Pitchfork's Top Albums & Tracks of 2011

by Andrew Sacher

Pitchfork Top 50 Albums

Last week, Pitchfork posted their much anticipated top 50 albums of 2011 and their top 100 tracks of 2011. It’s no huge surprise that Bon Iver took best album and that M83 took best track with “Midnight City,” but some other choices were a little less expected.

PJ Harvey, who was basically unanimously the UK’s choice for album of the year (says NME, Uncut, Mojo, The Guardian, and the Mercury Prize, among others) came in at #4, making it her first album of the new millennium to end up on a Pitchfork year-end list. Odd Future’s Frank Ocean‘s Nostaliga, Ultra came in at #35, while the crew’s ringleader Tyler, the Creator‘s Goblin was nowhere to be found (though “Yonkers” was named the 16th best track). The King of Limbs was the first Radiohead album released during Pitchfork’s existence that didn’t make the year-end list. Wild Flag and SBTRKT both released albums that initially surprised us by not getting “Best New Music” but have both ended up in the top 50. Liturgy‘s Aesthetica, which didn’t end up on Pitchfork’s best metal albums, though it was given an honorable mention, where Brandon Stosuy wrote, “In many ways it was the album of the year,” came in at #41 on the top 50, the only metal album on the list.

As for the top 100 tracks, as usual, the higher rated tracks were pretty pop-dominated, with Nicki Minaj beating out the bulk of this year’s indie rock. Some other odd ones made the list like Britney Spears, Kreayshawn, and Soulja Boy, but there were also some great tracks that went a little overlooked this year like Action Bronson‘s “Larry Csonka,” Cities Aviv‘s “Coastin'” and Peaking Lights‘ “All The Sun That Shines” that made the list.

Both lists can be quickly viewed below…


Pitchfork TOp 50 Albums of 2011
50 Youth Lagoon – The Year Of Hibernation
49 Wild Flag – Wild Flag
48 Toro Y Moi – Underneath The Pine
47 Sepalcure – Sepalcure
46 Cults – Cults
45 Kendrick Lamar – Section.80
44 Colin Stetson – New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges
43 Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes
42 SBTRKT – SBTRKT
41 Liturgy – Aesethetica
40 AraabMuzik – Electronic Dream
39 The War On Drugs – Slave Ambient
38 Sandro Perri – Impossible Spaces
37 Iceage – New Brigade
36 Kate Bush – 50 Words For Snow
35 Frank Ocean – Nostalgia, Ultra.
34 Katy B – On A Mission
33 Fucked Up – David Comes To Life
32 Panda Bear – Tomboy
31 Ty Segall – Goodbye Bread
30 Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972
29 DJ Quik – The Book Of David
28 Cut Copy – Zonoscope
27 Beyoncé – 4
26 The Field – Looping State Of Mind
25 Gang Gang Dance – Eye Contact
24 Julianna Barwick – The Magic Place
23 Bill Callahan – Apocalypse
22 The Caretaker – An Empty Bliss Beyond This World
21 Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch The Throne
20 Nicolas Jaar – Space Is Only Noise
19 Danny Brown – XXX
18 Atlas Sound – Parallax
17 Clams Casino – Instrumentals
16 Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo
15 Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
14 Shabazz Palaces – Black Up
13 EMA – Past Life Martyred Saints
12 James Blake – James Blake
11 St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
10 The Weeknd – House Of Ballons
09 Real Estate – Days
08 Drake – Take Care
07 tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l
06 Oneohtrix Point Never – Replica
05 Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost
04 PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
03 M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
02 Destroyer – Kaputt
01 Bon Iver – Bon Iver


Pitchfork Top 100 Tracks of 2011
100. Thundercat – “For Love (I Come Your Friend)”
99. Ill Blu – “Meltdown”
98. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “Ffunny Ffrends”
97. Fever Ray – “The Wolf”
96. Peaking Lights – “All The Sun That Shines”
95. Kendrick Lamar – “A.D.H.D.
94. Sepalcure – “Pencil Pimp”
93. Wild Flag – “Romance”
92. Jacques Greene – “Another Girl”
91. Thee Oh Sees – “The Dream”
90. Grimes – “Vanessa”
89. SBTRKT – “Wildfire” (Feat . Little Dragon)
88. Cities Aviv – “Coastin'”
87. Zoo Kid – “Out Getting Ribs”
86. Blawan – “Getting Me Down”
85. Junior Boys – “Banana Ripple”
84. Iceage – “You’re Blessed”
83. Tiger & Woods – “Gin Nation”
82. John Maus – “Believer”
81. Yuck – “Get Away”
80. Fucked Up – “Queen Of Hearts”
79. Kelly Rowland – “Motivation” (Feat. Lil Wayne)
78. Sandro Perri – “Changes”
77. Cults – “Abducted”
76. Julianna Barwick – “Prizewinning”
75. Washed Out – “Amor Fati”
74. Dum Dum Girls – “Wrong Feels Right”
73. tUnE-yArDs – “Powa”
72. Britney Spears – “Till The World Ends (The Femme Fatale Remix)” (Feat. Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha)
71. The Men – “Bataille”
70. Holy Ghost! – “Jam For Jerry”
69. Neon Indian – “Polish Girl”
68. The Joy Formidable – “Whirring”
67. Rihanna – “We Found Love” (Feat. Calvin Harris)
66. DJ Quik – “Killer Dope”
65. Fleet Foxes – “Grown Ocean”
64. Toro Y Moi – “New Beat”
63. Bon Iver – “Perth”
62. Liturgy – “Generation”
61. Eleanor Friedberger – “My Mistakes”
60. Adele – “Someone Like You”
59. Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire – “The Last Huzzah! (Remix)” (Feat. Despot, Das Racist, Danny Brown & El-P)
58. PJ Harvey – “The Words That Maketh Murder”
57. The Weeknd – “House Of Balloons”
56. M83 – “Intro” (Feat. Zola Jesus)
55. Destroyer – “Chinatown”
54. Jamie xx/Gil Scott-Heron – “I’ll Take Care Of U”
53. Real Estate – “Green Aisles”
52. Action Bronson – “Larry Csonka”
51. Todd Terje – “Snooze 4 Love”
50. Atlas Sound – “Mona Lisa”
49. Katy B – “Broken Record”
48. Kreayshawn – “Gucci Gucci”
47. Battles – “Ice Cream” (Feat. Matias Aguayo)
46. Ty Segall – “Goodbye Bread”
45. Drake – “Headlines”
44. Nicolas Jaar – “Space Is Only Noise If You Can See”
43. Panda Bear – “Last Night At The Jetty”
42. Jay-Z & Kanye West – “Otis”
41. Frank Ocean – “Novacane”
40. Burial – “Street Halo”
39. Shabazz Palaces – “Swerve… the reeping of all that is worthwhile (Noir not withstanding)”
38. Purity Ring – “Ungirthed”
37. ASAP Rocky – “Peso”
36. Jamie xx – “Far Nearer”
35. Charli XCX – “Stay Away”
34. Cut Copy – “Need You Now”
33. AraabMuzik – “Streetz Tonight”
32. Cold Cave – “The Great Pan Is Dead”
31. The Field – “Then It’s White”
30. Clams Casino – “Motivation”
29. Jai Paul – “BTSTU”
28. Danny Brown – “Monopoly”
27. The Rapture – “How Deep Is Your Love?”
26. Beyoncé – “1+1”
25. Soulja Boy – “Zan With That Lean”
24. Kurt Vile – “Jesus Fever”
23. Adele – “Rolling In The Deep”
22. Bill Callahan – “Riding For The Feeling”
21. Drake – “Marvins Room”
20. Gang Gang Dance – “Glass Jar”
19. Lana Del Rey – “Video Games”
18. St. Vincent – “Cruel”
17. Oneohtrix Point Never – “Replica”
16. Tyler, The Creator – “Yonkers”
15. The Weeknd – “The Morning”
14. Girls – “Vomit”
13. tUnE-yArDs – “Bizness”
12. Jay-Z & Kanye West – “Niggas In Paris”
11. James Blake – “The Wilhelm Scream”
10. DJ Khaled – “I’m On One” (Feat. Drake, Rick Ross and Lil Wayne)
09. Azealia Banks – “212”
08. Cass McCombs – “County Line”
07. Beyoncé – “Countdown”
06. Destroyer – “Kaputt”
05. Real Estate – “It’s Real”
04. Nicki Minaj – “Super Bass”
03. EMA – “California”
02. Bon Iver – “Holocene”
01. M83 – “Midnight City”