An abundance of good music was released in 2011. There’s no guarantee your favorite song made the list, but these are the 20 songs from this year that stood out for me, in no particular order. If you agree on a pick, or even if you disagree, be sure to leave me a comment in the comment section below and thanks for checking it out.

 

 

 

1. Fleet Foxes – “Helplessness Blues”

The harmonies might recall Simon & Garfunkel at first listen but then they build and soar, becoming something more, something entirely Fleet Foxes. “I was raised up believing I was somehow unique,” sings lead singer Robin Pecknold. “Blues” reflects on the ebb and flow of life; you find yourself reveling in your individuality, which leads to the societal anvil that’s somehow meant to shape and form you and then it ends with the realization that your dreams are just that, yours. “And I know,” he sings.  “I know you’ll keep me on the shelf, I’ll come back to you someday soon myself.”

 

 

 

 

 

2. Tennis – “Marathon”

“Marathon” is pure 50′s retro-pop sugary sweetness and I love every second of it. This song would be right at home in a diner jukebox circa 1958. Made up of husband and wife duo Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore, their debut album “Cape Dory” is all about their seven-month sailing trip on the eastern seaboard. “Your low-lying shore opens welcomingly,” sings Moore, “to one who’s spent the night at sea.” All you have to do is open your ears and this song will wriggle and squirm its way into your brain

 

 

 

 

 

3. Jay-Z, Kanye West – “Ni–as in Paris”

The song opens with a synthesizer playing what sounds like a variation on the “Halloween” theme music, but the only people that need to be scared are other rappers as Hova further cements his place in rap lore, sounding as fresh as he has in years and with enough swagger to spare. What can you say about Kanye? He continues to sound like he just doesn’t care, but in a way that makes you want to hear more. He’s loose and takes the track over the top. The entire attitude is summed up by the dialogue break from “Blades of Glory” that punctuates the middle of the song; it’s provocative and it definitely gets the people going.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Drake – “Under Ground Kings”

In the span of  a few short years, Drake has gone from hawking mixtapes to signing with Young Money Entertainment, headed by Lil Wayne. On his sophomore album “Take Care” he doesn’t pull any punches and opens up about how fame has changed his life, both for good and bad. “I could tell a lie if you’re asking ’bout my whereabouts,” he raps. “But I might talk that real, if you ask me what I care about.” Swagger doesn’t take a backseat and Drake has plenty to spare.

 

 

 

 

 

5. The Civil Wars – “Barton Hollow”

A powerful blend of folk and bluegrass, with a tinge of outlaw, “Hollow” makes you want to tap your foot and follow along. Joy Williams and John Paul White are songwriters who met in Nashville and almost immediately began garnering acclaim for their live performances around town. “Hollow” is about the search for forgiveness. “Ain’t going back to Barton Hollow,” they sing in the chorus. “Devil gonna follow me ‘ever I go / Won’t do me no good, washin’ in the river / Can’t no preacher man save my soul.”

 

 

 

 

 

6. The Belle Brigade – “Losers”

I have a soft spot for songs that begin one way and end on a totally different note. And when a song starts with harmonies like “Losers,” well, I just have to listen. The brother/sister duo of Barbara Gruska and Ethan Gruska expertly meld their voices together and dispense life lessons that are worth learning. “There will always be someone better than you, even if you’re the best,” they sing in the song’s opening line. It’s less about trying to win and more about enjoying the journey that life provides. “I don’t wanna die knowing, that I spent so much time when I was young,  just trying to be the winner,” sums it up in the end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Foo Fighters – “Rope”

With fury and surgical precision, the Foos have made one hell of a rock record. “Give me some rope, I’m coming lose,” sings Dave Grohl in the song’s chorus. There are no smoke and mirrors here, it’s simply talented musicians doing what they do best and it makes for a very enjoyable listen. “Wasting Light”, recorded on analog equipment in Grohl’s garage, has a sound that’s reflective of an earlier time and marks another sonic move for the Foos, as they continue to reinvent themselves and remain relevant. What resulted was their best record in a while and a decidedly more rock outing than their last album, “Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace,” which while fine, trended toward more pop conventions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Grouplove – “Itchin’ on a Photograph”

It starts out all hand claps and sunshine and only gets better from there. “I’m giving up on looking back,” sings Christian Zucconi in the opening verse. “I’m letting go of what I had.” Jangly moments reminiscent of Modest Mouse combined with the indie pop chorus are almost impossible not to like.  The band’s debut album, “Never Trust a Happy Song” is filled with pop nuggets that are sure to please.  Zucconi says it best in the chorus’ opening line, “Feel the rain come down and then you’ll know now.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. James Blake – “The Wilhelm Scream”

James Blake is an acquired taste. His electronic arrangements can be sparse, and unlike those who can’t stand an uncomfortable silence, he doesn’t feel the need to punctuate every break in the action with unnecessary sonic bits. “I don’t know about my dreams,” he sings in the opening line, over a spare beat and hushed synthesizer. “I don’t know about my dreaming anymore / All that I know is I’m falling.” What sells it is the voice. Even through the electronic filters he uses there’s an edge, a soul, that is somehow able to escape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Manchester Orchestra – “April Fool”

On their third LP, “Simple Math,” Atlanta’s own Manchester Orchestra have demonstrated their propensity to not only grow musically but to just put out kickass music, period. With “Math” they’ve put out two strong albums in a row. “I was born, an april fool / full of gold, into a brothel,” sings Andy Hull in the song’s opening lines and then we’re off as you are propelled forward and find yourself hurtling towards the chorus. “I don’t know where I’ve been, what I’ve done,” Hull screams. “I am the once now irreplaceable son.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

11. The Decemberists – “Rise to Me”

More country and folk-tinged than their previous albums, “The King is Dead” continues the journey the band began almost 10 years ago now with the 2002 release of “Castaways and Cutouts.” Songwriter Colin Meloy has written an ode to fatherhood. Meloy’s son, Henry, was diagnosed with Autism, lending the song another emotional layer on which to build. “Hey Henry,” sings Meloy, “can you hear me, let me see those eyes / this distance between us, can seem a mountain size / but boy, you’re gonna stand your ground.” Musically, the pedal steel guitar only adds to the wistful nature of the lyrics and vocals. “My darling, my sweetheart, I’m in your sway,” he sings, leaving no doubt about how he feels. A beautiful and sweet song that is made only more so when the story behind it is revealed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

12. Bon Iver – “Holocene”

In “Holocene” Justin Vernon is preoccupied with returning to a world that exists only in memories. “3rd and Lake, it burnt away/The hallway was where we learned to celebrate,” he sings longingly,  in his signature falsetto. The lyrics are cryptic but behind the curtain the meaning is revealed, especially with lines like “We smoked the screen to make it what it was to be/ now to know it in my memory.” It also serves as an exercise in juxtaposition; the way things really happened versus our remembered version of events. It’s never more clear than in the chorus, when Vernon drops the line “and at once I knew, I was not magnificent,” as the beat shuffles slowly in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

13. Lana Del Rey – “Video Games”

She has been dubbed “The gangsta Nancy Sinatra” and that description isn’t far off. Del Rey took the internet by storm when “Games” was released. Positioned as a retro-crooner, complete with period hairdo and dress, Del Rey is a creation. Born Elizabeth Grant, some in the blogosphere didn’t take kindly to being duped and so the backlash began. I first heard “Games” before I knew who she was, before I knew her first try as a singer didn’t pan out, before I knew she signed with new management and was given a new stage name, before I was told how to feel about the whole thing. If this is what being hoodwinked sounds like, I’m in.

 

 

 

 

 

14. M83 – “Midnight City”

Reserved verses sandwiched between stretches of music that make you want to jump out of your chair and just move, it manages to simultaneously sound retro and modern, no mean feat. Anthony Gonzalez, the man behind M83, has said he envisioned this album like a soundtrack to a movie and you can definitely feel that when listening to this song. This would play during the scene where the protagonist is cruising through the city at night, on the way to see his love interest, as the city lights sparkle all around him.

 

 

 

 

 

15. Beyonce’ – “1+1″

An ode to love, “1+1″ works because of the vulnerability in the vocals, as they veer from powerful heights to sweet, sweet lows. Sparse instrumentation, supported by a plucked guitar line and synthesizer, mirrors the simplicity of the lyrics. “I don’t know much about algebra, but I know that 1+1 equals two,” she sings. It’s obvious that it’s her and her man against the world and come what may, the love they share will be enough to overcome any obstacle. It’s a nice thought, even if it’s not always true.

 

 

 

 

 

 

16. Dawes – “A Little Bit of Everything”

Before Taylor Goldsmith finishes the opening line, you know exactly where this band is from. The Laurel Canyon sound, made famous by Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell and countless other artists, permeates every beat. Lyrically, the song is brilliant as it intermingles three separate stories into an ode about life and what really makes it worth living. “It’s not some message written in the dark,” sings Goldsmith in the song’s final lines. “Or some truth that no one’s seen, it’s a little bit of everything.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

17. Blitzen Trapper – “Fletcher”

At their best when weaving a tale, Blitzen Trapper waited just over a year between the release of 2010′s “Destroyer of the Void” and “American Goldwing” this past September. “Destroyer” was a bit of a departure from earlier efforts, more mellow and without as much of the country tinge they had employed up to that point. As a band, their sound is hard to classify. There are elements of country, rock and 70′s AM radio but all blended together it simply equals a song that you want to listen to with the windows down as you make your way down the road.

 

 

 

 

 

18. Dum Dum Girls – “Bedroom Eyes”

A heady mix of 60′s rock and Go-Go’s, by the time lead singer Dee Dee breaks into the chorus, you can almost see the waves breaking on the Pacific and the palm trees as you bask in the California sunshine. The Dum Dum’s are just one of a handful of all girl bands that are hopefully making a resurgence. I welcome a different point of view in my music and from my perspective, things have never sounded better

 

 

 

 

 

 

19. Adele – “Someone Like You”

What can you say about Adele that hasn’t already been said? She took the music world by storm this year with her album “21.” And while “Rolling in the Deep” was a great single, it was this tale of longing that really did it for me. The lyrics and vocals are both perfection. What do you do when an old flame has moved on and found happiness? Do you just give up and let them go or do you fight? “I heard that your dreams came true,” she sings. “I guess she gave you things, I didn’t give to you.” The emotion is so raw and it’s this personal confession style that makes the song such a joy to listen to. No matter who you are, you can identify with some part of this song. “Nevermind, I’ll find someone like you,” she sings, almost sounding convinced.

 

 

 

 

 

20. Pistol Annies – “Hell on Heels”

If you like a good revenge fantasy, “Heels” is right up your alley. Pistol Annies is the side project of country superstar Miranda Lambert, along with pals Ashley Monroe and Angeleena Presley. “I’m hell on heels, baby I’m comin’ for you,” the song warns. It goes on to detail the power that women hold over men and how the girls exploited it to get what they wanted. The thing that makes it work is the lack of guilt in the lyrics. This isn’t a song that does the deed and then feels bad about it later. “I’m gonna break me a million hearts,” they boast. And damned if I don’t believe them.