REVISITING: 2011

 To misquote Alan Partridge with regard to the title, this sounds disconcertingly vague. But fear not, all will be explained.

Ten years ago, I was just turning 16; world at my feet, suddenly able to buy scratchcards and lottery tickets. My GCSEs were nearing completion, and A-Levels were set to begin. Stevenage had secured an unlikely route to League One football via a memorable day at Old Trafford. Life was pretty sweet.

But how do you revisit a year musically? There's just so much to get through. So many albums listened to, so many tracks added to varying playlists. In comes the convenient end of year list. It would be remiss of me to go anywhere else but NME for this, given my obsession with the magazine from 2007 to around 2014, though in truth the magazine had died something of a death long before I'd purchased my final copy.

But this is not a paen to dead magazine that used to be okay. This is simply a return to a list of ten years ago. How have these albums aged over the last decade? Given how much has changed, you'd expect 2011 to feel like an entirely alternate planet. That said, time flies by so quickly that it may just feel like yesterday.

So without further ado, let's visit the Top 20 Albums of 2011 according to NME:

20.) Radiohead - The King of Limbs. 

An album heavily criticised at the time for its brevity and lack of cohesion, The King of Limbs is arguably Radiohead's weakest effort. Then again, there's also a case for it being a misunderstood work of genius, and certainly an argument that Pablo Honey is considerably worse. The tracks certainly work better on stage, but there's still a lot to enjoy about TKOL. 7/10

19.) Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know

Revisiting this album feels like home. The likes of 'I Was Just a Card' and 'Salinas' have aged like a fine wine from the valleys of California. It is a world away from debut album Alas I Cannot Swim, and in hindsight reveals a career that's set to reach incredible artistic heights. 8/10

18.) Cat's Eyes - Cat's Eyes

A side project of Faris Badwan of The Horrors and Rachel Zeffira, the debut album has a few gems. The likes of 'The Best Person I Know' and 'The Lull' carry a certain sentimental, nostalgic charm. Other than nostalgia and experimentation, however, the album doesn't have a great deal going for it. 5/10

17.) Battles - Gloss Drop

Certainly not a patch on their debut as a whole, but individually some of the songs are phenomenal. 'Ice Cream' remains the catchiest song of the last decade (possibly ever), whilst 'Wall Street' and 'My Machines' (featuring a certain Gary Numan) bask in that beautiful Battles-ian chaos. Enough gold dust to carry the album. The influence on bands like Black Midi is also plain to see. 7/10

16.) Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind of Fix

If I could choose one album to represent the lazy, teenager-adult limbo of life at 16 in 2011, it would be this. The woozy intro of 'How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep?', the irresistible bassline of  'Lights Out, Words Gone', the frenetic chaos of 'Shuffle' - it's carefree UK indie at its finest. 9/10

15.) Wild Flag - Wild Flag

To date, the only album released by this Sleater-Kinney side project, and it still holds up pretty superbly ten years on. Certainly as solid as anything Sleater-Kinney have released. The longer cuts 'Glass Tambourine' and 'Racehorse' are particular standouts. 7/10

14.) The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From the Vaccines?

If I could choose another album to represent that carefree exuberance of 2011, it would be this. It remains one of the most solid UK indie debut albums of the last decade, perhaps even the last two or three decades. The title looks a little bit eerie in the Covid era, but what did you expect? An absolute beauty. 9/10

13.) Suuns - Zeroes QC

Even though Spotify tells me this album was released in 2010, it still makes the list. And with good reason, because it's one of the most underrated albums I can think of. The Canadian four-piece are almost impossible to pin to one genre, and therein lies the charm. The Led Zep screech of 'Armed for Peace', the euphoric 'Arena', the effortless sheen of 'PVC' - the album sparkles like nothing else. 9/10

12.) S.C.U.M - Again Into Eyes

One of the many albums to be the only effort from the band in question, Again Into Eyes is far from awful. Sure, it's not the most consistent album, and there are a few duds here and there. But songs like 'Amber Hands' and 'Whitechapel' are undeniably brilliant. It's a shame the band left it there. 6/10

11.)  Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi

As far as debut albums go, Anna Calvi's is pretty phenomenal. As beautiful and vital as it is dramatic, every song waltzes in and makes you swoon, from the elegant sway of 'No More Words', right through to the emphatic triumph of 'Blackout'. Short, sweet and magnificent. 8/10

10.) WU LYF - Go Tell Fire to the Mountain

Their candle was brief, but it was pretty good. How do you even pin down a band like this? Their music sounds like almost nothing out there. The crushing 'Such a Sad Puppy Dog' could soundtrack any sad TV or film moment, whereas the euphoric 'We Bros' is as brilliant as it is surprising to have not been featured on Skins at any point. 7/10

9.) Tuneyards - WHOKILL

On the face of it, Merrill Garbus' 2nd album is just another exercise in kooky, frenetic indie-pop. But scratch beneath the surface and there's a melancholic interior of violence and devastation. The likes of 'Riotriot,' 'Powa,' and 'Doorstep' shimmer with that sadness. A polarising listen, but a worthwhile one for sure. 7/10

8.) Katy B - On A Mission

Certified banger after banger, even after all this time. The kind of album that makes you miss nightclubs even more in this weird Covid-world, despite never really enjoying yourself in one before the virus. Anyway, On A Mission is another one of those albums that encapsulates a time to perfection. Nostalgia aplenty. 8/10

7.) St Vincent - Strange Mercy

It's not a bad album by any means, but I've always struggled to get into St Vincent's music for whatever reason. There are some bonafide classics on here; 'Cruel' being one, 'Cheerleader' another. But nothing stands out as worthy of an end-of-year list. Not bad, but certainly difficult to love. 4/10

6.) Arctic Monkeys - Suck it and See

The undisputed best Arctic Monkeys album, Suck it and See (okay, slightly disputed) is brilliant from start to finish. It sees the Monkeys at their absolute best in my humble opinion, with cuts like 'Library Pictures' and 'All My Own Stunts' bringing the Californian desert together with that old school Steel City swagger. As far as pisstakes go too, you could certainly do worse (or better) than 'Brick by Brick' as well. 10/10

5.) Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for my Halo

To put it in Vile's own words, 'a wandering record,' and a brilliant one at that. The album is as hazy and as welcome as a cold beer on a warm summer's day. The likes of  'On Tour' and the title track seem to spiral on forever, yet no track outstays its welcome on this fuzzy dreamscape of an album. 'I don't wanna work, but I don't wanna sit around all day frowning' sums it up perfectly. Amen, Kurt. 8/10

4.) Wild Beasts - Smother

A tragically short-lived band, but thankfully they gave us this masterpiece. It's difficult to choose a favourite between this and the 2009 effort Two Dancers, but Smother has a certain sheen unlike its predecessor. The yearning likes of 'Deeper' and 'Reach a Bit Further' really make this album tick. A worthy inclusion and a forgotten gem. 8/10

3.) The Horrors - Skying

Following up the excellent Primary Colours would always be a challenge, but credit to The Horrors, they managed it excellently. Bettering it would be too tall an order, but Skying carries an effortless charm of its own accord. The 8-minute epic 'Moving Further Away' and the sharp angled 'Monica Gems' are particular standouts on a solid third album. 7/10

2.) Metronomy - The English Riviera

A classic well worthy of its inclusion in the upper echelons of the list. I'd argue it should be one step higher. Any album that can make Torquay sound like Monte Carlo deserves all the credit going. The band continue to go from strength to strength these days, and you can't help but feel the brilliance and success of this album played a huge part. 10/10

1.) PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

An album that I didn't get as much as others at the time, but it's safe to say Let England Shake has aged magnificently. A vital album lamenting the horrors of war, the gruesome reality that fragments us so. Songs like 'The Last Living Rose,' 'The Words That Maketh Murder,' and 'The Colour of the Earth' stand out in particular, but the album thrives as a cohesive, bloody whole. Album of the year is perhaps too kind, but a brilliant LP nonetheless. 8/10