Getintothis‘s annual countdown of the top 50 best album releases.
Let’s keep this brief.
This is the fifth annual Getintothis album countdown and more than ever the influx of new music has been staggering.
Despite the deluge, true quality has, for the first time in recent years, been harder to find. As reflected in other end of year lists – major labels have struggled (big time) while, as alluded to in our best of the rest list last week, major league artists have failed to emulate former glories.
Contrastingly, there’s been a wealth of new talent emerging on stellar independent labels which has capitalised on the increasingly influential, all-encompassing blogosphere to rightfully earn praise and column inches which in a pre-digital age would have been almost unheard of. This is all the more satisfying in a year, which let’s face it has been trying at best on the independent front.
As usual, throughout the remainder of the month, we’ll bring you a plethora of end of year picks from Liverpool’s key music cats – be it promoters, DJs, musicians, photographers and writers. We’ll also offer up our thoughts on the best of the rest including films, gigs, and our hero and event of 2011. Feel free to add your thoughts and derision, in the meantime getintothis…
50. 
James Blake: James Blake
Atlas/A&M
Failing to live up to the promise of those early EPs didn’t stop Blake being the first quarter of 2k11’s most talked about musician. 10% Vic Reeves pub singer, 30% wanky indulgence, 60% sublime.
49. 
Polinski: Labyrinths
Monotreme
65daysofstatic bro does hyperkinetic John Carpenter death disco.
48. 
Apparat: The Devil’s Walk
Mute Artists
Sascha Ring creates one of 2011’s great late night tales.
47. 
Jay-Z and Kanye West: Watch The Throne
Mercury
Big talk, big bling, big issues.
46. 
James Pants: James Pants
Stones Throw
Never knowingly living up to his name.
45. 
Voo: Songs We Used To Dance
Unlabel
Liverpool’s most underrated refine their mini-pop gems.
More Voo.
44. 
Sarabeth Tucek: Get Well Soon
Sonic Cathedral
Beautiful and at times as ragged and as glorious as Neil Young.
43. 
Beastie Boys: Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2
Capitol
Still spitting daft rhymes, still flailing their arms about like hyperactive chimps, still gurning into the camera. Still got it.
42. 
The Antlers: Burst Apart
V2
Bursting with epic belters.
41. 
Azari & III: Azari & III
Loose Lips
The hottest, campest, most NYC dance album of the year.
40. 
Love Inks: ESP
Republic of Music
The Xx goes stateside. Almost
39. 
Drake: Take Care
Universal/Island
More melodramatic than his debut, Drake shows he still cares – bigtime.
38. 
Josh T Pearson: Last of the Country Gentlemen
Mute
Getintothis reviews Josh T Pearson in Manchester.
37. 
Cloud Control: Bliss Release
Infectious
Getintothis reviews Cloud Control at the Kazimier.
36. 
PJ Harvey: Let England Shake
Island
Hardly surprising PJ topped so many lists in a year were the news has been one shitstorm after another. In this context it was a soundtrack for our times.
Getintothis on the Mercury Prize – and the death of the album.
35. 
Girls: Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Turnstile
Ramshackle and at times ridiculously too good. Those early press releases seemed too good to be real but this record confirms them as one of the US’ best bands.
34. 
Grumbling Fur: Furrier
Aurora Borealis
Haunting and deceptively hook-laden, rarely has menace rumbled so quietly.
33. 
Red Fang: Murder The Mountains
Relapse
One of few triumphs for all-out riffs. Red Fang add another monser to the already bursting Relapse canon.
32. 
Battles: Gloss Drop
Warp
Getintothis reviews Battles live at the Kazimier.
31. 
Bombay Bicycle Club: A Different Kind Of Fix
Universal/Island
With every release they become more and more a band to seriously keep an eye on.
Getintothis Top 50 that didn’t make the Top 50 albums of the year.
