Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Editor's Choice: Top 10 Albums of 2011

2011. godina se bliži kraju, a s obzirom na to da ovaj blog postoji skoro godinu dana, vreme je da se napravi retrospektiva albuma i singlova koji su obeležili ovu godinu. Zapravo, ovo nije lista albuma i singlova koji su bili najbolji po prodaji, već lista onih izdanja koja su mi privukla najveću pažnju kao muzičkom novinaru i autoru ovog bloga. Takođe, ovde neće biti samo pop izdanja, pa može otkrijete nekog zanimljivog izvođača. Naravno, možete i vi da postavljate svoje liste kao komentar na ovaj post.
Krećemo sa listom albuma, dok ću listu singlova postaviti za nekoliko dana :) /We are at the and of 2011 and considering that this blog is almost a year old, it's time make a retrospective of albums and singles that marked the year that is almost behind us. Actually, this isn't the list of best-selling albums and singles, but the list of releases that got most of my attention as a music journslist and an author of this blog. Also, you won't see only pop releases here, so you may discover interesting artists from other genres. Of course, you can also post your lists as a comment.
Let's go with the albums list first, while the singles list will be posted in a few days :)

Top 10 Albums:

10. Moby - Destroyed


Moby je svoj deseti studijski album opisao kao "melodična elektronska muzika za prazni grad u 2 ujutru" i, zaista, on je još jednom pokazao da je majstor elektronske muzike. Za razliku od mnogih producenata ovog žanra, Moby veliku pažnju posvećuje i melodičnosti, pa ovaj album odiše setom, usamljenošću, ponekad i besom. Odličan album za one koji od elektronske muzike očekuju nešto više. / Moby described his tenth studio album as "melodic electronic music for empty cities at 2 am". and he really showed once again that he's on top of the game in electro genre. Unlike many other producers from this genre, a melody plays an important part in his work, so this album reflects feelings of distance, loneliness, even anger. Great album for those who expect something more from an electronic music.

9. Britney Spears - Femme Fatale

Iako Britney poslednjih godina nije u baš najboljoj formi i njeni nastupi nisu ni približno dobri kao na početku njene karijere, to je nije sprečilo da vremenom njene pesme postanu sve bolje. "Femme Fatale" je za mene njen najbolji album u karijeri - produkcija besprekorna i nema takozvanih fillera. Sve pesme su skoro podjednako dobre i svaka je spremna za klubove. Nema pretencioznih tekstova, samo Britney koja  se dobro zabavlja i to je ono što radi najbolje. Najbolji album za žurke ove godine. / Although Britney hasn't been in the best shape during last few years and her performances aren't even close to what she could do in the beginning of her career, it didn't stopped her songs to get better with time. For me, "Femme Fatale" is her best album to date - with a flawless production and without fillers. All songs are almost equally good and all are ready for clubs! There aren't pretentious lyrics, just Britney having fun and that's what she does the best. The best party album this year.

8. Jennifer Lopez - LOVE?

Najbolji povratak na scenu ove godine svakako je imala Jennifer Lopez. Nakon što je njena muzička karijera zamalo zamrla nakon komercijalnog kraha singla "Louboutins", Jennifer se vratila albumom "LOVE?", na kome je radila dve godine i na kome se nalazi jedan od najvećih hitova godine "On the Floor". Jennifer je ovim albumom pokazala da je sazrela kao pevač, što se videlo i na mnogobrojnim live nastupima. S obzirom na to da je snimala i tokom trudnoće, na albumu ima ličnih i ozbiljnijih pesama, ali nije zapostavila ni fanove njenih dance klasika. / The best comeback this year undoubtly belongs to Jennifer Lopez. After her music career almost died after a commercial failure of her single "Louboutins", Jennifer returned with her new album "LOVE?", which she worked on for two years and which features one of the biggest hits this year "On the Floor". Jennifer proved with album that she has matured as a singer which she also showed during many live performances. Considering that she was recording this album during a pregnancy as well, it resulted with some more serious and personal songs, but she didn't forget fans of her dance classics.  


7. Feist - Metals


Feist svakako spada među najtalentovanije muzičare novije generacije. Nakon komercijalnog uspeha njenog prethodnog albuma "The Reminder" i hita "1234"Feist se povukla sa scene kako bi se posvetila stvaranju novih, neobičnih pesama. "Metals" je album koji će vas sigurno naterati da se naježite. Ljubitelji dark pop zvuka će ga obožavati. Feist je ekperimentisala zvukovima raznih instrumenata kako bi dobila specifičnu atmosferu i besprekorne aranžmane, savršeno uklopljene uz njen milozvučan glas. /  Feist is certainly one of the most talented singers/songwriters in a new generation. After a big success of her album "The Reminder" and a hit "1234" from 2007, she took some time off to create new and unusual songs. "Metals" will give you goosebumps for sure. Dark pop fans will LOVE it. feist experimented a lot with sounds of various instruments in order to create a specific atmosphere and flawless arrangements that suit perfectly to her mellow voice.



6. Bjork - Biophilia


Ako bi nekom trebalo dodeliti nagradu za konstantnu muzičku inovativnost, onda je to Bjork. Kraljica ektravagance se vratila nakon četvorogodišnje pauze izuzetno zanimljivim i neobičnim projektom - "Biophilia". Ovoga puta spojila je nauku i muziku. Kompletan album govori o nastanku života, tajnama univerzuma, zakonima fizike. Sve ovo je postigla upotrebom najneobičnijih instrumenata, čak je i uređaje koje koristimo u svakodnevnom životu pretvarala u instrumente. Čak je kreirala i iPad aplikacije kako bi slušaoci mogli da učestvuju u ovom projektu. Još jednom je pokazala da opravdano nosi titulu muzičkog čarobnjaka. / If someone should be awarded for a contast inovation in music that should be Bjork. The queen of extravaganza came back after 4-year-long break with a very interesting and extremely unusual project"Biophilia". This time she combined science with music. The complete album is about creation of life, secrets of universe, physics laws... She managed to this with a use of the most unusual instruments, including some of the machines we use in an everyday life. She even created iPad apps, so the listeners could interact with the entire project. She showed once again why she is called a music wizard. 



5. Bon Iver - Bon Iver


Iako je bend Bon Iver nominovan u katogiriji za najboljeg novog izvođača na Grammy nagradama, ovaj bend je već četiri godine dobro poznat u indie krugovima. Njihov prvi album, "For Emma Forver Ago", jedan je od najboljih albuma iz 2008. godine po mišljenju kritičara. Ono što karakteriše njihovu muziku su "sirove" emocije prenesene na muziku uz minimalnu upotrebu instrumenata, metaforičkim tekstovima i specifičnim glasom frontmena Justina Vemona. Njihov drugi album, nazvan po njima, zadržao je sve to, ali ovoga puta uz značajan napredak kada je reč o produkciji pesama. Ovoga puta pokušali su muzikom da dočaraju gradove koji su im značajni zbog nečega, a sudeći po reakcijama kritike i publike, to su uradili veoma uspešno. / Although Bon Iver are nominated in Best New Artist category for next year's Grammys, this band has been well-known in indie circles for four years. Their first album, "For Emma Forver Ago", is one of the best albums in 2008, according to critics. In their music you can hear raw emotions transfered into songs with a minimal usage of instrumentas and with a metaphoric lyrics delivered with a spesific voice of the band's frontman Justin Vemon. Their second, self-titled, album kept all those things, but this time  with a much better production. With this album they tried to musically describe cities that mean something to them and, according to critics and an audience, they did a great job.  


4. Tori Amos - Night of Hunters


Tori Amos je svakako jedan od najkreativnijih umetnika na muzičkoj sceni. Svaki njen album predstavlja jednu priču, jedan koncept, a ona u svakoj priči ima različitu ulogu. Svoje priče ona priča kroz muziku, uglavnom samo uz pomoć klavira i glasa. "Night of Hunters" je odličan spoj pop i klasične muzike. Kako Tori kaže, album je inspirisan razvojem klasične muzike rokom 400 godina. Poslušajte obavezno! Prelepe melodije, ponekad zastrašujuće, odvešće vas na neverovatno muzičko putovanje. / Tori Amos is certainly one of the most creative artist in the music scene. Each of her album represents a story, a concept and she alway plays a different part in them. She tells her stories through music, mostly using just voice and piano. "Night of Hunters" is a great compound between pop and classical music. As Tory says, the album is inspired by classical music themes spanning over 400 years. You must listen to this! Beautiful melodies, sometimes frightening, will take you to an incredible music journey.

3. Kate Bush - 50 Words of Snow


Neki ljudi jednostavno ne mogu da pogreše kada je muzika u pitanju. Legendarna Kate Bush vratila se novim albumom posle petogodišnje pauze. Album "50 Words for Snow" samo je još jedan od dokaza zašto je Kate Bush jedan od najcenjenijih umetnika svih vremena i velika inspiracija mnogim muzičarima. Kada bi zima bila muzički album, zvučala bi baš ovako. Njen specifičan glas, odabrani efekti, savršena produkcija i talenat koji joj omugćava da sve što želi pretvori u predivnu muziku doveli su ovaj album do savršenstva. Možda najbolji "zimski" album svih vremena. / Some people can't make mistake when it comes to music. Legendary Kate Bush returned with a new album after 5-year-long break. "50 Words for Snow" proves once again why Kate Bush is one of the most acclaimed artists and a big inspiration to many musicians. Her unique voice, chosen effects, flawless production and a talent that gives her an ability to turn everything into a beautiful music, brought this album to perfection. Maybe the best "winter" album ever.

2. Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials

Talentovana, ekscentrična, pomalo morbidna Florence Welsch (Florence + The Machine) vratila se bolja nego ikad. Na drugom albumu "Ceremonials" zadržala je sve ono što je bilo dobro sa prethodnog albuma, ali je ovoga puta bila smelija, više je eksperimentisala sa različitim instrumentima, zvučnim efektima, tekstovi su mračniji, a njen glas izražajniji. Mračne teme i ovoga puta su bile glavna inspiracija - smrt, propale veze, crne misli, te ovaj album svakako nije preporučljivo slušati ako ste depresivni. Međutim, ovaj album bi definitivno trebalo da posedujete jer je zaista muzičko remek-delo koje vas neće ostaviti ravnodušnim. Pogotovo ako volite mračnu muziku. / Talented, eccentric, and a bit morbid Florence Welsch (Florence + The Machine) returned better than ever. On her second album "Ceremonials" she kept all good things from a previous record, but this time she was more secure in herself, she experimented more with various instruments, sound effects, her lyrics are darker and her voice is more expressive. Dark topics were main inspiration for this album too - death, broken relationships, dark thoughts, so it's not recommended to listen to this album if you're depressed. Anyway, you should certainly have it, because it's a real music masterpiece which won't leave you indifferent.

1. Adele - 21

Ovo je album koji je definitivno obeležio ovu godinu. Pokazao je da ljudi ipak umeju da cene pravu muziku - bez golotinje, eksplicitnih tekstova, vulgarnih spotova i ekscentričnih outfita. Sve što je ova 23-godišnja devojka uradila jeste da je pretvorila u muziku sve što joj leži na srcu. Ispalo je da je to pun pogodak u kombinaciji sa njenim moćnim glasom. Ovaj album može da posluži i kao uputstvo onima koji više pažnje posvećuju vizuelnom predstavljanju nego muzici. Adele je uradila ono što godinama mnogima nije polazilo sa rukom godinama - naterala je ljude da je slušaju i siguran sam da je ovaj album na putu da postane klasik svog vremena. / This album definitely marked this year. It proved that people can appreciate a real music - without nudity, explicit lyrics, vulgar videos and weird outfits. Everything that this 23-year-old girl did was to pour everything that lies on her heart into a music. It turned out to be a hit formula in a combination with her powerful voice. This album can also serve as a direction to those who pay more attention to their visual presentation than to their mssic. Adele managed to do what many have been trying for years - she made people to actually listen to her and I'm sure this album will become a classic of its time.

No comments:

Post a Comment