Best of 2011 [Part 2]

Following on from our main article reviewing the best in music from 2011, we just couldn't fit everything in to one article so our very own fantastic Krissi's very kindly dished on a further 5 albums that made her year...

Krissi Weiss

Twitter: @krissibassi

TV ON THE RADIO – Nine Types Of Light
(Interscope/Universal)
Shrouded in loss and upheaval, TV On The Radio managed to make an album that, once again, was almost impossible to define. Being unable to pin a band down can sometimes be a great asset while at other times, it can alienate the audience. Who cares really? When you make music this good, you can afford to lose a few naysayers on the way.
 
GROUPLOVE – Never Trust A Happy Song
(Warner Music)
The vocals are almost gurgled while the harmonies are chaotic yet this indie-pop album gets into your mind like an earworm. Although this was a slow grower, the nursery-rhyme melodies are catchy as hell. It may not be music revolution but sometimes you just want a bit of fun.

JOAN AS POLICEWOMAN – The Deep Field
(PIAS/Liberator)
No longer just Mrs. Jeff Buckley, Joan Wasser emerged from the role of musical side-kick some time ago and has taken her blend of indie philosophy and precise production into the world that is The Deep Field. Angular melodies and ‘70s soul swirl around an album that is her most joyous to date.

OTHER LIVES – Tamer Animals
(tbd/Play It Again sam/Liberator)
Having never heard of them, I had absolutely no expectations on listening to this album. With instrumentation that combined brass, woodwind and strings
along with a traditional line-up of guitars and drums, Other Lives take folk and fill it with the sort of production you would expect from a band like Radiohead. Emotions run deep on this album with joy and tragedy walking side by side.

RADIOHEAD – The King Of Limbs
(Self-released)
To be honest, I hated this album on first listen; it takes time to understand what Yorke and Greenwood are trying to say here. The rhythms aren’t easy to grab onto and the melodies seem disjointed yet, with time, it manages to make sense. They push boundaries and, as a result, the audience is forced to as well.