Paul Simon-So Beautiful Or So What
Fleet Foxes-Helplessness Blues
Dutch Uncles-Cadenza
Wild Beasts-Smother
Sarabeth Tucek-Get Well Soon
Keren Ann-101

and Daniele Luppi - Rome
Low Anthem - Smart Flesh
Teitur - Let the dog drive home

I suspect when they are released I will also include the Paul Simon cd and the Dave Alvin cd both of which are released in June so still in first half of year. I base this assessment on tracks already heard.

Fleetfoxes may appear at end of year but jury has not yet returned a verdict.
Felice Brothers Celebration Florida came on monday - first 2 listens showed it to be an impressive piece of work.

Only three have really stuck out, which isn't to say I don't think there are other good ones out there: it just reflects my sudden violent dislike of stuff with acoustic guitars and beards on. So:

Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
Lady Gaga - Born This Way (very early days, but I'm REALLY enjoying it)

But the runaway winner for me is Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part II. It's monstrously brilliant.

..so the only "New" ones this year are Elbow - "Build a Rocket Boys" and Kate Bush "Directors Cut" - both of which I'd heartily endorse

Space Is Only Noise is probably my favourite so far.

...but the PJ Harvey, Decemberists and Mountain Goats albums are all top quality. Anyone else going to see the Goats tomorrow at Koko?

PJ Harvey
Tyler the Creator
CW Stoneking
Beastie Boys

Ron Sexsmith - Long Player, Late Bloomer
Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding

Next Purchases:
Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys
Pierces - You & I

Sincerely hoping they'll make the list too

is still 'Abbey Road'.

I'll have to go with Gang of Four's 'Content'

With honourable mentions for Human League, Lykke Li, PJ Harvey, Beardyman and Paul Simon (managed to listen to it all on Spotify before it was pulled)

5 - Lamb
Addis Through The Looking Glass - Dub Colossus
build a rocket boys! - Elbow
Diamond Mine - King Creosote & Jon Hopkins
James Blake - James Blake
The Majestic Silver Strings - Buddy Miller
Weathering - Epic45
We’re New Here - Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx

Young Galaxy - Shapeshifting
Miracle Fortress - Was I The Wave?
Connan Mockasin - Forever Dolphin Love
Dustin O'Halloran - Lumiere
Joy Formidable - Big Roar
Whirl - Distressor

And I'm more excited about When Saints Go Machine's new album than I have been about any album in a long time. But it's not out for like 3 weeks!

Gruff Rhys.

and Witch Hazel by Matt Berry.

I think Goblin by Tyler is creeping up my charst

But David Bowie's Toy, particularly the reworkings of Conversation Piece and London Boys has given me a lot of pleasure. I also loved the REM album - and Mogwai's Hardcore Will Never Die. I've yet to buy The Director's Cut, but I reckon I probably will.

Like many above I really like PJ Harvey and Lykke Li, but need to add:

Tune Yards
Metronomy
King Creosote and John Hopkins.

The last one of those in particular is a bit special.

Best so far>>>

Ron Sexsmith: Long Player, Late Bloomer
Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues
Kate Bush: Director's Cut

I think that's it.

The new Bon Iver sounds good ....

Friendly Fires: Pala

Exquisite.

Not sure I've got anything that's come out this year. That's a bit worrying.

Sweet Inspiration - The Songs Of Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham.
Flawless.

Probably should've tried to edit this list down a bit, but it's late and these're all really good

"The Big Roar" - The Joy Formidable
"Passive Me, Aggressive You" - The Naked And Famous
"Burn Your Town" - The Chapman Family
"Constant Future" - Parts and Labor
"Belong" - The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
"In Colour" - Ringo Deathstarr
"Mshini Wam" - Spoek Mathambo
"Wounded Rhymes" - Lykke Li
"Yuck" - Yuck
"Red Barked Trees" - Wire
"12 Miles High" - Thunderball
"Black Sun" - Kode 9 & The Spaceape

Confident that Battles and The Duke Spirit will be joining that list soon.

On the downside, quite disappointed with latest ones from Elbow, TV On The Radio, Stanton Warriors, Gorillaz and The Dears.

and also include Fleet Foxes, PJ Harvey, Noah and the Whale and most recently the wonderful new Wild Swans album, truly gorgeous and the only thing I'm listening to at the moment

REM
The Joy Formidable
and
Amanda Palmer
the only four I've bought, thankfully all are pretty good.

Noah and The Whale
Fleet Foxes
REM
PJ Harvey
Keren Ann

Like some songs from Lykke Li, Adele, Anna Calvi and I suppose if I'm really honest Beady Eye though I don't have their albums.

Can't wait for this Pierces album. There's a huge , not in any way unpleasant, billboard poster of them which I can see out of my window.

Would like to add to the list:

Jennie Abrahamson - The Sound Of Your Beating Heart
Booker T Jones - The Road From Memphis

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Penguin Cafe Orchestra - A Matter of Life
Jon Hopkins & King Creosote - Diamond Mine
Jamie XX Gil-Scott - We're New Here

Bit too early days for Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi – Rome but I can definitely see it creeping up there.

Eagerly anticipating new outputs from:
Bon Iver
Frank Turner

Was looking forward to Build A Rocket, Boys. Was let down badly. Ditto Wasting Light by The Foos, which was very average. The new one by The Pierces is, however, excellent. Everything else has been given a couple of listens and discarded.

Wire - Red Barked Tree
Dutch Uncles - Cadenza
Moon Duo - Mazes
Belong - Common Era (shoegazey pop but with really weird muffled production that sounds like they're playing a few blocks away inside a giant barn...this is a good thing)
Duffstep - Getting to Sirius
Demdike Stare - Tryptych
Still Corner - Endless Summer (single)
Wild Beasts - Smother

PJ Harvey
Bill Callahan
Panda Bear

Looking forward to a beardy month with Bon Iver and My Morning Jacket. Also, White Denim, who contain one beard only.

James Blake - James Blake
The Streets - Computers And Blues

Boxer Rebellion - The Cold Still
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

Wild Beasts - Smother
Elbow - Build a Rocket
Wire - Red Barked Tree
PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
John Foxx and the Maths - Interplay
Gavin Friday - Catholic
Duran Duran - All you Need is Now

Also looking forward to new releases by 'Battles' and an Australian band called 'Middle East'

for financial reasons, and most of the records I've bought have been old so far. But these are the new ones that I like:

Andreas Mattsson - Kick Death's Ass ( third mention on this blog, but it's good enough to mention thirty times more )
Gregg Allman - Low Country Blues
James Blake ( not sure about it at first, but it's been growing )
Disco Discharge - Mondo Disco ( you can't get too many of these )

Still working on liking the new Cornershop album and the Drive-By Truckers album Go-Go Boots, some really good songs on both but quite a few not so good ones as well.
Same story with Lykke Li, I want to like it but only a few tracks have won me over as yet. If I hadn't expected it to sound more like her debut album I probably would have had an easier time of enjoying it, now I feel slightly cheated.
A couple of rather useless albums will not even get a mention...

heard this on Marc and Stuart and was hooked

Grails - Deep Politics and Chain & The Gang - Music's Not For Everyone. I bought them both on vinyl (I KNOW!) and love them to bits.

I think it's been a slow and disappointing start to the year so far. The only stand out for me so far is the PJ Harvey album. I've been disappointed with Ron Sexsmith, Jim White, Bright Eyes and Those Dancing Days, all of which I was looking forward to getting.

Things are looking up though, it's too early to properly judge the new Alessi's Ark album but I think it'll be near the top of my list at the end of the year and in the last fortnight I've added the new ones by Okkervil River, Devon Sproule, Art Brut and Pete & The Pirates to my ipod all of which seem very promising.

Of course the second half of the year is promising new albums by Fountains of Wayne, Hal and Nick Lowe so I don't expect the year to be a musical washout for me at all.

Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will - Mogwai

Demolished Thoughts - Thurston Moore (Lovely and without an electric guitar in sight)

Hotel Shampoo - Gruff Rhys

Anna Calvi.
P.J.Harvey - Let England Shake.
The Unthanks - Last.
Grails - Deep Politics
Chain And The Gang - Music's Not For Everyone.
Elbow - Let's Build A Rocket Boys.

That's all folks. I'm off to play some old.

Tim Booth - Love Life
Vintage Trouble - The Bomb Shelter Sessions

Looking forward to getting the new Booker T album. Hope to add it to the list.

The best album of the year so far is Ron Sexsmith's Long Player Late Bloomer. Nothing else comes close.

Last Of the Country Gentlemen is pretty damn special.

No mention of Diamond Mine by King Creosote and Jon Hopkins? (I'm seeing them tonight at the Union Chapel) It's rather good.

And I like Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes *blows raspberries*

I haven't heard the Beasties album yet.

2010 had some real crackers esp. Arcade Fire and The National that continue to sound better & better

Of current stuff - would agree from the above with
Diamond Mine - King Creosote & Jon Hopkins
James Blake
and particularly the Tron Legacy Remix album, sounds fab at maximum volume

Then it has more been odd tracks rather than whole albums. Good guilty pleasure pop from Britney Spears, bits of Keren Ann and Joan as Police Woman.

But my two favourites from the last 6 months are
KD Lang & The Siss Boom Bang - Sing it Loud (fantastic return to form in a more band based setting)
Cornershop - Cornershop and the Double 'O' Groove Of... , really should be the 'soundtrack to the summer etc '

where I'd heard so much "new." So, my pick(s) of the pops are:

Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat - Everything's Getting Older
James Blake - James Blake
Katy B - On A Mission
Tune-Yards - W H O K I L L
Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
Cat's Eyes - Cat's Eyes
Junior Boys - It's All True
The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
Toro Y Moi - Underneath the Pine

Not a bad selection I'd say, out of the 30 or so records from this year I've heard so far.

....that I only fit into a very small corner of the Word demographic these days because I like these -

Ron Sexsmith - Long Player, Late Bloomer
Steve Earle - I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive
Lucinda Williams - Blessed
Loudon Wainwright III - 40 Odd Years
Teddy Thompson - Bella
Various Artists - Treme (soundtrack)

The Constant Pageant by Trembling Bells
Late Morning Light by the See See
Hail to the Clear Figurines by Asteroid No 4
High and Inside by the Baseball Project

and - very surprisingly - Collapse Into Now by REM. I'd lost faith a long time ago but this is a cracking album, probably my favourite since the IRS glory years.

King Creosote/Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine

Wire - Red Barked Tree

Peaking Lights - 936

Low - C'mon

Feelies - Here Before

Bristol Reggae Explosion 1978-83 compilation

Lee Perry - The Return Of Sound System Scratch

Robin Guthrie & Harold Budd - Bordeaux

Scott Cortez - Twin Radiant Flux

Delta Swamp Rock compilation

that bigsteviecooke inhabits, you'll find me squashed in there with him. And Steve Turner who posted while I was typing.

Another vote for Ron Sexsmith's Long Player, Late Bloomer which my wife also loves and is also her album of the year so far.

Emmylou Harris's Hard Bargain, the title track of which is also a Ron song.

Lucinda Williams - Blessed. It really is an excellent album.

elbow
paul simon

own the new steve earle and fleet foxes and ron sexsmith and beeen underwhelmed by all of them

Adele - 21

The Deep Field is my album of the year so far, and gig of the year too for that matter. I've also enjoyed the P J Harvey, Elbow and British Sea Power albums.

is that a) I've bought only one or two albums released this year and b) there is only one I would recommend, which is
Asian Dub Foundation - A History of Now

The Decemberists The King Is Dead in the early part of the year, followed by Elbow's build a rocket boys! Nothing else has taken my fancy so far.

...'Creep On Creepin' On' by Timber Timbre.

Such a shame that I can't add 'King of Limbs' but it's not that good is it? :(

Blancmange - Blancburn
The Unthanks - Last
Penguin Cafe - A Matter of Life

All highly recommended.

Waiting for the Kate Bush Directors Cut to arrive but new stuff will be dwarfed by a big pile of old this year. Must try harder!

for recommending the wonderful
Born With Stripes-The Donkeys

Also love
Director's Cut-Kate Bush
A Matter Of Life-Penguin Cafe
Mink Hollow Road-The Mummers (Come on everyone
this lot deserve more attention).

Others I haven't seen mentioned (but may have missed):

The Strokes
The Go-Team

there have been a few really good albums this year. The best three are:

Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die But You Will - everything about this is fantastic, from the cover inwards (bought it on vinyl and am seriously considering mounting the sleeve)

Parts & Labor - Constant Future - zippy effervescent rock music that is simultaneously "arty" and anthemic

Sarabeth Tucek - Get Well Soon - delicate acoustic songs of loss and regret that occasionally veer into Crazy Horse style riffage

Bubbling under: Anna Calvi, Warpaint (think this might have been last year actually), Rival Schools & Social Distortion

The top tier this year is occupied by:

101 - Keren Ann
Mink Hollow Road - The Mummers
Last - The Unthanks
Let England Shake - PJ Harvey

Pretty good/almost great:

Long Player Late Bloomer - Ron Sexsmith (best songs are wonderful, but it's inconsistent)
The King Is Dead - The Decemberists (ditto)
Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes
Get Well Soon - Sarabeth Tucek
On A Mission - Katy B (only heard it once, on Spotify, liked it a lot)

Biggest Disappointment:

The Deep Field - Joan as Policewoman (serious let-down)

I'm looking forward to hearing the new ones from The Pierces, Tune-yards and the other Kate B...

There have been may fine albums mentioned already on this thread, but unless I'm much mistaken, they haven't included many JAZZ records. Come on Massivers! I thought this board was full of jazz-hungry swinging cats and catesses. So I'll throw in my few pence worth by putting forward the 7 new jazz albums that have most set my toes a-tappin' in the first five months of 2011:

1. Matthew Halsall - "On the Go"
Gondwana Records of Manchester does it again. This may be the best British jazz album of the past 25 years.

2. Eple Trio: "In the Clearing/In the Cavern"
The iciest ambient chamber jazz from Norway. Hard to track down, but worth it.

3. Ketil Björnstad & Svante Henrysson: "Night song"
Stately Piano/cello duets from veteran Norwegian/Swedish pairing.

4. Storms/Nocturnes: "Via"
Top-notch drummerless UK/US trio featuring the incredible Tim Garland on saxes.

5. Paolo Fresu, A Filetta Corsican Voices and Daniele di Bonaventura: "Mistico Mediterraneo"
Italian trumpet and accordeon with Corsican polyphonic chanting - entrancing.

6. Kit Downes Trio: "Quiet Tiger"
I love James Allsopp's bass calrinet on this.

7. Francis Drake: "Stories"
Top Bavarian chamber jazz trio doing their thing. Nice!

Radiohead - The King Of Limbs
Epic45 - Weathering
Graciela Maria - Many Places
Jamie Woon - Mirrorwriting
TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light
This Will Destroy You - Tunnel Blanket

Elbow album taking longer to get into than I'd anticipated...

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Sarabeth Tucek - Get Well Soon
Alela Diane & Wild Devine
The Boxer Rebellion - The Cold Still
The Sand Band - All Through The Night
Roddy Woomble - The Impossible Song & Other Songs

Looking forward to new releases by:
Hal (how great was their first record?)
Bon Iver

Joan as Police Woman - The Deep Field

Tinderstix - Soundtrack box set

Johann Johannssen - The Miners' Hymns

Nostalgia 77 - The Sleepwalking Society

The Hiders - Four Letter Town
North Mississippi Allstars - Keys To The Kingdom

Keren Ann, Bright Eyes, Low Anthem, Fleet Foxes and Decemberists are on my 'to do' list. And despite being a fan, I haven't bought Elbow yet - feel disinclined following their dreary performance on Later...

Most played two are REM and Ron Sexsmith.

In order of level of enjoyment:

The obvious ones: Fleet Foxes, Elbow & PJ Harvey

Less obvious: The Decemberists, The Leisure Society

Also enjoying: Gruff Rhys, Bright Eyes, Low Anthem, Vaccines, Radiohead (best album since Kid A IMHO), Anna Calvi.

...mentioned Quintessence's 'Rebirth: Live At Glastonbury 2011'.

Times are changing when even Record Collector magazine opts to pass on even reviewing such an item, but - biased though I may be - it's a really lovely record, and a lovely story too: the first band ever to play the Glastonbury Festival reforging the sword for a one-off 40 years later. People can be blase about nostalgia/reunions, but this one took a bit of organising and won't be repeated.

Luckily, the recording is fabulous. It features a new version of this old fave:

Have not bought all that many but the stand out's for me are:

PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Radiohead - King Of Limbs
Decemberists - The King is Dead
Joan as Policewoman - The Deep Field

and for something a bit different, The Go Team - Rolling Blackouts

Despite the damning review in Word, which suggested it was music for trainer commercials, I find it a joyous racket.

Only record that has truly bowled me over is the King Creosote/Jon Hopkins.

Liked but not loved:
The Low Anthem
Raphael Saadiq
Gruff Rhys
REM (best since )

Also liked the Alex Turner Submarine EP

My Morning Jacket - Circuital
British Sea Power - Valhalla Dancehall
Decemberists - The King Is Dead
Noah & The Whale - Last Night On Earth
Radiohead - The King Of Limbs
Art Brut - Brilliant! Tragic!

Very good year so far

There is, quite clearly no great consensus on what the best records are this year. There are a few recurring names but not many, and we've pretty much all got at least one favourite record that nobody else has mentioned.

If you asked this question in 1976 (and lets face it..I'm stuck in 1976 like Sam Tyler at least once a week thanks to BBC4) you'd probably get more of a consensus. Does this reflect the quality of the music or the fact that these days we're a lot more fractured in our listening because there is simply more music around, and it was far easier (and cheaper) to 'take a punt on' than it was back then? I think the latter. Suffice to say, Rock and Pop acts, if you want your record to make it to our 'record of the year' lists it's gonna have to be bloody good.

but the few I can think of without checking:

Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What
(The best thing he's done since Graceland, IMHO)

Gurrumul - Rrakala
Joe Bonamassa - Dust Bowl
The Waifs - Temptation
The Decemberists - The King is Dead
Steve Earle - I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive

(I wish the Steve Earle was as good as the previous one, let alone as good as Jerusalem. but I'm still enjoying it nonetheless)

Ron Sexsmith
The Felice Brothers (it's a grower)
The Low Anthem (boeing 737 and matter of time are great tracks)

Anal C**t's album Fuckin' A has ten songs on it, all in the two-five minute range. This is a marked departure for the band who previously released LPs averaging forty tracks, mostly 30 second blasts of noise and insults. The lyrics on Fuckin’ A are vile but also kind of funny if you don’t take them too seriously, although this is academic as you can't really hear the words when phrased in Seth Putnam’s impenetrable yowl.

The thing I like about Anal C**t is that, beyond any shock or outrage they may attempt to provoke, lies a really great band who play with total commitment. This album is raw energy; life distilled to sex, the gratuitous consumption of drugs and alcohol, and the simple joy of playing your favourite music at obnoxious volume on a stereo that you stole from a groupie.

Too many metal bands at the moment are hung up on technique, or are too studied in their performances. When it comes to this kind of music I try to seek out bands who I can imagine beating me to death with a tire iron, as they generally play with more conviction.

Two of my favourite albums of this year feel like attempts at bending soul music in new directions, with both artists approaching the task from different angles.

The ragged juke-joint jazz and junkyard folk that comprises Iron and Wine’s Kiss Each Other Clean sounds like it was performed at a succession of roadhouses on an odyssey along the back roads of contemporary America.

Joan As Policewoman’s third album – The Deep Field is structured like a live set: Eight songs cut from the same cloth, that build to a euphoric crescendo on Chemmie. Then there’s a two track encore – one uncharacteristic downbeat song, set-up as the counterpoint to another climax - I Was Everyone, where the band who have previously played with such deference and discipline are let off the leash.

Both of these records were blatantly conceived as albums and reveal their charms slowly over repeated listens.

Paul Simon - So Beautiful Or So What
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
The Unthanks - Last
Elbow - Build a Rocket boys!
The Secret Sisters - The Secret Sisters

Off to download The Pierces ...

... Talahomi Way by the High Llamas. It's been like an aural comfort blanket for me since it came out. Beautiful artwork, too.
Try it, you might like it.

Fleet Foxes 'Helplessness Blues', Dutch Uncles 'Cadenza', REM 'Collapse Into Now' and the Chapin Sisters 'Two'

Elbow - Build a Rocket Boys!
Radiohead - King of Limbs
Danger House and Daniel Luppi - Rome
My Morning Jacket - Circuital
Tennis - Cape Dory
The Weeknd - House of Balloons (Get it for free at official site http://the-weeknd.com/ )

Not Bon Iver, it's been kind of a dissappointment

Hardly going to set the world on fire, but I haven't seen anyone mention John Renbourn exquisite "Palermo Snow" (on emusic!). Struggling with loud music at the moment due to Chronic Fatigue combined with young baby new addition, so this is welcome in its refinement and quite unbelievable in guitar playing and song choice.

Otherwise its probably the usual suspects:

PJ Harvey "Let England Shake" (the best of the year as soon as it was released, how can an album just be so right?)
Elbow "Build A Rocket Boys" (there albums are always so deep rich and rewarding, better than Seldom Seen)
Radiohead
Gruff Rhys

Dissapointing:
The Dears
Bill Callahan (though growing - but "America" sucks and brings the rest of the album down)
Joan as Policewoman (how can she write things so perfect as Eternal Flame & The Ride and then have such soulless cold songs?)

Still making up mind:
Lykke Li
Kate Bush "Directors Cut" (Though it has made me fall in love with "The Red Shoes" thanks to the remastering as part of the deluxe edition).
Tim Hecker "Ravedeath"

So far I love it.
Also
Beady Eye
Matt Berry
Jonny
Jonathan Jeremiah

Disappointments
Kate Bush
Seasick Steve

My favourite pop album so far is The Kaiser Chiefs-The Future Is Medieval I know it's not cool to like them but I think this is their best ever album well my version of it is anyway.

Incendiary,dictionary definition, tending to stir up conflict I didn't really mean to but knowing the stock The Kaiser Chiefs are held in around these parts,at least I don't think The Silver Seas are the best band on the planet.

explosions in the sky - take care, take care, take care
jim white - sounds of the americans
the mountain goats - all eternals deck
are all getting prolonged exposure

and i've just spotted a new fountains of wayne track (richie&ruben)
on emusic so there's that too

Joe Bonamassa - Dust Bowl
Amplifier - The Octopus

OK, I've raved about her on My Night In, on Twitter and on Facebook. And here I go again: her debut album I Am Not The Night is probably the best thing I've heard this year. In terms of sheer songwriting ability, both musical and lyrical, it's breathtaking. It sounds lovely too, a minimalist production with her voice and piano doing most of the work, with lovely shading here and there from drums, guitars and strings. On the quieter songs you can hear the damper pedal being pressed!

My favourite song on the album is Lila, which isn't on youtube yet [although it is on Spotify], so here's Atlas, with an actual video.

Amplifier - The Octopus
Belong - Common Era
Bon Iver - Bon Iver
The 'Delta Swamp Rock Sounds From The South:
At The Crossroad Of Rock, Country And Soul' Compilation
The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow
The Dear Hunter - The Color Spectrum (9 Ep's)
Dredg - Chuckles & Mr. Squeezy
Elbow - Build a Rocket Boys!
James Blake - James Blake
Kyle Eastwood - Songs from the chateau
Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
The Pierces - You & I
The Son(s) - The Son(s)
Ulver - War of the roses
The Unthanks - Last
Whirl - Distressor
White Hills - H-p1

Out of those, the current fave is the set of Dear Hunter Ep's.

It's gonna be a good year.