Here at Lost in Reviews, we have been hard at work compiling a list of what has had our ears all year long. After putting the whole thing together, some similarities were occurring. The Kanrocksas show was a huge hit with all of us here as nearly every one of us picked one or more sets from the two day inaugural festival. As for best albums, many of us can’t stop listening to M83′s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming and St. Vincent’s Strange Mercy. It was so much fun looking back on the best of 2011 but we can’t wait to see what will stick with us in 2012!
In no particular order, we have compiled short lists of our favorite albums of 2011 as well as the best concerts/festivals we attended in 2011. Below you will find lists from many of Lost In Reviews’ contributors. Click on the links for selected bands to read more about that show.
Angela Davis, Managing Editor of LIR
Albums:
M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
Portugal. The Man – In the Mountain, In the Cloud
Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See
The Black Keys – El Camino
Born Gold – Bodysongs
Florence and the Machine – Ceremonials
Cults – Cults
Foster the People – Torches
Cut Copy – Zonoscope
Live Shows:
Sleigh Bells at SXSW Zynga Party at Dog House
The Airborne Toxic Event at The Beaumont Club (November)
Bassnectar at Kanrocksas
Wild Flag at The Record Bar
The Naked and Famous at The Night the Buzz Stole XXMas
Cults and Guards at The Riot Room
Gobble Gobble (now called Born Gold) at SXSW Canadian Party
OK GO at Kanrocksas
Neon Indian and Purity Ring with Com Truise at Record Bar
The Black Keys at Kanrocksas
John Coovert, Promotions Coordinator of LIR, staff writer
Albums:
Big Black Delta – BBDLP1
CANT - Dreams Come True
EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints
Fucked UP – David Comes To Life
The Horrors – Skying
Shabazz Palaces – Black Up
Sonoio - Red
St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
War Widow - War Widow
Wavves - Life Sux
Live Shows:
Death From Above 1979 at SXSW (ended in near riot)
OFF! at SXSW Club Deville
Kanrocksas (yes the entire thing, both days)
The Black Angels (Both Bottleneck shows in Lawrence, KS)
Carina Round & Puscifer (Denver, CO)
St. Vincent – Liberty Hall
Neon Indian with Purity Ring and Com Truise at Record Bar
Sonoio & Ladytron – Chicago, Il
A Perfect Circle – Red Rocks Morison, CO
Watch The Throne Kayne West and Jay-Z – Sprint Center
Sarah Ksiazek, Editor at Large of LIR
Albums:
Mat Kearney – Young Love
Sleigh Bells – Treats
Angels and Airwaves – Love: Part 2
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Soundtrack
Drive – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Matt Cook, Photographer for LIR
Albums:
Um, Uh Oh – Say Hi
James Blake – James Blake
Collapse Into Now – R.E.M.
Making Beds – Reward Tree
Bad As Me – Tom Waits
The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams – Various Artists
Let England Shake – PJ Harvey
w h o k i l l – tUnE-yArDs
Go-Go Boots – Drive-By Truckers
Ashes And Fire – Ryan Adams
Live Shows:
Say Hi (Jackpot Saloon – Lawrence, KS)
Okkervil River (The Granada – Lawrence, KS)
James McMurtry (Knuckleheads Saloon – Kansas City, MO)
The Hold Steady (Midland Theater – Kansas City, MO)
DeVotchKa (Midland Theater – Kansas City, MO)
The Wombats (recordBar – Kansas City, MO)
Matt & Kim (Midland Theater – Kansas City, MO)
The Black Keys (Kanrocksas – Kansas City, KS)
Lucinda Williams (Liberty Hall, Lawrence, KS)
Nick Lowe (The Uptown Theater – Kansas City, MO)
Ryan Davis, Editor in Chief of LIR
Albums:
Arctic Monkeys – Suck it and See
Cage The Elephant – Thank You, Happy Birthday
Bassnectar – Divergent Spectrum
Braids – Native Speaker
Born Gold – Bodysongs
M83 – Hurry Up We’re Dreaming
Foster The People – Torches
Yuck – Yuck
The Kills – Blood Pressures
Trentemoller – Reworked/Remixed
Live Shows:
The Naked and Famous (The Night The Buzz Stole XXMAS)
Wild Flag at Record Bar
Cage The Elephant (Kanrocksas Day 2)
Bassnectar (Kanrocksas Day 1)
Cults and Guards at The Riot Room
Foxy Shazam (Warped Tour)
Foster The People and The Chain Gang of 1974 at The Bottleneck
SUUNS and The Black Angels at The Bottleneck
Born Gold at SXSW (formerly known as Gobble Gobble)
Bright Eyes at The Austin Club at SXSW
Sleigh Bells at Zynga’s Dog House
Ian McFarland, staff writer
Albums:
Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Washed Out – Within and Without
The Throne – Watch the Throne
M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
The Weeknd – House of Balloons / Thursday / Echoes of Silence
Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Belong
Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto
Live Shows:
Deerhunter at Pitchfork Music Festival
Arcade Fire featuring The National at Starlight Theatre
My Morning Jacket at Uptown Theatre
Jay-Z and Kanye West at Sprint Center
The Flaming Lips at Kanrocksas
Kelly Powell, photographer for LIR
Live Shows:
Tv on the Radio at SXSW
My Morning Jacket at Red Rocks
Charles Bradley and the Menahan Street Band at SXSW
Foo Fighters at Sprint Center
St. Vincent at Liberty Hall
Portugal. The Man at SXSW
a Perfect Circle at Red Rocks
incubus at Buzz Beach Ball
Florence and the Machine at The Night the Buzz Stole XMas at Midland
The Black Keys at Kanrocksas
Erin Tuttle, staff writer
Albums:
The Black Keys – El Camino
Wye Oak – Civilian
The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow
Florence and the Machine – Ceremonials
TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light
St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – It’s a Corporate World
Ha Ha Tonka – Death of a Decade
Drive – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Radiohead – The King of Limbs
Live Shows:
The Civil Wars at The Bottleneck
Arcade Fire at Starlight Theatre
The Flaming Lips at Kanrocksas
Bush at Buzz Beach Ball at Livestrong Park
Muse at Kanrocksas
Ha Ha Tonka at The Blue Note
My Morning Jacket at The Uptown Theater
Foo Fighters at Sprint Center
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. at The Jackpot Saloon
Blind Pilot at The Bottleneck
Rebecca Armstrong, photographer for LIR
Albums:
Bombay Bicycle Club – A Different Kind Of Fix
Cold Cave – Cherish The Light Years
Drive – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Decemberists – The King Is Dead
Destroyer – Kaputt
Hooray for Earth – True Loves
The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar
Metronomy – The English Riviera
Tapes N Tapes – Outside
The Vaccines – What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
Live Shows:
The Features with O’ Giant Man at Record Bar 09/11
The Decemberists at Uptown Theater 02/07
Flaming Lips at KanRockSas 09/05
Muse at KanRockSas 09/06
My Morning Jacket at Uptown Theater 8/04
Foo Fighters at Sprint Center 09/16
Ha Ha Tonka at Blue Note 10/21
Blind Pilot at Bottleneck 06/13
Civil Wars at Bottleneck 04/22
Tapes N Tapes with O Giant Man and Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr at Jackpot 03/04
