I think this is my third year putting one of these together, but my first time doing anything with it beyond posting on Flickr. Here (from my last.fm charts) are the 10 bands/artists I listened to the most in 2011 --
1. Manu Chao. I think this has a lot to do with seeing Drama Mex last year, which put me in the mood to listen to energetic music in Spanish a lot.
2. The Hundred in the Hands. I discovered this band a few years ago, actually, but somehow failed to do anything about how amazing I thought they were until this video ran around the Internet.
3. Daft Punk. This is 100% because of the Tron:Legacy soundtrack and the remix album.
4. MGMT. I was never curious enough to listen to them until I heard their album Congratulations playing in a store. So strange and good.
5. Michael Jackson. I was actually surprised to see him on here!
6. Twin Shadow. I first heard his album on a train to a small town in Switzerland last March; the music matched what I gazed at from my window perfectly.
7. The Amplifetes. Per this post, do everyone a favor and listen to them. Phenomenal.
8. Mark Ronson and the Business Int'l. One of the only spillovers from 2010. It's just so good.
9. Crystal Castles. This was one of the only bands I had on my phone for most of last year, which explains why I listened to them so much. Also, more 2010 spillover - I love that 2nd album.
10. New Order. No explanation needed.
My top 10s for 2009 and 2010 are sort of similar, featuring my top artists of all time like Blonde Redhead, Metric, Morrissey and Mew. 2011 was markedly different, especially with the bands that were in heaviest rotation. I'm really terrible at seeking out new music most of the time, but I guess the stars just aligned. So happy that The Hundred in the Hands, Twin Shadow and The Amplifetes are in my music library.
What was your favorite music in 2011?
