The Music of 2011

I'm not the music aficionado I once was. I don't download every new release that comes out these days, nor do I keep track of what's charting on the blogosphere. The music I've listened to in 2011 has primarily served the purpose of distracting me or energising me rather than explore any deeper facets of my soul. I didn't have time for that. I usually just needed a beat to carry my feet to the station before the train left, something ambient and echoey to write scripts to, or some hip hop with ego to help trick me into thinking I'm somehow superior to the other thousand people in my carriage who are also travelling home from work.

Thus, I won't present any sort of "Best of 2011" list of music to conclude this year. Frankly, I know that past Brad would almost be embarrassed by the charting some of my most listened to tracks this year reached. If I could choose a better song today I could put it on loop enough times between now and Saturday to make it my most played song of the year, but I haven't even picked a candidate. My number one song of 2011 wasn't one of London's Chase & Status' cheesy electro-dubstep-hop tunes, it wasn't the cheesy, Aussie indie-pop of Architecture in Helsinki; nor was it one of Florence's down-tempo pop anthems or The Lonely Island being hilarious. Not even the juxtaposed, jewel-encrusted rap juggernauts of Jay-Z and Kanye West did well enough to upset my number one played track of 2011, which was, a mashup Nelly's "Number 1" and Oh Land's "Sun of a Gun". Seriously, musical taste? That's the song you wanted to listen to the most over the past twelve months? Ah well, I guess it could have been a lot worse.

Here's a slightly more respectable top 10 albums list that I'll post now to remind me of this year when the bradism.com archives outlast Youtube's.

10. Gotye - Making Mirrors
09. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
08. Architecture In Helsinki - Moment Bends
07. Chase & Status - No More Idols
06. The Throne - Watch the Throne
05. Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials
04. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing
03. SBTRKT - SBTRKT
02. Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
01. Foster The People - Torches