If 2010 was the year music took a speed pill, pushing pop to the top of the charts, then 2011 was the year music rolled a few joints and calmed down. Ignoring identical top-40 hits from Guetta, every song featuring Usher, guest appearances by Pitbull, and a few other high-energy exceptions, this year was a little chopped and screwed and saw a big sway back to the melancholy of the ’90s. Here are some of 2011’s musical highlights. Hopefully you’ll recognize most of the culprits. If not, take note and discover some fantastic new music.

2011’s top albums

Lady Gaga - Born This Way
She’s got style, she can sing, she’s got a sense of humour, and she wrote one of the gayest albums of the 21st century.

Yelle - Safari Disco Club
You might not understand a word she’s singing, but this glossy French dance music is guaranteed to make you bouge de là.

Beyoncé - 4
With no big singles or hype, Beyoncé’s (right) latest album is her best yet. Take some time and work your way through the slow stuff. I promise it’s worth it.

Oh Land - Oh Land
Playful, poppy, weird and wonderful Swedish babe Oh Land opened for Katy Perry all over the world this past year; hopefully this record’s lush siren songs reached a lot more ears because of it.

Patrick Wolf - Lupercalia
UK tenor-twink Patrick Wolf finally let loose his creativity with Lupercalia. This is an epic, over-the-top and poetic dance-pop album.

Destroyer - Kaputt
Vancouver’s Dan Bejar is Destroyer, and Kaputt is like that classic ’90s easy-rock album your dad still swears is solid gold, but updated.

M83 - Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
This album is the soundtrack to your wildest childhood dreams. Playing dress-up, making forts in the woods, dreaming big and being blissfully naive.


Architecture in Helsinki - Moment Bends
This big wobbly record from down under is punchy, feel-good pop. Songs about Beeps and desert islands on top of ’90s keyboard fun create an instant party.

Metronomy - The English Riviera
This bouncy album from the UK electropop ensemble (left) was nominated for the Mercury Prize and is a slick soundtrack for driving convertibles at night. Timeless.

Cut Copy - Zonoscope
A flawless pop album with jungle-like dancefloor anthems.











Top Toronto albums in three words

The Pining - The Pining
All-girl country.

Sandro Perri - Impossible Spaces
Best-kept secret.

Timber Timbre - Creep On Creepin’ On
Deep, dark woods.

One Hundred Dollars - Songs of Man
Harvest moon Deliverance.

Egyptrixx - Bible Eyes
Blip bloop bleep.

Junior Boys - It’s All True
Dance like buttah.

Top gay albums and why

Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Because it’s mighty real.

Azari & III - Azari & III
Because it’s the most listenable and sexiest house album in years.

Jessica 6 - See the Light
Because it sounds like musical champagne and hot tubs.

Class Actress - Rapprocher
Because it sounds like ’80s Madonna meets Erotica Madonna meets a gay weekend in Palm Springs.

Christophe Willem - Prismophonic
Because he sounds like Kylie Minogue coated with glitter.

Beni - House of Beni
Because it’s bubbly.



Beth Ditto - EP
Because our favourite punk powerhouse (left) finally gave us what we secretly wanted from her: great fucking dance music.

Active Child - You Are All I See
Because this classically trained soprano and harp-playing hunk makes electro-blue-eyed R&B.

Adele - 21
Because her throat is lined with golden whiskey and she doesn’t give a shit.

Young Galaxy - Shapeshifting
Because this richly layered synth-pop record might be the sexiest thing a Canadian band has ever released.









Momentous moments

Christina Aguilera’s verse in “Moves Like Jagger.” The song is serious crap without it.

Mariah Carey hawking her goods on The Shopping Network. The stuff legends are made of.

The return of the single, sexy, dancing and singing JLo. The video for “Papi” is one of the year’s best.

Nicki Minaj on any red carpet or stage.

REM breaking up.

Robyn’s endless touring.

Jay-Z and Kanye’s gold-plated collaboration album didn’t shake the earth off balance, but it certainly set off the Richter scale.

Miserable moments

Amy Winehouse’s death.

Rebecca Black’s “Friday.” A new low in pop music.

Cher and Gaga’s announcement of a duet — with no results.

The exact moment Tori Amos was sitting in her castle surrounded by fairies and one of them whispered in her ear, “The time has come to release a classical album.”

Gloria Estefan’s comeback album and collaborative effort with Pharrell. I think those who cared really tried to like it, but in the end, it was a piece of ropa vieja.

REM breaking up.

This one’s more of a yawn than miserable, but that last Britney tour was a puppet show everyone’s already forgotten.



Predictions for 2012

Azealia Banks (left): I know I played “212” at every party I DJed this year, and judging by this up-and-coming MC’s fierceness, she’ll be giving Nicki a run for her money.

Lana Del Rey: Those lips! Those hips! Lana Del Rey is a controversial artist because music hipsters love to hate her and hate to love her. She’s just signed with Interscope, so she ain’t indie no more. Whether you question her cred or not, there’s no denying the allure of her seductively sad music.

Friends: The adorable indie hit “I’m His Girl” sounds like Lady Kier meets Veruca Salt. Look out for more of their feel-good stuff next year.

There’s another very gay music year ahead when Madonna, the Scissor Sisters, No Doubt and Goldfrapp unleash pop magic.

The ’90s are really back, with new albums from The Cranberries, Garbage and Fiona Apple expected.

TRST: Keep an eye and ear out for this lo-fi, electro-goth Toronto duo who opened for the newly reunited and also vowel-less MSTRKRFT in 2011.

tunes@fabmagazine.com
Twitter: @philville