Sonic Masala's Best 40 Albums of 2011...One Month On

December of every year is the month of lists, where you get to see what people thought about the music of the past twelve months and either rant at said person's shit taste, laud your similarities, facepalm over forgotten gems, or scramble for something hitherto unheard of. But a list in January for the year before is more redundant than use by dates on a nymphomaniac's condom (sorry). Still, at first I thought that 2011 was a little low on the good music front, but after a sift there was some pretty killer moments. I'm sure things slipped through to the keeper, but here is a list of music-related guff that floated my boat in 2011 (my number one album? The clue is in the picture above...). No discussion - I've missed the boat on that - but will enter INTO discussion with any and all of you who leave a comment below. Feel free to berate as much as you want...

TOP 40 ALBUMS OF 2011

40. Natural Child - 1971
39. Active Child - You Are All I See
38. Religious Knives - Smokescreen
37. Barn Owl - Shadowland
36. Civil Civic - Rules
35. Snowman - Absence
34. Tim Hecker - Ravedeath 1972
33. Mikal Cronin - Mikal Cronin
32. Witch Hats - Pleasure Syndrome
31. JEFF The Brotherhood - We Are The Champions
30. Fucked Up - David Comes To Life
29. Black Lips - Arabia Mountain
28. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
27. No Anchor - Real Pain Supernova
26. Liturgy - Anaesthetica
25. Mountains - Air Museum
24. Plankton Wat -
23. The Skull Defekts -
22. Black Eagle Child - Lobelia
21. Crystal Stilts - In And Out Of Oblivion
20. Apache Dropout - Apache Dropout
19. Pure X - Ecstacy
18. Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica
17. Tune-Yards - w h o k i l l
16. Young Widows - In And Out Of Youth And Lightness
15. Nova Scotia - Nova Scotia
14. Wooden Shjips - West
13. Harmony - Harmony
12. Twerps - Twerps
11. Explosions In The Sky - Take Care Take Care Take Care
10. Disappears - Guider
9. Ty Segall - Goodbye Bread
8. Cola Freaks - Cola Freaks
7. EMA - Post Life Martyred Saints
6. Sex Church - Growing Over
5. Rank/Xerox - Rank/Xerox
4. Royal Headache - Royal Headache
3. The Men - Leave Home
2. Total Control - Henge Beat
1. Iceage - New Brigade

Honourable Mentions:
- Veronica Falls
- Times New Viking
- Dick Diver
- The Vietnam War
- White Denim
- Cat Cat
- Mr Dream
- Illness
- Human Eye

BEST SONGS

"Brooklyn", Happy People
"I Can Feel It", Ty Segall
"Let Me Back In", Explosions In The Sky
"White Rune"/"Collapse", Iceage
"Grey Ship", EMA
"No Surf", Wet Years
"Gatton Bohemia", No Anchor
"Around The Twist", Nova Scotia
"Down The Lane", Royal Headache
"Down At The Farm (live)", White Denim
"You Are All I See", Active Child
"The Other Shoe", Fucked Up
"Montana", Youth Lagoon
"Turn Into", Batrider
"Bad Feeling", Veronica Falls
"Bones", Male Bonding
"Backseat", Tape/Off
"Psychic Mesa", Total Slacker
"Shootinhead", The Whines
"Heartache", Harmony
"Safety Surf", Kid Chocolate
"Fucking Despair", Fat History Month
"Wild Horse Mountain", Feathers
"Pitiful", Extra Happy Ghost
"Truth", Alexander
"Ice Cream", Battles
"Small Streets", Brief Candles
"Modern Love", City Center
"Graveyard's Full", The Growlers

BEST EP/7"s

Crystal Stilts - Radiant Door
Happy People, Happy People
Puffy Areolas & Purling Hiss, Puffy Areolas/Purling Hiss
Tape/Off - ...And Sometimes Gladness
The Growlers & Thee Ludds - The Growlers/Thee Ludds
Assassins 88 - Kaneda
Surfer Blood - Tarot Classics
Black Gum - Black Gum
Cousin - And Other Relations
King Dude - My Beloved Ghost
Otro Mundo - Jellied
Part Chimp & TorchePart Chimp/Torche
Pontiak - Comecrudos
Thee Oh Sees & Total Control- Thee Oh Sees/Total Control
Ty Segall - Ty Rex
Weekend - Red


BEST LIVE SHOWS

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - The Hi Fi
Explosions In The Sky/Harmony - The Hi Fi
Fucked Up/DZ Deathrays - Alhambra Lounge, 09.12.11
The Drones/Mike Noga - The Hi Fi
Ty Segall - Woodland
Times New Viking/Cobwebbs - Woodland
Mono/No Anchor/Secret Birds - The Hi Fi
Gareth Liddiard - Spegieltent
Besnard Lakes/Nova Scotia - The Zoo
Black Mountain/ - The Zoo
Swervedriver - The Zoo
Skul Hazzards/Turnpike/No Anchor - The Step Inn
Batrider - Woodland
Nova Scotia/Tape-Off/Arbuckle - The Lofly Hangar
Sonic Masala shows - The Waiting Room

BEST FESTIVAL SHOWS

Mogwai (Splendour)
Warpaint (Laneway/Splendour)
Les Savy Fav (Laneway)
Portishead (Harvest)
Flaming Lips (Harvest
Holy Fuck (Laneway)
Pulp (Splendour)
The National (Harvest)
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (Harvest)
Mars Volta (Splendour)

Welcome to 2012!!!!!!