Four 2011 albums you should listen too

So it is about half way through the year and I have found the time to listen to some music when I haven’t been working and procrastinating.  I have recommendations for you to take or to ignore.  I won’t shed no tears about it.

Cloud Control – Bliss Release

I literally only gave the debut album from this Australian band a virtual spin on Spotify today whilst working away on all the work things I have.  I’d previously heard and enjoyed the single ‘There’s Nothing In The Water We Can’t Fight‘.  The rest of the album is great and being from Australia you always worry they might sound shit but thankfully they fall into the Howling Bells (debut album) category rather than the INXS bracket.  A longer review might be more appropriate but I have another 4 albums write about and I’ve got a book next to me I’m desperate to read.  If I was to give this a pretentious Pitchfork rating I would give it a 8.6 You can listen to the album on this link that will follow my sentence.  Cloud Control – Bliss Release

Cults – Cults

This album is one I expect to be quite big, eventually, it might take time but I think they’re a band that will benefit from word of mouth or sound of ear…

Anyway, I’m fairly sure that I heard ‘Go Outside’ on some advert earlier which always helps.  It is another debut album and I think I wrote about it the last time I updated this blog – certainly recently – so do I really need to go over it all again?  Maybe a little – it has a retro vibe which according to the discussion on The Wright Stuff today is a bad thing, I think not – in most cases – although I have been known to crow about bands not being original so maybe I should start a hate campaign on Cults…  I suggest you check out the album for yourself rather than listening to my blatherings. 8.6 Cults – Cults

PJ Harvey – Let England Shake

What can I say about PJ Harvey that others haven’t?  I’ve always imagined she smells like a liquorice stick from a Sherbert Dib Dab that has been sucked dry.  Whilst no one has probably said that I don’t really know if I think that or whether I’m making it up because I’m running out of things to say.  Needless to say she rarely makes a bad album and this one is fantastic – whilst it doesn’t have the rocking rockyness of my favourite album of hers ‘Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea’ it is nonetheless a really good piece of work.  7.5 PJ Harvey – Let England Shake

Esben and the Witch – Violet Cries

I first listened to this band because I loved the name and then carried on listening to them when I enjoyed the music.  They remind me a little of Miranda Sex Garden who you probably haven’t heard of but were very good as well.  You should check this album out if you like dark (gothic or whatever, eeeerie – Twilight fans probably like listening to it in the black of night whilst they decide which hand to touch themselves with, the Edward hand or the other ones hand) electro. 7.7 Esben and the Witch – Violet Cries

There are lots of albums I’ve been meaning to listen to and perhaps they’re better than the ones I have mentioned but I haven’t listened to them.  If you think I should listen to any albums please leave a comment.  A few other honourable mentions (that I can’t be bothered writing a paragraph about; Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Hal, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart – Belong, Raekwon – Shaolin vs Wu-Tang, Thurston Moore – Demolished Thoughts.