At the beginning of this month, we asked you — the ever-enchanting reader — to tell us your favorite album and song of 2011. Well, we listened. We also collated all the results into a tight, easy-to-read list for your leisure. Why are we so good to you? Who knows!
Despite such an eclectic readership — c’mon, we have fans of 311, Skrillex, and Eleanor Friedberger co-existing together — you collectively assembled quite a knock out of a list. If there’s one thing we learned, however, it’s that Bon Iver wins in any party. Justin Vernon’s latest LP took off with this list, quickly claiming the throne with many votes to spare. And despite all the complaints over Radiohead’s latest effort, it still managed to squeeze in the top three, and also reign over the top songs with, of all tracks, the very Thom Yorke-heavy “Lotus Flower”.
Not too many surprises, either. In fact, most of the entries in the top 10 albums were all CoS Top Star winners, with the exception of Radiohead, TV on the Radio, and Arctic Monkeys. What does that tell us? Nothing really, but something intriguing to note. We were a little surprised to see Panda Bear so low and The Strokes so high — how did that happen? Perhaps those comments on the reviews aren’t always telling. Hmm.
Anyways, it’s a pretty nifty list. Hard to argue too considering, well, you put it together. Ah, it feels good to take the proverbial “weight” off our back. Enjoy.
Best Albums:
01. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
02. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
03. Radiohead – The King of Limbs
04. Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
05. James Blake – James Blake
06. Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See
07. TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light
08. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
09. The Antlers – Burst Apart
10. Cut Copy – Zonoscope
11. Yuck – Yuck
12. Cults – Cults
13. The Strokes – Angles
14. The Decemberists – The King is Dead
15. Panda Bear – Tomboy
16. Tyler the Creator – Goblin
17. Destroyer – Kaputt
18. Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee Pt 2
19. Wild Beasts – Smother
20. Shabazz Palaces – Black Up
Best Songs:
01. Radiohead – “Lotus Flower”
02. Fleet Foxes – “Helplessness Blues”
03. Tyler the Creator – “Yonkers”
04. Bon Iver – “Holocene”
05. Foo Fighters – “Walk”
06. Foster the People – “Pumped Up Kicks”
07. Battles – “Ice Cream”
08. Panda Bear – “Last Night at the Jetty”
09. Radiohead – “Separator”
10. The Strokes – “Under Cover of Darkness”
11. Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
12. Fleet Foxes – “The Shrine/An Argument”
13. My Morning Jacket – “Circuital”
14. Bon Iver – “Towers”
15. My Morning Jacket – “Holdin’ on to Black Metal”
16. Toro Y Moi – “Still Sound”
17. TV on the Radio – “Will Do”
18. Beirut – “East Harlem”
19. Cults – “Abducted”
20. Bon Iver – “Perth”
