Best of 2011 - Music

This is typically the main focus of this blog, and one of the reasons I started this blog.

Here's a link to: http://sharemyplaylists.com/pete-s-best-of-2011. This will let you launch a playable version of the list in Spotify if you're interested (and subscribed to Spotify).

On to the list! (in no particular order)
# Track (click for lyrics) Artist
1. Victory Dance My Morning Jacket - Great slow, building pump-up song.
2. Pumped Up Kicks Foster The People - I first heard this in early january 2011, and immediately loved it, so much so that it's been my ringtone since then. It's starting to get a little over played, and I've been searching for a new ringtone for a few months now, but it is still a great song (can't hate the band for getting too popular).
3. I Don't Wanna Care Right Now - feat. MDMA Lupe Fiasco - Lupe is always awesome. I think there are other more meaningful songs on Lasers, but this one is super catchy and imho the most fun.
4. Hey - Milk & Sugar Club Mix Milk & Sugar vs. Vaya Con Dios - I heard this while in SA for a friends wedding. Catchy, hip, incredibly cool video.
5. Young Blood The Naked And Famous - Good song, not much more to say.
6. Firework Katy Perry - This became my wedding anthem. 3 to 4 times this year I found myself jumping wildly on the dance floor to this song. Only once was I captured on video.
7. MoneyGrabber Fitz and The Tantrums - Cool retro sound, also bordering on omnipresent.
8. Ten Cent Pistol The Black Keys - After watching the videos for Tighten Up and Lonely Boy, I'm kind of tempted to pick one of them, but I wanted to go a little off the beaten path here. It's great to see the Black Keys finally getting their due.
9. Tears Dry On Their Own Amy Winehouse - I always kind of liked Amy Winehouse songs without ever listening to a whole album. Then I heard this and absolutely loved this song, and decided to go back and listen to all of her albums. Great stuff. Sorry it took her death to make me appreciate her music.
10. Sim Sala Bim Fleet Foxes - So many great songs on Helplessness Blues, but I had to pick one.
11. Midnight City M83 - Everyone else's song of the year. Definitely a great track from a great album.
12. Barton Hollow The Civil Wars - I saw a video for this on Palladia.
13. Gangsta Tune-Yards - Everyone else has Powa on their best of 2011 list. I might even like Powa better, but I heard Gangsta first (via a friend's Spotify playlist).
14. Art Of Almost Wilco - Had to get Wilco on here, according to Last.fm, they're my favorite band.
15. Revolving Doors Gorillaz - The first all iPad album was much better than I expected, but I am partial to Gorrillaz.
16. Shake It Out Florence + The Machine - Couple of great tracks from Florence this year.
17. Super Bass Nicki Minaj - Ironically not particularly bass heavy, but Nicki Minaj is great.
18. We Used to Wait Arcade Fire - Technically came out in 2010, but I'm in a holding pattern right now. Waiting is my every day.

Album of the year goes to Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues. Loved this album. 8 of my top 10 most listened to tracks in the second half of 2011. My second most listened to artist over that period.