It's close enough to the end of the year, right?

So, here are my top 5 albums of 2011. Of the dozens of records I bought this year, just ten were from 2011; so finding a top five wasn't much of a challenge.

1. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Mirror Traffic
   
   (check out Jack Black and Gary Cole (the boss from Office Space) in the video!)

   Malkmus and Jicks records always take a while to grow on me. I think it's because Malkmus so dominates everything that it takes time to get past the initial "Hey, there's that Malkmus quirk again," and "Now what a Malkmusly clever lyric!" reactions and start to appreciate the songs as more than just ways for Malkmus to do his thing. This one doesn't really sound or feel a lot different than any other SM&tJs record, but I think the stand-out songs are a notch or two better than usual.

2. Wye Oak - Civilian
   
   This is a solid follow-up to their awesome previous record, "The Knot". It trades some of The Knot's raw immediacy for a cleaner, and more modern sound - which makes this one a bit less interesting to me. There's less of the sing-song whisper/explosion/whisper dynamics here. But, there are plenty of great songs. So, this spends a lot of time in my car's CD player.

3. Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest
   
   They spent many many years on this, writing, rejecting, selecting songs (hence the title). They took so long, I was seriously starting to doubt they'd ever do another record. So, it was great news when this came out. The verdict: it's not as grand as "Revelator", but I think it surpasses their last, "Soul Journey", and fits in nicely with their first two records. They stick to their tried-and-true tradition of slow, and sometimes sad songs, simply done. And there are a couple of likely classics on here. There are also, sadly, a couple of really awkward lyrics; and when I hear them, my reflexive wincing throws me out of the song briefly. But, overall, a good record.

4. Adele - 21
   No need for a link. You all know what Adele sounds like.

5. Sea & Cake - Moonlight Butterfly.
   
   I think they've made a slight turn back towards their classic sound here, and I deeply approve. What really hooks me with this is when they use (intentionally or more likely, not) bits which remind me of songs from other bands I really dig: Unrest, my own songs. So, for example, in the song linked here, Sam Prekop is playing a rhythm part which is almost identical to a song I wrote in 1991 for the woman I'd eventually marry. Sounds like faint praise, and maybe it is; but I've given the S&C a lifetime pass, so anything that isn't trash is welcome.

How about you? What did you like from this past year?