The seven best albums of 2011
For the most part, rock music got the shaft this year as it has been for the better part of the past decade, but we here at Dawn.com know our roots. From the analog grit of the Foo Fighters and the always contrarian and frenetic Radiohead to the idiosyncratic sway of PJ Harvey, guitars may have gone underground, but there are those who are keeping the torch lit.
7. Adele21
Adele broke all these rules and more. Look no further than the stark production of “Rolling in the Deep,” the ’60s girl group resonance of “Rumour Has It” and the take-it-to-church urgency of “One and Only.”
6. Ryan AdamsAshes & Fire
5. Noel GallagherHigh Flying Birds
4. WilcoThe Whole Love
3. RadioheadKing of Limbs.
The section in "Separator" from 2.31 minutes in to 3.58 is the most beautiful bit of new music I’ve heard this year.
2. PJ HarveyLet England Shake
1. Foo FightersWasting Light
The Foos took it back all right, recording an all-analog, ProTools-free full-length that’s now up for six Grammy awards including the coveted Album of the Year. And deservedly so: Wasting Light is the album format perfected — a journey beginning with “Bridge Burning,” featuring the classic Foos guitar crunch to the anthemic end with “Walk,” one of their strongest singles ever and sure to be a fist pumping exercise for decades to come. In between, Dave Grohl and gang deliver the undeniable “These Days,” four minutes and 58 seconds of inspiration on par with the similarly named “Times Like These,” the endearingly ’90s-flavored “Back & Forth” and screamers “White Limo” and “Arlandria.” It’s the band at its finest, 17 years in. Hallelujah!
The writer is a reporter at Dawn.com