Albums of 2011
-
Music Weekly podcast: Best albums of 2011
Alexis Petridis, Rebecca Nicholson, Tim Jonze and Kitty Empire discuss the Guardian's list of this year's top albums
-
Best albums of 2011, No 2: Katy B – On a Mission
Not only did Katy B showcase a new direction for dance music, she offered a fresh perspective on love, lust and London nightlife
-
Best albums of 2011, No 3: Frank Ocean – Nostalgia, Ultra
Tim Jonze: Unafraid to tackle suicide, abortion and absent fathers, this free mixtape introduced one of our most refreshing new R&B stars
-
Best albums of 2011, No 4: Beyoncé – 4Rebecca Nicholson: The thrill of pop is its instant rush, yet Beyoncé's fourth album was a refined record that showed she was in it for the long haul
-
Best albums of 2011, No 5: Bon Iver – Bon IverDorian Lynskey: The story behind Bon Iver's debut album was so perfect some wondered if its fragile beauty was a one off. But the follow-up wove an even more ravishing tapestry of folk, ambient and MOR
-
Best albums of 2011, No 6: James Blake – James BlakeIn a year in which we questioned our obsession with all things retro, James Blake pulled off the unthinkable, taking dubstep, soul and even barbershop to create a new musical language
-
Best albums of 2011, No 7: Metronomy – The English RivieraPaul MacInnes: In returning to his roots, Joe Mount pursued a more pastoral direction for Metronomy's third album – and found his voice
-
Best albums of 2011, No 8: The Weeknd – House of BalloonsPaul Lester: This free download was anything but throwaway. The chillwave-tinged R&B spoke of codeine, cold sex and pills … and invited you to luxuriate in Abel Tesfaye's heartache
-
Best albums of 2011, No 9: Rustie – Glass Swords
Dan Hancox: Rustie's debut album was a splash of Technicolor, escapist fun that drew on trance, rave and the Seinfield theme. Could it be this generation's Club Tropicana?
-
Best albums of 2011, No 10: Tune-Yards - whokill
Starting our countdown of the top 10 albums of 2011, Merrill Garbus's second LP was a rowdy, politicised burst of lo-fi pop that resonated in a year defined by protest
-
The best albums of 2011: 50-11
Tim Jonze: Next week we'll be counting down our top 10 albums of the year … but here's how the rest of our critics' top 50 looks
The best albums and songs of 2011, as voted by readers