When I finally found the time to start writing again, I realized how close we were to the end of the year. The end of the year at MM (and at pretty much all other music blogs) means choosing our Top Ten lists, and while 2011 had some great records to offer, the theme for this post is going to be, "Challenging". If nothing else, many of the records on this list (I'll note the exceptions) were at first markedly imposing -they were tough to get through the first spin. They're innovative, creative, and in a lot of ways unique, but none of them have the same easy groove of some of last year's picks (see Ray LaMontagne, Tallest Man on Earth, and others). So, without further ado, my top ten albums of 2011.
