Mid-Year Top 10's (2011)
 

2011. It's crazy to think that the year is half-way over. One thing that makes it believable is the almost vulgar amount of good music that's already been released. From hip-hop to pop punk and everything in-between, there's something for everyone, no matter what your natural bias is. We, the infallible Absolute Punk staff, have sat down to come up with our personal top 10 of the year so far. We've agonized, losing countless hours of sleep to make sure we put together the best lists possible. So scroll down and check out what we think constitutes the best of these first six months, offer your own thoughts in the comments below, or just lurk and seethe. You may find some hidden gems, or reaffirm your decision to finally pick up something that interested you. Here's to the next six months!


Jeremy Aaron

1. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo
2. Fucked Up - David Comes to Life
3. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing
4. TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light
5. Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
6. Yuck - Yuck
7. The Antlers - Burst Apart
8. Nick 13 - Nick 13
9. Maritime - Human Hearts
10. Iceage - New Brigade


Adam Pfleider

1. Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
2. Thursday - No Devolcion
3. True Widow - As High As The Highest Heavens And From The Center To The Circumference Of The Earth
4. Glassjaw - Our Color Green EP/Coloring Book EP
5. Former Thieves - The Language That We Speak
6. tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l
7. Defeater - Empty Days and Sleepless Nights
8. Pygmy Lush - Old Friends
9. Fucked Up - David Comes to Life
10. Touché Amoré - Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me


Ian Walker

1. Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi - Rome
2. The Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck
3. Adele - 21
4. Glassjaw - Our Color Green EP/Coloring Book EP
5. Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
6. Sims - Bad Time Zoo
7. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
8. Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
9. Tyler, The Creator - Goblin
10.The Decemberists - The King is Dead


Kyle Huntington

1. The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
2. WU LYF - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain
3. Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
4. Yuck - Yuck
5. Chapel Club - Palace
6. Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See
7. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
8. Arrange - Plantation
9. Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
10. Wild Beasts - Smother


Lueda Alia

1. Other Lives - Tamer Animals
2. The Rosebuds - Loud Planes Fly Low
3. Typhoon - A New Kind of House EP
4. Dustin O'Halloran - Lumiere
5. Arrange - Plantation
6. The Appleseed Cast - Middle States EP
7. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine
8. Scattered Trees - Sympathy
9. The Antlers - Burst Apart
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - It's A Corporate World


Thomas Nassiff

1. The Wonder Years - Suburbia I've Given You All And Now I'm Nothing
1. Fireworks - Gospel
3. Bayside - Killing Time
4. Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones
5. Junior Battles - Idle Ages
6. Red City Radio -The Dangers Of Standing Still
7. Balance And Composure - Separation
8. Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
9. Yellowcard - When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes
10. The Story So Far - Under Soil And Dirt


Drew Beringer

1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
2. Thursday - No Devolución
3. Mansions - Dig Up The Dead
4. The Wonder Years - Suburbia I've Given You All And Now I'm Nothing
5. Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
6. Childish Gambino - EP
7. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
8. Moving Mountains - Waves
9. Eisley - The Valley
10. Tyler, The Creator - Goblin


Paul Tao

1. Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact
2. The Weeknd - House Of Balloons
3. Other Lives - Tamer Animals
4. Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
5. tUnE - yArDs - W H O K I L L
6. Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
7. Fucked Up - David Comes To Life
8. Bright Eyes - The People's Key
9. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
10. Bon Iver - Bon Iver


Broden Terry

1. Seeker Lover Keeper - Seeker Lover Keeper
2. The Rosebuds - Loud Planes Fly Low
3. Other Lives - Tamer Animals
4. The Submarines - Love Notes / Letter Bombs
5. Mount Moriah - Mount Moriah
6. Holly Throsby - Team
7. U.S Royalty -Mirrors
8. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine
9. Okkervil River - I Am Very Far
10. Alessi's Ark - Time Travel


Blake Solomon

1. Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
2. The Wonder Years - Suburbia I've Given You All and Now I'm Nothing
3. Scattered Trees - Sympathy
4. Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
5. Fireworks - Gospel
6. Arrange - Plantation
7. Moving Mountains - Waves
8. Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
9. Generationals - Actor-Caster
10. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues


Matthew Tsai

1. Red City Radio - The Dangers of Standing Still
2. The Low Anthem - Smart Flesh
3. Dolorean - The Unfazed
4. Joyce Manor - Joyce Manor
5. Social D - Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes
6. The Haunted Continents – The Loudest Year
7. Kasey Anderson and the Honkies - Heart of a Dog
8. Have Nots – Proud
9. Daytrader - Last Days of Rome
10. The Reveling - Tributaries


Joe DeAndrea

1. Simple Plan - Get Your Heart On!
2. All Time Low - Dirty Work
3. Set Your Goals - Burning at Both Ends
4. Save Your Breath - Vices
5. The Swellers - Good for Me
6. The Wonder Years - Suburbia I've Given You All and Now I'm Nothing
7. The Downtown Fiction - Let's Be Animals
8. Owl City - All Things Bright and Beautiful
9. Sparks the Rescue - Worst Thing I've Been Cursed With
10. Panic! at the Disco - Vices & Virtues


Alex DiVincenzo

1. The Wonder Years - Suburbia I've Given You All and Now I'm Nothing
2. Bayside - Killing Time
3. Defeater - Empty Days and Sleepless Nights
4. Touche Amore - Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me
5. The Swellers - Good For Me
6. Fireworks - Gospel
7. The Story So Far - Under Soil and Dirt
8. Balance and Composure - Separation
9. I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business - Gold Rush
10. Title Fight - Shed


Alex Djaferis

1. The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
2. Red City Radio -The Dangers Of Standing Still
3. Maybeshewill - I Was Here For A Moment, Then I Was Gone
4. Near The Parenthesis - Japanese For Beginners
5. Funeral For A Friend - Welcome Home Armageddon
6. Moving Mountains - Waves
7. And So I Watch You From Afar - Gangs
8. Eisley - The Valley
9. Snowmobile - Empty Rooms
10. Radiohead -King Of Limbs


Deborah Remus

1. Living With Lions – Holy Shit
2. Spraynard – Funtitled
3. Face to Face – Laugh Now, Laugh Later
4. Elway – Delusions
5. Joyce Manor - Joyce Manor
6. Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
7. Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones
8. Red City Radio – The Dangers of Standing Still
9. Sundials – Never Settle
10. Dave Hause – Resolutions


Jason Tate

1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
2. Astronautalis - This Is Our Science
3. Radiohead - King of Limbs
4. Maritime - Human Hearts
5. Augustana - Self-Titled
6. Daybreaker - Northbound Trains EP
7. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
8. Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
9. The Dangerous Summer - War Paint
10. Booker T Jones - The Road from Memphis


Ryan Gardner

1. Mansions - Dig Up The Dead
2. Moving Mountains - Waves
3. Thursday - No Devolución
4. Death Cab For Cutie - Codes and Keys
5. The Wonder Years - Suburbia I've Given You All And Now I'm Nothing
6. Touché Amoré -Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me
7. Yellowcard - When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes
8. Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
9. City and Colour - Little Hell
10. Go Radio - Lucky Street

James Johnson

1. Fireworks - Gospel
2. The Wonder Years - Suburbia I've Given You All And Now I'm Nothing
3. Balance And Composure - Separation
4. Touché Amoré -Parting The Sea Between Brightness And Me
5. Death Cab For Cutie - Codes and Keys
6. Thursday - No Devolución
7. Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones
8. Living With Lions - Holy Shit
9. Tyler, The Creator - Goblin
10. Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math


Jonathan Bautts

1. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
2. Death Cab For Cutie – Codes And Keys
3. Augustana - Augustana
4. Yellowcard - When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes
5. City And Colour - Little Hell
6. Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See
7. Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
8. Bayside - Killing Time
9. Taking Back Sunday - Taking Back Sunday
10. Cold War Kids - Mine Is Yours


Gregory Robson

1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
2. My Morning Jacket - Circuital
3. Dawes - Nothing is Wrong
4. Wye Oak - Civilian
5. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
6. Chad Van Gaalen - Diaper Island
7. Idiot Glee - Paddywhack
8. Country Mice - Twister
9. Foster the People - Torches
10. The Lonely Forest - Arrows

If I had been listening to SBTRKT for a bit longer, they'd probably be on my list. Ahh, so many good albums have come out this year.

Hope you guys can find something new that you like on these lists!

is the TDS record eligible? feel like it should have shown up more..

How did August Burns Red not make anyone's list? Severe lack of heavier music here.

Barely, we had a lot of debate on it .. I dunno if it passes or not. Same with Astronautalis, seeing as it's far away. I hadn't heard The Horrible Crowes when I put this together, or I would have had to shift my top 3 around a bunch.

Woooo

My list is basically the bastard child of the first five lists.

Suburbia is definitely in my top 10

I broke the rules and had 15 at one point. Eda punished me. :(

These lists remind me that there's so much I still need to listen to.

People putting The Wonder Years above Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, MMJ, Manchester Orchestra, Thursday, Moving Mountains, etc. make me laugh.

Also, Joe DeAndrea, seriously dude?

:nod:

Drew - Great pick on Childish Gambino

Damn. I'm surprised to see Simple Math in a lot of these lists. It just lacked so much that I wasn't that into it.

Still need to hear Touche Amore and Firework's new albums. I agree with knux, Childish Gambino was a great pick, Drew! "When these mothafuckas gonna understand I'm serious? I'm hard in the paint, like I fucked her on her period!"

:-)