|
|
|
Rank |
Artist |
Title |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Patrick O'Hearn |
Playground |
Transitions |
|
|
Imogen Heap |
Lifeline |
CD single |
|
|
Andreas Gross |
Heart Parasite |
Autumn Inventors |
|
|
Hybrid |
Blind Side |
CD single |
|
|
Peter Murphy |
Seesaw Sway |
Ninth |
|
|
Patrick O'Hearn |
Reaching Land |
Transitions |
|
|
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark |
History Of Modern (Parts III & IV) |
7" vinyl |
|
|
Above & Beyond |
Love Is Not Enough (feat. Zoe Johnston) |
Group Therapy |
|
|
Duran Duran |
All You Need Is Now |
All You Need Is Now |
|
|
Ryan Star |
Brand New Day |
11:59 |
|
|
Duran Duran |
The Man Who Stole A Leopard (feat. Kelis) |
All You Need Is Now |
|
|
Yellow Slots |
Purple |
Lessend |
|
|
Engineers |
What It's Worth |
In Praise Of More |
|
|
Gorillaz |
Amarillo |
The Fall |
|
|
Ulrich Schnauss & Jonas Munk |
Made Of Sky (Ulrich Interlude) |
Ulrich Schnauss & Jonas Munk |
|
|
The Glitch Mob |
We Can Make The World Stop |
We Can Make The World Stop (EP) |
|
|
Roger Shah |
Morning Star (feat. Moya Brennan) |
Openminded!? |
|
|
Thievery Corporation |
Take My Soul |
Culture Of Fear |
|
|
Younger Brother |
Spinning Into Place |
Vaccine |
|
|
Enchante |
Lifecycle |
Soulstorm |
|
|
Slidecamp |
4th Of July |
Slidecamp |
|
|
David Sylvian |
I Should Not Dare |
Died In The Wool |
|
|
Acoustic Alchemy |
Swamp Top |
Roseland |
|
|
Yellow Slots |
Floating |
Lessend |
|
|
|
|
Track |
Artist |
|
|
|
I Feel You |
Depeche Mode |
March |
|
|
High Hopes |
Pink Floyd |
August |
|
|
Liberty |
Patrick O'Hearn |
August |
|
|
Woman |
In The Nursery |
May |
|
|
Vanishing Blue |
Tangerine Dream |
September |
|
|
Frozen |
Madonna |
March |
|
|
Peacemaker |
Maire (Moya) Brennan |
November |
|
|
Black Box (Complete) |
Recoil |
November |
|
|
Miracles And Wonders |
The Chameleons |
August |
|
|
Mulholland Drive |
Angelo Badalamenti |
April |
|
|
True To Form |
Hybrid |
August |
|
|
The Hardest Heart (Ambient Mix) |
Blank & Jones |
September |
|
|
Speed Of Sound |
Coldplay |
June |
|
|
No Tomorrow |
De/Vision |
April |
|
|
Goodbye |
Ulrich Schnauss |
June |
|
|
Skin Of The Night |
M83 |
April |
|
|
Optical Illusions |
William Orbit |
October |
|
|
Feelin Good |
Faithless |
June |
|
|
Playground |
Patrick O'Hearn |
August |
The following is an
alphabetical listing of artists who appear on the "Best of
2011" tracklist. Included is the total number of (premium)
tracks that the artist has placed on either the
"Year-End".."Best
Of".."Decade"
and/or "20"
series.
|
|
|
Above & Beyond |
their 2nd |
Patrick O'Hearn |
his 34th & 35th |
|
Acoustic Alchemy |
their 1st |
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark |
their 22nd |
|
Andreas Gross |
their 9th |
Ulrich Schnauss & Jonas Munk |
their 1st |
|
Duran Duran |
their 10th & 11th |
Roger Shah |
his 1st |
|
Enchante |
his 1st |
Slidecamp |
their 1st |
|
Engineers |
their 1st |
Ryan Star |
his 1st |
|
The Glitch Mob |
their 1st |
David Sylvian |
his 14th |
|
Gorillaz |
their 1st |
Thievery Corporation |
their 1st |
|
Imogen Heap |
her 1st |
Yellow Slots |
their 1st & 2nd |
|
Hybrid |
their 14th |
Younger Brother |
their 2nd |
|
Peter Murphy |
his 10th |
- |
- |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
Yellow Slots |
Patrick O'Hearn |
Moby |
|
|
|
|
Album |
Artist |
|
|
|
Songs Of Faith And Devotion |
Depeche Mode |
"I Feel You" |
|
|
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy |
Sarah McLachlan |
"Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" |
|
|
The Songs Of Distant Earth |
Mike Oldfield |
"Only Time Will Tell" |
|
|
Hinterland |
William Orbit (Strange Cargo) |
"Million Town" |
|
|
Karma |
Delerium |
"Silence" |
|
|
Ray Of Light |
Madonna |
"Frozen" |
|
|
Whisper To The Wild Water |
Maire (Moya) Brennan |
"Peacemaker" |
|
|
Liquid |
Recoil |
"Black Box (Complete)" |
|
|
Why Call It Anything |
The Chameleons |
"Miracles And Wonders" |
|
|
Conjure One |
Conjure One |
"Sleep" |
|
|
Morning Sci-Fi |
Hybrid |
"True To Form" |
|
|
Aero |
Jean-Michel Jarre |
"Aerozone" |
|
|
Another Day On Earth |
Brian Eno |
"Under" |
|
|
Hello Waveforms |
William Orbit |
"Sea Green" |
|
|
Hourglass |
Dave Gahan |
"Saw Something" |
|
|
Saturdays = Youth |
M83 |
"Skin Of The Night" |
|
|
We Like Ghost Girls |
Andreas Gross |
"Neologism" |
|
|
History Of Modern |
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark |
"RFWK" |
|
|
Lessend |
Yellow Slots |
"Purple" |
Top New Artist of
2011
|
|
"The Man Who Stole A Leopard" -- Duran Duran (dir. David Lynch) |
|
|
"Lessend" - Yellow Slots |
|
|
"Hurry Up, I'm Dreaming" -- M83 |
|
|
|
Patrick O'Hearn made us wait four years after 2007's Glaciation to unveil his latest effort, the superior Transitions. My #4 artist did not disappoint as two tracks, "Reaching Land" and "Playground" both placed in the Top 10 of my year-end list. In fact, "Playground" is my Top Track of 2011, with "Reaching Land" not far behind at #6. On the strength of these two songs, Transitions grabs the #2 spot on my Top Albums of 2011. Mr. O'Hearn also earns the Top Artist award, and breaks a three-way tie with Depeche Mode and Enya, for the most Best Of's (tracks that have made any of my "premium" lists). He now stands at 35, and only Tangerine Dream has more with a total of 54. "Playground" is the 5th instrumental to win the top spot on my year-end lists. The song also marks Patrick O'Hearn's second appearance, his last being 1995's "Liberty." ...  Remember the name Yellow Slots. an electronic, ambient duo from Greece who also placed a pair of tracks on the list. "Purple" at #12, and "Floating" which just made it on at #24. Soft, ambient instrumentals rarely place on my Best Of lists, but the sheer beauty of the album as a whole, and their haunting melodies was enough to place their debut album, "Lessend" at #1. They was no competition for Top New Artist for 2011, and Yellow Slots had the added bonus of grabbing the Best Album Artwork of 2011 as well... Moby who had the most nominated songs with three, came up empty on the Top Tracks list, but was able to place his album "Destroyed" at #3. The album made it to the final list on the strength of having 19 of its tracks appear on my Music Library this past year, well ahead of any other artist. In all, Moby placed 20 songs in 2011, second only to Tangerine Dream, who led 2011 with 24 tracks, however my #1 artist failed to show up on the Best of 2011, even though they had two tracks nominated... A record-breaking 12 artists, who had never appeared on my year-end lists previously, were able to take up half of my Best of 2011 list, including the just mentioned Yellow Slots. Imogen Heap's debut is "Lifeline," which comes in at #2 on the list. "Brand New Day" (#10) which came out in 2010, is Ryan Star's first placement. I discovered the track when I started watching the FOX-TV program "Lie To Me," which uses the song as its opening theme. The show has since been cancelled. Other artists making their debut appearance include Engineers at #13 with "What It's Worth"..Gorillaz ("Amarillo") at #14. Right behind is Ulrich Schnauss and Jonas Munk's "Made Of Sky." Schnauss of course is no stranger to my Best Of lists. His 2007 song "Goodbye" was the #1 song of that year, and is the top track on my 500 series, and he also appears on the previously mentioned track by Engineers... The Glitch Mob's "We Can Make The World Stop" is the #16 track of 2011, while Roger Shah, with some vocal assistance from Moya Brennan, comes in at #17 with "Morning Star." Thievery Corporation finally make it on a year-end list with "Take My Soul" at #18, and newcomers Enchante and Slidecamp enter at #20 and #21 respectively. Acoustic Alchemy, who formed as a band 30 years ago, waited the longest to put a track on, as "Swamp Top" grabs the #23 position. "Swamp Top" is only their 8th appearance on my Music Library. Their first, "The Stone Circle" appeared way back in 1987... Even though their album was not nominated, Duran Duran was one of only three acts that placed more than one track on my Best of 2011. "All You Need Is Now" comes in at #9, while "The Man Who Stole A Leopard" was two notches behind at #11. The latter track's video, directed by David Lynch, wins the Top Video of the Year award. Also, Duran Duran becomes the 27th artist to pass the 1,000-point mark on my Top Artist list. Hybrid's 14th track to show up on a Best Of chart, "Blind Side," takes the #4 spot, just behind "Heart Parasite" by Andreas Gross. It's the German-goth band's 9th "Best Of" track... Peter Murphy makes it 10 Best Of's with "Seesaw Sway," the #5 song of the past 12 months. "I Spit Roses," another track from his latest album, just missed making the list. Above & Beyond, who saw their "Triad" end up on the Best of 2007 list, reappear four years later with "Love Is Not Enough" at #8, with vocals by Zoe Johnston. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, now have 22 "Best of" appearances with the #7 song, "History Of Modern (Parts III & IV)". This is the very first song since my year-end lists began in 1993, to come from a vinyl-only recording. (You can even hear a few "pops and clicks"). A more-enhanced CD version came out a few months later, but the original version won out. At #19 is "Spinning Into Place" by Younger Brother, their 2nd showing, the last being 2007's "Psychic Gibbon," the #14 song that year. The very sparse and quiet track "I Should Not Dare" by David Sylvian, comes in at #22. It's his 14th Best of showing... M83, who not only had the #1 album of 2008, Saturdays = Youth, but placed three tracks from that album on the Best of 2008, including the #1 song, "Skin Of The Night," totally unraveled three year later with Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. Having 22 tracks on an album proves that quantity does not equal quality. The latest album by Thomas Dolby, would have any fan wishing he stayed in retirement, but M83 wins the Most Disappointing Album of 2011, because expectations were so high after his previous effort. Let's hope Anthony Gonzalez's future 7th album will be an improvement over this stinker. It couldn't be worse. Finally, 2012 will be an interesting year. Even though the past two years saw 40 and 41 entries to my Music Library, look for half of that this year. Beginning around June, I'll begin compiling my first update to my 500 list (my all-time favorite songs). This will more than likely take up four months of work, and will drastically reduce the number of Music Library additions... Look for more entries to commence in late January or mid-February, beginning where I left off at ML #670. Have a great new year! ... |
