Top 10 Albums 2011

Normally I don't do top 10 lists myself. But since I'm a writer for ROAR E-Zine, a Dutch music website, and they asked all their writers to come up with one I might as well post it over here as well.


The hard thing about year lists is, that they seem final, but in reality are just snapshots. So here's my 2011 snapshot:



01. The Black Keys - El Camino

And then The Black Keys release a great album just before the closing of the year that ends up at the top of my list. They seem to have found the perfect formula for great rock tunes: songs that are great compositions, keep on going and that I want to hear over and over again.



02. Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See
Just like the Arctic Monkeys who took revenge with Suck It And See for the, in my opinion, unjustified moderate response on predecessor Humbug. When they can keep up this level I expect a true classic in one or two albums.



03. White Denim - "D"

White Denim also keeps on delivering quality. "D" turned into a true piece of art.



04. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Girls had their definite breakthrough with their Father, Son, Holy Ghost that is full of nice indie songs.



05. dEUS - Keep You Close

And 2011 is without a doubt dEUS' year. Keep You Close left a big impression and meantime they are doing a true victory tour around clubs and festivals.



06. Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two

Beasty Boys came back hard this year with a great album, that can measure up to their greatest work.



07. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

With a smart promotional campaign no one could ignore Foo Fighters' Wasting Light. And it's just as I like it: like a hit in the crotch and a kick in the ass.



08. TV On The Radio - Nine Types of Light

TV On The Radio is a different cup of tea; a well thought through album with intelligent songs.



09. Radiohead - The King Of Limbs

Just like Radiohead and their The King Of Limbs. Sometimes they are too much for me, but this album is nicely balanced.



10. Happy Camper - Happy Camper

And there were great Dutch releases, that just missed my list. Happy Camper did make it with its beautiful atmospheric songs and the wonderful varied vocals.

So there you have it. 2011 was a good year with great music and some great gigs as well. I can't wait for 2012! Happy New Year!
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The Short Reviews: Diverse Companionship

Lots of albums coming out and so little time again. So here are some more short reviews of some very diverse albums by Das Pop, New Cool Collective, The Big Pink, Monsters of Folk and Moss among others.

Das Pop - Das Pop (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
They had trouble releasing this album but it was worth the wait. Nicely produced (by magic duo Stephen and David Dewaele from Soulwax) album with catchy pop songs put Das Pop back on the map.


New Cool Collective ft. Los Papines & Mapacha Africa - Sugar Protocol (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
Another great album by Benjamin Herman's New Cool Collective. This time with more focus on African and Cuban influences because of guest musicians Los Papines (Cuba) and Mapacha Africa (Kenya). So many musicians and still the songs are able to breath. Would love to see all three bands live one day!


The Big Pink - A Brief History of Love (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
Heavily inspired by the 80s "shoegazer" music. This means noise, electronics and pounding drums but then in a modern way.


Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
"Supergroup" or not? Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes and M. Ward joined forces on this highly acclaimed album. The new Traveling Wilburys according to some but maybe that's too much credit. Still a well written album.


Action Park - When Everyone Else Is Gone (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
Nice rock songs with ringing guitar riffs. Production isn't great but good album by this Dutch band from Utrecht.


Baddies - Do The Job (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
It's rock 'n roll baby and I like it! Fresh sounding British band that's more rock than brit pop.


Moss - Never Be Scared/Don't Be A Hero (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
Very good album by this Dutch band. Diverse songs with nice arrangements. A bit of rock, a bit of pop. Firm rock songs followed by beautiful harmonies in others.


Girls - Album (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
The songs were supposingly written while on drugs. It sounds very British from time to time but a little more rough around the edges. Not all songs are great but still a nice album.


Alberta Cross - The Broken Side of Time (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
Nice rock songs with gospel and soul influences by this band from New York. Especially the vocals of Petter Ericson Stakee makes this a great album.


Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much (Ronald Says 5 out of 10)
I could barely handle his debut album "Life in Cartoon Motion" but this one is too much. Super sweet pop meets musical and taken way over the top. This time the cartoon figures are psychos. Think Happy Tree Friends on speed that will crack your teeth enamel. Awful!
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