Hangin’ on by the last threads of our hope

Most Listened to Song according to iTunes Play Count: “Barbara Ann” by The Beach Boys. For some reason, it’s his favorite song. He clearly does not agree that The Beach Boys are a poor man’s Beatles.

Favorite Overall Song: “Little Lion Man” by Mumford and Sons

Songs that Made Me Buy the Entire Record: “Holdin on to Black Metal” by My Morning Jacket, and “Seer” by Motopony.

Best Christmas Record: David Crowder Band’s Oh for Joy. Get this now so you’ll have it for next year. It’s great versions of favorite carols. Excellent and exciting.

Most Disappointing Releases:
1. Bon Iver’s Bon Iver. It may make the guys on “All Songs Considered” drool and swoon, but it is one of the whiniest records I’ve heard.

2. Fleet Foxes’s Helplessness Blues. Nothing new here. In fact, “The Shrine/An Argument” has the most irritating noise I’ve heard in a song. This cacophony makes me angry when I hear it, and I want to punch at least two of the members in the band for forcing me to listen to it.

3. The Strokes – Angles. I liked The Strokes when they had a new sound. Evidently those days are over.

http://my52books.com/eleven-easy-ways-to-read-more-in-2012/