It's the most poptastic time of the year..

Every publication, blog and website seems to be running down their albums of the year so I thought why not?

I should do some movies as well but, shamefully, I don't get to see too many throughout the year. I certainly see enough tv but a lot of film buffs would look down their Kubrickian noses at the small screen fare. Shame that because American television, especially cable television, is in a certain golden period with some fantastic shows over the last few years.

Still, it's music which rules the artistic roost in my house, so lets spark off.

I am not going to rank them or really limit myself to a top ten. I am just gonna throw a bunch of them out there. Albums that I have enjoyed in 2011.

Dave Alvin - Eleven Eleven
Iron and Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean
Drive By Truckers - Go Go Boots
Antlers - Burst Apart
The Low Anthem - Smart Flesh
Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo
Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Low - C'mon
Jonathan Wilson - Gentle Spirit
Metronomy - The English Riviera
Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire
Wilco -The Whole Love
My Morning Jacket - Circuital
Real Estate - Days
Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die
Elbow -Build A Rocket Boys
R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now
TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light
Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take care
Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning
Justice - Audio, Video, Disco
A.A. Bondy - Believers
Akron/Family - ST II
Black Stone Cherry - Between The Devil..
J Mascis - Several Shades Of Why
Richard Buckner - Our Blood
The Mountain Goats All Eternals Deck
The Horrible Crowes - Elsie
Anathema - Falling Deeper
Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam
John Hiatt - Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns
Jason Isbell - Here We Rest
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Wolfroy Goes To Town
dEUS - Keep You Close
Wooden Shjips - West
Lucinda Williams -Blessed
Fountains Of Wayne - Sky Full Of Holes

All these fine missives have gained significant airplay in my house/work/walking areas and I would recommend any of them without hesitation.

Really, all this list goes to show is that I do very little else except listen to music. Still, could be worse. I could be a Stoke fan or spend my day looking at animal porn. Same thing I suppose.

I will put the albums that I have really overdosed on this year in a seperate post. Ones that are really special to me.

A wise man once said, "never discuss philosophy or politics in a disco environment."