2011 Songs of the Year: 60-41

60. Canyons - "See Blind Through"

Canyons' debut album was the most schizophrenic release of 2011. Moving from quirky electronica to folk rave ups, there was almost no way to predict which way they would go next. While this approach made the album too scattershot to be truly cohesive, tracks like "See Blind Through" give hope that with a little more focus they can come up with something brilliant. A throbbing, pulsating take on 90s house, "See Blind Through" is infectiously catchy.



59. Hauschka - "Girls"

Hauschka confounded my expectations by making a house music album completely out of organic instrumentation. The album, Salon Des Amateurs, held an embarrassment of riches, and was never off my playlist for too long. "Girls" is a delicate track, built off shuffling percussion, tender piano trills, and haunting strings. Its beauty sneaks up on you, and moves the heart as well as the feet.

Real Estate - Green Aisles by DominoRecordCo

58. Real Estate - "Green Aisles"

Real Estate's second album Days is one of those perfect pop albums, made for long, languid summer days. "Green Aisles" is five minutes of chiming, interlocked guitars and melancholy vocals. The song brings me back to the late 80s sound of college radio, and that promise of a brilliant future lying in front of you.



57. Other Lives - "As I Lay My Head Down"

On paper, I should not like Other Lives; folky Americana is not necessarily my forte. However, Other Lives takes their Fleet Foxes comparisons and filter it through a Radiohead lens, giving their tracks more drama and tension than their contemporaries. "As I Lay My Head Down" feeds off its lonely melody, the haunting harmonies buoyed by Spanish drums and percussion, mandolin, and mournful strings.



56. James Blake - "I Mind"

James Blakes' debut album lost me completely. I felt his focus on more singer-songwriter elements neglected where his true talents lie, which is pushing and twisting his take on dubstep in new directions. Fortunately, there were several tracks that did just that. "I Mind" is built off a simple vocal sample of the title, looped and contorted into a thousand shapes, with a warm analog buzz that carries through the track. Even the funky breakdown towards the end is inviting.



55. Tycho - "Adrift"

Without the benefit of a new Boards of Canada album, there is no reason to go without. Tycho easily takes up the challenge of making some dreamy pastoral IDM. "Adrift" a lush 6 minute soundscape.



54. Frank Ocean - "We All Try"

Gorgeous track from Frank Ocean's debut mixtape, pointing out that you can have faith and still have tolerance.



53. Friendly Fires - "Chimes"

Friendly Fires are all about tension and release. This track is dramatic and uplifting, always taking you higher.



52. Cut Off Your Hands - "You Should Do Better"

Recalling the rush of early Smiths' singles, New Zealand's Cut Off Your Hands knock it out of the park with this melodic, jangly single.



51. Foster The People - "Waste"

Of course, while most people will only remember "Pumped Up Kicks," the debut album from Foster The People has so many more stellar tracks. "Waste" is a lovely mid-tempo track, that has such a lovely melody.



50. Gorillaz - "Revolving Doors"

Lovely acoustic guitars over snappy beats and featuring a typically forlorn vocal from Damon Albarn, "Revolving Doors" is a simple track, seemingly tossed off quickly, but containing all the elements that make Albarn such a genius.

Cut Copy - Need You Now by modularpeople

49. Cut Copy - "Need You Now"

This is how you build a track.



48. Fytch & Captain Crunch - "Raindrops" (Tomba Remix)

There is nothing wrong with the original mix, but Tomba adds a grittier edge to this standout dubstep track.



47. The Twilight Sad - "Kill It In The Morning"

By their second album, The Twilight Sad's reliance on shoegaze textures was beginning to wear a bit thin, and I was unsure whether it could sustain another album of the same old same old. Hopefully, if this first single from their new album is any indication, I needn't have worried. Over a chugging Joy Division beat, The Twilight Sad are embracing more industrial sounds, not afraid to get dirty and wallow in the mire. The ending rush of 80s synths is pure brilliance.



46. Balam Acab - "Now Time"

The centerpiece to a gorgeous album, "Now Time" carries itself like an underwater dream.



45. Lady Gaga - "You And I" (Wild Beasts' Remix)

The original is a dreadful country pastiche that is eye rolling in its badness. UK art rockers Wild Beasts take the only salvageable part of the track, a few snippets of Gaga's chorus, and turn it into a gorgeous piece of ambient post punk.



44. Feed Me - "Strange Behavior" (ft. Tasha Baxter)

Perfectly paced dubstep track from Feed Me that is all tightly coiled menace.



43. When Saints Go Machine - "Church and Law"

Quirky Danish synthpop that is so quirky it turns it back into perfect pop.



42. Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie XX - "NY Is Killing Me"

Jamie xx takes the droning track from Gil Scott-Heron and adds a thick layer of garage beats and blooping synth work to create a hypnotic, claustrophobic dance track.



41. Cold Cave - "Pacing Around The Church"

A delirious rush of swirling synths, guitars, and goth beats that in lesser hands would come off as tired and labored. One of many killer cuts off their second proper album.