Those top 3 were very hard to choose. Destroyer won out because I'm blown every time and been going back all year. Never liked the prior catalog either and totally understand that others don't like this. I think someone[YB] said earlier about another album, how this "scratches an ancient itch" and this does in some new found way of old practices for me. I know I have repped that Young Girls, and I'll still push it. Rattling melodic brash pop. Dum Dum Girls is simply a dart on target tidy garage fem rocker album with great vox, well placed fuzz and thought out lyrics. This things' got heart all in it and hard pressed to be repeated.

Thanks to a bunch of you for recommending/repping some of the below that took hold on me.

1. Destroyer - Kaputt

2. Young Girls - Young Girls

3. Dum Dum Girls - Only in Dreams

4. The War On Drugs - Slave Ambient
This guy gets in my head. Sometimes i need a break but he's still there.

5. Cass McCombs - Wit's End
My new found favorite artist this year. I read he's a bit reclusive like. More interesting I guess.

6. Delay Trees - Delay Trees{2010 overseas release?]
An end of year surprise. Tasteful Finnish post rock that can end a song in 5 or less unlike some others.

7. Other Lives - Tamer Animals
Pretty folk often picked up and surprised again, a little too heavy for insatiable repeat listens.

8. Loney Dear - Hall Music
It is beautifully sung and arranged like in a hall.

9. Mates Of State - Mountaintops
Caught me off guard. Energetic pop that's fun and interesting musically. Only 2 songs on the album were off for me. I'll take that. Got the kids doing harmony once in the car.

10. The Phoenix Foundation - Buffalo
NZ artists capture a feel or sense like no others and Buffalo does it repeatedly. Thanks to here i found their previous album that is just as solid.

11. American Babies - Flawed Logic
Fun find from YB, played loudly often.

12. Crystal Stilts - Radiant Door ep, In Love with Oblivion [full]
I had the full album and never listened much until ihit the later released ep. Now I listen to both in the car all the time. For some reason only "prismatic room" song did it for me on the debut.

13. Bare Wires - Cheap Perfume
Rads had me worked up for this after that Seeking Love album. It's fun.

14. Craft Spells - Idle Labor
Always go back and find more out of this. Dalen soft pushed it and It hit me like Kaputt in the head.

15. The Drums - Portamento
Fires gutiarist. Goes back to work. Still puts out a helluva an album. It's his sound.

16. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Mirror Traffic
Truly surprised how good this was. Especially off that re-U tour. He's so grown up now, never thought he could relate.

17. The Bats - Free All The Monsters
Another NZ band that I loved for the last 2 albums. Yeah it gets samey, but that same old sound is what they do that I like. And, I finally heard their debut Daddy's Highway, which kicks all sorts of NZ greatness in that same ol'way.

18. Gold Leaves - The Ornament
A find for an AM itch crossed with Joel Alme.

19. Acrylics - Lives and Treasure
Looked for it with eager eyes, heard it, let it sleep, found it again and it took hold. An average slick production of man and/or woman singing well constructed songs. Definitely AOR for the programmers. More like thought out slowed down ABBA for me.

20. Dirty Beaches - Badlands
An enigmaaah . . . best described by Dumpjack's . . . "Sounds like 50s inspired surf/rockabilly that you're catching from weak AM radio station signal"


The rest all caught my interest and still do. I have not had the time enough for some of them and others are just average with a few stand-outs. I did my best to sort best to least favorites on these honorable mentions. There are worse out there and some better I have not found yet I'm sure.

Edit:I realized in checking other lists that I forgot a couple of artist that are worthy enought to put in the top of the Honorables:
Lykke Li - Wounded RHymes
Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde

Widowspeak - Widowspeak
David Kilgour - Left by Soft
Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know
Oh Mercy - Great Barrier Grief
Seapony - Go With Me
Glossary - Long Live All of Us
Dolorean - The Unfazed
Peter Bjorn & John - Gimme Some
The Vaccines- What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?

M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Violens - 9 Songs
Tycho – Dive
Blackbird Blackbird - Halo
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Belong
The Raveonettes - Raven in the Grave
Black Lips - Arabia Mountain
Psychic Dancehall – Dreamers
Pure X - Pleasure
The Deep Dark Woods - The Place I Left Behind

Wolf Gang - Suego Faults
Cut Copy - Zonoscope
Mint Julep Save Your Season
Noah And The Whale - Last Night On Earth
Papercuts - Fading Parade
Real Estate – Days
A.A. Bondy - Believers
Daniel Romano - Sleeping Under the Willow
Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo
La Sera - La Sera


Vetiver – Errant charm
Wilco – The Whole Love
Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire

Zero crossover, but that's one of the nice things about these lists. Really need to give War on Drugs a shot.

Is the Destroyer recommended for people who haven't liked solo Bejar in the past?

the War on Drugs dude does a spot-on Tom Petty, and makes it work imo

didnt know bare wires had one this year, i really enjoyed Seeking Love

Absolutely. It seems most people that I read from who liked it either never heard him or never liked his stuff before. Its a soundtrack to the escapades in the afterhours, where things are foggy, settling down, not quite done yet and maybe moving on.

this was definitely one of the most pleasant surprises of my year. it's not too folky and doesn't have a lot of traits of that new vile folk that's gaining steam. but it has a nice folky vibe and pulls in a lot of other sounds. also, they covered "the partisan" when i saw them. not too bad.

Colin, I absolutely hated previous Destroyer albums and I love this one. If you haven't, you really need to hear it.

This seems to be the case. I have to imagine that if we were still doing the Schmoo Poll, this album would be pretty high.

Man, that Destroyer album is puzzling. Big fan of everything he's done (to varying degrees), but this latest one did nothing for me.

If there were a Shmoo Poll, or some other system for compiling Obnerlists to see what is the Obner 2011 fav, Destroyer would probably win. I like it well enough, although it's a bit too clever for its own good, but I am surprised... several lists with ten horseshit twang and then Destroyer. Or marginal hip hop and then Destroyer. Or remnant alt rock and then coked-up Destroyer. Who knew? Obner is one of the backrooms of the world.

My own common denominator will probably be PJ Harvey.

i've been meaning to give this album a listen. i liked the bits i heard when i briefly checked them out after finding out they were opening for radiohead here in march.

a lot of great stuff in here dude!

i need to hear 8. Loney Dear - Hall Music

Delay Trees was a very late discovery for me this year and made my "other 20" list after my top 20, but I could see it potentially moving much higher if I had more time with it.

I believe Other Lives also made my other 20. Nice list.

same here. dammit! must check out now